So I had a scar now. That was neat. It was a good deal more impressive than the tiny one that ran the length of my right middle finger, at least.
Other than that, my left ankle was sprained and my ribs were bruised a bit, but otherwise I wasn't too hurt. Which was fucking miraculous, considering all the shit I just went through. I was set loose from the hospital after an extra hour or so of checkups, during which Kurusu headed back to the house with most of the girls in tow. Only Cerea stuck around, since she evidently had some business to tend to at the Cultural Exchange building. Papi and Suu clearly wanted to tag along, but I assured them that I'd be home soon, plus I really didn't want them to see me lose my temper with Smith.
The two of us departed from the hospital for our destination. Cerea was kind enough to let me lean on her for support whenever I needed a breather, which was more often than I would've liked to admit. The walk was mostly silent, as Cerea wasn't always inclined to idle chit chat, which was actually appreciated. It gave me time to think.
My grip on Cerea tightened once we were before the regional office for the Cultural Exchange, a remarkably ordinary building that was only two stories tall. It certainly didn't look like the establishment of an organization that supposedly handled all human-liminal relations in Japan. Then again, maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised that it looked so underfunded.
"Would you prefer to do this another day, Juyo?" Cerea asked, looking down at me, "I am sure Smith-sama would be understanding if you were to postpone your meeting."
I shook my head, reaching to push up my glasses until I realized I wasn't wearing them. My vision wasn't terrible without them, but I was already missing being able to make out distant objects. They'd need to be replaced soon.
"Thanks, but this is something that needs to be resolved as quickly as possible," I told her, "I can't really relax until I deal with this."
Cerea hummed. "You sound… grimmer than usual," she noted, "If I may be so bold… does this have to do with the liminal that caused your injuries?"
"Yeah," I answered as we walked in, "But it's more than just that. Something is very wrong with the Cultural Exchange, and Smith better have some answers as to why."
"While I agree that the Cultural Exchange is certainly flawed, you must remember the good it has achieved as well," Cerea cautioned me, "I much prefer them to the alternative."
I was about to ask what alternative she was referring to, but by then we were at the front desk and the conversation was paused. After the secretary, a mousy-looking male human, directed us to where we needed to be, the two of us went our separate ways.
Soon enough, I found myself in front of Smith's office. After taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.
"Come in!" came the voice from the other side.
My hand was still a bit shaky as I grasped the doorknob and turned it. My body was obviously still heavily worn down by the craziness of today, but I couldn't let that get to me now. There would be plenty of time for rest later.
"Ah, Juyo-kun," Smith greeted distractedly, sparing me a glance above her sunglasses before looking back down at the papers on her desk. "For someone that was almost killed several times over, you look well."
Deep breaths, man, deep breaths.
"Yeah, well, it's really thanks to MON that I even survived," I replied dully, sitting down in the chair across from her. God, but it felt good to sit down again. "How's Kii?"
"Your dryad friend? She should be getting the last of those 'experimental nutrients' extracted from her now," Smith answered, "How do you know her name, by the way?"
I figured I was going to be asked about that. It had been a bit of a gamble throwing her name out like that earlier, and I was still unsure if it had been worth it. Still, perhaps it was because of all the negativity brewing in me right now, but I really didn't' give a fuck about lying to Smith about this.
"Papi had mentioned befriending a dryad in the forest awhile ago," I explained, keeping my voice neutral, "I figured it was her."
"I see." I wasn't entirely sure she bought that. Smith sighed and leaned back into her chair, rubbing her head. "This whole thing on top of your incident with Preya has just been one big headache…"
"I'm sorry to hear that," I growled.
Her lips quirked upward slightly at that. "Perhaps I shouldn't complain to you of all people about this," she admitted, "Still, you survived relatively intact, so all's well that ends well."
"Not really," I muttered darkly, fingers gripping the armrests of my chair tightly. "Smith… I have a question for you."
"Hm?"
My heart was pumping like crazy in my chest as I felt heat rush to my face.
"What the fuck were you thinking when you left Preya in that dump?!" I demanded, glaring at her. "She was living in a cramped, filthy, pigsty of an apartment with some random fucking deadbeat that didn't even bother taking care of her! It was so bad that she fucking bolted the second she thought she could! I mean, she's a goddamn raptor for chrissakes, how the fuck does she end up at a place like that?!"
At some point, I'd stood up from my seat, though I hadn't realized it. I took a deep breath and kept going before Smith could reply.
"What the hell is going on with the Cultural Exchange if it just allows shit like this to happen?! Aren't you people supposed to be the face of human-liminal relations for a whole fucking country? I sure as fuck don't see it! Why would any liminal trust you after going through that?! Preya had to forge a request for help from her host to even get some help! How fucked is that?! And how does a fucking dryad slip through the cracks like that?! Don't you people give a shit about your fucking jobs?!"
