I Brought Two Lives...

At dusk, clutching his beloved little rubber ball and carrying a flashlight, Shinjiro Hayata stood on tiptoe, pushed open the creaking iron door, and slipped up to the rooftop with the excitement of doing something naughty.

The wind immediately became much more noticeable, making him squint.

In Tokyo, for a child who got out of school early but was restricted by his parents—especially when he was not allowed to run around outside near nightfall—the rooftop of an apartment building, with its safety measures and abundant greenery, was often a nice place to go.

A tiny little world of his own.

But today, the moment he stepped outside, he found, to his surprise, that this "secret base," usually belonging only to the children in the building and visited only occasionally by janitors tending to the environment, already had two uninvited guests.

Not far away, by the railing, stood two figures.

One was a middle-aged man in a dark suit, standing ramrod straight and looking somewhat like the big bosses on television. He turned back with a smile. The other was a young man in a black trench coat, wearing glasses, his long hair tousled by the wind.

Neither seemed particularly concerned about the child, and they continued their conversation.

"Strictly speaking, if it were only me, it would indeed be inconvenient for me to interfere too much with your actions—"

"But Earth is no longer a place where you can simply do whatever you please—"

"Know your limits." That is a phrase I like very much. I think you should understand the principle as well, Kio Hiden—ah, no, Mephilas."

The wind on the roof carried the dry scent unique to an urban evening, repeatedly stirring the hem of the trench coat.

Leaning against the concrete railing, the young man kept his