Alternate Dimension (Part 41)
After what seemed like forever, avoiding the stationery vehicles while riding the bike, we finally reached the institute where I'm staying at. The lighting looked as though it's neither day nor night, more of heavy clouds blocking the sunlight completely. Our clocks says that it's already late at night, but all the clocks everywhere were stuck in the evening. There wasn't any security guards at the entrance, and neither is the gate closed, but it did look as though the building is occupied with people, and neither is it affected by the strange phenomenon that's going on now. I normally enter by the back, so Itsuki zooming through the main entrance without stopping (due to the absence of the guards) might had triggered the intruder alert which, only sounds to the people watching through the security cameras. I know, because I own the place and had talked to some of the staff, but Itsuki doesn't know that.
The distance between the gate and the building seem quite long due to the narrow curvy roads and tall trees. The feeling of this place is somewhere between a garden and the outdoor areas of most colleges. It's beautiful, but yet I've never been here despite being part of my house. Wait, this is not the time to talk about that!
Sure enough, there were some staff gathering at the main entrance, but no familiar faces here.
Staff A: "Thank goodness there people like you two from the outside. I thought we were the only ones inside since everyone outside has vanished completely, with nothing but their clothes and belongings left behind!"
Staff B: "We were shocked when the intruder alert went off and saw you two. By the way, who are you two? What are you guys doing here?"
Itsuki: "Well, we figured we could find some clues here before heading to the Hatsuya Research headquarters whom I'm working for... Erm, my name is Itsuki Hisakawa. Nice to meet you."
To keep them clueless that I am the founder, I did not take out my work pass I had in my pocket or say my name.
Me: "And I'm his younger sister..."
Staff A: "Nice to meet you both. But I'm afraid the two of us won't be of much help since we are just employed here early this year. There are other staff more senior than us around here though. By the way, what's in that bag you're holding?"
Me: "These are just clothes I bought earlier today... What's wrong?"
I'm guessing that he was expecting something that would interest them, like documents or an advanced device.
Staff A: "It's nothing. We thought you have something to show our superiors relating to this phenomenon."
Itsuki: "We were shopping downtown when it happened, and the bike we came in isn't ours. We should find some clues here, if not, we are off to my workplace some distance away."
Staff B: "Wait! You two need permission enter the non-public areas. I'll contact whichever of our superiors are around. It usually takes some time for any one of them to review, but it's mostly rejected or for a limited amount of rooms. If more than one were to reply with different rooms, you can check all the rooms mentioned in all the replies, but you must specify the exact person to approve when asked."
I quickly took out my phone to type the reply message of what he's most likely to type. The reply system uses serial number according to purpose, addressee and the order it came in, so I don't need to know his name.
Staff B: "It usually doesn't get approved for people like you two, working for a rival company, treating this place like a... What?! There's an immediate reply from the mysterious big boss letting you guys enter all the rooms?! How... Why..."
Huh? They still don't know that it's me despite my name appearing in the reply message? Well, I didn't give my name though. Let's see how far this goes. Itsuki oddly seems to know my intentions and is playing along with me.
Staff A: "Well, if the big boss says so, I guess we have to let you two go ahead. To tell you the truth, almost nobody who works here have met up with that boss or receive orders. Among the few who did, they said the boss looks like a 15 year old girl in a uniform of a nearby high school with the name Saeko Hisakawa. Not sure if it's a rumor they made up. I don't know whether to laugh or be shocked if it's true though."
How dumb can they be? Itsuki has already said our family name and I am obviously wearing a high school uniform, and I'm standing right in front of them. *sigh*
We made it to my room, but Itsuki immediately ran for the thumb and eye scanners. I'm puzzled, I thought I was the only one who could enter, but why was he enter easily like yesterday, the same way as me?
Itsuki: "In case you were wondering, you inherited the same set of thumbprints and eyes as me. See? The scanner thinks that I'm you."
Sure enough, the eye scanner thinks that it's me after Itsuki scanned his eye with little effort. Nobody in the right mind would go for a surgery to modify their iris and thumbprints to match mine, not to mention the complications involved. Log records of the scanners, however, did show that there were many failed attempts by my workers and some visitors attempting to enter, with the most recent being a few hours ago. That took out my initial suspicion of the scanner not working.
Me: "How can that be? Even identical twins, let alone siblings, have different patterns."
This words came out of my mouth. To tell you the truth, I actually already knew why.
Itsuki: "I think the inner you knows the answer to that more than me."
Me: "…the 'Inner me'? What are you talking about, onii-chan? You have been talking to me strangely today."
Hey, can we move on? This is going nowhere and I want to get out of this mess! Itsuki!!!
Me: "Shall we go now? I'm bored and I want to get out of this mess! Onii-chan~!"
Wait, what was that? It sounded like the more polite (and cute) version of what I wanted to say. More importantly, apart from the lady-like behavior and addressing Itsuki as "onii-chan", I am now able to control and say what I want to. He can't control me again, because he now knows my will would overwrite most of it in less than a day, but my skills and how my body behaves could be modified easily and people could read, see, and/or hear my thoughts as easily as turning on the radio.
