Morning arrived at Apartment 301 not with the chirping of birds, but with the audible sound of Kaito's bones cracking like dry twigs.
He opened his eyes. The ceiling was in the same place, which was a good sign of dimensional stability. However, his neck was locked at a 45-degree angle to the left. The beanbag, his throne of apathy, had betrayed his trust during the night, transforming from a cozy nest into an instrument of orthopedic torture.
"Physical damage analysis," Kaito muttered, trying to turn his head and failing. "Neck mobility reduced by 60%. Pain level 4. Conclusion: Chivalry is, biologically speaking, an inefficient survival strategy."
He sat up with difficulty, looking like a rusty robot. The apartment was silent. The bedroom door was still closed.
From the entrance closet, however, came a scratching sound.
Kaito sighed, stood up groaning like an eighty-year-old man, and went to the hallway. He opened the closet door.
Fia fell forward, still wrapped in the blanket, like a pink caterpillar falling from a leaf.
"Freedom!" she exclaimed, rolling across the floor until she stopped at Kaito's feet. "I dreamed I was a vacuum cleaner, Kaito! I was sucking up the dust of the universe and no one thanked me!"
"That wasn't a dream, it was vocational training," Kaito said, ignoring the deity on the floor and heading to the kitchen. "Get ready. Coffee is being processed."
While the water boiled, the bedroom door slid open smoothly.
Mai Sakurajima came out first. Even having slept in a shared single bed in a cheap apartment, she looked like she had just stepped out of a spa. Her hair was perfect. Her skin glowed. It was annoying.
Behind her, Rio Futaba emerged. She was the opposite. Her hair was a static tangle, her glasses were crooked on her face, and she was wearing a pale green blouse.
"Good morning," Mai said, radiant.
"Good morning," Futaba said, hiding behind Mai's back.
"Good morning is a relative term," Kaito replied, pouring three cups of coffee. He placed a bowl of milk on the floor for Fia, who stared at him with indignation before drinking. "My neck feels like a run-over flamingo. I hope your night's sleep compensated for my partial paralysis."
"It was... cozy," Mai said, with a teasing smile, sitting at the table. "Rio is like a human heater. And she speaks equations in her sleep."
Futaba blushed violently, adjusting her glasses. "I do not speak equations! I was reviewing String Theory... mentally!"
"You muttered 'Planck constant' and then kicked my shin," Mai corrected, taking a sip of coffee.
Kaito sat on the beanbag, moving carefully so as not to aggravate the injury.
"Right," he said, taking control of the morning meeting. "Breakfast is coffee and bread with jam. Now, to work. We have a duplicated scientist. Half of her is here, looking like a natural disaster..." he pointed to Futaba, "...and the other half is somewhere in the city, living the life of a digital influencer."
Futaba shrank. "Don't remind me."
"Fia," Kaito called. "Intelligence Report. Where is the 'Other Rio'?"
Fia cleared her throat, materializing a spectral smartphone in the air that was actually just her projecting Kaito's phone screen, which she had taken without permission.
"The target, identified online as 'choco_cornet', posted an update fifteen minutes ago!" Fia announced. "She is at a location called 'Tully's Coffee' in Enoshima, according to the System."
Kaito looked at the projected screen. The photo showed a stack of pancakes with whipped cream, artistically photographed. In the corner of the photo, a female hand with perfectly done nails and a delicate bracelet could be seen.
"Pancakes..." Futaba sighed, disguising her desire with a grimace. "I hate those noisy places, full of couples. Besides, the syrup is so sweet it makes you sick."
"But a part of you loves it," Kaito said, relentless. "The part that wants to take pictures and get likes. And that part is, right now, eating your ideal breakfast while you drink my cheap coffee."
He stood up, holding his neck.
"Let's go."
"Where to?" Futaba panicked.
"To Tully's Coffee. We're going to observe the specimen in its artificial habitat."
