I glanced at the time: 2:30 PM.
I'd been stuck staring at this laptop for hours and still had nothing to show for it. As expected, the chip didn't match anything online. What I didn't expect was that it didn't even have any similar components.
It was flat, dark, and marked with thin blue stripes.
Honestly, I was starting to doubt it can even be considered a microchip at all. The stripes didn't seem functional either, they almost looked decorative, which made even less sense.
Come to think of it... Mr. Watanabe never asked what the chip looked like. As if he already knew what it looked like.
I leaned back slightly, staring at it.
I could try breaking it open, but that would... well, break it.
Then again, it was so thin that it might not even have an inside to begin with.
Breaking it open might not do anything at all.
"... let's have a break."
Using a little bit of strength, I pushed myself up and out of this damn chair, stretching my back in the process. Before closing my laptop, making sure the little research I did was saved in a file named: "Microchip?".
I left the laptop neatly on top the desk and walked out to grab a little snack.
I left the laptop neatly on top of the desk and stepped out to grab something to eat.
The hallway was quiet, the kind that made my thoughts feel unusually loud.
I shook my head.
Food first.
I made my way toward the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a small snack without really thinking about what it was. The motion felt automatic, like my body was moving on its own while my mind lingered elsewhere.
After a moment, I headed back. But before that.
Might as well check on him.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar, a sliver of light spilling through. It creaked softly as I pushed it open.
Naoki was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spun slowly above him. His eyes followed it, but they were unnervingly empty, nothing like his usual self.
This had been happening since early morning. Him just blankly staring at something, zoning out without warning.
well, I'd only seen it happen twice. This being the second time.
But the fact that he hadn't come bother me even once while I was doing research was enough for me to tell it happened more than twice.
"You okay?"
"..."
No answer.
I stayed by the doorway for a moment, waiting, but nothing came.
I let out a small breath and stepped back, opening the door a bit wider. Maybe it was better to give him space.
"Hey... Saitou."
"What? You ready to speak now?"
I turned back to him. He hadn't moved, still staring up at the ceiling fan, but his voice came out quieter than usual, almost unsure.
"Am I really fit for this job?"
That caught me off guard.
I hesitated for a second, then walked over and sat down on the bed beside him. The mattress dipped slightly under my weight.
For a moment, I just looked at him, trying to figure out what to say.
There wasn't really a good answer.
"Of course you're not," I said, scratching the back of my head.
"But that's the thing... nobody is. Naoki, this is a job that could get us killed, and nobody wants to die. Honestly, I don't even know how you convinced your parents to let you do this."
"Then why are you doing it?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out.
Why am I doing this? His question repeated itself in my mind.
For a moment, I stared up the ceiling, just like he did. He was right. I'd never really stopped to think about it. Not until recently, and even then, the answer didn't sit right. It didn't feel like enough.
"...Saitou?"
I exhaled slowly.
No point dragging it on.
"I'm doing this because... I don't want to see anymore innocent people lose their loved ones"
There was a short pause.
This is pretty embarrassing. " I know it doesn't make sense. But-"
"That's a good reason."
Then finally, he smiled. A genuine smile, it wasn't forced this time. It actually reached his eyes. I honestly can't believe he took the whole day just to do that.
"So, are you alright now?"
"I'm doing better," he said, shifting slightly on the bed. "Although... can you listen to a story of mine?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"This sudden? You know I don't have much time, but fine."
He let out a small breath, like he'd been holding it in.
"Don't worry. It won't take too long."
***
It was a bright sunny day.
In the middle of a park, was Naoki sitting steadily at the swings while hurriedly eating a vanilla ice cream he'd just bought.
It wasn't just a bright sunny day though. It was also a hot, sunny day, so his ice cream was melting fast.
He'd already stopped swinging to focus more on eating his ice cream, meaning there's no time to waste. It was dire indeed.
Eventually, not even the cone was left as he had eaten it all. Naoki wiped his mouth with a tissue, and resumed swinging while thinking of what he should do for today.
'Right, Saitou has a date tonight, and knowing him, he probably has nothing to wear.'
Jumping up from the swings, Naoki has decided what to do. As Saitou's best and childhood friend, he couldn't just make him go to a date wearing a worn out suit.
Pulling out his phone, he tapped a contact just newly added to his contact list.
"Hey, Alfred... yeah, can you come pick me up? I'm at the park right now."
He ended the call, and started playing games while waiting.
After a few minutes, he saw Alfred, silently walking towards him. Wearing the usual butler's outfit, and his white hair combed backwards.
Alfred looked to be in his sixties with wrinkles all over his face, and white hair to add. Yet despite this, he stood straight, elegant, and composed, like a true master butler.
"Sir Naoki, I'm here to pick you up. Would you like to go somewhere other than home?" He said calmly.
