Chapter 9 Chapter 9 What Aomame Sent as a Price for Favor

After Aomame entered, the bald head walked around behind her and quickly closed the door.The room was dark. Thick curtains were drawn on the windows, and all the lights in the room were turned off.A ray of light leaked in through the gap in the curtain, but it played a role in highlighting the darkness. Just like stepping into a movie theater or a planetarium that is showing, it takes a while for the eyes to adapt to the darkness.The first thing that caught my eye was the dial of an electronic clock placed on a low table.The green number shows that it is seven twenty in the evening.It took her some more time to realize that there was a large bed against the opposite wall.The electronic clock is next to the pillow.It's a little cramped compared to the spacious room next door, but much larger than your average hotel room.

There was a black object lying on the bed like a hill.It took some time to figure out that the irregular outline actually outlines the human body lying on the bed.Meanwhile, the outline remained motionless.No sign of life could be discerned from it, nor the sound of breathing could be heard. The only thing that got into my ears was the breeze from the air-conditioning outlet near the ceiling.But he didn't die.Every move of the bald head is based on the premise that he is a living person. The man was quite large in stature.Probably a man.Can't see clearly, his face doesn't seem to be facing this side.He didn't cover the quilt, but lay motionless on the neat bed cover.It seems to be a large animal that is hiding in the depths of a cave to avoid physical exertion and is healing.

"It's time." The bald head called to the shadow.There was a tension in his voice that hadn't been there before. I don't know if the man heard the call.The dark hill on the bed remained motionless. The bald head stood in front of the door, his posture unchanged, waiting quietly.The room was very quiet, even the sound of someone swallowing saliva could be heard.Aomame immediately realized that the person who swallowed the saliva was herself. She clutched the gym bag tightly in her right hand, waiting for the change just like the bald head.The number on the electronic clock changed to 7:21, then to 7:22, then to 7:23.

Soon, the outline on the bed began to shake slightly, showing changes.An extremely subtle tremor, which eventually evolved into a clear movement.The person appeared to be fast asleep, or in a deep sleep-like state.Muscles are awakened, the upper body is slowly raised, and consciousness takes time to rebuild. On the bed, Shadow straightened up and sat cross-legged.That's right, it's a man, Aomame thought. "It's time." The bald man repeated again. The man's heavy exhalation came over.It was a slow and heavy exhalation climbing up from the deep bottom of the well.Then there was a deep breathing sound, like a strong wind blowing through the forest, rough and dangerous.These two different voices interact and repeat, interspersed with a long silence, like an intermission.This repetition, which was full of rhythm and contained multiple meanings, made Aomame flustered.

She felt as if she had stepped into a territory she had never heard or seen.For example, the bottom of a deep ocean trench, or the surface of an unknown asteroid.A place that barely arrived, but never thought of getting out of it. My eyes can't adjust to the dark.The line of sight can reach a certain distance, but it can't move forward no matter what.At this moment, Aomame's eyes could only see the dim silhouette of the man.As to which side his face was facing, or what he was looking at, there was no way of knowing.The figure was quite large, and his shoulders seemed to rise and fall silently but violently with his breathing.She can only see these clearly.His breathing is not ordinary breathing.It is the breathing of the whole body, with a special purpose and function.

You can imagine his shoulder blades and diaphragm violently moving, expanding and contracting.Normal people can't breathe so hard.This is a special breathing method that can only be mastered after long-term and rigorous training. The bald head stood beside her, maintaining an upright posture, with his body straightened and his jaw slightly retracted. His breathing was the opposite of that of the man on the bed, shallow and fast.He watched intently, waiting for the series of deep, intense breaths to finally complete.That seems to be one of the daily activities performed to adjust the body.Aomame could only do the same thing as the bald head, waiting for him to finish.This was presumably the step he had to take when he woke up.