My legs lost their strength, forcing me to sit back down. I clutched my chest and panted heavily.
"I'm just…" I continued, lowering my voice, "So… fucking sick of this."
I hated yelling at people. I always got too caught up in what I wanted to say and never said it as eloquently as I wanted to because of that. I'd been the least likely of my friends to confront someone, whether it be because of cowardice or fear of crossing a line. It was increasingly rare that I'd ever cut loose on someone, since I liked to think I was a pretty accepting guy when it came down to it.
But the shit I saw today was too much. Maybe it was because I was exhausted and my mental barriers were weakened, but… liminals had put their trust in the Cultural Exchange, an institution that was supposed to help them and protect their rights as people. This wasn't some goofy harem show anymore, where shit like this could be waved off with a laugh and forgotten after some cheap ecchi gags to lighten the mood.
"Are you done?" Smith asked after a few moments of silence. I wasn't looking at her anymore, but her voice sounded… stoic. Was that the word for it?
I nodded slowly. There was more I wanted to say, but… I'd probably say it better as I calmed down more.
"Look at me."
I did. Her sunglasses were off as she stared into me with steely brown eyes. It was impossible for me to get a read on her emotions, though that might've been my own raging emotions to blame on that.
"You're not wrong," Smith stated, never looking away from me, "The Cultural Exchange, in its present state, is an utter joke of an organization. The Bill that we're structured around is flawed at best and outright counter-productive at worst, which is why several countries have already made a good deal of amendments to it to fix those problems."
She paused, moving to bring her cup of coffee closer.
"Japan has not, for the same reasons that you have seen such gross displays of negligence: there aren't enough people that care. Whatever the reason, be it laziness or full-on xenophobia, the Cultural Exchange is one of the smallest government offices in this nation, and most of those that do get hired seem to only see it as a way to get a check and nothing more."
"But… why?" I asked, full of disbelief. "The reveal of liminals to the public is one of the biggest events in human history! If not number one! Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?!"
"Like I said," Smith said heatedly, "There are a multitude of reasons. Either way, a disappointingly few amount of people genuinely want to help out beings straight out of myth. At least, those in office. A fair amount of citizens actually support the Cultural Exchange, but simply don't have the time or desire to commit more."
"And are you one of those 'disappointingly few'?"
"You of all people should know that by now," she said, frowning. "I am the last person you should be complaining to about this."
"Then how the fuck did Preya just slip through the cracks? Are you really so overworked that you just forget about one of the more dangerous species in the area? Because it seems to me that you're neglecting some pretty fucking important things here!" I was getting riled up again. Calm down…
Smith narrowed her eyes at me and took a deep breath. She stood up and walked around her desk so that she was right in front of me.
"You don't know my full story, so I won't kick you out for that," Smith muttered lowly, sending chills down my spine, "I take the safety of liminals very seriously, and it aggravates me on a deeply personal level that I wasn't able to stop Preya or Kii's situations before they got worse. I have a better hold on my emotions than you do, it seems, so maybe you don't see it, but I care."
She sighed. "Which was apparently bad for me. To answer your question as to why I'm so bad at my job, I proved myself to be quite competent early in my career as a taskforce leader, so the higher-ups decided to saddle me with more and more responsibilities as time went on. They failed to understand that running combat units wasn't quite the same as managing an entire branch of the Cultural Exchange, though."
"So you were too good at your job for your own good?" I hazarded.
"Yup. And now they ignore my pleas for more assistance, either because there simply aren't enough people or they don't give a damn."
"Then… can't you step down? Or just go back to your old job, since you were so much better at it?"
"Out of the question," she replied instantly, "For as difficult a job as it is, there's no one I trust to handle this much responsibility that also cares about liminals as much as I do. I'd be abandoning them."
Smith, the chronic procrastinator, refusing to leave her post? I knew she cared at least a little about her job, but this was something else entirely. She was barely recognizable from the Smith I saw on a daily basis. She was too deathly serious for that. Maybe what I'd said really gotten to her?
But as I looked at her, seeing the woman before me speak with more determination and sincerity than I'd ever heard from her before, I realized that wasn't quite true. This part of her had always existed, or at least it had before I'd met her. What I'd said only brought it closer to the surface.
Which made me feel like an ass for screaming at her so much, though I still had my issues with her. I was now a hell of a lot more curious as to what her "full story" was.
"Why do you care so much?" I found myself asking, "I mean… I'm glad you do, but… where is this coming from?"
Smith's shoulders sagged, and for a moment she looked ten years older. It made me regret asking.
"Juyo… before this conversation goes any further, I need to know something first." Smith finally said. "I would like to trust you, which frankly is the only reason you're not flat on your ass right now, but I need to know if you expect me tell you something that I only tell a select few."