"Of course, we need to go to the most luxurious store here and buy Saitou a suit."
"Understood."
With that, Naoki followed behind him. Like a curious child, he glanced around, looking for something interesting as they made their way towards the car.
But alas, the park was as ordinary as it could get, a wide stretch of grass with only a few trees that offer little shade, and a small playground where they had just come from.
Left with no choice, Naoki focused on thinking about what suit to get for Saitou.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize they had already arrived at their destination, not until Alfred called out to him.
"If you would, sir" He spoke politely, careful not to sound impatient, while holding the door open for Naoki.
Naoki nodded as he entered the back of the SUV, while Alfred moved to the front and took the driver's seat.
They drove for a while, not talking to each other. Naoki was focused on his thoughts, and Alfred focused on driving.
After a bit of silence, they arrived in front of a tall glass building stretching all the way to the sky. The name "Le Marché" embossed in gold rested atop the entrance.
Wide display windows were at the bottom, showing mannequins dressed in various colored suits and flowing gowns, surrounded by soft lighting making the clothes the focus of attention.
"Hey, Alfred. What does Ley marchey mean?" Naoki said, completely fumbling the correct pronunciation of the name.
"Le marché means "The market", sir."
Naoki tilted his head, blinking twice as if he's brain froze for a moment.
"Don't tell me that's it... right?"
"That's the translation, sir."
Naoki was in disbelief, a luxury store with the name "The market". Is this proof that rich people don't have any naming sense? And would a clothing store really be built like a skyscraper?
It felt like he'd just heard a bad joke, a terrible one. For a moment Naoki took the time to laugh. But he stopped eventually.
'Of course, this is just the world of the rich. I must adapt immediately if I don't want to get eaten.'
"Sir, we've arrived at the entrance." Alfred spoke softly from the front, making Naoki pause his thoughts.
"Would you like me to accompany you inside sir?"
"Ah, no thanks, I can buy the clothes myself. You can go home now, I'll call you later when Im done."
With that, Naoki hopped of the car, and Alfred drove away as requested.
Polished brass handles gleamed on the glass doors, and a uniformed doorman stood at the side, his posture straight and attentive, opening the entrance for each customer like a proffesional.
Naoki walked towards the entrance. The doorman, unsurprisingly, did his job and opened the door for him.
"Hey, do you just stand here all day?" He asked, genuinely curious if it's true.
The doorman didn't answer, choosing only to smile softly, and keep holding the door open.
Naoki ignored this and just went inside, what hit him was a wave of perfumed air, all the noises from the street outside faded instantly, and a quiet melody can be heard in the background.
Rows of clothing hung in perfect alignment, allowing customers to see every detail in them.
A sales lady approached him, calm and poised, offering a practiced greeting.
"Welcome sir, is there anything particular you're looking for today?"
"Yes, can you take me to the men's suit section?"
"Of course." After a short pause, she added. "Please follow me."
Naoki did as told, and silently followed along. He'd been following a lot of people like a child, so he secretly hoped this'll be the last time.
Eventually, they reached a section of the store filled with blazers, pants, dress shirts, and even ties and bowties, all in different styles and colors.
"Would you like my help in picking the right outfit sir?"
"No, I'm good." After all it's a suit for his best friend, nobody will know what suits him better than he does.
After the store lady left, Naoki began trying on different outfits himself and looking at the dress room mirrors.
This strategy of picking the right clothes for Saitou is highly ineffective as they don't have the same build, and Saitou is way taller. But he's having fun, so who cares?
After going around the store picking out different suits, even contemplating whether it might be better to buy something else other than a suit, and ultimately deciding against it, Naoki finally settled on a dark navy suit that struck the perfect balance between elegance and restraint.
Speaking of going around, he only explored the first floor, and from the looks of it outside the building seemed to have hundreds of them.
What was sold higher up? Naoki could only wonder. But alas, he had no time to explore each floor individually.
'Well... I could check one floor out.'
The top floor, it was the main event basically.
If he couldn't eat dessert, then he had to at least eat the main course.
So he headed for the elevator. Luckily, no one else got in with him, and the ride up was smooth and quiet.
*Ding.
The doors slid open.
He stopped, uncertain if he was seeing things. There, among the neat rows of designer suits and the soft hum of background jazz that still went on the top floor, stood a chicken suit.
Full yellow feathers, orange legs, the whole thing. It was displayed on a mannequin like it belonged there. Perfectly lit, carefully posed, and priced, no doubt, far higher than reason would allow.
No one else in the store seemed to find it strange, as if a chicken among luxurious brands was the most natural thing in the world. Well, there was no one else in this part of the store so maybe it was just the an inside joke.
Some employees probably found it funny to put an overpriced chicken suit along with their stocks of luxury brands.
Still...
If it had a price, then it could be bought.
And if it could be bought...
Of course he had to buy it.