#hmm. my Tsukasa wishes list also works really well.

[jokertrap-ran]

[Stand My Heroes] Case File:研究対象Sの記録 (Case File: Records on Research Subject S) Event Story: Investigation ④～⑥ Translations

*Master-list is in progress *MC name is retained default Izumi Rei

Part 1 / Part 2

⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Hallway ☆⋅⋆

Sugano: Hmm, this is rather soft for a collar.

Rei: It’s a hand, not a collar…Plus, you’re the one who’s holding onto my hand…

Sugano: Is that so?

--That’s right. The “Collar” he was talking about, was actually just, in fact, “Holding hands”.

Rei: (Still…)

Sugano: I wonder where Sosei-san’s room is at…

Rei: (…I kind of feel like I’ve been played for a fool.)

Rei: (Judging from the expression that Asagiri-san, who had been standing guard outside the room, had on his face…)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

--Just now, when I had left the room hand-in-hand with Sugano-kun…

Sugano: Tsukasa-san, Rei and I are gonna pay a visit to Sosei-san’s room for a bit~

Asagiri: ----

He had an unreadable expression on his face as his eyes moved to glance down at our adjoined hands.

Rei: W-We’ll be going then…

Asagiri: …Hold up.

Rei: !

Sugano: What is it?

Asagiri: That…your hands.

Rei: !!

Sugano: What about it?

Asagiri: Did you go through the Antibacterial Lasers properly before joining hands?

Rei: ……What?

Asagiri: He has never left this place in a long time.

Asagiri: It’d be bad if you brought the flu virus in with you or something since you came from another place outside yesterday.

Rei: Okay…?

Sugano: Ahaha. Don’t worry, we went through the Antibacterial Lasers.

By the way, they might be called Antibacterial Lasers, but all we actually did was to put both our hands into a special device that emitted a special laser beam; and then, oh, what a surprise!

It’s a man-made device capable of killing 99.9999% of all potentially harmful viruses that affect the human body.

Asagiri: Then it’s fine. –-I think Sosei’s still sleeping.

Sugano: We’ll add a walk to the trip then. Thank you~

--And so, that happened.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Rei: (I can’t really come to a definite conclusion all on my own just based on Asagiri-san’s reaction alone…)

Sugano: Hey, Rei?

Rei: Hm?

He grinned and gave my hand a squeeze.

Sugano: Your hand’s really warm.

Rei: Huh?

Sugano: I feel really touched by it, since it’s been such a long time since I’ve had contact with another person.

Rei: Sugano-kun…

Sugano: Oh, that’s Sosei-san’s over there. Let’s wake him up if he’s still asleep!

Rei: Right, let’s go.

Rei: (…Well, I suppose it’s fine. Even if this is just a “Collar”.)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

And that was how my day as a communicator ended successfully without a hitch.

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⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Laboratory ☆⋅⋆

There were times during my life in the facility, where Sugano-kun had been off-limits. And during those times, I turned to…

Yui: It has finally been completed!

Watabe: Congratulations; you’re finally done.

Beside Watabe-san, who seemed to be eating some DIY Sweets made in the Research Facility itself, was… Yui-san, who held up a small bottle of questionable luminescent liquid which colour could not really be identified.

Rei: Um, what is this…exactly…?

Yui: This is the new version of the Nutritional Drink that I’ve been painstakingly working on for the past 2 weeks!

Rei: A Nutritional Drink…

Suddenly, I recalled a snippet of a conversation I overheard just the other day.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Arakida: I have. I lost 3 days to sleep…

Natsume: But that was Kotaro-san’s Nutritional Drink at work so that’s not my fault!

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Rei: ……

Arakida-san had been lying in bed, looking blue in the face when I had visited him together with Sugano-kun.

Rei: (That was because of that shady Headgear, but still…)

Yui: I’ll give you the right to participate in its Clinical Trial.

Rei: ……What?

Yui: It’s truly an honour, don’t you think? I’m the leading researcher when it comes to Nutritional Drinks.

Watabe: Only within this facility, though.

Yui: Now, feel free to drink it. It will make all the stress you have piled up and the fatigue you feel while working as a communicator disappear.

He handed my the dodgey-looking liquid— Or, well, a Nutritional Drink, as he called it. And I…

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Room ☆⋅⋆

Sugano: --Eh!? You drank it…!?

