Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Crack Up

That night, I dreamed of an earthquake; just as the tables and chairs flying in the air and the avalanche of sand and dust enveloped my body together, I woke up screaming. After waking up, I was still panting for a while; my heart palpitations continued, and I even felt more terrifying than when I actually experienced it.Could it be that in my lifetime, I have to taste the feeling of slipping and falling caused by this sequelae in the gap between dream and reality? The mild sunlight coming in from the viewing window looked particularly dazzling; the light on the cheeks and nose seemed to diffuse more intensely on the face than usual, but at this point I didn't have any doubts about it, just thinking: "Oh! It's dawn!"

what time is it now?There are no clocks anywhere in this facility, so I can't grasp the sense of time since yesterday, and I feel a little uneasy.Maybe it's because of the beer I drank last night, but I still have a little residual headache and vomiting that add to my discomfort. Lying quietly on the bed for a while finally eased my fear; followed by Miyuki, the company, family members who stayed in Japan, etc. "mortal world"—no, maybe it should be called "past life"? -- fragments of memories tangled up and swept toward me. To them, I was already "dead"... This fact weighed heavily on me suddenly.Although the state is a bit unusual, I am still alive and well!Compared with where in the world this facility is located, the huge distance that I am cut off from "everyday" makes me tighten my chest and almost faint.

I want to go home... the more I think about it, the more my nose sores, and when I remember that it's Christmas, my emotions run wild.On Christmas Eve last year, I had dinner with Miyuki... The memory was like a flood, and tears filled my eyes. Are my lacrimal glands so fragile?Although consciously useless, but helpless.If those things hadn't happened, I could have spent Christmas Eve with Miyuki this year... These nostalgia and nostalgia expanded infinitely, and I finally couldn't help sobbing. The "daily life" that should be returned can no longer be easily revisited; and the gap with the monotonous decoration of "self-prison" more strongly beautifies it.I didn't realize yesterday that the ceiling of the "Self Prison" was actually engraved with numbers.

I, who stared at the number "4" blankly, vaguely understood.I see.Yesterday I didn’t understand why the room numbers were so tirelessly engraved everywhere, but now I can see that it was a measure to allow the subjects to immediately notice when the “masquerade party” suddenly happened so that they would not be at a loss... After sorting out my thoughts, I hurriedly sat up with my upper body; my long golden-gray hair was draped around my hands like silver ornaments.So to say-- There seemed to be a second "masquerade" last night, with my mind shifting from "Randy" to now "Jacqueline"; thus, last night from "Management Building" back to "3" "Self-prisoner "Randy" (=me) of ", now wakes up in room "4" in the state of "Jacqueline" (=me).My head is full of hastily drawn diagrams. (Refer to Figure A and Figure C)

While sitting up my upper body, I finally noticed the alarming snoring sound coming from the floor.Taking a closer look, "Alan" wrapped in a blanket was sitting on the carpet, with his mouth wide open indecently, drooling, and sleeping soundly. Of course, "he" is no longer "Alan" (= Jacqueline) who stayed here to guard his body, but "Alan" (=Randy). I don't know if he is having a nightmare. His brows were deeply furrowed, and his face was full of distress. It seemed that if nothing serious happened, he wouldn't wake up for a while. Now that "he" is unconscious, I can temporarily avoid the "virginity crisis"-it's a bit funny to be relieved from the bottom of my heart.However, this is not funny at all; from now on, as long as I enter the body of "Jacqueline", I have to be wary of other men sneaking into the house and using this body's crooked brain.Of course, it is not so much for Jacqueline, as it is for defending one's dignity and peace of mind.Being a woman is not easy!I feel sorry for you.

Having said that...a woman's breasts can feel quite heavy to the unaccustomed.Driven by a little curiosity, I gently opened the collar of my jacket and peeked in; at this moment—— Boom boom boom boom!There was an uneducated and harsh knock on the door, and without waiting for my response, someone rushed into the room, looking desperate as if being chased by a tiger; it turned out to be "Haney". "...Are you okay?" The panting and roaring voice has a British accent, and it goes without saying that it is "Harney" (= Jacqueline) after the transition. "Are you okay? Hey, are you okay?"

"Don't worry." "Jacqueline" (=me) withdrew the hand holding the collar of the jacket in time, and nodded calmly. "If it's the body you're worried about." "Tell me, what else should I worry about besides this?" "It makes sense." "What about him?" She pointed to the snoring "Alan" (=Randy) with her chin. "Never woke up even once?" "I just woke up too, but he seems to be fast asleep." "Could it be—" Although she continued to pant, she appeared with a sly smile as if she had suddenly thought of a way to prank her. "Is this called 'unintentionally planting willows and willows into shade'?"

"What's the meaning?" "I—that's me when I entered this Aram's body—didn't sleep last night." "I really admire you, staying up late to guard?" "Of course! Who knows what will happen to my precious body?" "Hmm..." In fact, when it was my turn to enter the woman's body, I couldn't say that "Haney" (= Jacqueline) was unfounded. "That's true." "If he is suddenly transferred to 'Alan' who has not slept all night and is exhausted, no matter how much Randy slept, he still has to continue to sleep!"

"So that's why you installed this 'safety device' on 'Alan''s body unintentionally?" "Really, if I knew this, I didn't have to rush here." "Haney" (= Jacqueline) wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and sat down rudely on the edge of the bed.At that moment— Wow!A scream that even froze my blood frightened me out of my wits. "What... what's wrong?" "It hurts, hurts, hurts...so painful!" "Where does it hurt? Stomach?" "No... no," a hissing sound leaked from between her clenched teeth. "Buttocks, buttocks hurt!"

"Butt? What, your back hurts? Did it hit your waist? Or neuralgia?" "No, it's not..." She groaned and groaned, leaning over and pounding on the bed. "Could it be..." "What the hell is going on!" "last night……" "what?" "Last night! What happened last night?" "What's wrong?" "I'm asking what happened after you moved my body here! Did everyone go to their rooms afterward?" "Hani and Alan—to avoid confusion, don't talk about the body, let's call it by the name of the personality—by the time Bobby and I returned, they were gone."

