1 play in the back streets-prologue

Yukioka Research Institute - its name is known as an urban legend on the Internet, and is the subject of admiration, awe, and jokes.

It is said that there is an immortal mad scientist named Junko Yukioka, who grants anyone who visits the research institute powers that surpass human knowledge.

Some are remodeled into heroes of justice, some are remodeled into monsters, and some are simply given supernatural powers.

A quick search will find the research institute's official website, and the top page will openly state:

"I give great power to those who become my test subjects. We are looking for people who won't complain even if they die! 』

The price to gain power is to become Junko Yukioka's test subject. She wants a test bed for her own research, and visitors who desire her powers will try their luck at obtaining her powers as a result of their experiments.

There are many reports of people visiting the Yukioka Research Institute and gaining supernatural powers, but there are disturbing rumors of those who have failed and lost their lives, and those who have turned into monsters far removed from humans. also fly frequently.

The motives of visitors also vary. Those who yearn to be on the side of justice, those who want to gain power in advance to live in the back streets, those who want to commit suicide, those who want to settle their grudges, those who lose everything in life and entrust their wishes to a one-shot reversal.

Rin Kishibe, who was about to attend her high school graduation ceremony the next day, was fascinated by this suspicious rumor.

(If the rumors are true, my wish may come true.)

Thinking so, Rin decided to visit Yukioka Research Institute, thinking that she had been deceived. She had a reason to want to cling to even such a suspicious story.

She sent an email from the Yukioka Lab site and she got her reply right away.

The location of the Yukioka Research Institute was written in the email. It is said that the Yukioka Research Institute is located on the first basement floor of a building called Kando Building, located in the downtown area of Kikcho, Anraku City, Tokyo. There was also written how to enter the basement floor of Kando Building and the password.

Her unexpected reply made Rin half in doubt, but excited, as he headed to Yukioka Research Institute.

The Kando Building is a normal department store from the first floor to the third floor, and the owner of the building denies rumors that there is such a dubious laboratory in the basement. In addition to the story of Yukioka Research Institute, there are rumors that all the floors above the third floor are backstreet facilities, and that Depard's stores are all backstreets, and so on. is.

When Rin looked over the designated wall, she quickly found a lid on the wall that a passerby would not have noticed. When you open the lid, there are analog numeric keypad buttons lined up inside. This is exactly as instructed in the email.

Furthermore, when you enter the password according to her instructions, a gap suddenly appears in the empty wall, the wall slides sideways, the entrance opens, and the stairs leading down appear. Witnessing the appearance of a secret staircase from a secret door, Rin's rumors have finally become a reality.

After going down the stairs, there was an automatic door with "Yukioka Research Institute" written on it. Coming this far, as expected, it doesn't seem like an elaborate prank.

"It's Kishibe Rin-chan. She just went inside and proceeded to the thirteenth laboratory-』

Following the voice that echoed through the speaker, Rin walked through the door.

"Welcome to Yukioka Laboratory"

The person who greeted Rin in the designated room was a cute girl in her mid-teens, dressed in boyish clothes and a white coat.

Her short brown hair, her big eyes and sharp features that are reminiscent of cats are a look that matches Rin's taste for lesbianism, and she makes her heart flutter. However, what Rin paid most attention to was her crimson eyes that glittered enchantingly in her wide-open eyes. She has realistic red eyes, and for the first time in her life she sees her.

She had another person in the room. She is a small boy in a school uniform who seems to be a junior high school student. He was sitting in his chair reading, but when he glanced at Rin, he quickly returned to her book. She was a good-looking girl worthy of being called a handsome boy, but in Rin's eyes, she was more cute than beautiful. Her appearance doesn't look much different from the girl in white, and she looks like a good-looking combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

"Then, let's get down to business right away. What kind of power do you want to gain? Ah, just to remind you, it also serves as a test subject for my research, so it won't necessarily succeed." You can fail and die."

A girl in a white coat――Junko Yukioka took the final confirmation with a smile and a somewhat slow tone.

"Is there someone you want to kill?"

Rin also smiled back, playing with the pendant of the cross entwined with snakes, and spoke without hesitation.

"But I don't want to kill him and get caught by the police. I want the power to kill people and not get caught by the police. And I want to live in the back streets after that, so I want that kind of power."

"OK"

In response to Rin's request, which an ordinary person would doubt her sanity, Junko replied with her carefree smile. Her terribly light-hearted response made Rin feel uneasy, but-

"Well, it was just right. I just finished extracting this."

Junko holds up an object placed by her desk with both hands.

Seeing what Junko was holding up with her smile, Rin took her breath away.

The object she is holding is a long transparent container. The inside was filled with liquid, and in the center of the container, the brain and spinal cord with countless cords were fixed.

"Hey, this is a sorcerer's brain. I'd like to carry out an experiment to the effect of transplanting a part of this into you so that you too can use magic in the same way as the owner of this brain. But is that okay?"

