Track 1: Does Love Taste Sweet?

TW: Suicide ideation. A small mention of dissection too.

Netaro might sound a bit insensitive with his response to those suicide ideations, but remember, he's an alien trying to learn!

*Chief will also be referred to as they/them here.

“Hmmmm… Mmmmm…”

"You're furrowing your eyebrows really hard, Netaro-kun... Is there something on your mind?"

I sat on the sofa in the living room of HAMA House.

As I stared down the analysis data Nari had compiled about the recent incident while munching on some souvenir buns from who-knows-where, Doudou called out to me.

A new brown sugar bun plopped into my hand every time I signaled for more. I gobbled it down. It was sweet and delicious.

“I was thinking about the incident from the other day. It’s quite fascinating~”

“What incident?”

“The Android Destruction Case.¹”

“Ohhh, that one! They showed it on TV too.”

Doudou nodded, lightly patting their knee.

“Since you love inventing things, I guess it’d make sense that you’re interested in androids too,” they muttered, or something along those lines.

“By the way, Doudou… How would you define love?

“L-Love!?”

It seemed Doudou wasn’t expecting that question.

Their eyes widened, and they looked at me, fidgeting in a strange, restless way.

“L-Love is…m-mon amour…..”

“Isn’t that French? I can practically feel the Parisian breeze!”

“Sorry… I couldn’t think of anything on the spot, so I kind of bluffed. To answer your question….. Hm~….. Something that saves the world…? Or something like that…”

“I see, I see…”

So I see! Doudou’s love can apparently influence the world itself.

I nodded along with a few thoughtful hums.
“Sorry that I couldn’t answer you properly!” Doudou apologized with a flustered look and disappeared off to the kitchen.

Left alone in the living room, I looked over the data once more and continued thinking.

This incident was merely the work of a copycat, but I suspect that love may have been involved in the original case…

But even now, I still haven’t managed to grasp the true nature of this thing called love.

Wanting more concrete data, I began rapidly racing through the archives stored in my head since arriving on Earth.

“Come to think of it…”

At that moment, it suddenly came back to me once again.

There was a boy who had spoken about love.

Though he’s no longer here now…

Anyway, I thought that I might find some kind of hint about love from that encounter, so I started by recalling the events of that day.

The day I met that boy.

The things that happened in the old school building.

And the days that became my very first step towards learning about humans.

“Hm. The old school building of HAMA Asunaro High… So this is the place!”

It wasn’t by coincidence that I had come here. I had received a transmission from my home planet.

The small bit of intel came from the operator exclusively assigned to me. “Looks like that area might be the target point for the Chinori aliens,” they said.

Apparently, it was a rumor that they’d picked up somewhere and decided to relay to me with enthusiasm knowing that I was stationed here.

And as for me, I showed up here with about the same level of commitment! I don’t really care either, but it sounds kinda interesting, so I showed up here with about the same energy!

“I’ve also heard that the Chinori aliens have been considering an invasion of Earth!”

If we were to take that rumor into account, maybe they might bomb this area~

There are tectonic plates, or what humans sometimes call dragon veins², directly beneath this spot. SO, if they ever decide to test things out with destructive methods…

Then the geological structure would completely collapse, and HAMA would be wiped out~!

The chain of events that would follow would trigger a rapid land subsidence, leading Japan to sink beneath the sea~

Which would throw the entire planet into chaos! Then the Chinori Aliens would use that golden opportunity to start their invasion!

…Or something like that! That’s my grand deduction!

Whether my own planet plans to invade Earth is still tentative, but I might catch some flak for it if the Chinoris have already claimed it as their territory by then~!

Soooo, I came here to investigate purely on a personal basis—

“No, I shouldn’t.”

Humans should’ve already been asleep at night, so I assumed no one would be here. And yet…

In the middle of what seemed to be an unused classroom, there was a square light.

At first, I thought it was a Chinori alien! But I was wrong.

While quietly trying to peek inside, I spotted a human who appeared to be in their teens—a male, in other words, a boy—sitting alone, staring at his smartphone.

“Whatcha doin’?”

Before I even fully understood the situation, I had already called out to him.

Instead of jumping in surprise, the boy turned around slowly, looking almost impressively composed.

He slightly averted his gaze without really meeting my eyes.

“Oh, a security guard… Sorry, I’ll leave right away…” he muttered.

“A general term for those whose occupation is maintaining security and managing buildings, ya? Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not a security guard~”

“Oh, I see… You scared me.”

He murmured and sat right back down as if that was a perfectly normal response, not showing the slightest sign of being startled.

It didn’t look like he had any intention of leaving.

“I shall ask again! Whatcha doin’?”

“...Thinking.”

“About what~?”

“Whether I should live or die.”

“I see. So in other words?”

“...I don’t really want to live.”

“Uh-huh. In other words?”

“...Maybe I should just die.”

