After taking a nap, I woke up feeling much better, both physically and mentally. The anxiety and unease from this morning gradually faded away. I yawned and went downstairs, looking at my mom busily taking care of the house. A feeling of sorrow quietly washed over me. Without realizing it, I had grown up, while my mother had aged. Silently, I walked into the living room, poured a glass of warm water, handed it to my mom, and casually took the cloth from her hands.
"Mom, take a rest. Let me wipe this."
"Sigh, I'm not tired. Are you hungry? Wait a little longer, your dad will be home soon, and we'll have dinner. Tonight, I've made your favorite red-braised pork—three parts fat, seven parts lean. I remember what you like, my dear. Everything you enjoy, I remember it."
Mom took the warm water from my hands and drank it all in one go, then grabbed the cloth I had taken from her and motioned for me to sit in the living room. Just then, the doorbell rang—it was Dad coming home. I quickly ran to take his briefcase from him and started to close the door.
"Wait, don't close it yet. Dami's family is here, they're parking outside, and they'll be coming in soon."
Dad stopped me as he took off his shoes and gestured for me to grab three pairs of slippers.
"Oh, okay. Why did they come over?"
"It's because of you two mischievous girls. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, but what if it did? How would your mom and I handle it? You need to stop being so reckless and don't spend the night outside anymore."
Dad hung up his coat and sat down in the living room, taking the water from Mom and drinking it in one go. He looked exhausted. As he spoke, Dami's family came in.
"Nannan, we're here! Uncle, Auntie, hello, sorry for the interruption. We brought some little snacks we bought near our house. Since it's our first visit, I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I just picked up a variety."
Dami gracefully bowed and handed over the snacks.
"Just come in without being so polite. You and our Nannan are classmates, so you're practically family now. We're new here in Kyoto, and Nannan is a bit shy and hasn't had many close friends. We're really happy you two get along. Please, make yourselves at home, like it's your own place."
Mom accepted the snacks and warmly invited Dami's family to sit down while she went into the kitchen to make tea, plate the snacks, and wash some fruit to bring out.
"Nannan, this is my father, Mr. Guangyuan. He's a civil engineer. This is my mother, Ms. Muzi. She works in national testing. Mom, Dad, this is Nannan Zhao, my best friend. These are her parents, Mr. Zhao and Ms. Liu. They just moved here due to Mr. Zhao's work, from EN."
Dami generously introduced both families. Dad nodded in approval at Dami.
"We came because of what Dami told us. She mentioned that you overheard a conversation about the cherry blossom viewing event from some pharmaceutical company employees. We were worried that you might be in danger, so we wanted to check in on you. Plus, your wife called us, so we came to confirm things. Dami can be a bit reckless in her speech, and we wanted to make sure nothing important got left out."
Mr. Guangyuan explained the reason for their visit.
"Indeed, at first we didn't believe it either. If it weren't for Dami's detailed description and Nannan being informed, we would have thought it was just a bad dream. While I was at work today, I made sure to look into the matter. The air quality index yesterday was way above the safe level, more than 30% higher than usual, and 10% of that had traces of drug residue. The company president reported this to the governor, who's now investigating whether the fainting incidents at the cherry blossom viewing are connected to these substances."
Ms. Muzi, too, spoke seriously about the situation.
"Yes, I paid attention to it too while at work. Nannan may be carefree, but she's not one to spread rumors or lie. I'm a special reporter, so I checked the documents that were submitted yesterday. There were numerous reports of fainting on the Shinkansen. Given how serious this is, the president has asked us to hold off on revealing anything to avoid causing panic."
Dad lowered his voice and added what he could, leaving some internal matters unsaid.
"So what now? What if it's true? What do we do?"
At this point, Mom, who had been dismissive this morning, was now becoming more concerned. She wasn't brushing it off as a joke anymore.
"Don't worry. If things escalate, I believe the country will step in. The government won't just stand by and do nothing."
Mr. Guangyuan spoke up to reassure her, and Ms. Muzi nodded in agreement.
"I hope that's the case."
Mom sighed and spoke softly.