"What about after you and Bobby? Go back to the room immediately?" "No, we drank together for a while." "Drinking late?" "It must be very late! So what?" "That guy must have done it, asshole!" she moaned as she stood up slowly with her hips crossed. "That dead Arab..." "What happened to Hani?" "That pervert stabbed his own ass (Fuck Himself)!" "Huh?" I couldn't understand what "Haney" (= Jacqueline) meant by 'Fuck Himself' for a moment, and I scratched my head. "what is this?" "He fucked 'himself'! Fucking his own body!" It turned out that she thought the pain in her butt was due to "Baby" (= Hani) sodomizing "Haney" (=Aran) last night.Although I finally grasped its meaning, I couldn't believe it. "No way...you mean he raped his original body?" "That guy is definitely a narcissist! He must have an underlying desire to have sex with himself. Of course, it would never be possible under normal circumstances; but now that it has become like this, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he takes the 'Baby''s If you want to stab 'your own' chrysanthemum." "You are really amazing, you can imagine such a disgusting image just from the pain in your butt? By the way, maybe Hani just has hemorrhoids!" "No, I just know, because there is a feeling of a foreign body around the prostate—" "Okay, okay, don't talk anymore." It's just gay sex, and the thought of someone doing that with "myself" gives goosebumps. "Could it be that the name was not obtained well?" "what are you saying?" "Honey's name! Sounds like 'Honey' doesn't it?" "It's possible! Really, that's what a handsome man is like." She tugged at herself—that is, the mustache of "Haney". "It really lives up to the name 'self-sufficiency'!" "You yelled loudly yesterday, saying that it doesn't matter because you are handsome!" "I don't remember it happening." "Well?" I suddenly found a worm-shaped black lump on the chest of "Haney" (= Jacqueline) pajamas. "What is that?" "Huh? What?" "There seems to be something strange sticking to the top." "Huh?" She grabbed the pajamas between her stomach and looked carefully. "Really! Nasty, what is this stain? It's like blood, it's dark red—and..." "and?" "What's the matter? This pajamas is wet. You see, it's all over." "Haney" (= Jacqueline) came around the bed so that I could see clearly.Her upper and lower pajamas were covered with light brown stains, and the back of her hand holding the pajamas was also dripping with sweat. "Is Hani hurt?" "Really? I don't think there is any pain." She suddenly recalled, and a twitching smile emerged: "Except for the hole in the buttocks. Anyway—" She started from "Jacqueline" (=I) who was still half-sitting on the bed ) and pulled away the bed sheet severely. "Okay, get up and help me." "What are you going to do this time?" "Do you still need to ask? Of course, Randy—" She helped "Alan" (=Randy) sit up with the blanket attached. "Move out and let him go back to his room to sleep." "If you move him, will he wake up?" "Just ask him to leave here before he wakes up! If you leave it alone, when he wakes up, maybe he won't leave here! Do you want to fall into a new chastity crisis?" "Of course not, but I don't think it's okay to put him here! At worst, I'll just go to his room." "If you do this, the next time the 'Masquerade Ball' happens, you won't be able to figure out who is who? It's better to assign each person's room based on their original body." Thinking about it was also true, so I offered to help. "Alan" (=Randy) was in a deep sleep, and even though "Haney" (=Jacqueline) and "Jacqueline" (=me) lifted him up, there was no sign of opening his eyes at all. As soon as I tried hard, there was a sharp pain from my right foot to my forehead; it was the sprained ankle. "it hurts!" "What hurts?" "Your ankle! You sprained your foot, forgot?" "Yes!" Maybe she really forgot, anyway, the situation has changed, and it has nothing to do with her.After all, the personality has been transferred to others, which is understandable. "There is such a thing." "It hurts so much, I'm about to fall." "Stop crying." "It's obviously your pain, why do I have to bear it for you? I don't feel convinced! It's not fair." "What are you talking about? This kind of thing is about each other! After I 'enter' your body, I have to bear all your feelings! In short, please be patient, Dantian should work harder and stand up! But go softly!" "Hey, how do you want me to go?" "I want you to treat my body carefully and carefully!" "I know, because it's an important commodity!" "In contrast, when I enter Jiang Lifu's body, I will treat him well." Thank you so much!I was about to reply sarcastically, but found that she was calling me by my first name for the first time.That