Chapter 11
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”…”
Nikolai’s white face was flushed.
He was not embarrassed, but drunk.
The place is a Russian pub in Roppongi.
Although it calls itself “Russian,” there are actually many Eastern Europeans working there.
Therefore, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and other languages are spoken in addition to Russian.
But political conversations are not allowed in the bar.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has been fighting wars against Georgia, Syria, Ukraine, and other neighboring countries, and its relations with them have been deteriorating.
Some countries have revived the draft, which had been abolished, to prepare for a Russian invasion, and some countries are even trying to attract U.S. military bases to their countries, which has angered Russia.
”…”
Slurping down his vodka, Nikolai continues to drink.
He has already damaged his liver and his doctor has ordered him to stop drinking, but he has no intention of stopping.
―On September 3, 2004.
On that day, he ((dies)), and since then, ((lives the rest of his life)).
He is the best Russian sniper who had a spectacular first battle in Operation Storm 333, who had seen hell in the invasion of Afghanistan, and who had made Chechnya his main nemesis after his homeland became Russia, and who was now desperate in Japan.
Nikolai weeps silently as he watches the dancers dance.
He drinks vodka again.
He abstains from drinking only when he is working or dying.
Except for those times, he cannot give up drinking.
”Nikolai, are you drinking again?”
Robinson sat down in front of him.
”…are you here to make me stop drinking?”
”Not at all. It’s your body. I have no right or obligation to stop you.”
”…”
The two are surprisingly close.
Nikolai is usually a quiet man, but he opens up to Robinson.
He doesn’t encourage her to quit drinking, but only recommends her to go to a Russian pub he has found.
”The FSB wants to hire you as an instructor?”
”I won’t go. I’ll die in this country.”
”I see…”
Robinson says nothing more and orders a cup of tea.
”…Robinson, is that boy real?”
”What do you mean?”
”I see, he’s the real deal. He’s the first Japanese I’ve ever seen.”
”He’s Japanese, but he’s American. Didn’t I show you the file?”
”I know… but I still can’t believe it.”
Nikolai knows about the memory transfer, as he was shown the secret CIA documents.
However, he is still skeptical.
How is such an unscientific thing possible?
”At times like this, there is a useful saying in Japanese. Evidence over argument. Goebbels made 100 lies true, and there is an actual example of this. Even the bigwigs at my university admitted it. No matter how much a layman doubts or denies it, it’s true as long as a professional in the field admits it.”
”…so you were good friends with him?”
”Yes. We used to hang out at Guantanamo. We killed terrorists together in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
”…”
Nikolai doesn’t have any comrades-in-arms.
All his Soviet comrades-in-arms were killed in Afghanistan or became mafia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and many of them are still missing.
In Russia, too, there were no comrades-in-arms.
This is probably because Nikolai was an ardent communist.
Young people of the new era, who disliked the communist aristocracy (nomenklatura), probably looked at him strangely because he did not change after the fall of the Soviet Union.
He was somewhat reserved, and although they were close to him in business, they never had any personal contact with him.
The junior members of the FSB also disregarded Nikolai as an “old and outdated soldier”.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, Nikolai’s patriotism was also lost, and his Russian identity died in 2004.
Ta-da!
”!!!”
He stands up involuntarily at the familiar introduction.
The waiters and customers in the store follow suit.
The national anthem of the Soviet Union, ‘Государственный гимн’, 1944, was played.
The lyrics of the song were very wartime-oriented, as it was written in the middle of the German-Soviet War.
It is as bloody as ‘La Marseillaise’ in France.
Although there are some people who claim that the Japanese version of this song is “militaristic”, it is at least much more peaceful than those of the Soviet Union and France.
This 1944 version, in addition to its strong wartime color (*1), has the following characteristics
・Nationalism
・The praise of Lenin and Stalin
That’s why the 1944 version is not only a wartime version, but also a nationalist version.
Therefore, after Khrushchev’s criticism of Stalin, only the first song in which Stalin did not appear was sung, or only background music was sung, and there was a time when the anthem was not well received (*1).
As a side note, ‘Germany, Deutshlandlied’ also has up to 3 songs in total,
・No.1 → After WWII, the region in which it appears is another country’s territory.
・No.2 → interpreted as discrimination against women.