"We're planning to move tomorrow. There's a storage facility from my company on the outskirts of Kyoto, a place with no cherry blossoms or crowds. Initially, the company assigned it to me as temporary housing, but it's too far from Nannan's school, so we rented this apartment. It seems we'll have to move there now. Nannan, you'll take a break from school for now. What are your plans? Would you like to come live with us? It's a big place and can accommodate six people. It would be safer, and we can make sure everything is settled."
Dad made a decision without consulting anyone else, his voice heavy with concern.
"We won't join you. We also have a property in the countryside, and we can move there for now. We'll settle in and stay there until things calm down. At least there, we'll be away from the pollen. It's best for us since we have allergies, and the school is taking precautions for students with severe pollen reactions."
Mr. Guangyuan also made a decision without discussing it with his family, as if relieved by the choice.
"Does this mean we won't see each other for a while? Nannan, I'll miss you so much. What will we do?"
Dami grabbed my hand, tears welling up in her eyes.
"It's okay. We can still call each other. Pollen season is only a few months, and after that, we'll meet again. You can come to my house for a visit once it's over."
I patted Dami's hand to comfort her.
The adults continued talking for a while. Mom invited Dami's family to stay for dinner before they left, but Ms. Muzi insisted it was too late, so after some final goodbyes, they left. Dami was reluctant to leave, and I felt the same. I had finally found a friend who clicked with me in this foreign country, and it was hard to say goodbye. I gave Dami the panda plushie I had brought from EN, telling her it was a national treasure and very cute. I promised I would take her to see real pandas one day.
After seeing them off, Mom brought out my birthday meal, but by then, I wasn't in the mood to celebrate. Even though my birthday had passed, she still prepared the dinner for me as a belated celebration.
At the dinner table, Dad, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke.
"Maybe we should go back to our home country. This place has constant earthquakes, and now there are fainting incidents. It might be safer back home."
"Go back? Do you know how hard we worked to get here? Our house in the old place is long sold, so we can't go back. Plus, the salary here is good. Are you really going to give that up? You're not even thinking about Nannan's future! When she finishes her studies, she'll return with a degree and find a good job. Don't let these rumors scare you. The pollen allergy isn't that serious—just like catching a cold back home. A little medicine and rest, and it'll be fine. Maybe those fainting people had other reasons. Anyway, we're moving to a new place, and I support that. A change of environment should help."
Mom firmly rejected Dad's idea of returning home.
"Fine. After dinner, we'll pack everything. I've already hired a car for the move. Tomorrow morning, we're moving. Let's rest well tonight. The place needs cleaning up."
Dad didn't argue any further, and since Mom agreed to the move, the topic was dropped. The family ate in silence, then went to pack.
I finished packing early, having fewer things to organize. I asked Mom if she needed help, but she said no, so I decided not to get in the way. Since I had slept all day, I wasn't tired anymore and decided to browse the internet to see if the pollen allergy situation was as serious as the adults were making it out to be.
Pharmaceutical Company Research Laboratory
"Ugh, President, do you really think we can develop this drug called G? It's been in the works for so long, and if it fails, how are we going to explain it?"
Researcher Zhixia injected a syringe full of the drug into three anesthetized mice, waiting for their results.
The research team patiently watched, some already ready to take notes.
An hour later…
"Damn it, failed again! This is the 1076th trial! Are you trying to wipe out all the mice? If the anti-pollen allergy drug doesn't work, no one is leaving here tonight!"
The President angrily grabbed Zhixia's collar, slapped him across the face, and kicked him in the leg. Zhixia, unable to withstand the force, fell to his knees, one hand supporting the floor, the other clutching his face, humbly lowering his head. The President, still furious, stomped on Zhixia's hand. The pain was excruciating, but Zhixia held back his cries.
"A bunch of useless idiots! What good are you? I can see you're not even trying! I'm giving you three more days. If you fail again, I'll make sure none of you leave here. And Zhixia, don't forget, your parents are in my hands. Do you want to be a good son, or do you want to fail me?"
Zhixia, on the floor, desperately grabbed the President's pant leg.
"President, I think it's because the mice are too small to handle such a large dosage. What if... what if..."
The President kicked Zhixia away in disgust.
"'What if'? Spit it out, stop mumbling like a woman."
"W-what if we use human test subjects? After all, the drug is meant for people. Using humans would allow us to observe it more closely and more accurately."