Soon, like a huge machine, it stopped working, and the breathing gradually stopped.The breathing intervals gradually became longer, and finally, as if trying to squeeze everything out, I let out a long breath.A deep silence descended on the room again. "It's time." The bald head said for the third time. The man moved his head slowly.He seemed to be heading in the direction of the bald head. "You can go down now," the man said.His voice is clear and rich baritone.Definitely, there is no ambiguity.His body seemed to be fully awake. The bald head bowed lightly in the darkness, and walked out of the room with no unnecessary movements as when he came in.The door closed, and only Aomame and the man were left.

"It's so dark, sorry." The man said.This was probably directed at Aomame. "I'm fine," Aomame said. "I need to darken the room," the man said in a soft voice, "but don't worry about it. It won't do you any harm. " Aomame nodded silently.Immediately, he remembered that he was in the dark, so he said, "Understood." The voice seemed stiffer and higher-pitched than usual. Then the man stared at Aomame for a while in the darkness.She felt herself being watched intensely.It was an accurate and precise line of sight.It is more appropriate to say "watching" rather than "staring".

The man seemed to be able to see her body at a glance.She felt as if everything she was wearing was stripped off her body in an instant, and she became completely naked.The gaze not only stayed on the skin, but even touched her muscles, internal organs and uterus.This man can see in the dark!she thinks.He was gazing at something beyond the reach of the naked eye. "You can see things more clearly when you see things in the dark." The man seemed to have read Aomame's heart, "But if you stay in the dark for too long, it will be difficult to return to the bright world above the ground. You must seize the right time. "

Then he observed Aomame's figure again.There is no sign of sexuality, just staring at her as an object.Like the shape of a passenger gazing at a passing island from the deck.But that's no ordinary passenger.He tried to see through everything on the island.After being exposed to such piercing and merciless gaze for a long time, Aomame deeply felt how inadequate and unreliable her own body was.I don't usually feel this way.In addition to the size of her breasts, she is proud of her body.She builds it every day and keeps it looking good.Muscles spread gracefully throughout the body, without a speck of cellulite.But under the gaze of this man, she actually began to feel that her body was like a shabby old meat bag.