being said, she didn't call any of the members this morning with generic terms or insults, other than calling Hani a pervert. I suddenly remembered what Bobby said about the balance of power last night. Although I wanted to think about it further, I gave up because of a slight headache.This headache isn't from the McGonagall that "Randy" (=me) drank last night, it's from the Moosehead beer that "Jacqueline" (=Randy) drank... oh, it's complicated. We wrapped "Alan" (=Randy) in a blanket, and the two of them grabbed the head and tail respectively, and carried the two ends like a hammock, and walked slowly on the grass.Perhaps it was the warm sunshine and the swaying of the blanket hammock that made "Alan" (=Randy) feel comfortable. The distressed expression that seemed to be haunted by a nightmare just now turned into an inexplicably gentle smile. "If you can simply tie him up, it will be easy." "Please don't do that, the next 'Masquerade Ball' is my turn to enter 'Alan''s body, if I can't move after the transfer, I will be very troubled." "I won't hurt my brain!" "Besides, Randy will enter the body of 'Haney', do you want to tie up your body now?" "Even if you don't refute me logically, I understand the truth. I'm just talking!" When I came to the "self-prison" in No. 5, I looked back inadvertently, but saw "I" who was about to enter No. 3. That is…… "Isn't that Harney?" "Haney" (= Jacqueline) also found out; she can tell who the personality is when she sees the figure of "I". It can be seen that the sequence of personality transformation explained by Dr. Aikelow yesterday has been organized in her orderly in my head. (Refer to Figure C) "That's Hani, right?" She reconfirmed in the body of "Haney".I don't know if she has forgotten the pain in her butt, but this time she didn't describe it as abnormal. "What is he doing there?" After the new "masquerade party" happened, "I" became (=Haney), which means that "Randy" in room "3" where I was yesterday should become (=Baby). What is the purpose of "I" (= Hani) looking for "Randy" (= Bobby)? On the hand of "I" (= Hani) covered by the body, a green light suddenly flashed: what is he holding in his hand? Huh? Could it be that the object that "I" (=Haney) is holding is... However, because "Haney" (=Jacqueline) actually planned to walk through the "5" room, I panicked, so this question was left alone. Ignoring the doubts of "Jacqueline" (=me), "Haney" (=Jacqueline) quickly pulled "Alan" (=Randy) to room "6"; I had to follow without saying a word. However, "Haney" (= Jacqueline) actually got the wrong number.If the body was to prevail, the body of "Alan"—no matter who was inside—should be sent back to Room 5.But she didn't give any explanation or ask any questions, and carried it directly into the "6" room. Why "Haney" (= Jacqueline) had this misunderstanding, I don't understand; maybe she was confused for a moment, thinking that the basis for the allocation of rooms is determined by the personality that enters the body.The body assigned to room "6" is of course "Haney", but what was in "Haney" yesterday was Alan's personality, and she mistakenly thought that the room was allocated according to personality, so Alan should naturally go to "6" house number.After thinking about it, this is probably the only reason. As for me, because Jacqueline, who has a poor capacity for drinking, suffers from hangovers, my thinking becomes dull, and I didn't think of the correct distribution method for a while; plus "Haney" (= Jacqueline) is too confident, I want to leave it to her It can be dealt with, and she is not corrected. "—Okay!" After putting the body of "Alan" back on bed "6" with the blanket wrapped around it like a grassworm, "Jacqueline" (=me) stretched. "You're done." "What are you going to do next?" "That's right... let's eat first!" "Too bad you still want to eat!" "Haney" (= Jacqueline) grumbled, and followed "Jacqueline" (=me) to the "management building". "Those canned food, I ate them last night, but they were so unpalatable, they were like pig feed!" "I can't help it, I'm going to be hungry! Also, are you going to just follow me like this?" "Let me make it clear first that I'm not following you." "Are you going to continue to monitor your body every time you transfer?" "At least as far as our locked personal room." "Think carefully—" I took the cans from the shelf in the "administrative building" and heated them in a saucepan. "It's really troublesome if your body doesn't act according to your own will!" "Yes indeed!" "Haney" (= Jacqueline) was rarely depressed. She sighed and sat down at the simple table that was confiscated last night, with her hands resting on her cheeks. "No matter how hard I try, if the