desiderata877

Chapter 22: The Beginning of our Lives

Grandpa: Good job today, everyone. Looks like you were handing out flyers in front of the station again.

Tom Collins: Yes, we’re going to keep going until the reopening since we want all our customers back.

Grandpa: It seems like my granddaughter took it upon herself to lead everything. Salty Dog let me know.

MC: Yeah, I just couldn’t calm down sitting still in the mansion all day.

Grandpa: It’s already been a few months since you inherited the bar from me. You really are doing your best.

MC: It’s because I have the support of everyone here. I could never have done it on my own.

Tom Collins: Everyone was affected by all your hard work. Even Emerald Mist and Martini offered to help you out.

Grandpa: I think it’s time we had that conversation. It’s not unrelated to what happened earlier.

Tom Collins: In other words, ours and the Master’s…

Grandpa: Shall we move to the study? Let’s talk about that day. About the day we met. A long time ago, I was working as a researcher at an English medical institution. Sumire came as an exchange student. That’s how I met your grandmother.

MC: That’s why the two of you would often go to England.

Grandpa: Yes, in those days we were coworkers. Time passed as I began to work alongside your grandmother and a few other researchers, when I heard some awful rumors. At that research facility, they were conducting secret human experiments.

MC: Hu –Human experiments?

Grandpa: On the day I heard that, I decided to transfer to that department. And there… I created humans through fusion experiments of science and alchemy.

MC: You created humans… Then that means…

Tom Collins: Yes… that’s where we were created.

Grandpa: I couldn’t believe such unscientific things were possible myself at that time. However, that’s where they were created.

Tom Collins: With that process of alchemy you said you had a theory that alcohol could be made, right… But I don’t know if that’s why. Those concoctions – Originally, the creation of cocktails seemed to have a high success rate. And so, we were made and given the names of those cocktails, and then we were used for those human experiments. Those cruel, inhumane experiments…

Grandpa: Due to the process of those experiments, many subjects collapsed. They were in terrible condition.

MC: They did those kinds of awful things

Grandpa: Even now, I still see their faces in my dreams. Without growing old and without having any form of basic human rights, they were just objects for experimentation. But they all had a will. Just like us, they were filled with emotion. Your grandmother and I couldn’t bear to see them being used like that, so we decided that we must save them. We put together a plan, and succeeded in helping them escape the facility. However, we couldn’t save them all…

MC: I can’t believe it…it sounds so unreal

Tom Collins: After we arrived in Japan, the Master quickly brought us to this mansion.

Grandpa: Incidentally, this mansion itself belonged to my father, your great grandfather.

MC: Huh?? So this place really is yours?

Grandpa: I don’t think you’re aware of this but our family has been involved in the medical field for generations. It was with those connections I was able to take the steps to work at that research facility.

Tom Collins: Were you able to understand everything we just told you? We owe our lives to the Master and Ms. Sumire.

MC: There’s no particular reason, but I still just cannot believe it… Creating humans, alchemy….

Grandpa: I understand. But you don’t have to believe it. I want you to take my place, and walk through life with them.

MC: Take your place…

Tom Collins: We were made to have eternal youth. We don’t age like normal people, our lifespan never runs out. Unless we are killed, our bodies will continue to live. Well, theoretically speaking…

MC: Theoretically speaking… What do you mean by that?

Tom Collins: We don’t know of anyone else who came before us. We are the first of our kind. At that time, we felt so relieved opening our eyes in the morning and moving our bodies. No…maybe it was the opposite.

MC: But that…

Tom Collins: What I’m trying to say is that tomorrow, we might just suddenly die. Or maybe it’ll be the opposite and we'll keep on living for 1000 years.

MC: That’s…

Tom Collins: Please don’t make such a sad face. That’s just how life is for us. Even normal people are the same. Maybe you’ll be in an accident tomorrow, or in 10 years, or even 50 years. In 100 years… well, maybe you’ll live to be that long but.. You never know what tomorrow will bring, so you must live your life earnestly. That’s what we were taught to live life as people. Why don’t we take a small break? You look a little tired.

Grandpa: He’s right. Let’s continue this conversation after we’ve had a small break. I’ll tell you about what happened after your grandmother and I brought them to Japan.