The man seemed to have read through Aomame's thoughts, and stopped staring at her.She felt the gaze suddenly lose its strength.Like watering with a hose and someone in the shadow of a building turns off the tap. "I'm sorry to instruct you like this—could you please draw the curtains a little?" The man said quietly, "It's so dark, it's probably not convenient for you to work." Aomame put the gym bag on the floor, went to the window, pulled the string by the window, opened the heavy curtains, and then opened the white lace curtains inside.The night view of Tokyo pours light into the room.The colorful lights on the Tokyo Tower, the lighting lights on the highway, the headlights of wandering cars, the window lights of high-rise buildings, and the colorful neon lights on the top of buildings, they merge and merge to form the unique light of the metropolis, illuminating the hotel's atmosphere. indoor.The light is not too strong, and the furniture placed in the room can only be barely seen clearly.It was a nostalgic light for Aomame, a light sent from her own world.Once again, Aomame felt how desperately she needed such a light. But even this little light seemed too intense for the man's eyes.He sat cross-legged on the bed, covering his face with his big hands, avoiding the light. "Are you serious?" Aomame asked. "Don't worry." The man replied. "Shall I draw the curtains a little?" "That's fine. I have a problem with my retina and it takes a while to adjust to the light. It will be normal after a while. Could you please sit there and wait?" There is a problem with the retina.Aomame repeated it in her head.People with retinal problems are at risk of blindness.But this question has nothing to do with her for the time being.It wasn't the man's eyesight that Aomame had to deal with. The man covered his face with his hands, letting his eyes slowly adapt to the light coming in from the window.Meanwhile, Aomame sat down on the sofa and looked at him from the front.This time it was her turn to observe each other carefully. This is a tall man.Not fat, just big.He is tall, wide, and seems to have great strength.Although she had heard from the old lady that this person was tall, Aomame had never expected that he would be such a giant.However, there is no reason why the leader of a religious group should not be a giant.Aomame couldn't help but think of those ten-year-old girls being raped by this giant man, and couldn't help but contort her face.She pictured the man naked, riding the slender girl.Girls probably simply can't resist.No, even a grown woman might find it difficult to resist. The men wore thin elasticated trousers, much like sweatpants, and long-sleeved shirts.The shirt is plain with a silky sheen.It was fat and buttoned in the front, and the man unbuttoned the top two buttons.Both the shirt and the sweatpants looked white, or a very pale cream. Although it is not pajamas, it is also loose and comfortable clothes to wear when resting indoors.Or an outfit that goes well with the southern shade.Bare feet look huge.The broad shoulders like a stone wall are reminiscent of combatants who have experienced many battles. "Thank you for coming here," the man said after Aomame's observation was over. "This is my job. As long as there is a need, I will go anywhere," Aomame said in a voice excluding emotion.But as I said that, I felt like a prostitute called here. Probably because he was stripped naked in the darkness by his sharp eyes just now. "How much do you know about me?" the man asked Aomame, still covering his face with his hands. "Are you asking me what I know about you?" "right." "I know almost nothing," Aomame said, choosing words carefully. "I don't even know your name. I only know that you run a religious group in Nagano or Yamanashi. You may have some physical problems. I can help. That's all I know." The man nodded briefly, moved his hands away from his face, and turned his face to Aomame. Men have long hair.His thick, straight hair fell to his shoulders, with many gray hairs mixed in. The age is about forty-five to fifty-five years old.The nose is very large and takes up a large part of the face.The high bridge of the nose is straight and straight, reminiscent of the Alps that appear in the calendar photos. The foothills are vast and full of majesty.Seeing his face, the nose is the first thing that pops into your eyes. In contrast, a pair of eyes are deeply sunken.It is difficult to see what the pair of pupils in the deep eye sockets are looking at.The entire face matches the body, broad and thick.The beard is cleanly shaved, and there are no spots or moles.He had a dignified look, and there was an air of quiet wisdom about him, but there was also something strange about him, something unusual, something not to be taken lightly.It's the kind of face that makes you cringe at first glance.The nose may be too large, so that the whole face loses its normal balance, and it may be that this makes the person who sees it uneasy.Or it was a pair of eyes sitting in the depths of the eye sockets, radiating the brilliance of ancient glaciers.It may also be attributed to those thin lips that seem to spit out unpredictable words at once, shrouded in a sense of cruelty. "What else?" the man asked. "I haven't heard anything else. It's just that someone told me to get ready and come here to do muscle stretching. Muscles and joints are my specialty. There's no need to know too much about the other party's situation and character." Like a whore, Aomame thought. "I understand what you said." The man said in a thick voice, "but I'm afraid there is still a need to explain who I am." "Speaking." "People call me the leader. But I almost never show up in public. Even in the order, living in the same land, most of the believers don't know what I look like." Aomame nodded. "But