person who enters 'my' body is indiscreet, nothing can happen to him!" "In this way, the most dangerous one is that Hani. He is a strong man who will molest 'myself' even when he enters Bobby's body. If he gets your body, he might happily sleep with 'myself'." "Wait a minute, when Hani enters 'me', it's your turn to transfer to 'Haney'! Do you understand? Are you deliberately making fun of me knowing this?" "That's right!" I stopped blowing chicken soup. "Oops, I'm not confident!" "What do you mean by that? What confidence?" "It's really a disaster!" I had a premonition that I would be scolded no matter what I answered, so I deliberately changed the subject. "However, it can't be restored anyway..." "I do not want it!" Boom! "Haney" (= Jacqueline) thumped the table impetuously. "I must return to the original state, or else I will die without regret! How can my star path be ruined for such a bad joke! No matter what method is used, I must return to the original state!" "Impossible." "Why? How do you know?" "Think about it, why the 'Second City' has been sealed under the shopping plaza? This experimental facility has been abandoned for a long time, and why? Of course, it is because the research on the personality transfer system failed, and they gave up a long time ago." "That's so selfish! A cure may be discovered by chance! Of course the research must go on until it is found! It is too late to start again, and it is their duty to do so. No, perhaps they have found it; say There's no cure for anything, it's just a lie—" "If there was a cure, they would have cured that Dr. Ecklow long ago. You also found out? There was a personality transfer between him and the red-haired woman who came here. It's probably because of an accident during the experiment a long time ago Or wrong, dragging their own people into the water. From their tone, that state has been maintained for nearly two decades; yes, it has been maintained that way. They are living proof that we will be transferred forever. " "I--" "Haney" (= Jacqueline), who was giving a speech hoarsely, suddenly said in a muffled voice: "Suddenly thought of..." "What do you think?" "Will 'they' really come for us? On the twenty-sixth." "What's the meaning?" "We were actually 'exiled' to an isolated island, right? Here it is." "why?" "To eradicate us, of course! I'm not talking about social metaphysics, but biological eradication." "Why do you want to eradicate us?" "Because we are living state secrets! Although the research is suspended, the samples of personality transfer cannot be released to the world; in this case, instead of spending a lot of money to secretly 'support' us, it is better to get rid of us and save trouble, right? Of course , they have left a formal supply of food for a short period, but these things will not last for a few weeks; if they do not come to meet them, we will all starve to death in a short time, and this is what they are waiting for." "If they really wanted to, they would have done it long before we were rescued from Second City and administered anesthesia." "Perhaps it was inconvenient to start at that time, so it was postponed. If you think about it carefully, there is no telephone here! Forget about contacting the outside world, and there is no tool to contact them. If one of us is sick or injured , what should we do? If we don’t even take such basic care, doesn’t that mean we’ve been abandoned?” "If that's their plan, it's fine to just leave us here without saying a word. There's no need to bring Dr. Ecklow and the others to explain the personality transfer system, right? Let's talk about the phone call. It's probably because there is no time to set up a new machine in a hurry. .And the discussion period they gave is essentially only Christmas Eve today and Christmas tomorrow; in just two days, emergencies are unlikely to occur. There are also first-aid kits on the shelves. Can handle emergencies. I see no reason not to trust them." "You're so calm!" The lips of "Haney" (= Jacqueline) were distorted with a sneer, perhaps because of the mustache, which looked particularly contemptuous. "Are all Japanese 'salary workers' as calm as you are in any crisis?" "Thank you, I think you'll be much calmer when you come here." I couldn't help retorting angrily, even feeling naive to myself. "Especially referring to others by common nouns, derogatory titles, or first names depending on the situation, in order to adjust the relationship of power, it is really resourceful!" This is all learned and sold from Bobby, but I said it clearly and logically, as if it was the result of my own observation. "Anyway, you are an actress, so it should be easy to play a different version of yourself to manipulate