Therefore, officially, only No. 3 is sung (*2).
It is ironic that both countries fought hard against Germany and the Soviet Union, but their national anthems are equally unfavorable.
”””—“””
Although the restaurant does not have a strong communist flavor, it is frequented by many communists because of the speeches by the look-alikes of Stalin, Khrushchev, and other generals, and the service in which people dressed in KGB costumes detain any customer they see.
There are even some Japanese customers who cannot speak Russian but can sing the national anthem.
In the parking lot of the restaurant, East German national car, the Trabalant, is lined up, and many ostalgies gather there.
Some of the customers are from the former Yugoslavia, and they are enjoying Yugoslav nostalgia, flying the Yugoslav flag.
For communists like Nikolai, this place is like a sanctuary.
However, since communism is one of the ideologies that the government considers dangerous, the public security police are watching this place very closely.
It can be seen that a man who looks like a plainclothes policeman disguised as a customer is checking each person’s face.
Nikolai might be on the watch list.
”””Uraa!”””
When the song ends, they don’t say a banzai, but “Uraa”.
””‘Those who do not miss the Soviet Union have no heart. Those who want to go back to the Soviet Union have no brain.’”
With a clink of the ice in his glass, Nikolai sleeps with the bottle of vodka in his arms.
* * *
At the Kitaoji household,
”Ren, are you really going to get married?”
”Yes. Eventually, I think so.”
”Well…”
Satsuki hugs me with a reassuring look.
She must be happy to see me because she’s been rooting for Tsukasa’s love for a long time.
Oh, by the way, we’re in the bath.
It’s not every day that a high school boy and his mother have a mixed bath, but in this house, it doesn’t matter how old we are.
Because there is no culture of mixed bathing in the U.S., I was very confused when I first moved here.
But once I got used to it, it was no problem at all.
It is a privilege of being a Japanese to be able to share a bath with such a beautiful woman.
According to the literature, mixed bathing was common in Japan until the Edo period (1603-1867).
It was only in the Meiji period (1868-1912) that it was prohibited.
During this period, the mixed bathing culture was denied due to the introduction of Western culture, such as the legalization of Christianity.
The practice of male s*xuality, which had been a common practice, became more and more strict.
Japan, as a nation, has achieved an important growth, but has lost an important culture.
”Takkun, your back is big.”
She rubbed her cheek on my back.
The skin is rubbed and reddens after having been washed.
The rubbing causes the water in the bathtub to surge and overflow.
If I were Archimedes, I’d shout “Eureka!”
As I think about it, Satsuki smiles too.
”You two get along well as usual. Then, have you done it?”
She’s not like an adoptive mother.
But since she gave birth to her daughter when she was young, she must not be afraid of her daughter’s s*xuality.
In fact, daughters born of young mothers often give birth at a young age, just like their mothers.
The Kitaoji family is one such family.
”So, you didn’t do it. Takkun, you’re more of a purity activist than you think.”
”Oh, isn’t that unusual for a guy these days?”
Satsuki presses her breasts against my back.
She’s more mature than Tsukasa.
Tsukasa -> cute
Satsuki -> attractive
But Satsuki is my favorite in this situation.
Though I can’t say it in front of Tsukasa.
”Mom, I’m an evangelical.”
”Really? I’ve never seen you reading the Bible.”
”I read it behind your back.”
”Then read pornography. It’s s*x education.”
”What kind of mother are you?”
”As long as it doesn’t involve STDs, assault, or abuse, it’s fine. Sexual pleasure is a privilege reserved for humans. Let’s have some fun, shall we?”
”…”
Satsuki has attended many births as a doctor.
Her experience must have led her to this value.
However, as I think about it, Satsuki’s eyes narrow.
”You’ll make her happy, won’t you?”
”Of course. But first, I have to make my mother happy.”
”What?”
”You care too much about us. I want you to remarry.”
”You want me to be happy?”
”Yeah. You work too much. I don’t want you to die of exhaustion. You need to get help from the man…”
”But he’s already here. It’s you.”
Saying that, Satsuki hugged me.
I bury my face in her ample bosom.
”You’re the only one in the world who’d accept such a heavy girl. Thank you?”
”…”
”And I’m pretty heavy myself, you know. I think I’ll ask you to take care of me after the hospital closes.”
