No6_VOLUME2.pdf

NO.6 | Asano Atsuko

Volume 2

No. 6

A novel by Asano Atsuko

VOLUME 2

NO.6 | Asano Atsuko

Volume 2

Chapter 1 - Of Life and Death

Thou livest; report me and my cause aright

To the unsatisfied.

- Hamlet , Act V Scene II

Shion closed the book. He could hear the sound of rain.

This underground room was cut off from most outside sounds. But for some reason, the

sounds of the wind and the rain always seemed to seep through the walls.

A mouse scurried up Shions leg and perched on his knee. It twitched its whiskers and

rubbed its front paws together as if in request.

"You want me to read this book to you?"

Cheep.

"You really like tragedies, don't you. Why don't you pick something more fun?"

The mouse looked up at him and blinked its grape-coloured eyes. Shion adjusted himself

in his chair and crossed his legs, with the mouse still on his knee.

The chair had once been quite a fine piece of furniture. It was evident from its sturdy build

and the delicate patterns carved into the chair-back. But now, it was worn and old; the colour

was peeling in various places, and the cushion had faded so much it was impossible to tell what

colour it had been before. Still, it was one of the few pieces of furniture that this room had. A

week ago, Shion had dug it out from among the books that covered two-thirds of the room's

floor space.

"There might be an even bigger treasure hidden in these books, if you sorted them out."

Shion had meant to sound serious, but Nezumi scoffed.

"Why don't you worry about building up some strength before thinking about stupid stuff

like that? You're a little boy who's probably never had to do any physical labour since the day

you were born. You're pale and skinny enough as it is."

"I was in charge of cleaning duties at the park. I had to do physical labour all the time."

Nezumi's shoulders hunched. His voice was tinged with contempt.

"Cleaning duties? Does cleaning count as physical labour in No. 6? All you had to do was

operate the robots that did the maintenance and cleaning. What physical labour is, little boy"

Nezumi grabbed Shions arm and dug his fingers in so hard that he winced. Nezumi's

fingers, slender at first glance, had a surprisingly strong grip.

"is using these arms, your legs, and putting your back into it. Using your own body.

Remember that."

Nezumi's biting and sarcastic way of speaking didn't bother Shion much anymore after he

had gotten used to it. In its harshness and cynicism, there was often a truth that he couldn't help

but agree with, and oftentimes he would come away more persuaded than offended. It was true,

the work that Shion did in the Holy City of No. 6 was just to tap the keys of the control panel.

He had never experienced the kind of labour that made his own body creak under its burden.

He had no experience of what it was like to be damp with sweat, to have the skin of his hands

blister and tear, to have his muscles ache from exhaustion; to be famished unbearably, and to fall

into a comfortable slumber after a day's work.

He had never experienced it once.

NO.6 | Asano Atsuko

Volume 2

"That's why I'm going to do this," Shion said determinedly, pointing at the mountains of

books that piled high all over the room. "I'm going to organize them, sort them out, and shelve

them in order. If that's not physical labour, I don't know what is."

"It'll take you a hundred years."

"I'll do it in a week."

Nezumi shrugged his shoulders again. "As you wish," he sighed.

"Do what you want. But stick with the books and bookshelves. Don't touch anything else."

"You don't have much other than books and bookshelves in here."

"Like you said, you might find some amazing treasure. To tell you the truth, even I don't

know what's buried under these books."

The mice were chattering to each other from the nooks and tiny spaces between the books.

Shion picked up a small, light-green volume.

"Nezumi."

"Hm?"

"How long have you been living here?"

These bare concrete walls, thousands of books, this underground roomit didn't seem

well-suited to be a human dwelling.

"You didn't grow up here, did you? Where were you"

He closed his mouth. He noticed that Nezumi's grey eyes were harbouring a steely glint.

"I'mI'm sorry."

Nezumi snatched the book out of Shions hand and threw it aside.

"If you plan on staying here" he wrapped his shoulders in the superfibre cloth, and gave

an impatient sigh. "Then do something about that interrogation habit of yours. I don't know how

much more I can take of you nosing around every little part of my life."

"I'm not nosing around. I just wanted to know."

"Sniffing around and questioning people for every piece of information you want is called

nosing around. Remember that too."

Shion felt a jab of irritation at the way Nezumi's words seemed to push him away.

Indignation welled up inside him. He wasn't nosing around. He grabbed Nezumi's arm as he

made to leave the room.

"I barely know anything yet. That's why I wanted to know."

"And I'm saying that's called"

"If it was something I could get by without knowing," Shion interrupted, "I wouldn't want

to know about it. But I do want to know. To me, this is something I need to know. I want to

know, and that's why ach " He bit his tongue. He clamped a hand over his mouth and

squatted on the floor in pain. Tears stung at his eyes and the pain smarted in his mouth. Nezumi

burst out laughing.

"Geez, does clumsiness come naturally to you too? I never get tired of looking at you.

You alright?"

"Somewhat. Biting your tongue is really painful." When he had been in No. 6 that was

from when he was born, to the age of sixteen Shion had never once tripped over his words

enough to bite his tongue. And it was the first time, too, that he had grabbed someone's arm

without thinking, out of desire to say what his heart raced to tell, his words unable to keep up

with his thoughts.