men!" "I thought I could trust you." The sneer of "Haney" (= Jacqueline) disappeared, and his expression seemed inexplicably lonely and pale. "But I was wrong. I seem to have misjudged you. You are so indifferent, like a machine. You must have no attachment to your original life, right?" "You can do whatever you want," I don't understand why Miyuki's face appeared at this moment. "I've had enough of being played around with women's self-righteousness!" "So, you were dumped by your girlfriend?" "It has nothing to do with you!" "Of course it is. You happened to have a falling out with your girlfriend, so you have no attachment to the original life, and you don't think it matters: but I still have attachments. Maybe this is a personal problem, but since we are already on the same boat, if you casually Falling into the water, I'm getting a headache." "So I said this is your self-righteousness! When did I say that I have no attachment to my original life? I never said a word. Even if I said, how do you know that I am really no attachment? You Impossible to know!" Roaring and roaring, the depression in my heart seemed to burst out in one breath; I stood up. "Stop it! I've had enough! Why do women always like to write scripts? Why don't you give up if you don't want to be the heroine? It's your freedom to want to be the heroine, but don't involve others! Write others as supporting roles or A villain, thinks that others will only act and think according to the patterns you write! So from the very beginning, you regard the marriage partner you decided on a blind date as a supporting role, and you have long believed in your head that you are a business elite with impeccable income and family background Ying will not be the male protagonist, and his marriage partner is not a man with good conditions but elite arrogance, some personality problems and Oedipus complex, but a man who has no job, is a bit bad, but has a youthful innocence and is better than himself. Young man! The script has been written so long ago, so of course the wedding must be canceled a moment before it is classic! Moreover, he firmly believes that this is to carry out his true love, thinking that everything can be justified under the sign of justice! Think about how embarrassing, sad, and embarrassing it is for others! Do you know why? Do you know why she can treat me like this? Because I have no personality, she doesn’t feel that she has done anything excessive to me ;To her, I am just a small prop in the series. Say I don’t understand jokes? In fact, what she wants to say is-don’t be misunderstood as a passer-by character, thinking that you are the protagonist!” "I don't quite understand what you're saying—" "Haney" (= Jacqueline) shied away from my speech and interrupted me; she seemed to bring up the subject afterward, with a weary look on her face. "However, you seem to have nostalgia for life. I understand very well." "It's not wrong to say that I have no attachment." "Is there any?" "It doesn't matter if you have it or not. Your attachment to Xinglu is purely your personal problem. It has nothing to do with me. I don't care at all; just like you don't care about my life." "Got it, got it! It's my fault to interfere with your personal values. Is that okay? Satisfied?" Very satisfied!I was about to answer like this, but I kept my mouth shut. Because "Jacqueline" suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.
It was a blink of an eye.Until the last moment, my soul was still housed in the body of "Jacqueline", but was pushed out of the body in an instant. When I transferred from "Randy" to "Jacqueline" last night, I was in a dream and didn't feel anything; but after this experience, I learned that "Masquerade Ball" not only has no warning, but also transfers without shock and feeling at all . In fact, if I were alone, I'm afraid I wouldn't even notice that the "masquerade" had happened to me.The transfer was so smooth, the swap was done in the blink of an eye; no wonder they took the trouble to number the chairs in the "Self Prison" and the Saloon. "Jacqueline" also seemed confused and blinked several times; finally, her eyes came into focus and she began to stare at me intently. Who is entering "her" body now?Just as I was trying to recall the sequence of transfers, a strange feeling came over me. The body of "Jacqueline" is in front of me, which means that my personality has moved to another body, I understand this; but why is "she" standing in front of me now? Weird... I finally found something was wrong. The next time I am scheduled to enter, it should be "Aran", and "Aran" has just been moved to "6" "Self-Prison" in a deep sleep state; so I should find myself in "6" It's in the