”What? Mom, you’re closing?”
”Well, when my beloved son worries about me… My student at the National Defense Academy is growing up. And the rest is up to the two of you. After you two get married, I’m going to retire. I want my son to support me and I want to take care of your grandchildren that will be born.”
”I see. I’ll do my best.”
With me as a sandwich, we smile at each other.
(Mother and daughter are so good…)
I’m enjoying Satsuki’s breast with a bitter smile.
* * *
At the same time, at the embassy.
”…”
Natalie was reading up a lot of documents on the internet.
The contents are about memory transfer.
Her question is,
If memory transfer is a fact, what happened to the real Kitaoji Ren’s personality?
She says that she has been talking with Ren for a while.
Talking with Ren, she can’t deny the feeling that Bradley has possessed or taken over Ren’s personality.
In the case of the examples introduced in the papers, there is no mention of such a thing, and it is still not introduced that the personality itself changes due to the influence of hobbies and tastes, while the original personality is retained.
Then, Natalie makes a hypothesis.
(…Ren was possessed by Bradley?)
Family and friends who have lived together for a long time must have noticed that Ren has become a different person.
However, no one seems to feel any sense of discomfort about it.
Perhaps they have stopped poking Ren because of their care for his sickly condition.
Still, it is unusual.
And there is one more strange thing.
Bradley’s body has disappeared completely.
In the previous photographs obtained by the CIA, his body was indeed there.
However, there is no evidence of burial anywhere.
There is no record of his being taken to a morgue.
He has vanished as if he had been buried in a godforsaken place.
(…maybe)
Natalie, in a cold sweat, searches for an article.
After a few minutes, she finds it.
―――
'[Human body modification of “super soldier” approved by the French military ethics committee]’
The French military has decided to allow the development of “super soldier” with enhanced physical abilities, following a report by the military’s ethics committee.
The report, released on August 8, examines the enhancement of physical, cognitive, perceptual, and mental abilities through medical measures, artificial limbs, and implanted devices.
The report also stated that the soldiers could communicate with the weapon system to locate their whereabouts and communicate with their fellow soldiers.
Other possible interventions include medical measures to prevent pain, stress, and fatigue, as well as drugs to enhance mental strength when soldiers are taken prisoner.
But the Commission pointed out that France needs to respect the rules of military, humanitarian law, and the fundamental values of society, while maintaining the operational superiority of the armed forces in difficult strategic situations.
Therefore, any modification that would affect the soldiers’ ability to restrain the use of force or their sense of humanity is prohibited.
Furthermore, the committee also banned the implantation of cognitive devices that would affect the soldiers’ ability to exercise their will freely and modifications that would affect their return to civilian life.
Well, the military minister said the government does not plan at this time to make physically burdensome enhancements such as the implantation of such devices,
”Not everyone has the same consciousness of guilt as we do. We must prepare ourselves for such a future.”
The military minister pointed out.
”This is an opinion, not a definite one. And it will be revisited periodically in light of future developments.”
That was what followed.
Then, earlier, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, in an op-ed in a U.S. newspaper, expressed concern about China’s threat to the U.S. and democracy in the world.
In the article, the director cited information obtained by U.S. intelligence agencies,
”China is even conducting human experimentation on soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army in order to develop soldiers with enhanced biological capabilities.”
”Beijing’s pursuit of military power knows no ethical boundaries.”
That was what written.
But the Chinese Foreign Ministry strongly criticized this article, saying that “some politicians on the U.S. side”
”To stop creating and spreading political viruses and lies.”
But then, as of 2016, CNN reported that the U.S. military was spending millions of dollars to develop implants that would allow the human brain to communicate directly with computers.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) says the implants could benefit people with hearing and visual impairments, including combat-wounded veterans.'(*3)
―――
It is a strange country that hates the death penalty but approves of human body modification.
However, this is not the main issue.
(Don’t tell me… a bio-enhanced pionic soldier…?}
Forgetting about the paper for the moment, Natalie hacked into the websites of national militaries, intelligence agencies, and PMC (Private Military Companies) around the world.
<hr/>
[References and Sources]
*1: Soviet-Russian Military Song Collection
*2: Wikipedia
*3: CNN.co.jp, partially revised on December 10, 2020
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.