The Man in White
On the other side of the glass door, four surface dwellers were arguing.
Well, to be precise, two adults were having a heated discussion,
while two younger boys—still with traces of innocence—stood behind them, clearly flustered.
What should I do?
I had unlocked the door to the projection room, just in case the owner came,
but I’d kept the exhibition hall door locked out of caution.
If they were with the owner, maybe they were safe surface people?
I peeked between the red and yellow blooms of the guzmania.
The owner always said, “Undergrounders sure are cautious,” with a laugh,
but if you let your guard down around surface dwellers,
you’d die—no matter how many lives you had.
First, that young man arguing with the owner—He was clearly a surface dweller.
Tanned, almost glossy skin, and those aggressive eyes.
The boy standing behind him looked a lot like him,
but had an unusually gentle air for a surface person.
Though looks can’t be trusted.
The problem was the other boy.
Was he really from the surface?
His eyes were amber, but his skin was so pale,
you could mistake him for one of us undergrounders—at least from a distance.
What kind of relationship did the three of them have with the owner?
…No good.
If I kept standing here overthinking, those surface dwellers would just keep arguing forever.
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I summoned my courage and stepped in front of the door.
"Whoa!!"
The kind-looking boy shouted when he saw me.
What do I do?
That reaction hit harder than I expected.
Do I really look that strange?
"Hey, you in white—open up, will ya?
This pale kid here apparently came back from the underground."
Stunned, I pulled the door open without saying a word.
The owner and that sharp-eyed surface man stumbled into the exhibition hall.
"You can’t just open it like that!"
You tell me to open it, and then scold me for doing it…
Surface dwellers are confusing.
"That boy—
is it true he came back from the underground?"
The pale one was still outside.
Was he afraid of me?
"Come on, Tsurubami-kun."
The kind boy encouraged him.
The two of them entered the room hesitantly,
and the owner introduced them to me.
"This is Tsurubami-kun, who returned from the underground.
This here is Akisumi-kun, who started having headaches three days ago.
And this grumpy-looking guy is his brother, Kiyosumi,
a staff member from the Health and Safety Bureau."
"...Huh?"
Tsurubami-kun’s voice was soft—but I recognized that tone.
"Aki-kun, your headaches…"
"Sorry I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t trying to hide it."
"Don’t apologize.
It’s scary, isn’t it—"
Their mutual concern was touching in its own way,
but I had something more pressing to deal with.
"Owner… did you betray me?"
The one called Kiyosumi wouldn’t take his eyes off me.
The Health and Safety Bureau — they’re the ones who captured me once.
"No, no.
He just looks scary, but he’s okay.
He’s more worried about his brother than he is about his job."
I stepped forward, facing that sharp-eyed surface man head-on.
—He was shaking.
He was afraid of me.
And when I realized that… I felt sorry for him.
I crouched down slightly and gently pressed my cheek against his.
It’s our greeting—between adults, when meeting for the first time.
To my surprise, Kiyosumi didn’t move.
I’d fully expected him to shove me away, maybe even hit me.
He didn’t return the gesture by offering his other cheek,
but I couldn’t blame him—he didn’t know our customs.
"Wow… Kiyosumi-san, you’re something else.
Ah, no offense.
The first time this guy greeted me like that,
I slapped him by reflex.
You held it together well."
The owner had an odd way of describing it—
“getting hit by a greeting.”
Kiyosumi still looked pissed, unmoving,
but he wasn’t as bad as I’d thought.
"You two might make a great team someday."
The owner said cheerfully.