house.And if "Alan" is still sleeping, I will continue the sleeping state of "Alan" without even realizing that I have shifted. Yet here I am standing in the saloon of the "Management Building" with "Jacqueline" in front of my eyes. what the hell is it? Just when I was confused, I suddenly found a strange scene reflected in the corner of my sight; it was outside the window, and it was on the side of the sea. I couldn't help but ran to the window, and with the movement of my steps, there was a splitting pain in my anus.Could it be... I already knew it in my heart, but I still couldn't take my eyes off the scene in front of me. From the "Self-Prison" No. 6, a man staggered out, but it was not the "Alan" we had just carried. It's "I", and judging from that black hair and body shape, there will be no one else but "I".Although I understood it immediately, I couldn't believe it was "me" for a moment. "I" seemed to be splashed all over my body by a gravel truck driving through muddy water, and the black droplets painted psychedelic patterns on my face and the front of my pajamas. And the object held in the right hand—the champagne bottle that glowed green under the sunlight was placed in the refrigerator last night; the body of the bottle was also splashed with muddy water droplets, forming a trivial pattern. That is…… What looked like mud suddenly glowed red under the light; this gave me an electric shock-like revelation—couldn’t it be blood? If it was blood, what happened... The "I" covered in blood, holding a blood-stained champagne bottle, wobbled on the grass like a ghost.I stuck to the window glass and looked at "me" constantly, feeling like a dream. In terms of transfer sequence, the personality that enters "I" should belong to Alan.Just as I was thinking and staring in this way, the eyes of "I" and "I" met; the empty eyes of "I" seemed to return to normal in an instant. "……what?" "I" waved and shouted, as if he wanted to say something to me; but the distance was a little too far, and there was glass barrier, so I couldn't hear clearly. "What did you say?" I made a movement of erecting my ears to listen, but "I" suddenly ran, still holding the champagne bottle tightly. "I" seems to be going to the "management building".What happened?It's better to go out and meet it!So I left the window for a while. At this very moment— Suddenly, the frame of the field of view shook wildly, as if the camera was suddenly dropped when it was fixed on a tripod and looked through the viewfinder. In an instant, I fell to my knees on the floor of the living room; and when I realized that I was kneeling, I finally felt the scorching pain flashing through the back of my head. "Jacqueline" stares at me, holding an unopened can of spaghetti in her raised right hand. I was hit in the back of the head by that thing... This realization came a long time ago, and it was swirling in the skull together with the sharp pain. "Hold... stop!" "Jacqueline" struck again, and I tried my best to avoid the attack of the falling cans; I lost my balance and rolled awkwardly to the ground. "Hey!" "She" seemed to be furious, and directly threw the empty can at me; this time I couldn't dodge it, and my stomach hit me one after another. "You... what are you going to do?" "Jacqueline" picked up the folding chair I was sitting on just now, and slammed it on my forehead without words or hesitation. "bar……" I was about to speak when I was beaten and bit my tongue hard. "Bobby?" I clearly felt the skin on my forehead split open due to the impact, and the warm liquid slid down the bridge of my nose and down the corner of my mouth. I wiped away the blood subconsciously, and my fingers caught both blood and a certain rustling touch; it was the beard. "Haney"?I'm now in the body of "Haney"? "Bobby? Why..." In terms of transfer order, the personality entering "Jacqueline" should be Bobby.Why did Bobby do it all of a sudden?Shouldn't I enter the body of "Alan"?Confusion and confusion coincided, pushing me into a state of panic in one breath. No, wait a minute, think about it carefully, maybe the situation in front of you is reasonable in a sense.Only the bodies of "Haney" and "Jacqueline" were in the living room just now, but I was pushed out of "Jacqueline" and saw "Jacqueline" appear in front of me; then I naturally transferred to "Haney" up. But why?Why exactly?Why did I suddenly transfer to "Haney"?Why skip "Aran"—— "Bobby...is that you?" And the "Jacqueline" who is attacking me now—who is in "her" body?According to the sequence, the personality that entered "Jacqueline" after me should be Bobby, but he has no reason to act like a madman; in this way, maybe it is another personality that entered "her" now—— Such