‹Ginji›

On the first week of September, year 2017… I was involved in an accident.

It was an ordinary day in the mall, and I was just purchasing supplies for school. No alarms were sounded, but there was a pick-pocketing thug.

In spite of the lack of security, civilians tried to stop him. And so he attempted to escape to the nearest exit. I brave middle-aged man tried to stop him. But then the criminal took out a knife with him.

Contrary to the man's bravery, he was actually just a coward who hid his tail when in danger.

I was just passing by at that time. Little did I know that my arm will be pulled as the criminal was about to slash someone. The coward man strongly pulled my arm and hid behind me, as if I was a human shield.

I wasn't stabbed. But the criminal haphazardly swung his knife with such force, slashing me from my right shoulder down to my left side near my hip.

As though the world’s time slowed down, I fell prone to the floor. The passersby were just watching in panic as I see my own blood flowing out. Not even the thought of me finally giving up my life came to mind. But it went empty, and all my delusions can see is only darkness.

…

I woke up to the blinding white lights while someone watched my eyes opened. It was a man with kempt hair that is showing signs of aging with how it is already turning gray; he wore a pair of rounded glasses; and he sported a fairly grown beard. Surprisingly, it was the all-famous doctor in Orio—Rishou Kagetora.

Apparently, he had business in the family hospital in Sector 527, and it just so happened that he was near the scene when he saw me bleeding out on the floor.

But I was not in the same hospital. I woke up in a rather big hospital room in Maris Institute in the Capital. He explained to me that I was asleep for three days. As I stabilized, I was transported here because the small hospital in Cotona can't treat wounds a foot and a half in length.

"It seems that your wound will leave a long lasting scar," he said to me. But he followed up with a pained face, "I hope that you won't be discriminated, just because of that…"

My legs were paralyzed for two weeks because of stress in the brain. But to my surprise, my overall recovery went quickly after that. I regained the functions of my legs and feet, and discovered that I can do much more than a normal human can.

After my therapy, I got discharged with a healed wound. We insisted to pay him for all the trouble I have caused, but he demanded not to.

He kindly said, "I promised that from now on, I will save children without asking for anything in return."

I realized what he meant with those words, as I discovered midway my recovery the Medical Children Program where he claimed that he killed all of the hundred children that were deceived by his desires.

Aside from the improvement of my lower extremities, I also set myself to strengthen my upper body now that my wound is healed. It honestly had no purpose aside from balancing my body strength.

I have lived my life being falsely judged because of the scar I have. The only way to free myself from hatred is to move away from those unreasonable people.

I came to a new school, and my environment drastically changed. No one is insulting me for this scar, and it made me happy that I kept this a secret.

But this day came, December 7 of the next year after the accident. My emotions have started to swell with my secret being exposed, seen by a student who is looking at me with an extremely frightened expression.

This is the first time that someone looked at me, and my scar with fear.

"Gin… This…"

He shut the door of the dressing room and locked it. With just a blink, his expression and the trembling of his body stopped. He was as calm as a lake in the middle of the forest. And his right eye… resembled the water of the lake a lot.

"Close the curtains properly, G. Sure it won't hurt to skip classes just for today."

As he instructed, I closed the curtains, so much that light don't pass through. I was also getting cold, so I wore back my undershirt and changed to my long sleeves and blazer.

Even with how much his frightened face was nowhere to be found, I was still left with unease.

"I guess I owe you an apology for reacting like that after seeing your scar. I didn't mean to scare you and myself." he explained.

"Uhh… S-So you got scared…?"

"I was. Not because of the scar itself, but the fact that you has it.

To tell you the truth, I could have ignored that huge scar you have there…"

"Woah, you cereal, Gin?"

"I'm cereal, G. But my word… so you really have a scar with approximately 42cm in length that extends from below collar bone to before the pelvis. That's extremely unprecedented…"

"H-Huh?! When did you even measure?!"

"Wait, so I'm accurately right?"