Enoshima on a Monday morning was less chaotic than on the weekend, but "Tully's Coffee" was an exception to the rule. It was one of those places designed specifically for Instagram: pastel walls, perfect lighting, and lines of dressed-up girls waiting for tables.
Kaito, Mai, Futaba, and Fia stood across the street.
They made for a strange group. Kaito with his dark "don't touch me" aura, Mai radiating elegance, and Futaba looking like she was about to bolt at any moment.
"There," Mai whispered, pointing discreetly.
Sitting at a table, was her.
The "Other Futaba."
If Kaito didn't know, he would never say it was the same person.
She wore an off-the-shoulder blouse that showed off her collarbone and neck—areas the Original Futaba always hid behind her lab coat. Her makeup, light but well-applied, highlighted her eyes and lips. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, exposing the nape of her neck, and she wore contact lenses.
Kaito sighed. It was time to work.
"Stay here," he ordered.
"What are you going to do?" Futaba asked, grabbing his hoodie sleeve. "You're not going to talk to her, are you? She'll see me! I mean, she'll see me if I go there, but if you go, she'll know that I... argh, paradoxes are complicated!"
"Stay calm, Futaba," Kaito said, shaking her off. "You stay here in the rearguard with Mai. I'm going to do a probe. I need to know how stable this personality is before we attempt reintegration."
"Don't use violence!" Mai warned. "Don't hit her with the menu."
"I will consider your suggestion."
Kaito crossed the street. He walked to the entrance of Tully's Coffee. The waitress tried to stop him: "Sir, there is a waiting list!", but Kaito used his special skill: And ignored her completely. He walked past her muttering "Meeting someone" and continued.
He stopped in front of the Other Futaba's table.
She felt his shadow over the table and looked up.
"Tanaka?"
"What are you doing here?"
Kaito stared at her.
"I came for the pancakes," he said, monotone. "And for science."
He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down, uninvited.
"Science?" she laughed, playing with a loose strand of hair from her ponytail. "You're funny. I didn't think you were the type who likes sweets."
"I like efficiency," Kaito said. "And fixing bugs in the system."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"So, Rio Futaba. Or should I call you 'choco_cornet'?"
"How do you..."
"I know everything," Kaito interrupted, brutally calm. "I know you live in her house. I know you sleep in her bed. I know you post these photos because the silence in your room is too loud and the hearts on the screen are the only thing that drowns out the noise."
The Other Futaba went pale.
"You don't know anything," she hissed, her voice gaining a defensive edge. "You're just an apathetic idiot who hangs out with Sakurajima-san. What do you understand about loneliness?"
"I invented loneliness as a lifestyle," Kaito replied. "The difference is I like it. You are terrified of it."
He pointed to her phone.
"Do you think this is the solution? Being looked at? Being desired?"
"It's better than being invisible!" she exploded, loud enough for the next table to look. "It's better than being the lab weirdo! It's better than hating your own reflection in the mirror!"
She stood up, slamming her hands on the table.
"Get out of here," she said, voice trembling. "Leave me alone."
Kaito stood up slowly. He had gotten what he wanted. The provocation revealed the instability. She wasn't a confident villain. She was an open wound wearing lipstick.
"I'm going," Kaito said.
He turned and left, leaving the girl alone at a table full of sweets she could no longer eat.
He crossed the street back to where the original trio was waiting.
"Well?" asked Mai, anxious.
Original Futaba was looking at the ground.
"Diagnosis confirmed," Kaito said, massaging his sore neck. "She is a house of cards built on a geological fault of insecurity. She is desperate for validation, but terrified of being discovered as a fraud."
He looked at the Futaba in front of him.
"We will have to change strategy," he sighed. "How troublesome."
________________________________________
Get rewarded for helping with our community goals!
🎯 Reward for all: +1 bonus chapter at 10 Powerstones.
🚀 Tier Reward: Help us reach 10 members for +5 chapters on all stories!
👻 Join the crew by searching patreon.com/c/ThePriceofaBond10 on (P). You know the spot! 😉