doubts finally swelled. "answer me!" The chair attack struck again, this time directly hitting my arm that was covering my head. "Haney" (=me) yelled desperately. "Are you Bobby? Are you not?" Wrong transfer order? This idea can't help but come to my mind.An anomalous situation occurred that greatly derailed Dr. Ecklow's explanation——that's the only way to think about it, isn't it? In fact, I jumped over "Alan" who was supposed to be transferred, and entered the body of "Haney"; since this is the case, the guy in "Jacqueline" is definitely not Bobby. "Who... who are you?" However, since Bobby has no reason to shoot at me, no one else has either. Who is "this guy" and what's going on? What happened?What happened?I was suddenly attacked by "Jacqueline" and the order of the cycle transfer was wrong again. I was already on the verge of collapse. I climbed on all fours and tried to escape, while "Jacqueline" mercilessly attacked my back and buttocks with the folding chair. "She" didn't say a word, and attacked again and again. "Stop, stop..." When the face hit the floor, the tooth was broken; the breath from the beating on the back of the tooth flew far away with blood trailing, and even I was startled. "Don't...don't fight!" "Stop!" A threatening voice sounded at the same time as my scream, resounding through the entire living room; it was the voice of "I". The voice sounded quite strange, completely different from what was usually heard in my ears, it was like listening to a tape recorder; but it was the voice of "I" to the letter. "Stop it! Who is it? Who are you? Who are you... er, who are you?" "Jia..." My whole body was pierced by severe pain, and I became confused again. "Jacqueline?" In the "I" is Jacqueline? how come?She was in "Haney" just now, so shouldn't she be transferred to "Bobby" now? However, the voice of "I" roared non-stop, but it was a half-perfect British accent. It is indeed Jacqueline, "I" becomes (= Jacqueline). Sure enough, something went wrong, and the order of the transfers has been messed up; although I am still confused, at least the hypothesis that was completely unconvincing just now has been proved, which makes me a little relieved-although it is a bit strange to say it-and relieved. "Are you Jacqueline?" "Jiang Lifu...?" "I" (= Jacqueline) also recognized my English immediately.The irony is that among the six of us, I am the only Japanese who speaks the most standard American English without accent, so she can easily recognize me. "It's you? But—" She coughed and frowned; probably "my" broken rib hurts!Touching her chest with her empty hands, she said again: "It's you? Jiang Lifu? But, why? What's going on? Why is it you in Hani's body...and, why did I run to you body? And—” She seems to have decided to discuss why the order of transfers was messed up after the fact, and pointed the blood-stained champagne bottle at "Jacqueline" in front of her. “你又是谁啊？利用我的宝贝身体在那里做什么？” 见二对一情势不利，“贾桂琳”手握折叠椅，满怀戒心地一步步往后退。 “难道说……那也是……” 判断对方并无停止攻击之意，“我”（＝贾桂琳）也举起香槟酒瓶为剑，放低身子。 “难道那也是你干的？把蓝迪——不，把'亚兰'的身体杀了的也是你？” "what!" “'亚兰'被杀了。” “我”（＝贾桂琳）点了点头，视线依旧盯牢“贾桂琳”。 “他倒在浴室里，满头是血，已经没呼吸了。八成是被用这个——”她轻轻地挥动手中的香槟酒瓶，上头的血滴落在地。“给打死的，是这个人下的手。” “怎……怎么回事？” 我强忍剧痛起身。一度以为理解的状况，如今又生了新的波纹；“哈尼”（＝我）拼命地整理混乱的脑袋。 倘若“我”（＝贾桂琳）所言为真，那么现在进入“贾桂琳”体内的人方才便是在“我”身上，且用“我”的身体杀了“亚兰”。 我突然察觉，这说不定是真的。假如“亚兰”的身体已死，就能解释我的人格为何没转移至“亚兰”身上，却跳过了他而进入“哈尼”的身体；因为我的人格略过了已死的“亚兰”这个“空位”。 这倒也罢，只是要释怀还早。假如现在进入“贾桂琳”体内的和之前在“我”身体里的是同一人格的话，这个人格当然是哈尼。 不过，这不合理；因为哈尼的人格进入“我”的身体后，接着应该转移至“蓝迪”身上才对；就算这是转移顺序出错所致，还有个决定性的矛盾之处——假如这家伙是哈尼，他现在袭击“哈尼”（＝我），便是伤害他自己的肉体。 不可能有这么荒唐的事。虽然我不知道贾桂琳的“哈尼为异常自恋狂说”究竟正确与否，但即使不是自恋狂，天底下也不会有人以这种欲杀之而后快的气势来伤害自己的身体。 可是……可是，假如不是哈尼，这家伙究竟是谁？ 若不是哈尼，是亚兰吗？但顺序完全不对啊！不，或许这正是正确答案。若是转移顺序早巳大乱，原本就不该依顺序来加以推论。 然而，我仍怀疑是否能单纯地以顺序大乱来加以解释。艾克洛博士从未提及这个可能性。当然，他不见得掌握了转栘现象的一切，即使掌握了，也不见得会全告诉我们：只是就心情上，总觉得要是顺序那么容易出错，至少也该有点相关说明吧！ 然而，若不是顺序出错，又无法解释眼前的状况；犹疑不定的我，只是一味地混乱。 还是“这家伙”根本就是巴比？埋没于迷惑与混乱的极致之中，我的思考又回到了原点。 假使现在进入“贾桂琳”的是巴比，而他是按照原来的顺序从“蓝迪”转移过来的（换句话说，贾桂琳那套“从'我'转移而来”的说法是错的），那么大致还说得通。 除了巴比如此暴走的理由外…… "who are you?" 以剑道而言，“我”（＝贾桂琳）摆出了青眼姿势，小心翼翼地竖着酒瓶，步步逼近“贾桂琳”。 “你倒是说话啊！为什么要下这种毒手？” “贾桂琳”并未答话，反而突然将手中的折叠椅丢向“我”（＝贾桂琳）。 "Danger!" 趁着“我”（＝贾桂琳）侧身闪躲之际，“贾桂琳”朝着交谊厅出入口飞奔而去；“她”打算逃到外头。 "Don't run!" “我”（＝贾桂琳）怒吼道，说时迟那时快——