"So?"

NO.6 | Asano Atsuko

Volume 2

Nezumi knelt down, and peered into Shions face. The light in his eyes, which had the

sheen of finely-woven cloth, had subsided to a gentle glow.

"What do you want to know?"

"You" Shion answered. "I want to know about you."

Nezumi's mouth fell open. He blinked several times.

"Shion, have you been reading any strange books lately?"

"Strange?"

"Like romance novels, the kind that are cliché and over the top. You know, where a prince

comes to rescue a damsel in distress, or when lovers who are torn apart overcome trials and

tribulations to reunite again."

"I don't think I've read any of those."

"Then where the hell did you come up with that line? ' I want to know about you '," Nezumi

echoed in disbelief.

"I don't have to learn that from anywhere to say it."

"Are you serious about what you just said?"

"Of course. Nezumi" Shion wiped his lips, and looked directly into his grey eyes. "I

want to know. I want to know because there are still so many things I don't know. All I know

about you is that you've saved me. I don't know your real name, or how you grew up, or why

you're living here aloneor what you're thinking of now, or what you're planning to do I

have no idea. I don't know a single thing about you."

He was grabbed by the wrist. Nezumi's fingers were always cold, and rigid.

"Then I'll tell you something. Put your hand here." Shion did as he was told, and placed his

hand on Nezumi's chest.

"What do you feel?"

"Feel? Well, it feels like a man's chest, for one. It's hard, and flat."

"I know, I know. Too bad for you, I don't have big breasts. What else?"

"Well..."

What did he feel on his palm through the rough fabric of Nezumi's shirt? It was his

heartbeat, his warmth, and the firmness of his flesh. Shion hesitated to put it into words. He

didn't know why. He withdrew his hand, and curled his fingers over his palm. Nezumi

chuckled quietly.

"My heart was beating, and it was warm. Right?"

"Of course. You're alive. It's normal for your heart to be beating and for you to feel warm."

"It is. I'm alive, and I'm right here in front of you. That's all you need to know. What more

do you want?"

Nezumi stood up, and looked down at Shion. His gaze, like his fingers, was cold.

"What you want is information," he said icily. "My birth date, my development history, my

height, weight, index of my intelligence, DNA data. You just want information that you can

convert into numbers. That's the only way you ever try to understand other humans. That's why

you can't understand the living people that are standing right in front of you."

Shion stood up as well. He clenched his fist harder.

"You're big on sarcasm, and love to make fun of people. You don't like fish, and you're a

restless sleeper."

There was a moment of silence.

"Huh?"

NO.6 | Asano Atsuko

Volume 2

Shion continued.

"You have an enormous amount of knowledge, and a wide range of it toobut none of it

is systematic. Sometimes you're fickle and over-sensitive, but other times you're lazy and

careless about the details. You adore piping-hot soup, and you get really grumpy when it

doesn't have the right amount of salt. And last night, you kicked me three times in your sleep."

"Hey Shion, wait a minute"

"Since coming here, this is what I've learned about you. They're not numbers. I would

never substitute you for numbers. That's not what I want to do."

Nezumi's gaze slid away from him.

"I'm just a stranger to you," he said. "You shouldn't be interested in strangers. Four years

ago, you saved my life, and I owe you a big debt for that. So that's why, this time, I helped you

out. So if you want, you can stay here for as long as you wish and do what you want to do. But

never think of wanting to know more about another stranger."

"Why not?"

"Because it gets in the way."

"Gets in the way? Knowing things gets in my way?"

"Yes, for people like you. You're good at cramming knowledge, but you give in easily to

your emotions. You're quick to trust in people, and try to attach yourself to them. I told you

before, didn't I? Cut yourself off, and throw away everything you don't need."

"Yeah, but...."

"But what you're doing right now is just the opposite. You're starting to take interest in me

and want to know more. You're trying to add even more to your burden. You're hopelessly

stupid, just hopeless."

Shion couldn't understand what Nezumi was saying. It was more confounding and

difficult to grasp than any scholarly book he had read.

"Nezumi, I don't understand what you're talking about." He voiced his feelings truthfully.

Nezumi shrugged slightly.

"The more you know, the more emotionally attached you'll get. Then we can't be strangers

anymore. And that'll be trouble for you."

"For me? Why?"

"When we become enemies, you won't be able to kill me." There was a hint of a laugh in

his voice. Shion dug his feet firmly into the worn carpet.

"While you're busy being caught up in your emotions, I can go ahead and stab a knife into

your heart. You know, a knife is a really ancient weapon, but it can come in handy sometimes."

"Why do you and I have to become enemies? That's just absurd. That's what's stupid, if

anything."

"Really? I think it's pretty plausible."

"Nezumi!" Shion said heatedly.

There was a loud toppling noise as a pile of books fell over. A mouse hopped onto

Nezumi's shoulder.

"Well, if you're really gonna organize these books, you better get cracking. One week will

be over in no time. I'm going to work." Nezumi turned nimbly on his heel and walked out the

door. Shion felt all the tension leave his body. He was cold and clammy. Conversations with

Nezumi sometimes made him so wrought with nerves that he broke out in a cold sweat. Shion

licked his dry lips.

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