The Logmaster - Chapter 14
With the death of homeless Sato Yukio, Ayumaru Shinichi happened to come into possession of a “piece of the chain.” From that day on, his involvement with the site took a deeper and darker turn.
What was this “piece of chain”? It stuck in his mind.
Another thing I’m curious about is how to obtain the “Chain Fragments.”
Judging from the Sato incident, it’s highly likely that the trigger is human death.
But the site’s Add feature cleverly rejects posts that directly reference death or that could be perceived as murderous.
In other words, to obtain the fragment, one must cause an “unintentional, accidental death.”
(…It’s as if I’m trying to attack God’s blind spot…)
Omiichi continued to try to induce various “accidents” with several homeless people he had added to the list. However, in reality, it was not that easy.
Humans are surprisingly resilient and tough creatures.
A little bit of bad luck might result in injury, but it won’t easily lead to death.
It was as if the human instinct for survival, or perhaps the very laws of causality in this world, were thwarting Omiichi’s foolish plan.
(…Damn, that’s not working…! There’s a more reliable way…)
Days of frustration.
One day, while visiting the tent village in search of an “experimental subject” as usual, Omiichi encountered a homeless man he had never seen before.
He looked to be in his early 60s. Unlike the resigned and wary image that many other homeless people exude, he had a strong and determined air about him.
“You come here a lot. Is there something we can help you with?”
The man was friendly, but at the same time, he looked at Omiichi with sharp eyes, as if he was sizing him up, and began speaking to him in a friendly manner.
“Oh, no… I was just going for a walk…”
“Hmm. Come on, sit down. Would you like some tea?”
Yoshio Kimura, commonly known as Yoshi-san.
Unlike the other homeless people, Yoshi was strangely sociable and a good talker.
However, behind that smile, I sensed a strong, solid wall that didn’t easily accept others. Perhaps it was a type of person with no weaknesses.
After talking to him, I found out that Yoshi was a very serious and loyal person.
When Omiichi casually asked Yoshi why he had become homeless, he began to speak with a faraway look in his eyes.
“If I ever want to reintegrate into society, I can. Thankfully, some of my old friends are willing to lend me a hand. But I can’t just go out and leave the people who are still here and rely on me.”
Even in such a situation, some people were able to think about and act for the happiness of strangers. This fact shocked Omiichi slightly, and also moved him in ways he found difficult to describe.
“Is there anything… that I can do for you? Maybe something you need…”
Perhaps out of sympathy, but it was out of character for Omiichi to say those words.
“Haha, I’m glad just to have that sentiment. I’ll somehow manage to get the things I need, so there’s no need to worry.”
Yoshi-san laughed brightly and refused. Even when Omiichi offered to bring food and drinks, he gently refused, saying, “Everyone gives us gifts, so we’re not short of food and drink.”
“If you say you want to do something so badly,” Yoshi said, closing one eye mischievously, “why don’t you listen to a story from my past?”
Yoshi then began to slowly tell me about his upbringing, leading up to his becoming homeless.
“Back in the day, I loved alcohol. It’s no exaggeration to say that the only joy in life was drinking good alcohol.”
He traveled around the country in search of local sake and enjoyed tasting it with local snacks. However, he had a surprisingly low tolerance for alcohol and was what is known as a lightweight.
“I like alcohol, but I’m not good at drinking. That’s what they pointed out to me.”
His earnest work ethic made some of his colleagues jealous, and at one party, they found him amusing and relentlessly offered him alcohol. When Yoshi refused, saying he couldn’t drink, they provoked him, calling him “not socially friendly” and “not a fun guy,” and forced him to drink.
“Even though he was drunk, he must have had a lot of pent-up frustrations. He got excited with the other guys there, complaining about the company’s system and his unreasonable boss.”
The next day, the audio was cleverly edited to include only the parts of the conversation in which Yoshi expressed dissatisfaction with his boss, and the audio was then sent to the entire company in an email from an unknown sender.
The results were disastrous.
He was called in by his boss, severely reprimanded, and transferred to another department as disciplinary action.
Within the company, he is labeled a “traitor,” treated coldly, gossiped about, and criticized.
His former colleagues shunned him and chuckled behind his back, he was given almost no work and his pay was drastically cut.
Completely losing his place in the world and becoming mentally cornered, Yoshi was eventually unable to even go to work and chose to resign.
“It’s been like that ever since. I couldn’t drink alcohol at all, even though I used to love it. When I tried to hold a bottle, my hands would shake. Even if I forced myself to drink it, I would immediately feel nauseous.”
Yoshi-san continued, laughing self-deprecatingly.
“It’s ironic. My old friends who have returned to society sometimes visit me with nice alcohol as a token of appreciation. But I can’t reciprocate their feelings. I can’t make them feel uncomfortable and ruin the atmosphere by saying, ‘Actually, I can’t drink anymore,’ in the middle of a happy conversation, right? So I always have to make up some excuse and decline. That’s probably the most painful thing.”
His smile was tinged with deep sadness and resignation.
As he listened to Yoshi’s story, Omiichi was able to relate to his own experiences.
The relentless harassment from Iiyama, the blindness of his colleagues, the unfairness of the corporate organization… I know how they feel all too well.
Why should a good person like Yoshi-san have to be treated like this? On the other hand, how many people are there in the world who, like Iiyama, get ahead by sucking up to their superiors and pushing others down?
(Everyone says, “People like that will eventually suffer.” They say that what goes around comes around. But is that the case? If I hadn’t laid hands on Iiyama, he would still be sitting comfortably in his chief’s chair and bullying someone. Surely the injustices of the world will never be corrected unless someone forces them to do so…?)
“Well, fortunately, I’m single. I can rot quietly like this without causing any trouble to anyone. That’s my only salvation.”
Yoshi-san said this with a philosophical look on his face and laughed.
“Well, it’s about time to call it a day. We have to get up early in the morning to pick up empty cans.”
After saying that, Yoshi-san waved his hand lightly and returned to his tent, where he would be sleeping.
Omiichi was left alone and stood there for a while. Yoshi-san’s words resonated heavily in his mind. And a certain thought quickly began to take shape in his mind.
Although it was a distorted idea with a different quality from previous experiments, it was certainly an idea that came from “good intentions.”
I want to help this good old man return to his happy past, even if only for a moment. For the first time, I will use the power of this website for the “benefit” of someone else.
With his resolve strengthened, Omiichi took out his smartphone. He searched for the name “Kimura Yoshio” in the Human list and tapped the glowing green “Add” button.
In the form that appeared, he began writing down a simple, happy future for Yoshi.
“Addition: Yoshio Kimura”
Date: [Today]
Time: night
Location: Under the cherry blossom trees in the park
event:
His former friends, who he has looked after and who have successfully reintegrated into society, are gathering together as a surprise to express their gratitude to him, each bringing their own locally produced fine sake and homemade snacks.
Under the beautiful cherry blossoms at night, a peaceful banquet begins.
Surrounded by the smiles and words of sincere gratitude from his friends, Kimura naturally picks up a drink, as if the trauma he had experienced over the years was a lie. The taste of the sake he has not had for a long time is exceptional, and he talks and laughs with his friends like in the old days, spending a truly enjoyable time.
Freed from years of loneliness and suffering, you will be filled with a deep sense of happiness.
(…I wonder if this is okay…)
Omiichi reread what he had written and nodded with satisfaction.
Then, I tapped the [Save] button, feeling a little gentler than usual.
The message “Added” appeared on the screen.