ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (2)

With Love for the Forgotten (End)

This is the end.

- Bokutotsu Zen'u

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

August 8

Hospital, Shinjuku Ward, Japan

Five days after the election that caused a sensation around the world, a man visited a hospital.

"It will be still quite inconvenient in daily life because it is different from the dominant hand that you are accustomed to using. However, if you continue training, you will be able to use your left hand without any difficulty in your daily life. Let's do our best together in the rehabilitation of switching the dominant hand."

A doctor who specialized in rehabilitation told the man sitting in the patient's seat in the examination room to work hard on his rehabilitation. Looking at the man's right hand, he saw a terrible scar as if there was a big hole in his palm. The index and ring fingers were missing from the first joint.

"Thank you very much."

The man... Michitaka Hiraide, thanked the attending physician and left the examination room with a bow. He and his sister, who had come with him as a chaperone, waited in the waiting room for the physical therapist to call them in and stared at his scarred right hand. Hiraide's right hand, pierced by the mind-controlled elven girl's laser beam, is now unable to grip satisfactorily because the tendons and nerves in the muscles could not be repaired. His marksmanship skill, which was said to be one of the best or second best in the police organization, is now a thing of the past.

After finishing his rehabilitation, Hiraide left the hospital, took one look at his watch, turned to his younger sister, Nakuru, who was standing next to him and spoke to her.

"I've got to run an errand later, so why don't you go home first?"

"I don't mind, but... are you all right, brother? Your right hand is limp, so don't do anything rash..."

She looked worried as she replied. The handicap of not being able to use his dominant hand was unexpectedly large, and Nakuru was anxious about letting his brother work alone.

"Oh, please... I'll be back soon. See you!" Hiraide said, waving his hand toward his sister as he walked off in a different direction from home.

He was headed to a certain place to meet someone.

. . .

National Police Agency Building, Chiyoda Ward

The National Police Agency stands right next to the Metropolitan Police Department in front of the Imperial Palace's Sakurada Gate, and in one section of this place that unites all the police forces in Japan, a policewoman can be seen.

"...Excuse me."

She was personally called by the head of the Security Bureau, and with a bow, closed the door of the office. She was here to report the results of the special overseas investigation into the five illegal emigres and the organization that had contacted them, as well as the information she had obtained. Riyoshi gave all the important information she had obtained during her three-and-a-half-month-long mission, including the fact that the Sword of Tyrfing, which had been thought to be a legend, actually existed, and that its reality was very different from that of folklore, and that there were two organizations that had targeted it and deceived the Japanese.

'That sword was an ancient weapon that could manipulate other people's magic power... in other words, there was no way the Japanese would be affected by it once someone got a hold of it... Jindo-san.'