“Ohhhh!”

My face lit up on its own.

Could this be one of those rumored ‘suicide seekers’ I’ve heard about!?

A suicide seeker.

A mysterious line of thinking in which one chooses death with one’s own will.

Apparently, humans can possess such emotional states.

I’d read about ‘em couuuuntless times in literature, but this was my first time seeing one in the flesh.

It would be a waste not to dig into this thoroughly! Strip and lay him down, dissect him, and study him inside out!

If my memories aren’t failing me, humans call this feeling I’m experiencing ‘sudden max hype vibes!’

For a moment, I even completely forgot about the Chinori aliens, and I practically swarmed the boy while riding that wave of max hype vibes.

“Suicide seeker! I have questions for you~!”

“W-What?”

“How does it feel!?”

“Huh?”

“How. Are. You. Feeling. Right. Now!?”

“You don’t have to spell out every word, you know.”

“How does it feel to choose your own death? What’s going through your head!?”

“My head…? Wait, who even are you… So annoying…”

The boy’s face darkened more and more.

Meanwhile, my face just shone brighter and brighter!

The boy eventually scrunched up his face and glared at me.

“Don’t you get that I want to think about things by myself!? Leave me alone!”

“Ohhh! Could this be a full-on rage state~!?”

“Who are you anyway!? If you’re not school staff, I’m calling the police!”

“The police…”

“That’s right! You’ll get caught and arrested!”

“Arrested…”

If I remember correctly, that word means something like being handed over to the police.

One would be restrained, locked up in a cell, and forced to eat disgusting food….

“YIPPIEEE!!! JAIL TIME~~~!”

“Huh!? Just show me your ID and give your name already!”

“My name is Netaro Yowa! Just freshly picked it the other day~”

“So Yowa-san..... Huh? Yowane-san…?³ Well, whatever."

"And? Your ID?”

“Don’t have one!”

“That’s impossible? Everyone has some form of ID if you live in Japan.”

“I only just got here the other day~ I’ve only got a name so far!”

“...A foreigner? Even people from overseas are required to carry identification.”

The look of suspicion gradually mixed into the boy’s face.

I saw his grip on his smartphone tighten. He was probably about to call the police.

What shall I do~

I’m not supposed to reveal my identity~ …Well this guy’s gonna die soon anyway.

He’s a suicide seeker, after all~...

Welp, whatever! It shouldn’t matter if he knows since he’s going to die anyway!

“I came from outer space! That’s why I don’t have any ID!”

“Huh, another alien…!?”

The boy’s eyes widened in surprise at my words—

“Wait, does that mean you’re one of my friend’s kind!?”

His whole attitude flipped 180 degrees, and he leaned forward.

“No idea. I came here on my own.”

“Then do you at least know about the hairy alien living in someone’s stomach!?”

“Nope.”

The boy slumped back into his chair in disappointment.

“...I saw them. Not one, but two.”

I nodded along with a few thoughtful hums.

There are plenty of aliens hiding on Earth after all, so it’s nothing surprising.

Whether they’re like me, one of those Chinori aliens, or from planets whose names I don’t even know, there’s a ton of them. Nobody notices ‘cause we blend in so perfectly with humans.

Of course, I’m the best! And by human standards, I’m pretty handsome too!

“One of them looked human like you, but there was something wrong with its eyes…”

“Ya.”

“That guy…killed my friend…”

“Uh-huh. And then?”

“...Will you be able to explain the thing I saw if I tell you everything?”

“Can’t promise that! But it’s probably better than consulting an Earthling.”

The boy stared at my face for a long moment, then slowly narrowed his eyes.

“...Do you have any proof that you’re actually an alien before I tell you?”

“You need proof??”

“There’s no guarantee you’re not just some liar.”

So what if I were lying?

Does it really matter what’s true or false? You’re gonna die anyway.

But standing here and not complying won’t get me anywhere, so I slipped a hand into my pocket and casually pressed the switch on the signal console inside.

“Wha–!?”

In an instant, the pitch-dark classroom flooded with light.

The glow was coming from the prototype airborne shield ship I had summoned and stationed overhead!

“This is my invention! I call it “the Raiden mk2”! It’s a ship capable of compressing air particles and oxygen to create a defensive shield! It’s still in the prototype stage, so I plan to boost its firepower and make the body more compact!”

“O-Okay, I get it! …I believe you, so put that thing away….! If anyone sees, forget the police, the legendary Yorozu⁴ will show up, and it’ll be absolute chaos…!”

“Hohhh—”

With a press of the switch, the Raiden mk2 ascended back into the sky.

The classroom was swallowed by darkness once more.

“There, I’ve shown you proof. Continue!”

“Okay…”

The boy nodded and turned his gaze toward the window, as if looking somewhere far beyond it.

A flashback’s about to begin~, I thought to myself as I quietly waited for him to continue.