Crimson Heart

1. iPS Testing Team (1)

0. Prologue

The necklace asked if there was a reality I wished to escape.
I replied yes.

I don't know why, but I was seduced by its sweet voice.
I reached out, clutched it, and strung it around my neck.

Only then did it dawn on me.
Removing the necklace proved to be just as impossible as escaping reality.

It was simultaneously a blessing and a curse.
Refugia's legacy and its shackles.
This was my first encounter with Crimson Heart.

1. iPS Testing Team (1)

How boring.
Are all eulogies like this?

"Ten years have passed since we lost our great leader. Kim, the bringer of change. I remember her. She meant so much to all of us. She truly was one of a kind."

The loudspeakers blared out toward the crowd.
I wanted to cover my ears, but I just buried my hands deep into my jacket pockets, wriggling my fingers. A sudden urge washes over me. I do not want to be here. I want to run away.
But that's not possible.
All of the students were gathered in the square. Everyone is seated, wearing the same clothes and holding the same expressions on their faces. We listen patiently to the painfully dull memorial address. I found it amusing, in a way. On the other hand, it was suffocating. I felt like I couldn't breathe.
Unfortunately, rising from my seat and dashing out of the square to escape the boredom would be considered unacceptable behavior. Just like my behavior that day one year ago, when I asked the teacher a bold question about what it was like outside Refugia.
"..."
Pfft. I couldn't help but scoff.
The loudspeaker blared on, rubbing salt on our wounds.

"Kim was wise. She built an ark of hope in this wasteland of danger, uncertainty, and barbarism. This is Refugia. Our home, our sanctuary. A city we must protect together."

Here?
Refugia is a cage.
But there might be a kernel of truth there. For some, it could be the safest city in the world. A warm and cozy home. But not for me. I have no family, no friends. Nobody who watched me grow up, nobody to remember me or my insignificant existence. I have no one to lean on, so for me...
"Joan?" Someone suddenly called my name.
This is unusual. Surprised, I turned around. The first thing I spotted was a sheepish face. It was a girl with curly hair and freckles, studying my expression.
Her face was familiar. She was in the same grade and class as me, but I can't remember her name.
"Who are you...?" I asked. Her freckled face became flushed with embarrassment.
"Huh? Oh, I'm Yojae."
Ah, that's it. She was a quiet and timid girl, but she was also curious, and she got along well with many other students. I've often felt jealous of her for that. But I'd never spoken to her before.
Probably because I was jealous. I zipped my jacket up to the top and answered her coldly without thinking.
"Lot's of prying eyes here. Are you okay with that?"
"Huh? You mean talking to you?"
"Yeah. If you're seen with me, they might treat you like you're invisible, too."
"But Sena told me to make sure you come today."
"Sena said that...?" That snobby student president? Why?
Yojae's reply made sense immediately.
"Well, the iPS Testing Team is supposed to meet today. You weren't at the preliminary meeting."
"..."
Oh, that's right.
That was today.
I frowned. I had been looking forward to today, but I also hoped that it would never come. I voluntarily registered for it because I had to. But just the thought of being with a group of chatty girls gave me a headache.
And to be honest, it made me anxious.
Will I be able to get through it? Is it going to be awkward?
I clenched my fists inside my jacket pockets. At that moment, I felt relieved that I had zipped my jacket all the way up. I thought I could hear the necklace speak to me in its strange voice.
"..."
The memory came suddenly.
It happened several days ago. I came across a strange necklace in a corner of the old library. Then too, I heard a strange voice whispering. At first, I thought I was imagining things, but I wasn't. The necklace was definitely whispering to me.
"..."
Why did I do that? Why did I reach out to the necklace, as if lured by its voice? I shouldn't have put it on, and I've regretted it ever since.
Because the necklace wouldn't come off. No matter what I did, I couldn't take it off. It was so absurd that I was dumbfounded. I tugged as hard as I could and even used a stick to try and break the chain, but it was no use. It was as if the necklace was stuck to me with superglue. It wouldn't budge.
I had no idea what was going on. All I knew for sure was that the necklace was not normal.
I have to keep this hidden...
I was already the official school pariah. But if word got out that I had some sort of weird, unremovable necklace, things would only get worse. Everybody would point and gawk at me. I'd be stranger than ever before. Just the thought of it made my skin crawl.
That's why I had to find a way to take it off. After four days of deliberation, I decided to sign up for the iPS Testing Team. I accidently came across a flier in the hallway.
I heard the iPS is a device that uses data to establish spatial coordinates for all of Refugia.
It can also be used to look up any place and event happening in the city for the safety of the citizens.
With this, I may be able to find a way. I decided to be hopeful, and I mustered up the courage to interact with the other girls. Before I knew it, the eulogy was over. The time to put my courage to use was fast approaching.