I facepalmed, "Heck, that's spot on, actually. What are you a human ruler?"

"Not at all. I just thought that you would be more surprised that aside from scaring myself, I wasn't the least bit bothered by your scar, unlike how others treated you."

"How in the world did you know that, anyway?"

"The principal primarily and secondarily checks the background of his students, as long that it is under the privacy laws.

In short, he… or his secretary conducted investigations and even went as far as going to Mykes to gather primary data. Don't worry, any information will never be disclosed. We'll even burn it if you ask."

"I get that, but… it's as if you're directly affiliated with Principal Juushiro."

"Let's just say that I'm the 'behind the scenes guy,' or the alternative eyes of the principal. It just so happened that we share the same eccentricity."

"I also get the eccentricity part, but scrap my past. What in the world happened to your eye?"

"Ohh… I didn't notice. You see, this is a proof that I was Child, and that something happened with my head in the process."

"Hmm… so why does Ken don't have something like that?"

"Nothing happened in his head, obviously.

So you've made contact with 086. You're surprising on your own ways, G."

At this point, I've finally accepted that I'm near with abnormal people.

"Your way of transitioning is so bad…

But I met him in Doc's office. And I think I know something about him that you do not." I proudly smiled.

"I see. I kind of understand because Exiles wish to hide their identities even when they are free now."

"Seriously, just how much do you know?!"

"Ahahaha. I don't really get to make my brain let loose like this so it's kinda fun. Sorry."

"Anyway, he put on his mask… then he saw the records of my wound. I didn't see his face, but I feel like he made the same face as you did."

"Understandable. That's because he knows to himself that he had seen that scar already."

"H-Huh…? You're not making any sense, Gin."

"Ugh… It's a pain when it's this cold… Well, close your eyes, G." I did what he said. "Oh, can you also hold your pair of earpieces for five seconds?"

I then gently pressed the earpieces on the bone of my ears for the said time… and the noise and any sound became absent.

"What the… I can't hear a thing."

"Meeehhh… I don't even need to muffle G's ears for this. I just want to add to the element of surprise."

I felt that something touched my ear, and so I took it as a signal that I can reset my hearing. Without asking, I did the same procedure and my hearing came back.

"You can open them."

The lights weren't blinding at all, but I immediately saw Gin standing in front of his chair with his clothes changed, and wearing an unbuttoned long sleeves.

The opening was wide enough to see the irregularity in his body. At this time, I began to understand what Gin felt when he saw my scar…

Because he has the exact same scar that I have.

"Wh… What the… How do you have that scar… Gin?!"

"The information about you didn't have anything regarding how you got your scar. So I could ask you the same thing again, G.

I suggest you tell me first before I tell you mine. I believe that it's for the better."

…

I told him my story in every detail, but he was left somewhat unimpressed. But with what I have heard, his emotions are suppressed so it could be that he can't show them.

"Hahaha… I guess you're much of a better person than I am.

There's no use in hiding it. G, you got that scar from a knife slash… Well, I slashed myself with a knife."

"…?! You're joking, aren't you…?"

"I can't joke with things like this. Also, I got this hair from mental overload. I was broken, even before I got the chance to grow properly as a kid. The roots of this scar originally came from the program. At some point last year, I've gone insane and did that to myself. Thankfully, I finally got my head sorted out recently."

He then stared with a display of surprise, although minimal.

"Well, well~ I guess we're quite the same in some aspects. You don't even look so bothered after hearing all that."

"Even I wonder why."

"But hey, I don't think that just saying all that won't equate to what you just told me, so I'll fill you in with a secret of mine."

"You sure are full of secrets, Gin… Are you sure, though?"

"I trust that you won't tell anyone anyways. And now I'm realizing that you live quite close to Queen Street."

"Speaking of, surely you've heard of the accident there. It was quite the news when a minor got badly hit by a truck and went missing after being transported by an ambu-

Are you telling me that you're the victim?! Ah-"

For a moment, I shrieked and covered my mouth immediately.

