Kioshi traversed the streets, backpack over one shoulder and head lowered as he pondered about the days events; particularly how the school was seemingly unaffected by the sudden and unexpected death of his teacher. He himself couldn’t believe yet but, somehow the event was expected for him because from the way Mr Tetso was talking about the past, it was forbidden.
The expression on his headteacher, Mr Yurikawa’s face when he saw what had happened came back to him; the lack of emotion and the coldness in his eyes was more sinister when replayed, Kioshi could focus more on the hardness of his features and the calamity of his posture. He had come into the class more so to see how difficult the mess would be to clear up rather than in shock that someone had actually died, so it seemed. What if what Mr Tetsuo said was true? If everyone is being controlled by this Yamamoto Akira then the rest of the teachers must be too.
This new direction of thinking made Kioshi stop in the middle of the street, disturbed by his thoughts. No police, no questioning and it turns even though Mr Yurikawa hadn’t even instructed teachers to talk about Seiya’s death. What if all the adults share a single mind...
Kioshi found his idle body on the street to be nothing more than a rock in the stream that was the crowd as everyone moved around him with ease without a single shoulder bumping into him. Are these “Deprived” really people crying for freedom? They must be. If not then what are these peoples’ purpose? Is it only to be part of society’s great machine? The don’t seem like they have a place here, and are wondering around in search of their former selves. Maybe even their souls... Perhaps that’s how Akira suppressed them. Perhaps the Deprived truly have no souls. His eyes narrowed as he dove deeper into thought. We are merely dummys in this world; we serve no great purpose, no-one cares if we live or die. But what? What are we standing in place for – if anything? Our former selves? What is it!? ‘What is it!?’
A gasp left his lips and all sound left the world. The eyes of everyone was suddenly on him; rows of crowds and even those on the other side of the streets, cars paused with the drivers staring out of the windows. Even pedestrian was giving Kioshi their full attention.
Though unnerved by the strange occurrence, his mind still felt the need to go one. What are our places in the great machine? What is my purpose in this world? Or am I only here to die like Hatsuo Seiya or fade away as if I never existed in the first place? I need to find the answer.