Itsuki: "Shall we place our stuff aside in your house? Maybe you should try out your new clothes too."
That's all you are saying for the things you did to me and entering my house without permission? Can't you be serious in a situation like this?! I can't believe that I was him just two years ago...
The distance between the gate and the building seem quite long due to the narrow curvy roads and tall trees. The feeling of this place is somewhere between a garden and the outdoor areas of most colleges. It's beautiful, but yet I've never been here despite being part of my house. Wait, this is not the time to talk about that!
Sure enough, there were some staff gathering at the main entrance, but no familiar faces here.
Staff A: "Thank goodness there people like you two from the outside. I thought we were the only ones inside since everyone outside has vanished completely, with nothing but their clothes and belongings left behind!"
Staff B: "We were shocked when the intruder alert went off and saw you two. By the way, who are you two? What are you guys doing here?"
Itsuki: "Well, we figured we could find some clues here before heading to the Hatsuya Research headquarters whom I'm working for... Erm, my name is Itsuki Hisakawa. Nice to meet you."
To keep them clueless that I am the founder, I did not take out my work pass I had in my pocket or say my name.
Me: "And I'm his younger sister..."
Staff A: "Nice to meet you both. But I'm afraid the two of us won't be of much help since we are just employed here early this year. There are other staff more senior than us around here though. By the way, what's in that bag you're holding?"
Me: "These are just clothes I bought earlier today... What's wrong?"
I'm guessing that he was expecting something that would interest them, like documents or an advanced device.
Staff A: "It's nothing. We thought you have something to show our superiors relating to this phenomenon."
Itsuki: "We were shopping downtown when it happened, and the bike we came in isn't ours. We should find some clues here, if not, we are off to my workplace some distance away."
Staff B: "Wait! You two need permission enter the non-public areas. I'll contact whichever of our superiors are around. It usually takes some time for any one of them to review, but it's mostly rejected or for a limited amount of rooms. If more than one were to reply with different rooms, you can check all the rooms mentioned in all the replies, but you must specify the exact person to approve when asked."
I quickly took out my phone to type the reply message of what he's most likely to type. The reply system uses serial number according to purpose, addressee and the order it came in, so I don't need to know his name.
Staff B: "It usually doesn't get approved for people like you two, working for a rival company, treating this place like a... What?! There's an immediate reply from the mysterious big boss letting you guys enter all the rooms?! How... Why..."
Huh? They still don't know that it's me despite my name appearing in the reply message? Well, I didn't give my name though. Let's see how far this goes. Itsuki oddly seems to know my intentions and is playing along with me.
Staff A: "Well, if the big boss says so, I guess we have to let you two go ahead. To tell you the truth, almost nobody who works here have met up with that boss or receive orders. Among the few who did, they said the boss looks like a 15 year old girl in a uniform of a nearby high school with the name Saeko Hisakawa. Not sure if it's a rumor they made up. I don't know whether to laugh or be shocked if it's true though."
How dumb can they be? Itsuki has already said our family name and I am obviously wearing a high school uniform, and I'm standing right in front of them. *sigh*
We made it to my room, but Itsuki immediately ran for the thumb and eye scanners. I'm puzzled, I thought I was the only one who could enter, but why was he enter easily like yesterday, the same way as me?
Itsuki: "In case you were wondering, you inherited the same set of thumbprints and eyes as me. See? The scanner thinks that I'm you."
Sure enough, the eye scanner thinks that it's me after Itsuki scanned his eye with little effort. Nobody in the right mind would go for a surgery to modify their iris and thumbprints to match mine, not to mention the complications involved. Log records of the scanners, however, did show that there were many failed attempts by my workers and some visitors attempting to enter, with the most recent being a few hours ago. That took out my initial suspicion of the scanner not working.
Me: "How can that be? Even identical twins, let alone siblings, have different patterns."
This words came out of my mouth. To tell you the truth, I actually already knew why.
Itsuki: "I think the inner you knows the answer to that more than me."
Me: "…the 'Inner me'? What are you talking about, onii-chan? You have been talking to me strangely today."
Hey, can we move on? This is going nowhere and I want to get out of this mess! Itsuki!!!
Me: "Shall we go now? I'm bored and I want to get out of this mess! Onii-chan~!"
Wait, what was that? It sounded like the more polite (and cute) version of what I wanted to say. More importantly, apart from the lady-like behavior and addressing Itsuki as "onii-chan", I am now able to control and say what I want to. He can't control me again, because he now knows my will would overwrite most of it in less than a day, but my skills and how my body behaves could be modified easily and people could read, see, and/or hear my thoughts as easily as turning on the radio.
Itsuki: "Shall we place our stuff aside in your house? Maybe you should try out your new clothes too."
That's all you are saying for the things you did to me and entering my house without permission? Can't you be serious in a situation like this?! I can't believe that I was him just two years ago...
Chapter 9
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