Press. Squeeze.
Deep in a sweet slumber, I felt a heavy weight on my waist. Something was disturbing my precious sleep. I scowled and swung my arm, and whatever was pressing down on me retreated in an instant. Finding peace once more, I started to drift off again.
Pressss.
Again, something heavy settled on my waist. I swung my arm with a fierce momentum, and it hastily disappeared. A satisfied smile on my face, I fell back asleep.
Presssssss.
Now I was starting to get annoyed. What insolent being dared to disturb my precious sleep? I'd have to teach it a lesson. The moment the weight returned, I shot up, grabbing the foot that was pressing down on me and pulling. I would pin it down so it couldn't move an inch.
Huh. Why isn't it moving? Strange. I'm pulling with all my might, but it's not budging.
Where have I felt this before?
The Military State is a nation of steel and concrete. Every component that makes up its cities is hard.
The buildings, the people, the ideology.
I once touched a bridge pier while passing under an overpass. A sturdy, solid pier, built with a steel frame and hardened with concrete. The feel of that structure, which supported the people and large carriages that passed over it, is still vivid in my memory. Even when I kicked it, it didn't tremble in the slightest, making the pier feel like an object that existed entirely without regard for me.
The leg pressing down on me now felt much like that pier of rebar and concrete. It wouldn't budge. The only differences were that it was warm and soft, but the power contained within it surpassed that of any bridge.
I was just holding the leg, dazed.
"Woof!"
The leg followed my hand of its own accord.
An adult lets a child pull them along not because they are weaker, but because their heart wills it. By a similar principle, the soft, plush foot moved as I led it. And just like that, a large shadow leaped onto my bed.
Before me appeared a girl with eyes full of curiosity. Her messy, tousled blonde hair was a mess, and her expressions were writ large on her face. She had tied her standard-issue shirt in a tight knot just below her chest; I couldn't tell if it was to emphasize her luscious breasts or to keep them from bouncing around. Below her navel, a half-hidden tail wagged gently.
The moment the girl saw me, she grinned and poked my chest with her hand. Her touch was so full of trust and affection that it was almost bewildering.
What is this?
Some girl suddenly wakes me up and starts acting all cute. Is she an assassin? Or maybe a debt collector…?
The moment I felt a sense of crisis, I read her thoughts.
No, it's a dog.
The Dog King, Azzy.
I swept my hair back and sat up in bed. Being awake cleared my head a little. The static of thoughts began to seep into my once-quiet mind, and my vision widened as if a fog was lifting.
As I tried to get out of bed, Azzy quickly moved out of the way.
"You came to wake me up?"
"Woof!"
"Because you heard me wondering who would wake me up without an alarm clock?"
"Woof woof!"
"Right. Thanks. Good girl."
"Me, good?"
"Aww, such a good girl."
"Woof woof! Me, good!"
From her barking to the way she joyfully rolled around on my bed after being praised, she was exactly like a dog in every way. In essence, she was closer to the species 'dog' than anything else in this world.
That's right. She's a dog. Not a girl.
I washed my face and changed my clothes. The standard-issue shirt dissolved into the bio-receptor on my wrist, and I inserted a new clothing packet.
For some reason, I felt the urge to douse my head in cold water.
Of course, I couldn't afford such a luxury with only my daily ration. I ran out of my allotted water while washing, so with water dripping from my wet hair, I barged into the next room. The bed in the room next to mine was folded in half and the cabinet was broken, but the water was still running, so I often used it when my own supply ran low.
After drying myself off, I looked up. Azzy was still hovering around me. As I wiped my hair with a dry towel, I checked my remaining water ration.
There's a little left. A single portion is never enough, but a double portion is a bit too much. So typical of the Military State.
I poured the remaining water into a cup and gave it to Azzy, who shoved her face in and started lapping it up.
That familiar sight seemed strangely off today, and I found myself needlessly scolding her.
"Azzy. Your body is still human. You should hold it with your hands and drink."
"Woof?"
Azzy tilted her head, reacting to my words with pure incomprehension.
"Woof? You called?"
If she had understood my words, she wouldn't be a dog. I sighed, sat her on my lap, and carefully tilted the cup to her lips.
Azzy, who had been flicking her tongue out, seemed startled as the sloshing water was about to enter her mouth. The little rascal squirmed. But I held her firmly and soothed her gently so she wouldn't be scared. Soon, she calmed down and began to gulp down the water trickling into her mouth.
"There you go. Good girl. See how much easier this is? Try drinking like this from now on. How about it?"
"Woof!"
"Alright, let's see."