Rei: Yeah…Well, I couldn’t really turn him down.

Sugano: So, were you okay? Don’t you feel sluggish or pain anywhere?

Rei: Well…

Sugano: Mmngh…

Rei: I was really energized and refreshed by it.

Sugano: Eh--?

Rei: It really made my exhaustion disappear!

Sugano: What~ You really had me worried for a second there!

Rei: Ahaha, sorry for how I built up the suspense, only for it to end there.

Sugano: Not at all, the thrill was nice.

Sugano: Still, I wonder why Sosei-san ended up in bed after drinking the same thing.

Rei: That’s because the Nutritional Drink I drank was one that had been revised after having gathered the data from the failed version that Arakida-san drank.

Sugano: Then, you’ll have to thank Sosei-san for taking the bullet for you.

Rei: I know, right?

Sugano: I can totally tell that he’d look absolutely disgruntled by it if you thank him.

Rei: Ahaha, I can imagine.

Sugano: Haha.

It has already been about 15 days since I got to talk to him like this.

Rei: (I was really worried about how things would go at first, but turns out, it’s actually surprisingly fun here.)

Sugano: Haa~ That was a real good laugh. I’m so glad you came here!

Rei: I’m glad that you’re the one I’m assigned to for my job as well.

Sugano: Eh~ Did you really have to mention that it’s your job?

Rei: Oh, sorry…

Sugano: Don’t apologise.

Sugano: I like people who are passionate about their work.

Sugano: I heard that the person who created this Research Facility…Someone who’s been here before You-san…was also someone passionate about their work.

Rei: That’s right. The one who created this facility was none other than the Previous Chief.

Sugano: Yeah.

Suddenly, all signs of his previous joy drained from his face.

Sugano: …I wonder what they’re up to right now?

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Room ☆⋅⋆

Rei: Do you not know?

Sugano: Rather that not knowing, I simply chose not to.

Rei: ……?

Sugano: But, I believe that You-san believes in that person’s justice.

Rei: …………

--Silence descended upon us.

This was the first time that I’ve been rendered speechless ever since I made contact with Sugano-kun.

Rei: …Um,

Sugano: Rei, what did you originally do on the outside?

Rei: Huh?

Sugano: Let me hear more about you.

I could tell that he didn’t want to talk about the “Previous Chief”, considering how he changed the topic like that.

Rei: I was a normal Office Lady (OL) out there.

Sugano: Heh~ What kinda company?

Rei: A pharmaceutical one.

Sugano: What about a boyfriend?

Rei: I see that you’ve taken to suddenly changing topics with your questions.

Sugano: It’s fine, isn’t it? Or is it a secret?

Rei: (I don’t have one…)

But he had this air around him that made him seem like he’d tease me endlessly about it if I just told him outright, right off the bat, that I “didn’t have a boyfriend”.

Rei: …Yeah, it’s a secret.

Sugano: Oh, so you don’t have one.

Rei: How did I get found out!?

Sugano: Your face.

Rei: EHHH!?

Sugano: I lied. It was just my gut instincts, also partly my own wishes.

Rei: Ehh…

Sugano: Say, Rei…Don’t you ever grow to miss the world outside?

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Room ☆⋅⋆

Rei: (Miss the world outside…?)

In my head, the line “You too. You more than I” came up. And I was about to reply in kind, only to stop short because I was stepping into a dangerous zone. Because this topic fell under the “Forbidden Conversation Topics” that I had been handed before I began this job.

Sugano: You can’t go out either; not while you’re stuck down here as my assigned communicator, right?

Sugano: So, Don’t you miss your normal life?

Rei: …Of course I miss it; normally.

Sugano: …Okay, thanks.

Rei: Why are you thanking me?

Sugano: Because I didn’t need a textbook reply of “Of course not”.

Rei: ……

Sugano: I’m sure you want to hear about what I think too, right?

Rei: Mngh—

Sugano: You see, I’m really fine with anything either way.

Rei: …Even if you’ll remain here forever?

Sugano: I’ve come to know people like You-san really well. And it’s not like it’s all that uncomfortable living here either.

Sugano: Oh, but I could become a candidate for your boyfriend if I got out of here and regained my freedom.