"I was a bit loud, sorry…"

"You came to the most accurate conclusion."

"Actually, I was a witness when the min- when you suddenly flew away. I didn't see your face since… you're bleeding everywhere… and your limbs are improperly bent…

How did you survive that?!"

"I survived because of irony. Just earlier, I was whining how Kagetora made me an empty existence but I was saved by him in the clutch moment."

"You mean… Doc was the one who saved you?"

"No. But the people who treated me said that I saved myself. Although I believe that I can't save myself without Doc."

"Make a sense already."

"Alright. Because of the experiments, my body underwent several changes, especially to my bones. The truth is, I can regenerate my bones theoretically fifty or a hundred times faster than anyone."

"What the… Nico told me about Bone Regeneration, but your healing rate is simply off the charts by tenfold."

"I don't know what sort of drug he made for that to happen, but my shattered bones healed in eight hours, although incomplete. I needed a few years for it to recover back."

"Wait, wait, wait…!

So you're saying that you were transported to another world after being hit by Truck-kun?! Then that explains why you were five in the program but now you're 19…"

"G, easy-"

"Surely you had to stay in that world for at least two years to recover. How in the isekai genre did you get back?"

"Step on your brakes, whippersnapper." he landed a heavy hand chop on my head.

"Ow…!"

"You read too much light novel, young 'un. At least stick close to reality. It's true that it took my body to completely heal two years, though."

"Then it wouldn't make any sense why you're 19."

"Watch Dr*gon Ball Z again, zasshu."

"A time chamber…?

And are you seriously referencing F*te too?"

"Hahaha. It doesn't matter but I can't tell you any more details aside from that. I hope that I satisfy your curiosity."

"At least… I'm realizing something very certain."

"Hmm…?"

"I figured that there's a need to tell you this since I think you're the only one that will believe me."

"Uh-huh…?

(!)

I can hear someone."

"You sure? I can't hear anyone."

"Let's just say that I clearly heard everything you talked about with your friends in the cafe.

I can hear footsteps forty meters away from our west."

"I'm not even surprised anymore. So? What do we do now? I don't want to delay myself from telling you this."

"I'll unlock the door. Open the curtains wide now. We'll escape and go out from there and continue our conversation in the rooftop.

Tsk. Poru is talking about something indecent to the ears again."

"We better hurry then."

"Let's run from the back and make our way to the stairs. That's the fastest route."

"I don't need that, Gin."

After getting out from the window, Gin was about to run as he planned. I wanted to make things quick, and so I made a shortcut and leaped to the protruding concrete on the walls.

He just watched me as I climbed, but I heard him chuckle.

"I can't believe you have that mobility…

But you still have a long way before you can catch up to me, G…!"

While I seem to effortlessly jump my way up to the rooftop, Gin overtook me with suddenly launching up without any support from the walls.

"Seriously… who are you, Gin?" I bitterly smiled.

~ ~ ~

What is it? Did three seconds really just passed and we're on the rooftop now? Well, the high-flyer with me only took him a second to cover that height.

"Brrr… It's still cold…"

"Do you wear trench coat when coming to school, G?"

"I just bring a thick jacket with me. I don't think I can move around with that."

"I only use a scarf that Rin gave me."

"At least don't brag in front of me, riajuu. We're losing track of what we're talking about."

"Yeah, what is it that you want to tell me?"

"…

For starters, I think it's appropriate to call me something like… a natural coincidence."

"A coincidence…?"

"A coincidental existence, to be more specific.

You start walking with stepping with the right foot first, whenever you crack your bones in your fingers, you always start with your thumb and you leave your ring and pinky finger untouched, when using a mechanical pencil you click thrice, you also have a fairly big writer's bump on your middle finger on your right hand, and the way you write is slanted…"

"Uhh… I guess that's my habits, and you even noticed my writer's bump?"

"Nope. Never saw them. But to make you understand a bit… there should be papers that the club stored here, right?"

"Below the bench we're sitting at."