She must have understood, right? I carefully placed the cup on the floor. Without a moment's hesitation, Azzy dropped to her knees, shoved her face into the cup, and started lapping.
I watched the tail wagging above her raised rear and muttered.
"That was a waste of effort."
At the sound of my voice, Azzy stopped drinking and turned her head. When our eyes met, she gave me a bright smile and barked.
"Woof woof!"
A chuckle escaped me.
Why do humans find comfort in watching simple, innocent animals?
Is it to feel superior by looking down on a lesser creature?
Or is it to reminisce about a purity they themselves have lost?
"Whatever."
The reason doesn't matter. Perhaps the emotion exists before any reason is tacked on later.
In the end, if it's enjoyable, that's all that matters.
Azzy finished the water. I hung the cup back on its hook and left the empty room.
"Let's go get breakfast."
"Woof!"
Today's menu was the leftover meat stew from yesterday. There wasn't much meat left, but it would be enough for one breakfast. And for dinner… beans. I was sick of stew, but bean stew was the best I could manage right now.
"Don't they provide supplies here? I'd like to get some fresh food."
It's not like there are dozens of us. It's just two people, one dog, and one corpse. Surely they can spare some supplies. And one of those people and the corpse are self-sufficient.
It's not like they don't know we're here. The supplies and communication are late.
I grumbled as I headed to the cafeteria.
The 4th floor. The laborers' quarters were, to put it mildly, not in good shape. The concrete walls were covered in countless hairline cracks, the history of sustained impacts growing like the rings of a tree. A narrow corridor was lined with un-lockable doors. If you carelessly leaned against a wall, either a door would swing open or the wall itself would shake.
Thankfully, the cafeteria area was spacious and sturdy.
The cafeteria was larger than the rooms and was well-equipped. There were several standard-sized pots, a number of plates, and even a tray to carry them. They must have anticipated the laborers delivering food to the prisoners.
"They probably didn't need a tray to carry food. Just walking down would have been a food delivery in itself."
I shrugged and walked over to a pot with its lid on.
Just as I was about to lift the lid, I felt an indescribable premonition. Should I call it déjà vu? Or a precognitive intuition?
No, surely not. Not again?
"No way. We fought so much yesterday. It can't be."
I laughed to shake off my anxiety and lifted the lid.
I was met with nothing but an empty pot. Its black bottom seemed to reflect my own future.
"YOU DAMN MUTTTTTTTTTTT!"
My roar echoed through the cafeteria.
"Do you have no ability to learn? You're the Dog King, so what makes you different from a dog? Some supposedly genius dog from the countryside would be ten times smarter than you!"
"Awooooo! Not me! Woof! Woof!"
Thus began the holy war between man and dog. The Regressor, drawn by the commotion, ran in and addressed me, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"What is it this time?"
'It's probably something trivial again.'
Trivial? Food, clothing, and shelter. Of the three, it has always been food that has toyed with people's lives. In other words, this is a matter of life and death!
I grabbed the pot and strode toward the Regressor. Holding up the empty can and the equally empty pot for her to see, I yelled.
"Do you see this? One can of this stuff is supposed to feed one person for four days. That's how much nutrition is compressed in here! But thanks to this mutt, one can disappears in a single day!"
From across the room, I heard Azzy's disgruntled whine.
"Not me!"
"Liar! If it wasn't you, then who was it?!"
"Not me! Not me!"
"If you're the King of Beasts, say something else! Repeating the same word doesn't make you a dog, it makes you a parrot!"
"Not a parrot!"
"If you want to convince me, speak like a human!"
The Regressor cut in, pretending to cover her ears.
"Hold on. Both of you are too loud."
Azzy and I growled, glaring at each other. The Regressor let out a deep sigh and muttered.
"Why are you so sure Azzy is the culprit? It might not have been her."
"Then are you saying Trainee Shei is the culprit?"
I said, my eyes wide with mock horror.
"Trainee Tyrkanzyaka is a vampire. She only drinks blood. The only humans left are me and Trainee Shei. But it wasn't me. As shameless as I may be, I wouldn't do something as pointless as eating the food myself and then blaming a dog. I'm the one managing the pantry anyway, so what would be the point?"
'He knows he's shameless?'
"If the culprit isn't Azzy, then it must mean that Trainee Shei stole the food. Do you understand? What you're saying is no different from asking me to suspect you!"
I threw the pot into the sink and shouted.
"You said you have your own emergency rations! You said you don't need me to cook for you! So did you get tired of your rations and, tempted by the soul food of the Military State, sneak over to raid the pot at night? Is not only poverty but also the soul food born from it just another trophy for you to display in your cabinet?"
