NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9 - Memories of Childhood
Alicia Edelhart was an ordinary girl, found anywhere.
Born to a Japanese father and a Russian mother, she was an extremely ordinary girl. She was intelligent. If she knew one, she could naturally reach ten.
This talent was warmly and gently nurtured by her understanding parents. The girl, who silently read books by herself, had an aura that made it hard to approach her. Young Alicia, while reflecting the playing figures of her peers in her eyes, merely reread books.
Alicia Edelhart was also an older sister.
Her younger sister—Gabrielle Edelhart—was born with silver hair and blue eyes, contrasting her sister.
She was—an ability user.
At that time, persecution against ability users continued in Russia. Because of this, the entire family moved to her father’s hometown in Japan, to a city only for ability users—‘Third City’.
‘Eternal Blizzard Garden Flower’—the ability to lower the temperature of touched objects. Rank C-. For her and her family, who had been treated coldly until now, living here was heaven.
‘Big sister, big sister!’
Gabrielle always stuck closely behind her older sister Alicia. For Alicia, who wanted to play with her peers, Gabrielle constantly clinging behind her was nothing but annoying.
However, even when ignored, pushed, or made to cry by her sister, Gabrielle still stayed behind her.
‘…Geez, what a troublesome little sister.’
Alicia gradually began to open her heart to Gabrielle. Don’t get the wrong idea, she never hated Gabrielle. In fact, she was a big sister who liked her little sister so much that they always slept together.
Their parents warmly watched over the two.
Time passed, and the two grew from little girls to young girls.
Alicia went to a prestigious private elementary school in the city. Although a rare non-ability user in Third City, with her genius intellect, she was never bullied.
By the way, as a first-grader, she had already graduated from math as a number game.
At that time, Gabrielle attended a private kindergarten focused on ability development. She gradually but steadily honed her ability.
“Her parents and mine were old friends. Before Mikoyuki came here, there was already talk about taking in Alicia as well.”
“…But Alicia was then taken in by a research facility. From your tone, it sounds like Alicia wasn’t originally an ability user…”
“That’s right. Alicia wasn’t born with her ability.”
At Mio’s words, Mikoyuki wove his words in disbelief.
“Awakening… Non-ability users manifesting abilities, or ability users whose abilities evolve… I never thought she was an awakened one.”
“Yes. From the stress of losing her family—she manifested ‘Blazing Eternal Flower’.”
Awakened ones are extremely rare. The abilities obtained upon awakening are all high-ranked.
‘Blazing Eternal Flower’—simply put, the ability to create ice. However, this ice doesn’t conform to our natural laws. According to data, the ice’s temperature can drop to the point where even atoms stop moving. This data was measured when she was around seven years old. Even then, her ability was unusual.
Mio manipulated her laptop, showing the screen to Mikoyuki. It displayed a DA card with a young Alicia on it.
The card detailed her name, ability, and its specifics. Without this card, unauthorized entry would result in immediate police dispatch. It was a card not to be lost.
The data was on her PC. With a single tap, she could ruin someone’s life.
“…Don’t misuse it. I don’t want to have to arrest family.”
“I wouldn’t… Family… I’m happy. You calling me family…”
“Stop it, it’s embarrassing… The issue is Alicia’s awakening… You said it was a fire, right? And you also called it an incident. While large fires can be called disasters, they are typically not called incidents… So…”
Mikoyuki looked through the window at the sky where cicadas chirped. The azure sky had cumulonimbus clouds. The sun’s brilliance highlighted the greenery.
Alicia said she lost her parents during summer.
Perhaps—back then, she also looked at this sky.
“Alicia lost her family ten years ago in a fire incident caused by Collad Bomb. It was a brutal method. Probably, they were killed right in front of her. For a young girl, it’s a lifelong trauma.”
Mikoyuki clicked on one of the database entries displayed on Mio’s laptop.
“Unknown culprit. Estimated to be a male, around 170 cm tall. Evidence of fire abilities, but no matching known abilities. Unconfirmed ability user in the city…”
Third City’s crime prevention rate is low. However, the arrest rate is abnormally high. Japan’s low crime rate is maintained by balancing these two factors.
Public Security’s role is to prevent incidents before they happen. Therefore, why does the police boast an overwhelming arrest rate?
…Because the police have an excellent tracking team.
Before the establishment of the Special Abilities Unit, the police handled everything. It was Oriki Mari who established the Public Security Special Abilities Unit. For the police, it meant a reduction in salary. Despite complaints to the higher-ups, no action was taken.
A slight digression.
In short, even after many years, the police could only identify the suspect’s appearance.
“This is an incident from two years later… Another arson case. Evidence of fire abilities suggests the same culprit.”
“Yes. And, while observing… I noticed something…”
Mikoyuki and Mio, sitting together on the sofa, discussed their thoughts while looking at one screen.
They looked like siblings who had spent years together.