"Let's start with writing a letter of apology."

"Ah… right. We're basically cutting classes."

…

Only the sound of scribbling could have been heard as the gentle blow of the wind disrupts us from writing what ought to be written. As if the sunlight is like a dying bulb, it appears and goes from the scattered clouds. The silence was then broken with us finishing.

I am quite sure that Gin had never seen my handwriting before…

"Oi, oi… What's up with your handwriting, G? It's like I wrote it myself."

"Even Mato-sen was confused of this. He has no way to distinguish who wrote what since we pretty much share the same penmanship.

That's what I'm trying to make you understand, Gin. All that habits I mentioned about you, I also have all of them. What I meant about coincidence… is that I'm someone whose existence coincides with yours.

Aren't the exact same scars we have enough to convince you? Then, when was the time you slashed yourself?"

"I'm not so dumb to say that it happened at 0215… but if I convert it…"

"Before August ends… nearly the first week of September last year. How did you come up with that conclusion?"

"I just observed, so I can't give you an answer. But I'll give more examples: I was born December 3, while you were born October 27… and then you came to a time chamber for two years?"

He nodded.

"Then you're still a 2001 child, maybe not in paper anymore. Let's see… I was born at around 9 in the morning, cesarean delivery."

"Th-That's basically the same as mine…"

He paused and breathed deeply. Still with the black and blue eyes, he looked at me without surprise, but with a stern gaze.

"This will be enough to believe that you really are what you call a coincidental existence if you answer this…

G, did someone die when you were born?"

"…

I was told that my uncle from far away died at the same day."

"…!

I-Is the cause of his death… colon cancer?"

"Y-Yes…"

The wooden bench, although still sturdy, creaked even when Gin tried to stand up as silently as he can. Bearing it no mind, he walked towards the railings of the edges of the rooftop and leaned forward with his arms rested on it.

It was not apparent as I just saw his back with the black and gray hair of his that is tied; but it seems that he was looking way further in the distance.

Ironic as this may sound, he caught my attention and gazed upon the fogged and unsaturated blue horizon that is being adorned by a clear arc of rainbow over it.

"I'm now convinced. It really does seem like our existence is somewhat… perhaps not connected but congruent. You've already assumed that I am the reason to the parallel events in our life…

But I hope that this will not discourage you to live, even being aware that you are a… paraphrased existence, so to speak. Please live your life with your own choices and decisions, G."

He sounded serious, as he was probably talking about having a life being restricted to things or events that should not have happened in his life. Even if I was not aware of how he lived his life in the past, I know that we were drifted by the same wave.

"Even if you don't say that, I'm already working on it."

"That's good to know…

Then I'll expect that you wouldn't go after Rin."

I take everything back. That stern tone wasn't even going to make up with how much he just picked a fight with me.

"Hahh… That's not going to happen, Gin. You know, I have better tastes than you-"

His hand is so big that he literally grabbed my face.

Help… Can't breathe…

"So this is where you are, Potato!"

As the opening door of the rooftop sounded, a voice… Ringo's voice exclaimed, a bit angrily. Together with her are the other friends of Gin.

"I don't even see a reason why you would be skipping classes-

Oh, you're with G. What in the flying apples just happened for you to be grabbing his head?" she sarcastically asked.

"We're talking about love and stuff, and then he said that he has better tastes than mine."

She pouted and bitterly spoke, "Is that so. Then please break his skull."

"Mmrhf…! Wwwmf…! Hhhrmf…"

To translate, what I just said was: "Please spare my life…!"

…

I was released before I nearly passed away from asphyxiation. I should have expected this since Gin had already been in a situation where he was in front of the death's door…

"Then, tell me what qualities of a girl do you like!" I just hurt a maiden's heart… somehow. And Ringo is now emitting an ominous, dark aura around her.

What a coincidence, I finally understand how terrifying women are, just like how Gin understood.

"Well… I'm specifically showing interest on Yui."

.

.

.