The President, reluctantly, agreed and called over Guangshi.
"Guangshi, go find some people. Live ones."
"President, these are humans! If the government finds out—"
"Then find homeless people, drunks, gamblers—any useless scum."
"But—"
"No buts! You want to see your family again? Do your job and get it done!"
"Fine, I'll go."
"Zhixia, I'm trusting you one last time. If this experiment fails, I'll personally inject the drug into your parents and make you watch them die."
"I'll stay here. Go get the people now."
The President grabbed a chair from the lab, sat down with his legs crossed, and fidgeted nervously.
Another researcher helped Zhixia up, who, despite being full of anger, didn't dare challenge the President. After all, his elderly parents were under the President's control. Defeated, Zhixia could only follow orders, feeling like a dog licking boots in humiliation.
Guangshi, having heard the President's orders, went out with several others. Under the cover of darkness and the quiet streets, they knocked out six homeless men, bundled them in burlap sacks, and transported them to the lab.
"These are the people you wanted. If you still can't finish the task, I can't help you," Guangshi coldly said as he dumped the unconscious men at Zhixia's feet.
"You did well. Don't disappoint me again, Zhixia. Don't forget who brought you into this lab, gave you this opportunity, and made your dreams come true. I gave you a second chance at life. Don't make me regret it."
"Yes, President, I'll prepare the drug and inject them now."
Zhixia bowed deeply and turned to prepare the drug.
"Lock these people up with the mice. I want to see if this works."
The President gave his orders as his subordinates dragged the unconscious men into the observation room, treating them as though they were nothing more than trash.
The drugs were prepared, and Zhixia, with another researcher, injected the liquid into the homeless men. The six men were soon locked in the observation room. The research team stood silently outside, waiting.
"Damn it! Why haven't they woken up yet? It's been an hour. These damn fools are drunk, like zombies. Let's give them some more time. I'm heading back to sleep. If they wake up, notify me."
The President yawned and stretched, preparing to leave.
"Sure, I'll keep an eye on them. You get some rest, President. We'll have an answer for you soon."
Zhixia bowed again, and the President, along with Guangshi and his subordinates, left.
More petals from cherry blossoms and twigs from the cedar trees were thrown into the observation room, and another hour passed without any change. As the dawn light began to appear, the team reluctantly left the lab.
Several minutes after everyone had gone, the three mice finally woke up. Their eyes glowed a sickly green. Hungry and desperate, they began to gnaw on the cedar twigs and cherry blossom petals. The G drug inside their bodies activated, and the mice became frenzied, charging toward the scent of the homeless men.
They climbed into the sleeve of the nearest man, savoring the sweet, intoxicating smell. The man, feeling the itching from the mice crawling, groaned and turned over in his sleep.
The mice continued to climb, eventually reaching the man's face, where they savagely bit into it. The man screamed in pain, but being drunk and weak, he could only thrash around weakly. The mice, undeterred, crawled into his open mouth, one by one.
The man felt suffocated and coughed, but the alcohol made him pass out again. The mice didn't stop. They crawled down his throat, greedily feeding on his blood and fat, slowly restoring their strength.
As the mice feasted, the man succumbed to death in his sleep. The mice, now covered in blood, emerged from the man's body and continued to grow, each meal making them stronger. By the time they had consumed all six men, the mice had grown to the size of small dogs.
They feasted on the men's skin, digging their sharp claws into their skulls, tearing apart the brains and devouring the warm, pulsating matter. Satisfied, the mice rested, their bodies now bloated and full. They hid in the remains of the corpses as dawn broke.
At Home
Mom and Dad had finished packing everything that could be moved. Mom comforted me, telling me not to worry too much, reminding me that no matter what happens, Dad and she would always be there to protect me. After offering some encouragement, she told me to rest and went back to her own room.
At that point, I was feeling a bit tired. I grabbed my journal from the drawer and began writing.
April 2nd, Clear Weather in Tokyo
Today, I gave my favorite panda plushie to my best friend, Dami. I hope the pollen season ends soon, and that the people who fainted recover quickly. I also hope my family stays safe and happy.
I closed my journal, turned off the light, and prepared to sleep.