"Sure," I sighed. She'd answered most of my questions so far, so I supposed that was fair.
"Did you know about Rachnera and Kii beforehand?"
I opened my mouth to resp-
Wait.
What.
"Come again?" I asked.
"Did you know about Rachnera and Kii beforehand?" Smith repeated.
Uh.
"Why would you think that?" I asked, desperately stalling.
"Because you asked earlier about rather specific scenarios that sound suspiciously similar to what happened with those two," Smith explained, regarding me coolly. "And you also displayed an odd amount of confidence regarding those events when they occurred. When it comes down to it, you've handled most things regarding liminals pretty well, considering that supposedly there are none where you come from."
"Ah," I breathed, scratching the back of my head, "When you put it like that… I can see why you would think that."
Well, shit.
"Which leads me to believe that you know something, or at least more than you seem to," Smith pressed, "Your behavior thus far has been exemplary, and frankly anyone that gets as furious as you did over Preya's situation is a good person, in my opinion, which is why I don't think you've had any direct hand in what's been going on. But still… it is rather suspicious."
What do I do here? Tell her the whole truth that she's a fictional character I come from, along with everything and everyone in this dimension? Would she even buy that? And if she did, how would she take that? She could charge me for withholding information, or keep me from the Kurusu house entirely if she wanted. Maybe I hadn't done enough to help Rachnera and Kii, and she'd see that as reason enough to toss me in a cell and throw away the key.
Christ, I wanted today to just end already.
"I… yeah, I suppose it is," I admitted, licking my dry lips, "That's… not an easy question for me to answer."
"Well, neither is your question for me," Smith told me, leaning against her desk, "Call it equivalent exchange."
For some reason, the phrase made me snort, despite it all.
"Yeah, I suppose it." My smile quickly faded. I guess… "Smith, could you please not tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you? I'm not really ready for them to know yet."
Smith hummed. "That's funny, because I was gonna say the same thing regarding my answer to you. Very well, let's hear it."
Not quite an answer, but whatever. I was dragging this out as is. I took a deep breath.
"I did know about them beforehand," I revealed, shifting in my seat uncomfortably, "The only reason I didn't outright tell you about them was because I felt like you'd doubt me or lock me away for being a lunatic."
"I see," Smith said slowly, "And how did you know?"
"Because… I saw it happen. And read it, too, I guess," I answered, suddenly finding my hands incredibly interesting, "See…"
"Hold on," Smith interrupted, "Does this have to do with the Far Side at all?"
I blinked.
"Um… maybe?" I sort of replied, unsure, "I mean, I've been suspecting that was how I got here in the first place, but-"
"So that was why you asked if I knew about it earlier," Smith murmured, raising a finger to her chin. She nodded firmly, then looked me in the eyes. "We should postpone the rest of your answer until later. There's something I need to check out first."
Wait, what? The hell was going on?
"Uh, okay." I gulped, wondering just what that all could mean. "Are… are you sure?"
"Very," Smith answered instantly. "But I appreciate that you were willing to tell me that much."
To be honest, I didn't feel like I was talking to Smith anymore. Was this the real her, behind all the snark and laziness? Or was this some other mask that I'd just never seen before?
Smith sighed. "I won't give you the full story now, but I'll give you a little for now since you gave me a little. Does the name 'Katsuragi' mean anything to you?"
It was the last name of a major character from one of my favorite shows of all time, but I seriously doubted that was who she was referring to. I shook my head.
"I suppose you wouldn't. In one of the binders I gave you after you asked for more information about this world, there should be a section about a 'Katsumi Katsuragi'." Smith sounded so distant right then, as if she were recollecting something from long ago, "Read it. When you do… we'll talk some more."
"Will do," I said with a nod.
"Good," Smith breathed, standing back up and dusting off her suit, "Now if you don't mind, I have to go deal with a certain dryad."
"Can I come?" I asked without thinking twice, "Kii shouldn't be the one punished, it should be-"
Smith raised a hand to interrupt me. "Trust me, I know who the real culprits are," she assured me, favoring me with a sardonic smile, "This part of my job I'm pretty good at."
"Right," I laughed half-heartedly, "Look, I…"
"You were right to be mad," Smith said, offering me a hand, "And I'm trying. I know better than anyone in the world than I'm not the best fit for the job, but for now, you're stuck with me. The Cultural Exchange can change, but only if someone does something to change it in the first place. All I know is that someone isn't me. All I'm good for is taking out bad guys."
I looked up at her and found that I was smiling. I didn't have any more energy to waste on being pissed at Smith. She obviously wasn't the problem. So I took her hand.
"I dunno, maybe you're good for a little more than that," I replied as she lifted me up.