Hearing that, Gin, Ringo, and even Shiro drooped to their knees with their faces completely covered with their hands.

"Uhh… You okay, there?"

Having Gin and Ringo ignored, Nagi only asked Shiro who unexpectedly rode the other two's wave. For the reason why they did that, it would be safest to assume that they are just keeping it to themselves.

I may be Gin's coincidence, but I don't manifest the sharpness of his mind.

"Let's just leave it at that… G has something to tell us all."

"Oi, Gin. Ringo is granted, but is it really okay to tell them?

Not that I'm against of it…"

"Relax, even I have one last thing to tell you. I'm sure it'll be music to your ears."

His other mates made a "Huh?!" face without any hints that I could probably catch.

"G's question goes around to you, Gin. Is it really okay to tell him?" asked Jean.

And just like that, they are communicating as if this is telepathy.

"It's fine. But G goes first."

~ ~ ~

I explained everything to them. Up to the point when I was unjustifiably slashed until the how's of becoming an existence that just so happens to coincide with Gin's life events.

In general, everything that I told Gin was recited again to Ringo and the others.

They have astonished and amazed reactions with my story. The rate of it being believable rose up with Gin's support, as I am assuming that he had experiences that are more unbelievable than mine.

But in the midst of the mood, Jean's face, for at least a second turned grim.

"G… while we're on the topic of coincidences, the knife that the thug used… do you remember what it looked like, by any chance?"

"Heck, even when I was in extreme pain, I can never forget how the knife looked like.

I even know what the name is—49URV which was unveiled in 2015, a one of one knife in the world which the handle is made of purely natural hide and a part of a trunk from the sturdiest wood in the planet. Its blade was carefully forged and treated, and it makes a typical rainbow shine when hit by light, similar to the gamer's collector knives.

But apparently, the blade has an engraved signature of the blacksmith who forged it. Its whereabouts is unknown, aside from the fact that it's the one that slashed my torso."

Surprisingly, Gin made a strong fist pump while Jean's heavy breathing was relieved.

"Hahahaha. G, little do you know, but you just gave one of the greatest intel I've gathered. Seriously, our coincidences lead to one place."

"Ehh…? You're suddenly talking like you're some kind of a big gun."

"Don't be so ambitious, G. I'm not something like that.

"Hey Jean, make my hand swell, alright?"

A very loud whack suddenly sounded in the rooftop, but as bad as it may sound, it was just Jean that slapped Gin's open palm with all of his strength.

I was worried for a second that it made Jean enraged, but it turns out that it was perhaps the happiest he have been.

"With this, we can finally establish a proper investigation with this very huge lead. Jean, we're one step closer to getting Alex out." Gin motivated.

Except for Ringo who currently has a big smile on his face, the others do not know what is happening and what is making the three so overjoyed.

"This is good, then. The mood is very fine to tell you, G."

"Oh, yeah. You still have something to tell me. But it seems that I'm the only who doesn't know."

From the pocket of his black slacks, he pulled a neatly folded white handkerchief.

"Hmm? What's that, Gin?"

"Versatility." he vaguely answered.

He shook it off until it unfolded, and somehow snapped in place until it kind of solidified to create some kind of a convex shape that gradually shone a reflection on the outside.

Whatever object it is, it did not make any sense at first, but after he suddenly wore it on his face, it turned out to be a faceless mask.

"Allow me to introduce myself again, G.

I am Exile—a faceless that prevented a massacre from a C4 explosion and guarded two destructive kicks that can destroy the skull."

"G-Gin… You're that person…?!"

▪ ▪ ▪

Irregardless, the day ended with me discovering that I just played a big role to unfolding more of the corruption inside the police aside from Detective Juno Artecus's project of unraveling unjustified policemen by dividing and conquering.

And aside from that, I brought forth relief and happiness to a friend, whom his older brother was falsely accused of murder and got jailed.

If I was not slashed by that criminal… there might be no way for these things to happen.

Surely, Gin has thought of the same thing.