Because the eccentric old man Sukekiyou still wanted to have a duel with the Silver King, only Kisara and Rentaro returned to the city.
Rentaro remained silent throughout the entire journey back.
Kisara wanted to say something, but she didn't know whether she should comfort him or simply show empathy, because she herself was still reeling from the shock. She even felt like vomiting.
Beneath a Tokyo that still looked civilized lay an unknown number of covered-up crimes. The sheer volume and inhuman brutality were enough to drive a person mad. Although the Silver King hadn't described them in detail, with just a slight hint, human imagination did the rest.
The most horrifying thing was that after all of that, Tokyo, in the Silver King's words, was still considered the "safest" and "most peaceful" place for the Cursed Children to live. Kisara simply did not dare to imagine what the lives of those children outside the Monoliths were like.
"Satomi, the Silver King's words..."
"Kisara, is it true that everyone is coddling my emotions?"
Rentaro asked weakly. Kisara was momentarily speechless and couldn't answer.
Because there was nothing wrong with that statement.
Seemingly knowing the answer, Rentaro gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Doctor Sumire probably always knew this, but she never told him. Or perhaps he simply ignored it, continuing to immerse himself in the worldview of the young man named Satomi Rentaro.
"Kisara, you should go back to the agency first."
"I... think I'll walk around for a bit."
"... Be careful, okay."
She couldn't stop him, because some things could only be overcome by realizing it on one's own and not through the help of others.
Finally, Rentaro was left alone on the road.
He walked with a listless stagger, like a lost soul wandering through deserted streets and ruined buildings, then into the bustling crowds of the downtown area and the vibrant commercial center.
But Rentaro felt nothing.
It was as if this world no longer had a place for him.
Suddenly, a singing voice reached Rentaro's ears.
He had passed through this busy area countless times, but never once had he heard this voice. Perhaps only after abandoning the entire chaotic world behind him could the clear singing voice appear in his consciousness.
Rentaro recovered a little of his spirit. He followed the small voice and saw a little girl with gray hair, wrapped in a faded light purple cloth. Her clothes were stained with dirt, but the most distinctive feature was the strip of white cloth wrapped around her small head, covering her eyes.
She was the one singing.
As Rentaro approached, he saw her holding a sign placed against her chest that read, "I am a Cursed Child from the outer edge Area."
Even though her eyes were covered, the girl seemed to sense someone approaching. So when Rentaro got closer, she "looked" in his direction and smiled.
Rentaro frowned. He quickly rushed up to the girl, anxiously and kindly asking:
"Why are you here? Weren't you escorted to the Silver King's Area?"
This shouldn't be happening, should it?
One must know that because the Silver King's Area existed, wandering Cursed Children in Tokyo had virtually vanished. Those who remained were mostly Initiators working in the Civil Security sector.
And this girl was clearly not a Civil Security Initiator.
In response to Rentaro's question, the girl just shook her head, not revealing the reason. This caused his brows to furrow even more. He looked at the cloth wrapped around her eyes, unable to help but ask.
"Your eyes... Cursed Children are immune to diseases, aren't they?"
The girl took off the cloth.
What appeared before Rentaro were two completely destroyed eyeballs, leaving only empty sockets.
"I poured lead into them..."
"Because my mother hated red eyes very much."
The blind girl spoke calmly.
Rentaro felt his heart being squeezed, his throat dry, unable to utter anything for a moment.
Why?
Why did these things happen?
Even now, Rentaro still didn't understand, or perhaps stubbornly refused to understand why the Cursed Children had to endure all this.
In his eyes, the Cursed Children were human, but to others, they were not.
Rentaro simply couldn't accept it.
"I can only rely on others to live. So besides smiling, I can't do anything else."
"But I'm still very happy, because my little sister was able to go there, to heaven, where she can have a new life."
The blind girl spoke softly. From her tone, one could tell she was genuinely happy.
But the brighter the smile on the girl's face, the darker Rentaro's expression became.
Just then, a man walked past. Seeing the blind girl's begging bowl, he sneered, and a mouthful of spittle landed right in the bowl.
"Eat this, monster."
After this act, the man laughed gleefully. That laughter completely triggered Rentaro's suppressed anger.
Rentaro reached out and grabbed the unpleasant man by the collar. Attacked suddenly, the man yelled in panic.
"You bastard! What are you doing?!"
But Rentaro paid no attention. The arm gripping the collar tightened to the point where it could crush stone. All he wanted to do now was beat the man in front of him.
However, before Rentaro could take any action, a small hand grasped the hem of his jacket.
"Brother, please don't."
Faced with the blind girl's plea, Rentaro could only reluctantly release the man, allowing him to run away.
Aside from venting some impotent rage, hitting that man accomplished nothing.
He couldn't even see the situation as clearly as a child.
It turned out, he didn't know anything at all.
Rentaro lowered himself, then thrust the last ¥2,000 in his pocket into the girl's hand. Given the purchasing power of the current economy, ¥2,000 was a substantial amount. Noticing the strange texture of the bill, the blind girl was confused.
"Brother, this is too much, I can't take it..."
"Please find a better place to go. Don't come here anymore."
"But..."
"Consider it my plea to you."
Feeling the trembling transmitted through the hand Rentaro placed on her shoulder, the blind girl finally nodded, accepting his money.
Watching the girl's figure move away, Rentaro stood silently in place, then turned and walked away alone.
He headed straight to the hospital where Sumire worked.
Bang!
The basement door swung open. Sumire annoyedly looked up. Seeing Rentaro's dark and gloomy face, she opened her mouth to tease him.
"What, did someone steal all your money?"
"Doctor Sumire, where is Enju?"
Noticing that Rentaro didn't react to her joke, Sumire was too lazy to keep teasing him. She casually leaned back and spoke.
"The girl just went home. What, did you come to ask for the test results?"
"Everything is fine. Enju's erosion rate is 24.9%..."
"Doctor Sumire."
Detecting that Rentaro's expression was completely unlike his usual nonchalant personality, Sumire suddenly felt like laughing heartily.
"What's wrong, did you suffer a bitter lesson from that side again?"
She seemed to always know very well. She knew very well there was only one person who would always tell him the truth.
"Doctor Sumire, Enju's erosion rate... what is the real number?"
"42.9%."