第１１３６堀：思い出せないこと (Part1)
Chapter 1136: Things I Cannot Remember
Side: Agil
"Hmm, so simply touching the camera like this might capture 'something.' I must admit, I find it hard to believe."
Popuri muttered these words while tapping the installed cameras, channeling her magical energy into them.
"Well, this is an experiment. Exploring possibilities, presenting them, and verifying them. That is what science is all about."
"Exactly. 'Failure' is also a result. Surely you understand that, Popuri?"
Popuri turned a look of mild confusion toward Comet and me—a sentiment she should have been well aware of.
"Yes, I understand that, Master, Agil. But the thing is, I cannot remember that girl at all. Even though I’m standing right here at the scene, I truly cannot recall her."
Principal Popuri tilted her head, looking genuinely saddened.
"Well, generally speaking, we don't remember things that don't interest us. I’m the same way."
"That’s true. I spend so much of my mental capacity on experiments that other things rarely stick."
Indeed, if it were a game, it would be etched into my memory instantly. But people’s schedules? I can never seem to keep track of those. Well, these days we share everyone’s schedule on the call screen, so that’s no longer a problem.
"No, I am the highest authority of this academy. To not remember a student..."
"Do you have any idea how many students have enrolled in this academy over its long history, Popuri?"
As Comet pointed out, this academy has a very long history. It would be impossible to remember every single student who has ever walked through these doors. I didn't see why she was so bothered by it, but for some reason, Popuri was taking it to heart. Perhaps it was simply a matter of her pride as a principal.
"...That may be true, but something about this just doesn't sit right."
"That is exactly why we are investigating. Once you’ve finished touching the remaining cameras, Popuri, you should get some rest for the night. We’ll be doing the same after we eat."
"Yes, you're right. Yesterday was an all-nighter and it was rough, so getting some sleep now is important."
Exactly. The plan is to rest now to build up our energy for the night ahead. Once we return from this task, Yuki and the others intend to leave a skeleton crew in the monitoring room and sleep, preparing for the late-night watch. Usually, waiting for something that might not appear is grueling, but since it seems likely to manifest again tonight, everyone is bracing themselves.
"...Indeed. Since I can't remember anything no matter how hard I try, I suppose I should rest."
"Exactly. Rather than wasting energy trying to remember, it’s better to be in top condition for tonight."
"True. Even if you manage to remember something, it won't mean much if you're too exhausted to move when the time comes."
With that decided, we finished checking the cameras and, after ensuring Popuri’s magic had been properly infused, we headed back to rest. However...
"Man, I can't seem to fall asleep."
"Well, it is still the morning, after all."
Despite telling Popuri to get some sleep, I ended up playing games with Comet. As Comet said, it was still morning; it was far too early to sleep.
"And to think, Popuri was the one who fell asleep first. Especially after she was so worried about it."
It was true. Until just a moment ago, she had been agonizing over trying to remember, but the moment her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.
"Ah, that’s probably because she was up all night yesterday dealing with the ghost incident and her regular work."
"I see. Come to think of it, she did look quite sleepy when Yuki woke us up."
"When you're focused on research, you can stay up until morning and feel strangely energized, but staying up all night for paperwork is a different beast."
"Ugh, that hits hard. You're right. On top of her usual administrative duties, she was working hard on these documents, too."
I placed the documents Popuri had prepared earlier onto the table. Comet glanced at them while continuing to play her handheld game.
"A student wearing a uniform from 200 years ago, huh? If someone told me that, I’d usually laugh it off as the ramblings of someone losing their mind..."
"Unfortunately, thanks to Sota-san’s advice to switch to infrared, we actually caught it on camera. It’s definitive proof that 'something' was there."
Normally, a story like this would be dismissed as fatigue or a trick of the light, but because we have the 'footage' as evidence, this bizarre phenomenon is undeniably real.
"It’s strange. The more convenient our tools become and the more mysteries we solve, the more new questions seem to arise. The world is a mysterious place."
"It is. Thanks to that, it doesn't look like we researchers will be going hungry anytime soon."
"That said, a researcher who can't produce results is just a drain on resources. So, Agil, did you find anything concerning in these documents?"
"No, I'm just as stumped. I mean, we only know the clothes were from 200 years ago, and that it was a small, silver-haired female student seen only from behind. If we could see her face, we might have a lead."
"True. This document alone doesn't provide enough information. And we went to the site, but didn't find anything. Wait, there was that dead point between the classrooms due to the structure, wasn't there?"
"Ah, I remember that."
Because a 'ghost' appeared, we focused entirely on observation methods, but the original issue was the suspicion that something was hidden in that dead point.
"I’d like to investigate that, but I doubt we’d get permission under the current circumstances."
"Fair enough. If a ghost appeared, there’s a possibility of being swallowed into an otherworld. And the entrance to that otherworld..."
"Is likely that dead point between the classrooms. If we get pulled in, returning might be difficult, so we should wait until we have more information."
I looked over the dead point on the call screen. It was a space the size of a small room, with no windows or doors whatsoever. It truly felt like a dead point.
"Come to think of it, did Sota-san and the others say anything about this?"
"Huh? You're right. Sota-san and Sui went to check the site, but they didn't mention the dead point. Let’s ask them."
Curious, Comet and I put our games aside and contacted Sota-san via the call screen.
"...And so, did you feel anything at the dead point?"
『Not particularly. Nothing at all. Did you feel anything, Sui?』
『Unfortunately, I didn't feel anything of the sort. It is likely that the spirit is related to Popuri specifically.』
"To Popuri... But she says she can't remember anything at all. What about that?"
『Regrettably, whether Popuri-san remembers or not doesn't really matter in cases like this. It is quite common for the spirit to know the person unilaterally. For instance, she might have held a grudge against Popuri without Popuri even realizing it, don't you think?』
"...That is true."
"Well, it happens often. In that case, should we keep Popuri away from this matter?"