Rei: --

I felt a pang in my chest.

Rei: (I’d almost forgotten about it, but now that we’re on this topic…)

Rei: (He’s someone who cannot leave this place of his own free will.)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Hallway ☆⋅⋆

--Nightfall.

It was a time where I wasn’t allowed to make contact with Sugano-kun. I left the confines of my room, feel a sudden unexplained hunger out of the blue.

Rei: (I’m hungry…I feel like I’ve started to become a gourmet ever since I drank that Nutritional Drink that Yui-san made…)

Miyase: --Oh?

Rei: --!

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⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Hallway ☆⋅⋆

Miyase: You’re…If I remember correctly, aren’t you the communicator assigned to Sugano-kun?

Rei: Yes, that’s right. I’m Rei—No, I’m No. 1230!

Miyase: Fufu, so Rei-san, is it? I’m Miyase.

Miyase: I’m in charge of cleaning and preparing food in this Research Facility.

Rei: Ahh!! Thank you so much for the delicious food that’s always being served!

Miyase: Same here; thank you for always eating it all so deliciously.

Rei: (How do I put this…? He really feels like he has this fluffy, warm and homely air around him.)

Miyase: By the way, where are you heading at this hour?

Rei: Oh, sorry…I’m actually feeling kinda hungry, so…

Miyase: I see, what nice timing.

Miyase: Here, how about you take these cookies I have here and have it for supper?

Rei: Whoa, that looks so delicious! Can I really have them?

Miyase: Of course. I made it for my brother, who has a sweet-tooth, but I accidentally made a little too much.

Rei: You have a brother…?

Miyase: He’s being kept as a subject in this Research Facility.

Rei: Eh--

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⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Hallway ☆⋅⋆

Rei: Your brother’s here too?

Miyase: Yeah.

Rei: (H-How am I supposed to reply to that…?)

Miyase: What do you talk about with Sugano-kun?

Rei: Huh? Oh…Just normal conversational topics.

Miyase: Did he ever mention anything about wanting to get out of here?

Rei: --

Rei: (I wonder what he’s trying to get at with this conversation…)

I gave him a hesitant glance as the smile disappeared from his face.

Miyase: …I apologize. I’ve said something weird, haven’t I?

Rei: No—

Miyase: My brother; he doesn’t want to get out of here.

Rei: Eh…?

Miyase: I suppose this facility most probably gathers “People with the strongest will”.

Miyase: Perhaps that’s the trait that they’re trying to research here, in this facility—Or at least, that’s what I think.

Rei: People who have the strongest of wills…

Miyase: For example, those who have a sense of justice. The self-sacrificial ones,

Miyase: Or those that hold a burning hatred within them and the like…

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Hallway ☆⋅⋆

Rei: What…What are you trying to say?

Miyase: Those with a strong enough will, will get out of here someday, eventually.

Miyase: At the same time, I suppose that there are also people being held captive here with an equally strong will, despite being unable to escape.

Miyase: Like those who are too cowardly to break out of these chains…Or those who lie continuously, twisting and turning their words to their advantage on a whim.

Rei: Um…It would be…appreciated it you could speak it in a way so that even I can understand what you’re talking about…

Miyase: Fufu, I’ve spoken too much. I’ll take my leave now since my brother’s still waiting for me.

Rei: Miyase-san—

Miyase: Please keep the conversation we just had a secret.

Rei: (…What’s he talking about?)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Room ☆⋅⋆

--The next day.

Rei: Pardon m——Ah.

Rei: My apologies. I didn’t know that you were here, Hattori-san.

Hattori: No worries; I’m already done here.

Sugano: --

Hattori: See you then. Be a good boy, alright?

Sugano: …………

Rei: (What’s with the…ill-feeling atmosphere in here?)

Hattori-san made his exit from the room, seemingly unaffected.

Sugano: …Sorry, Rei.

Rei: Huh?

Sugano: I don’t think I’m up for conversation today…Sorry, I just don’t feel it.

Rei: Ah…Don’t worry about it, I understand. Then I’ll be taking my le-

Sugano: Wait.

Rei: --?

Sugano: …No, it’s nothing. Sorry.

Rei: (Sugano-kun…?)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Private Room ☆⋅⋆

(…Sugano-kun was acting weird.)