now I let you see your own face. You can't ask you to treat in the dark, or blindfolded all the time. There are also etiquette issues." "This isn't therapy," Aomame pointed out in a calm voice, "it's just muscle stretching. I am not licensed to perform medical practices.What I do is to forcibly stretch the muscles that are not usually used or that are difficult for ordinary people to prevent the decline of physical function. " The man seemed to smile a bit.But it could be an illusion, maybe he just twitched his facial muscles. "I totally understand. I use the word 'treatment' just for convenience. You don't have to mind.What I'm trying to say is that you're seeing things now that people don't normally see.I hope you understand this matter. " "It was next door just now, and they have already reminded me that today's matter cannot be shared." Aomame said, pointing to the door leading to the next room, "but you don't have to worry. No matter what I see or hear here, It won't leak out. I've touched a lot of people's bodies in my work. Maybe you have a special status, but to me, you are just one of many people with muscle problems.All I care about is the muscle part. " "I heard that you were a believer in the 'Witness Society' when you were a child." "I didn't choose to be a believer. They made me. There's a big difference between the two." "Indeed, there is a great difference between the two." The man said, "but it is absolutely impossible for a person to get rid of the impression implanted in the brain when he was a child." "It doesn't matter if it's good or bad," Aomame said. "The teachings of the 'Witness Society' are very different from the sect I belong to. The religion created with eschatology at its core is more or less a lie. I think the so-called end times, In any case, it is nothing more than a personal matter. Regardless of these, the Witnesses are a surprisingly tenacious order. Its history is not long, but it has withstood countless tests and is still solid. Keep expanding the number of believers. We have a lot to learn at this point." "That's probably because it's too narrow. Small things tend to become stronger when resisting external forces." "You're probably right," the man said.Then he paused, "Anyway, we didn't come here today to discuss religion." Aomame said nothing. "I want you to understand the fact that there are many special things in my body," the man said. Aomame sat in a chair, silently waiting for the other party to speak. "I told you just now that my eyes can't stand strong light. This symptom started a few years ago. There was nothing wrong with it before then, but it started at some point. I'm not in public Mostly because of that. I spend almost all the time of the day in a dark room." "I can't do anything about vision problems," Aomame said. "I told you just now that my specialty is muscular problems." "I totally get it. I've seen a specialist too. Been to a few reputable ophthalmologists and had a lot of tests. But everyone says there's nothing I can do now. I've had some kind of damage to my retina but I don't know why. Condition It's slowly developing. If left unchecked, it may not take long to go blind. Naturally, as you said, this problem has nothing to do with the muscles. Let me list the physical problems in order, from top to bottom As for what you can and cannot do for me, I will consider this issue later." Aomame nodded. "Oftentimes my muscles become stiff," the man said, "to the point where I can't move, like a rock, for hours. I just lie still. There is no pain, just the muscles of the whole body are stiff and unable to move.Can't even move a finger.The only thing that can move with his own consciousness is the eyeball at most.Symptoms occur once or twice a month. " "Are there any symptoms before the attack?" "First the cramps. Muscles twitching in various parts of the body. This goes on for ten to twenty minutes. Then, it's like someone flipped a switch and the muscles completely freeze. So ten to twenty minutes after the announcement I just found a place where I could lie down. Like a ship hiding in the harbor from the wind, I hid there and waited for the paralysis to pass slowly. Although the body was paralyzed, the consciousness was very clear. No, even more than usual wide awake." "Is there no physical pain?" "All sensations are gone. Even if you poke me with a needle, I can't feel anything." "About this symptom, have you seen a doctor?" "I visited authoritative hospitals one by one and saw many doctors. It turned out that I was suffering from an unprecedented strange disease, and there was nothing I could do with modern medical knowledge. That's all. Traditional Chinese medicine, orthopedics, massage, acupuncture, Massage, hot spring treatment... I have tried everything I can think of, but none of them have any obvious effect." Aomame frowned slightly. "All I do is activate body functions in the daily field. I can't deal with such a serious illness." "I totally understand. I'm just trying out the possibilities. If your method doesn't work, it's not your fault. Just do it on me as you always do. I want to see my own How the body takes it." Aomame imagined the huge body of this man lying motionless in a dark place like a hibernating animal. "When was the last time you were paralyzed?" "Ten days ago." The man replied, "There is one more thing, which is a bit difficult to tell, but I think it's best to tell you." "Whatever it is, just say it." "During this muscular state of suspended animation, I remained erect." Aomame frowned even deeper. "That is to say, for several hours, the sex organs have been hardened?" "yes." "You don't feel it?" "No feeling," the man said, "and no libido. Just stiff, stiff as a rock. Same muscles as everywhere else." Aomame shook her head slightly, trying to restore her face to its