Rin is at a loss for words because of her over-the-top and light-hearted vibes. At the same time, she instinctively senses that her life is in danger. Because she knew that the girl in front of her was seriously trying to conduct a mysterious experiment on herself. In the first place, the words such as sorcerer came out of her mouth as if it were only natural, so I was blown away.

If she accepts this, her life may end here. As rumors have it, I once again realize that only by overcoming her risks and fears can I obtain the power she seeks. She knew it in theory before she came here, but when she was confronted in front of her, she was timid.

"Okay. If that gives you power, do it."

Her anxiety and excitement are mixed, and even though her body trembles slightly, Rin looks at Junko's red eyes and powerfully tells her. Looking at Rin's determined expression, Junko smiled happily.

That was her story two years ago.

＊＊＊

Shibatani Touya Shibata Nitoya comes home late. Usually around 7pm.

"How many did you catch?"

Akira Kumozuka, who was playing with Toya, asked with a smile and peered into the bucket placed in front of Toya.

The inside was packed with leeches from the rice field. I can understand if you catch tadpoles and frogs in the rice field, but above all, I like to collect only leeches. As usual, Akira suggested it.

"It's dark and I can't count anymore"

"Ah, it's dark. It's dark. Well then, let's go home soon. This guy is going to escape."

Akira picked up the bucket and swung it vigorously, returning the leeches inside to the rice field.

From the time she was in kindergarten until she entered the third grade of elementary school, Touya spent almost every day playing with her classmate Akira. When she was in kindergarten, she had other friends, but after she entered elementary school, she played with Akira every day.

She is always invited by Akira to play outdoors. We don't play games indoors at all, and we explore dangerous places such as parks, rice fields, rivers, forests in hilly areas, and sometimes even dangerous places where backstreet residents go in and out. I called in. Akira always takes the lead, and Touya just follows suit.

"Well then, see you tomorrow"

Akira bids farewell with a cheerful smile as the sun sets. He always said this when he left, and Toya was saved by that one word. No, I was clinging. I can meet Akira again tomorrow. I hope we can have a good time together.

It was a blissful time for Toya while she was with Akira. When that time is over and I go home, hell awaits me for ten nights.

Toya trudges back home. On the way, I bought a bento lunch for two at a convenience store for tonight's dinner.

"You were late today, too."

When I opened the door of the house, his father sat cross-legged in front of the dining table with a cup of cheap sake in his hand and called out to me. Toya doesn't try to meet his gaze. He doesn't even want to look at his face.

He has crooked teeth, a crooked mouth, and one eye that is thin and the other is wide and distorted. Even with Touya, who has been with him since birth, he tries to avoid being seen as much as possible.

A room in a 1DK apartment. She lives with her father, who doesn't even know her name. Most of the household chores such as cleaning, laundry, shopping, and taking out the trash have been done by Toya since she entered elementary school. She can't cook, so she just buys a bento for two at a convenience store.

"This is... tonight."

Touya timidly presents the seaweed salmon lunch box she bought before returning home.

Her father, who glanced at her lunch, distorted his already crooked face and slapped Touya's head. It's flat, but I don't take it easy. Toya's body is blown away and she collapses.

"I told you to make a yakiniku bento. Why did you buy something different? Ah?"

She threatens her son, who is not yet ten years old, with a terrifying sound.

"Eh...? But salmon in the morning--"

She opened her mouth and was kicked in the thigh this time. This is likely to be a bruise, Touya calmly decides in her head.

"Don't talk back, you can't use it. Be sure to buy yakiniku tomorrow."

Her father's unreasonable and violent behavior is a daily occurrence, but Toya knows this is not normal. He recognizes that she was born under an unlucky star.

"I wish I had never been born to be a failure like you. Be grateful for feeding me something like you."

Unfolding her lunchbox, her father uttered the classic line. A phrase you say many times a day.

(It's just like my father says. If it's a house like this, if it's a world like this, it's better not to be born.)

Toya thinks so every time he hears that line. You can't die either. She can't even leave this house.

Until about half a year ago, I dreamed of the appearance of a hero who would come to save me from this house, and of waking up to supernatural powers and defeating my rogue father, but now that has all but disappeared. .

In exchange for giving himself up to an evil scientist to become a test subject, his heart fluttered when he heard a rumor that there was a thing called the Yukioka Research Institute, where he could obtain tremendous powers that would normally be unobtainable. However, I thought that it was just a fiction, so I dismissed it as an idle wish.

A harsh reality that will never be overturned, no matter how much you wish for it. A hero of justice won't come to your aid, and one day you won't suddenly awaken to supernatural powers. You will not be summoned to another world.

A few years ago, the existence of spirits and the afterlife, as well as the existence of reincarnation, were scientifically proven and officially recognized all over the world. I hate it, but Touya has never seen such a thing and thinks it is impossible.

(The world is silly. Home and school are boring. But...)

Toya had already become miserable at this age, but there was one thing she was looking forward to. It's a lot of fun only when you're playing with Akira. Toya loved Akira, who always comes up with strange and dangerous games and takes her around.

She really wants to play with Akira all the time.

"That was five years ago."