Time had passed ever since the conversation we had during the afternoon. Now, night had already fallen, and he didn’t call for me even once.

Rei: (Although, making contact is forbidden at this time of the day to begin with…)

Lost to my thoughts, the buzzer of my room suddenly sparked to life. And when I pressed the remote to open the door—

Imaoji: --Sorry for disturbing you this late at night.

Rei: Imaoji-san? Is something the matter?

Imaoji: Sugano-kun has called for you.

Rei: What? But…

Imaoji: Will you come with me?

Rei: …Alright.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Room ☆⋅⋆

Sugano: Oh, I was waiting.

Rei: What’s up? It’s pretty late in the night now.

Sugano: We didn’t manage to talk in the afternoon so,

Sugano: --Won’t you come closer to me?

Rei: …Okay.

I stepped forwards, towards him…One step, two steps, and then—

Rei: Wha-!?

I was suddenly wrapped in his embrace.

Sugano: …Go on a date with me if I ever meet you outside.

Rei: Huh--?

Sugano-kun held me in his embrace, smiling up at the surveillance camera in the room.

Sugano: --Tsukasa-san? I’m sure you’re seeing this, aren’t you?

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⋆⋅☆ Monitoring Room ☆⋅⋆

Asagiri: --

Arakida: Natsuki…

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⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Room ☆⋅⋆

He looked up at the surveillance camera and spoke in light tones.

Sugano: I have a reason why I absolutely get out of this place.

Sugano: The official statement released by the great man of this country will be “A subject had held a communicator hostage, seeking his release in exchange.”

Sugano: Now, don’t you think this is perfect?

Rei: (Hostage…!?)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Monitoring Room ☆⋅⋆

Arakida: What should we do—

Asagiri: …………

Arakida: Tsukasa-san.

Asagiri: --It’ll probably be useless, even if we try to stop him.

Asagiri: Mngh—

Asagiri: Disable the locks on his gate.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

A blaring siren sounded in response, but the door opened.

Sugano: See you then, Rei.

Rei: Ngh-!

He turned away as soon as he released me; stepping outside, to his freedom.

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⋆⋅☆ Research Facility: Outside ☆⋅⋆

Rei: --Sugano-kun!

Sugano: --Huh? You came running after me?

Rei: Not…Not because I want to stop you, but-

Sugano: --

Rei: There’s just something I want to ask you.

Sugano: …Which is?

Rei: Why do you want to escape this place?

Sugano: --

Rei: Do you feel a strong urge of something within your heart…?

“Humans with the strongest of wills”, Miyase-san had mentioned. I wanted to know if he had something like that within him; that’s why I came after him.

Sugano: In my heart…

Sugano: …There lies a justice, one where I’ll protect those important to me, no matter what I have to do, so that they won’t be hurt.

Rei: Justice…

Sugano: I don’t expect you to understand me.

Sugano: Bye bye; this time for real.

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⋆⋅☆ Monitoring Room ☆⋅⋆

Arakida: Won’t Natsuki go down in the mud, alone, if you release him like that?

Asagiri: Even so, there’s no way I could have stopped him. What Natsuki has within him is— Stubborn, unfaltering, self-sacrifice.

Arakida: Ngh…

Asagiri: But, that’s also a form of Justice. Having said that, I don’t intend on letting him go quietly either.

Asagiri: Let’s think of what we can do.

Arakida: …Roger.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

And then, Sugano-kun who was surrounded in mystery disappeared. And his destination, was…

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⋆⋅☆ Izakaya ☆⋅⋆

Shop Employee: Sorry to keep you waiting, here’s your Fried Oyster Set!

Them: --

Sugano: --Okay, I suppose that’s all for now.

Rei: Aw…I’m so curious about the continuation!

Asagiri: Speaking of the continuation, I don’t understand it at all considering how the mystery is how it is and the hints are too scattered to even piece together.

Rei: What happened to the in-house chef whose brother was being held captive there in the end…?

Sugano: Who knows?

Seki: I wonder what the relationship between the previous chief and the current one…

Asagiri: I can’t help but to think of the supervisor guy who called the main character out during the period of time where contact was prohibited fishy as well.

Rei: Oh, I thought that strange as well.