original shape. "At this point, I don't think there's much I can do to help. It's so far removed from my area of ​​expertise." "I also find it hard to tell. You may not want to listen, but can I say a few more words?" "Please tell me. I'll keep it a secret." "During this time, I would have sex with women." "Women?" "I had more than one woman next to me. Whenever I got into this state, they would take turns riding on my immobile body and having sex with me. I didn't feel anything and had no pleasure. But I still ejaculate.Multiple ejaculations. " Aomame remained silent. The man continued: "There are three women in total, all in their teens. You may wonder why there are such young women around me, and why they have to have sex with me." "Is it part of a...religious practice?" The man still sat cross-legged on the bed and let out a big breath. "My paralyzed state is considered to be the grace of God, a sacred state. So when they come to this state, they come to have sex with me, hoping to conceive a child and conceive my heir." Aomame looked at the man without saying a word.He didn't speak. "That is to say, pregnancy is their purpose? To conceive your child under that condition?" Aomame asked. "yes." "That is, you had sex with three women and ejaculated three times within a few hours of being paralyzed?" "yes." Aomame had no choice but to realize that she was placed in an extremely complicated situation.She was about to kill this man and send him to that world, but he was telling her strange secrets about his body. "I don't quite understand, what's the specific problem here? Once or twice a month, your whole body's muscles will be paralyzed. At this time, three young girlfriends will come and have sex with you. It's considered from a common sense point of view. , is indeed an unusual thing. But..." "Not girlfriends," interjected the man, "they act as witches around me. It is one of their duties to have intercourse with me. " "Duty?" "It's the matter of trying to conceive an heir. It's prescribed as a task." "Who made the rules?" Aomame asked. "It's a long story." The man said, "The problem is that my body is definitely going to perish." "So are they pregnant?" "No one is pregnant yet. I'm afraid it won't be possible, because they don't have menstruation. But they are still chasing the miracle of heaven's grace." "No one is pregnant yet because they don't have periods," Aomame said, "and your body is dying." "The paralysis is getting longer and more frequent. The symptoms of paralysis started more than seven years ago. What started as once every two or three months has now become once or twice a month. After the paralysis passed, the body I have to suffer from severe pain and fatigue. For almost a whole week, I have to live in pain and fatigue. My whole body hurts like being pricked by thick needles. Splitting headache and fatigue.I can't sleep well.No medicine can relieve the pain. " The man let out a long sigh, and continued: "The second week was much better than the first week just after the attack, but the pain didn't go away. Several times a day, the severe pain came and went like a huge wave. To. Can't breathe normally, internal organs refuse to work properly. Like a machine without oil, the joints of the whole body are rattling.His own flesh was devoured, and his blood was sucked.I can clearly feel this.But it was neither cancer nor parasites that ate me.I've done all sorts of close inspections, but haven't found a single problem.They said that I was in perfect health and that there was no medical explanation for what was tormenting me so much. This is what I received as the price of 'favor'. " This person might indeed be on the brink of collapse, Aomame thought.There was little haggardness to be seen, and his body was strong and strong, as if he had been trained to endure severe pain.But Aomame felt that his body was dying.The man was ill, but did not know what kind of illness it was.However, even if I don't do it here, this man will probably be tortured in terrible pain, his body will be destroyed bit by bit, and he will inevitably face death soon. "It's impossible to stop its progress." The man seemed to see through Aomame's thoughts, and said, "I'm afraid I will be completely corroded, my body will be corroded into a hollow, and I will meet a painful death. And they will just take the worthless things." The means of transportation are abandoned." "They?" Aomame said, "Who are they?" "It's the thing that erodes my body." The man said, "I won't mention it. What I hope now is to alleviate the pain of the reality in front of me, even if it's just a little bit. Even if it only treats the symptoms but not the root cause, it is necessary for me. The pain was unbearable. Often—and now and again, it would be terribly deep, as if it went straight to the very core of the earth. It was a pain that no one could understand but me. It took a lot from me, and at the same time In return, I have been given many things. What special pain has given me is a particularly deep grace. But of course, the pain will not be relieved by this. The destruction will not be avoided by this.” Then there was a deep silence. Aomame finally spoke. "I seem to be repeating what I said—I think there's nothing I can do technically to help you with the problem you're facing. Especially if it's something offered as a price for favor." The leader straightened his posture, looked at Aomame with small glacial-like eyes deep in his eye sockets, and opened his long, thin lips. "No, there must be things you can do. Things only you can do." "I hope so." "I know it," said the man. "I know a lot of things. As long as you're okay, let's get started—start doing what you've always done." "I'll give it a try," Aomame replied.The voice was stiff and hollow.Try what I've been doing, Aomame thought.