Chapter 29: Yearning
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As soon as the two of them sat down, the mother took out her handkerchief and wiped the girl’s face. Her bangs were completely soaked, clinging wetly to her forehead. The girl ordered a fruit tart as well, though hers was blueberry.
The two had been chatting ever since they entered, though most of the talking was done by the daughter. The young girl looked deeply displeased, continually complaining that her violin teacher was too strict, too old, and too old-fashioned. She mentioned several of her friends by name, saying that they had recently hired another music tutor—handsome, witty, and charming—and that she wanted to join them.
The mother neither agreed nor disagreed. She merely smiled and listened until her daughter had finished, then listed a whole string of awards and asked whether the music tutor her friends had hired possessed similar achievements. The daughter glared at her mother resentfully and said nothing.
Just then, the server came over carrying another cup and a small plate.
“Here are your canelés, and one complimentary hot chocolate.”
Since there was already coffee beside Chiba, the server placed the hot chocolate directly in front of Hesta. She was just about to say that she did not need it when Chiba answered, “Thank you.”
Chiba pushed the small plate holding two canelés toward Hesta, then picked one up with her bare fingers and tossed it whole into her mouth.
“This shop doesn’t offer delivery for its canelés. They’re dine-in only. Give one a try.”
Hesta did not refuse. As before, she cut the little canelé in half and ate it with a fork.
Most of her attention remained on the conversation between the mother and daughter beside them. She heard the girl begin bargaining with her mother, saying that she hoped to go to the theater with her father to see a musical at the end of the year. Her father had clearly promised her the same thing last year, only to say in the end that he had been unable to secure tickets. She had regretted it ever since.
The mother then made her a promise.
Suddenly, the canelé’s roasted fragrance spread through Hesta’s mouth, briefly rousing her from the conversation of others. She lifted her head.
“…This flavor is very unusual.”
Chiba smiled. “Good, isn’t it? Whenever I pass through the old district, I make a point of coming here.”
Hesta nodded. Almost absently, she picked up the cup of hot chocolate nearby and took a sip—then suddenly froze.
“What is it?” Chiba asked, noticing that something was wrong with her expression. “Is it too sweet?”
Hesta shook her head. “It tastes different from the one at the base… It isn’t bitter.”
Chiba burst out laughing. “Hot chocolate sold outside is made with cheap cocoa substitutes mixed with sugar. It’s not like the real dark chocolate and cocoa powder they use at the base. Of course it isn’t bitter.”
Hesta set the canelé aside as well and devoted herself entirely to the cup of hot chocolate. Its intense sweetness lingered across her tongue and teeth, making her forget everything else for a while.
Looking at Hesta, who had been completely conquered by the sugar industry, Chiba suddenly smiled and turned her gaze toward the window.
After a while, the two of them rose and left at the same time as the mother and daughter beside them. Once they stepped out of the bakery, the mother opened an umbrella and led her daughter into the hazy rain.
“This way.” Chiba raised a hand and pointed in the opposite direction.
“Aren’t we going back to the car?”
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“No. Our destination is nearby. It’s only a five-minute walk, and we won’t even need an umbrella.”
Following the raised eaves along the roadside, Hesta walked silently behind Chiba. As they turned toward an underground passage, Hesta suddenly said, “Can a Mercury Needle… live an ordinary life?”
Chiba did not look back. “How ordinary?”
“Like the people who live here,” Hesta replied.
“In theory, yes. Once you retire.”
“And in practice?”
“Of course, everyone has their own difficulties,” Chiba answered. “If a Mercury Needle truly decides to leave AHgAs, they usually choose to be rehired by the United Government. They still can’t avoid dealing with chelates.”
“How long do you have to work after being rehired before you can retire?”
“If you’ve been rehired, there’s naturally no retirement. You work until you die.”
“Can you refuse reemployment?”
At last, Chiba sensed that something was unusual. She turned around and looked at Hesta, whose hair had been lightly dampened by the rain.
“That isn’t very likely.”
“I don’t understand…”
“In this world, there are people who need Mercury Needles. They will chase you to the ends of the earth. Whether you’re in a habitable zone or the wasteland, they won’t give you any other choice,” Chiba said softly. “If things truly reach that point, you might as well never leave AHgAs in the first place—or simply go to the United Government. But all of that is still a long way off for you.”
“…There’s no other choice?”
Chiba smiled.
“We’re like the few blades left in this world, Jane,” she said quietly. “The fate of a blade is to be forged, sharpened, and sent into battle… over and over, until it breaks.”
…
Chiba brought Hesta to an abandoned warehouse. Beyond the entrance was a long flight of gently sloping stairs. They were made of metal and painted dark red, though much of the paint had already peeled away, leaving the surface mottled and weathered.
After passing through several heavy doors wrapped in perforated leather, Hesta heard the faint sound of gunfire.
Beyond the final door, she saw an unlit neon sign hanging on the wall by the entrance. A little dust had settled on its bent white tubes. Winding back and forth, they spelled out the words “Bang Bang Club.”
It was an underground shooting range.
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After putting on protective goggles and earmuffs, she followed Chiba to a spacious private range. Chiba casually selected a firing lane and looked back at Hesta.
“Have you used a gun before?”
“Yes.” Hesta nodded.
Chiba handed her the weapon. “Fire a few rounds. Let me see.”
Hesta began at the three-meter target. All five bullets landed within the nine ring. Then she moved to five meters, seven meters, twelve meters, fifteen meters, seventeen meters… and finally twenty-five meters. Aside from a few slight deviations, almost none of her shots landed outside the nine ring.
This was not Hesta’s first time handling a gun. She had already gained experience with firearms in Shortsong Alley. Chiba seemed to have understood that from the very beginning, so Hesta’s rapid adjustment did not surprise her particularly—but the delight in her eyes was still impossible to hide.
“Who taught you? They taught you very well.”
“…A friend.”
“From Shortsong Alley?”
“Yes.”
“You were so young. They actually let you take part in a gang shootout?”
“…It wasn’t a gang shootout.”
Chiba did not press her. She stepped forward and demonstrated fifteen shots from a distance of twenty-five meters. Every result fell between 10.3 and 10.9, leaving even Hesta momentarily stunned.
Afterward, Chiba sternly corrected several of Hesta’s improper habits, from her breathing, posture, and sight alignment to the way she pulled the trigger. Deviations in these details could drastically reduce both shooting accuracy and the length of time one could properly handle a firearm.
During a break, the two of them sat in chairs to the side and rested. Chiba told Hesta about the history of the underground shooting range. She also mentioned that, for the time being, she would try to return to Tanyi every week to bring Hesta here for practice. Aside from live-fire training, Hesta could also practice aiming and drawing her weapon at the base.
“You’ve always wondered whether a handgun could stand against a Mercury Needle.” Chiba lowered her gun. “My answer is that it depends on the person. If your opponent is Liz Fletcher, you probably won’t be able to take her down with a handgun. But if it’s Sean, that’s a different story.”
“Why?”
Chiba raised three fingers.
“To answer that, you first need to understand three concepts: bullet time, constraint time, and the Acheron moment.”