Seki: I don’t think the motive of why that Research Facility was even created was even clearly stated to begin with…

Sugano: Haha, I told you; I don’t know!

Sugano: It’s an unfinished work written by a criminal, so even I don’t know what’s gonna happen!

Them: …………

Shop Employee: Sorry to keep you waiting, here’s your Ramen Set and Mixed-fry Sets!

Seki: …Thank you.

Shop Employee: Enjoy!

Seki: Well, I suppose we should dig in while it’s still warm.

Asagiri: We should.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Izakaya ☆⋅⋆

Sugano: Thank you for the food~ …Before that, water, water. I’m parched from having talked so much. I poured my half-full glass of water into his.

Sugano: Thanks.

Rei: Not at all. Still, I’m amazed at how you managed to recall everything down to the smallest detail.

Sugano: It was a rather interesting read, unexpectedly. Well, I did dramatize some of the parts I remembered, but I also did think a little about it’s continuation.

Rei: Amazing! How do you see it being…?

Sugano: Before I continue, what do you think will be the continuation of this story, Rei?

Rei: Hmm…I can’t really think of all the complicated details because I’m lacking in the imagination department, but I suppose…

Rei: I suppose a Happy Ending would be great, ahaha~

Sugano: Sounds just like you. What about you, Tsukasa-san? What do you think?

Asagiri: --There was talk about “Justice” throughout the entire story, but I didn’t seem to hear an inkling about the word “Evil” or anything resembling it.

Asagiri: If this story were to be continued, I suppose justice would have won with an overwhelming victory, bringing the story to a close.

Sugano: What a conclusive answer from inference.

Asagiri: Do you have a problem with it?

Sugano: No, I just think that my respect for you has just gone up.

Sugano: How about you, Seki-san?

Seki: Eh…Do I have to answer?

Sugano: Well, you don’t really have to. Although, it’s not really common for us to have the time to talk like this over a meal and all, you know?

Seki: You’ve got a point…

Seki: …It might be hard, but I hope that we can see their hopes for the future; no matter from whichever character’s point of view.

Rei: You have my respect, Seki-san.

Seki: Haha, thanks.

Asagiri: I don’t think all people talk about are delusions and fantasies.

Sugano: Even I do, sometimes!

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⋆⋅☆ Izakaya ☆⋅⋆

Sugano: Hmm…In the continuation that I thought of, the guy who escaped from the Research Facility would see his goal of getting out through—

Sugano: And then the people important to him will all live happily ever after! Cheers, banzai~♪

Rei: ……??

Sugano: What’s with that face you’re making?

Rei: I mean, based on what you’ve just said…Whatever happened to “Him” himself?

Sugano: Huh?

Rei: Huh?

Sugano: Oh- I see. Well…I suppose he straight out died off the bat or got caught and was shipped back to the facility or something?

Rei: Ehh…

Asagiri: Why is the ending so sloppily-handled?

Sugano: Is it?

Sugano: I mean, he left the place because he was already prepared for whatever would come after, in order to fulfill the goal he had in mind.

Sugano: Therefore, wouldn’t it be natural to place the least priority on himself?

Asagiri: --I think not.

Seki: Yeah. It’s rather painful and frustrating when a solution is made upon another’s sacrifice.

I felt the same way as Seki-san did.

Rei: (But…)

I feel as if it was pointless even if I tried explaining it to Sugano-kun as he was busy devouring his Fried Oyster Set…

Sugano: Haha, the atmosphere in here has turned all serious all of a sudden. It’s all just fiction, you know?

Sugano: --Mm! The Fried Scallops here are really the best!

Rei: (…One day.)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

It would be great if I could come back to this subject one day, and have a serious discussion about it with Sugano-kun… --Strangely enough, when think that it will happen one day, I feel like it will happen for sure, eventually.

───⋅𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐸𝒩𝒟⋅☆

#Stand My Heroes #スタンドマイヒーローズ #スタマイ #Sutamai #Translations #Otome #Case File:研究対象Sの記録 #Case File: Records on Research Subject S #Sugano Natsuki #Arakida Sosei #Natsume Haru #Imaoji Shun #Watabe Satoru #Hattori You #Seki Daisuke #Aoyama Itsuki #Yui Kotaro #Asagiri Tsukasa #Miyase Go