"Trophy? Of course not. I told you, I wouldn't eat that canned food even if you paid me."
"Then stay out of it, you bourgeois! I have to settle things with this mutt once and for all today!"
"Just wait."
The Regressor said, annoyed. At her will, her floating sword, Chun-aeng, slowly rotated to point at me.
I immediately shut my mouth.
A life-or-death battle is one thing, but I'm not about to die a dog's death.
"What I mean is, couldn't there be someone else here?"
"A story where the culprit turns out to be someone whose existence nobody knew about? I find that kind of convenient plot device to be in poor taste."
'…He usually speaks so rationally, but sometimes he says the most insane things. I really can't figure this man out.'
"Whether you like it or not, the possibility exists."
"Well, it's a plausible suspicion, I suppose. But."
That theory is so full of holes I don't even know where to begin pointing them out. Is that the best you can do, Regressor? Let me tell you. No matter how complicated a matter may seem, the truth is always the simplest answer.
I pointed a finger at the Regressor and declared.
"Trainee Shei, your deduction is wrong."
"Why?"
"This is the Abyssal Prison, Tantalus. A completely isolated place where no one can come or go. And you're telling me someone that you, me, Azzy, and Trainee Tyrkanzyaka don't know about is hiding here, only to show up at night to eat some food?"
Hmph, I let out a short breath and laid out my perfect logic.
"That's absurd. Such a person does not and should not exist."
"I understand that it's hard to accept, but what do you mean, 'should not' exist?"
"If such a being really existed, what could it be but a ghost?"
"And?"
"Because if there are ghosts, that's scary. So I choose not to believe in them."
The Regressor, finally understanding my words, stood with her mouth agape. The dumbfounded look suited her.
"So, because such a being would be scary, you're just not going to consider it at all?"
I nodded briskly.
"Yes."
"What the…"
'Is he actually crazy, or is he doing this on purpose?'
On purpose? What are you talking about?
Think about it. The Regressor, who has all sorts of strange abilities; the vampire, who would show up from a thousand leagues away the moment a drop of blood is spilled; the Dog King, with her keen sense of smell.
And on top of that, my own mind-reading, which saw through even the Regressor's stealth.
You're telling me a being that none of us could detect is hiding in the cafeteria? A being whose thoughts even I can't read?
If such a being exists, we should be running for our lives.
'It would be a mistake to think there's no one else. Tyrkanzyaka and Azzy became 'Fragments of the Apocalypse' because of an outside intruder, and 'she' will come seeking 'that thing' at the bottom of the Abyss. Plus, there's a chance 'he' is still around somewhere. How am I supposed to explain all this?'
…Why is this real?
No. I cannot accept this future. My head is about to explode with just the current members, and you're telling me there are outside intruders and monsters on their level coming here?
'Explain what? This is my first time inside Tantalus, too. What is there to explain? Let's just save the fun for later.'
Lies. It's all lies. That can't be true.
I whirled around to face Azzy.
"Azzy. You really didn't eat it?"
"Not me!"
"Don't just say 'not me'… Ugh. What's the point of talking to you."
As always, I was just reminded of the difference between a human and an animal and shook my head.
Even if I could read this mutt's mind, nothing would change. She'd deny it to the end.
Is there really only one way?
I have to catch her red-handed.
I have to catch the mutt the very moment she covets the pot. Only then can I truly corner her.
I'll open one more can. The operation is tonight. When the daytime lights go out and only the night lights faintly illuminate the prison.
That's when I'll catch this mutt.
I twisted my lips into a grim smile and looked down at Azzy, and she glared back at me in defiance. It felt like sparks flew between our eyes.
'Are those two on good terms or bad terms?'
Can the relationship between a human and a dog be defined by one thing? When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it's bad.
Just you wait, mutt.
As I was growling, the Regressor flinched and turned her head, her brow furrowed as she stared intently at a certain spot. As if to reflect her wariness, Chun-aeng let out a low hum.
'Wait. I felt a presence from deeper inside.'
Oh, please. Don't. That's actually scary. For some reason, since it's your premonition, it feels like it might be real. And I'm sleeping on the same floor. In a small, dark room that's perfect for a ghost visit.
What if I get attacked in the middle of the night? I don't have any kind of warning alarm. Hmm.
I don't have an alarm, but a guard dog…
I turned to Azzy and spoke in a low voice.
"Azzy. Want to sleep with me tonight?"
"Ruff!"
Rejected.