待回过神来，我的手中已紧握着香槟酒瓶，咳了一声，胸口疼痛不已。this is…… “贾桂琳？” 除了回到自己熟悉身体的事实外，我什么也不明白，连忙反射性地如此叫道。 “这……这里，我在这儿！” 仔细一看，方才朝着出口疾奔的“贾桂琳”来了个紧急煞车，转过身来；那是与她自身声音最为相衬的英国腔…… “我在这儿，江利夫！” “化装舞会”再度发生了。 这倒还好……不，或许不好，但既已发生，也无可奈何，就当它好吧！but…… 不过，这一次我是转移到自己身上，而贾桂琳转移到自己的身体中；当然，我们可没闲工夫庆幸总算回到自己的身体。 为何我的人格会从“哈尼”突然转移至“我”？“哈尼”之后，应该转移到“巴比”身上才对啊！贾桂琳的人格也一样，在“我”之后，应该转移到“蓝迪”体内才是，但她却进入了自己的身体。 乱无章法，简直是一团混乱，让我甚至懒得一一整理。 果然有某些事物出了乱子。 这么一提……我突然惊觉不是感叹的时候，绷紧了神经。这时才想到，刚才“那家伙”转移到哪儿去了？ 正当我如此疑惑，并欲询问身旁的“哈尼”之际—— “小心，江利夫！” 贾桂琳呐喊时，“哈尼”已冲入我的怀中。 糟了……当我后悔自己的大意之时，已被压倒在地。 “哈尼”五指大开，压住我的手腕，欲抢走我手中的凶器——香槟酒瓶。 我一面拼死抵抗，以免被抢走，却又莫名悠哉地想着……刚才进入“贾桂琳”体内的“这家伙”，倒是照着顺序转栘到“哈尼”身上了。因为“亚兰”的身体已死，所以和我的人格一样，跨过空位转移至“哈尼”身上。 ……莫非转移顺序并未出错？在这种危急时刻，我的脑中却突然浮现了这个想法。不是系统出了乱子，而是发生了其他事态？ 不过，现在没那些闲工夫让我继续思考；“哈尼”和“我”（＝我）揪成一团，在地板上打滚。 我们立刻撞上了墙。 尚未痊愈的肋骨受到冲击，让我的喉咙迸出沸腾茶壶似的尖锐叫声。 趁着我力量放松之际，“哈尼”夺走了酒瓶。 “江利夫！” “哈尼”反转身体，将酒瓶隐藏至身后；接着，“他”以没拿着酒瓶的手用力推向飞奔前来的“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）的肩膀。 随着拉长的惨叫声，贾桂琳宛如朝着球瓶滚去的保龄球似地飞得老远，一头金灰色长发如特大号烟火般，呈放射状散开。 “贾桂琳……” 我无暇确认她是否安然无恙。“哈尼”立刻又转身面向着“我”（＝我）。 “他”那漆黑的双瞳睥睨着我，并面无表情地高举酒瓶—— 朝我的鼻尖挥落而下。 干钧一发之际，我避开了。 趁着我失去平衡，他的攻击再度横扫而来：“我”（＝我）利用倒地之势，钻进了对方怀里。 我给了“哈尼”的腹部一记头锤，酒瓶由他的手中飞出。 “我”（＝我）试图制服他，“哈尼”却毫不容情地由下往上一踹。 比起疼痛，那一瞬间窜过全身的爆发似冲击更教我喘不过气来；我只觉得眼冒金星，像乌龟般地四脚朝天。连我自己都佩服自己，竟然没因此昏厥。 “哈尼”骑到我身上，双手扼住我的颈子，毫不容情地出力勒紧。 "stop!" “贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）捡起滚落在地的香槟酒瓶，飞奔过来。就在这一瞬间——
我发现“自己”紧握酒瓶，金灰色长发披散于前臂上。So to say…… “化装舞会”再度发生，我又回到“贾桂琳”（＝我）状态。 So to say…… 呃，这么说来，这回是谁变成了谁？受限于“顺序大乱”这个先入为主的前提，我无法即刻判断，陷入混乱之中。 “贾桂琳？” “在这里，江利夫！” 骑在“我”身上的“哈尼”回答，不知是因方才断了牙齿，或是咬到舌头之时所受的伤，她的嘴角淌着血。 "I'm here!" 这么说来……我和贾桂琳又回到今早的转移状态，代表在场的三人已循环了一周——严格说来，我尚未掌握事态，却漠然地如此判断。事后证实这个想法是正确的，但此时我并非按逻辑判断，只是单纯的直觉。 换句话说……“贾桂琳”（＝我）遵从这个直觉，决定了下一个行动。现在被“哈尼”（＝贾桂琳）勒住脖子、朝天仰卧的“我”，体内便装着“那家伙”—— “贾桂琳，那就是'那家伙'！”我急忙警告她。“别放开他，也别大意！” “我知道，我不正这么——” “哈尼”（＝贾桂琳）的声音倏地急速下降并消失。 “贾桂琳？” “哈尼”（＝贾桂琳）以莫名缓慢的动作，松开了“我”的脖子；“我”并未对她做出任何反击，不知何故，她却自动松开了手。 “你……你在干嘛啊？” “我”当然不会放过这大好机会，粗鲁地推开“哈尼”（＝贾桂琳），站了起来。 “贾桂琳，你怎么了？” “哈尼”（＝贾桂琳）不知为何，眼神失去焦距，反过来被“我”勒住脖子却毫无抵抗之意，活像被施了催眠术似地任人摆布。 "what happened to you?" 我慌忙朝她奔去。 “贾桂琳，醒醒！” 虽说事态紧急，“贾桂琳”（＝我）毕竟无法狠下心来以酒瓶痛打自己的脑袋，便选择以肩膀冲撞；但我却忘了“贾桂琳”扭伤脚踝之事，踩步时过度用力，喉头间泄出了惨叫声。 “我”被撞飞，总算放开了“哈尼”（＝贾桂琳），却又立即拾起方才丢在地板上的折叠椅。 我原以为他会改变目标，攻击距离较近的“贾桂琳”（＝我），没想到他却锲而不舍地朝“哈尼”（＝贾桂琳）挥去。 折叠椅发出飒飒风声，掠过了“哈尼”（＝贾桂琳）的鼻尖，直接击中了靠海的窗户。钝重的金属冲击与紧接而来的硬质刮划声响起，同一时间，玻璃窗宛如蜘蛛网般地龟裂。 “我”再度举起折叠椅。这一瞬间——
“——啊，混帐！”感受到断齿及肛门那撕裂般的疼痛，“哈尼”（＝我）忍不住出声咒骂。 “又来了啊？他妈的！” 我又进入了“哈尼”体内。 这到底是今天的第几次“化装舞会”了？我已然记不清次数。 的确，博士是说过无法预测发生时机；但也不必如此频繁，又挑在这种复杂的状况下发生吧？我着实感到厌烦。 我已经无心思考哪个身体是谁的人格了，自暴自弃地叫道：“贾桂琳，你是哪一个？” "I'm here!" 高举折叠椅的“我”半是尖叫地回答。“我在这里啊，江利夫……哇！” “贾桂琳”——当然，里头的应该是“那家伙”——重新握紧酒瓶，袭击“我”（＝贾桂琳）。 “住手，住手，别过来！” “我”（＝贾桂琳）以折叠椅为盾，四处逃窜。 “别让我动手打'我'，太残酷了，我不要！住手，住手，叫你别过来嘛！” 毕竟对手是“自己”，怎么能拿折叠椅痛殴？尤其女星的脸蛋即是生命，要是亲手毁伤，那可真是欲哭无泪了。 话说回来，若是迟疑不决而被酒瓶击中，造成致命伤的话，她就得关在“我”的身体里跟着一起“灭亡”，这么一来，可就万事休矣。“我”（＝贾桂琳）皱成一团的脸孔，正切实地呈现了她的进退两难之情。 “混帐！” 事到如今，只有豁出去了。“哈尼”（＝我）扑向“贾桂琳”，然而从背后制住“她”前，“贾桂琳”已发现了我的动作而回过头来，宛如挥棒似地挥动酒瓶。 刹那间—— Clang!犹如真用球棒击球般的声音响彻了交谊厅。固定瓶栓的金属不知于何时间业已脱落，瓶栓渐渐松脱，又加上三人轮流挥动，瓶中的香槟早巳到达了界限，喷洒而出，塑胶制的瓶栓犹如子弹般发射出来。 这一瞬间——
碰巧的是，“化装舞会”再度发生了。 我在“我”的体内听见瓶栓发射的声音。 刚才还在“贾桂琳”身上的“那家伙”，为了攻击刚才在“哈尼”体内的我而横挥香槟酒瓶；以球棒类比的话，它的“握柄”部分正好朝着“哈尼”。 如子弹般飞出的瓶栓正中“哈尼”的颜面，只听“他”惨叫一声，就这么毫无抵抗地往后倒仰。而他的后方，正好是方才因折叠椅一击而龟裂的玻璃窗；“哈尼”的后脑就这么栽进了蜘蛛网中。 随着玻璃完全破裂之声，一道宛若诅咒他人魂魄般的凄厉叫声响彻四周；呈山脉形状残留于窗缘上的玻璃碎片，刺穿了“哈尼”的颈部。 他的嘴中喷出了血泡，胡子看起来犹如浸过红色油漆的刷毛。放下用来当盾牌的折叠椅后，我连忙靠近宛如溜滑梯般倚在窗缘上的“哈尼”。 “……他死了？” 背后传来了这道带着英国腔的轻喃。回头一看，“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）仍握着瓶栓脱落、瓶身已空的酒瓶。 我这才忆起今天是平安夜。真是破天荒的香槟“祝酒”啊……或许是解除紧张的反作用力而致，我兴起了这种带着黑色幽默的感叹。 “喂！”“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）心急地再度问道：“他死了？” “嗯。”“我”（＝我）探了探“哈尼”的脉搏，又轻轻地放下。 "already dead." “你是……江利夫吧？” "That's right." “那……这是谁？” "have no idea." “为什么？为什么这个人要攻击我们？为了什么目的？” "have no idea." “杀了'亚兰'的，一定也是他吧？” “不知道，我什么也不明白。” “不知道？有什么好不知道的？这不是一目了然吗？他就是这样把我们……” 她那近乎歇斯底里的尖锐声音，在顿了一拍后，总算回复平常状态。 "Are you OK?" “应该没事。你呢？” “身子到处发疼，不过应该没事。” “贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）似乎仍怀疑“我”是否真的是我，隔了一会儿才慢慢地靠过来；虽带着些踌躇，却仍稳稳地拥抱了“我”（＝我）。 "What exactly is going on?" "have no idea." “你可不可以偶尔说些不一样的台词？” “总之……幸好平安无事。” “我觉得……”她朝着我的肩膀吐了口安心的热气，又将脖子靠了上来。“还晕头转向的。” “我浑身是血。” "so what?" “你不在乎啊？贾桂琳。假如你的推测正确，这可是'亚兰'的血喔！” “你还真是冷静到了极点耶！” 贾桂琳讥讽地如此轻喃的瞬间——
“化装舞会”再度发生，我们互相对换。 “我”（＝贾桂琳）与“贾桂琳”（＝我）成了互拥“自己”的状态，连忙松开身子。 此时，我们仍未发现“化装舞会”发生在我们两人之间的重要性，只是因好不容易安定下来的气氛又被扰乱而手足无措。 “怎么搞的啊？拜托饶了我吧！” “我”（＝贾桂琳）心力交瘁地大肆抱怨：“竟然会这么频繁对换？频繁到眼花撩乱的地步？这和他们说的不一样啊！” “并没有不一样啊！艾克洛博士说得很清楚，转移何时发生，是完全无法预测的……” 不觉间，我打住了话头；有种感觉急速膨胀着，似乎自己疏忽了某个重要的环节。 艾克洛博士的确是如此形容“化装舞会”的频率——或许是一小时后，也可能半年内都维持现状。乍听之下，容易误以为下限是一小时而上限是半年，但这当然只是博士的比喻而已。事实上，于方才的一小时间，我们便亲身体验了数次“化装舞会”。 我似乎……忘了某个重大环节。这种感觉挥之不去，我直觉那是十分重要的事，却怎么也回想不起来。 自己是否漠然地认定“化装舞会”的周期下限是一小时而上限是半年？yes!我的确是如此漠然地误解了，作梦也没想到“化装舞会”会如此频频发生。而以这个误解为前提，我似乎又误会了另一个重大事项…… “以后这种情况也会持续下去？” 或许是因惊魂甫定，“贾桂琳”（＝我）以难得的柔弱语调——或该说是小孩求助的感觉，瘪着嘴说道：“一天里发生好几回，从一个身体又换到另一个身体，眼花撩乱——” “……天啊！” “贾桂琳”（＝我）呻吟道。虽然我仍未想起自己究竟误会了“化装舞会”的哪个环节，却突然想起了别的事，还是十分重大的事。 “难道说……” “到底又怎么了？还有什么问题啊？” “这么说来……果然不是转移顺序出错。” “咦？你在说什么啊？” “你没发现吗？贾桂琳。” "Find what?" “刚才，我和你两人之间发生了人格转移——对吧？” “很遗憾，似乎是的。不过，那又如何？” “这是为什么？为什么人格交换只发生在我们两人之间？本来应该依顺时针方向循环的啊！这不是很怪吗？” “不就是因为转移顺序出错吗？” "no." "what?" “不是转移顺序出了错。你回想艾克洛博士所说的话，跳过原来顺位、继续转移的异常事态，成立条件只有一个，对吧？换句话说……” “我”（＝贾桂琳）终于明白我的言下之意，脸色发青。 如同贾桂琳所言，“亚兰”死于“6”号“自囚牢”。 “亚兰”仰卧于浴缸旁。如她所言，似乎被以香槟酒瓶殴打头部，眉间及后脑下的地板铺着一层血糊。浴缸里蓄着水，水色微微地染成褐色，八成是被血所染的吧！ “亚兰”的上半身睡衣也染着同样颜色且潮湿，可见他应是被连续殴打之下倒进了浴缸之中。 死亡的不光是“亚兰”。 “1”号“自囚牢”中躺着“巴比”的尸首，地点仍是浴室，而他的尸身全裸，头部同样栽进蓄满了水的浴缸之中，水已变为浊黑色。尸体旁落着瓶栓未开却已然粉碎的穆斯黑德酒瓶，与瓶中的泡沫一起散乱一地。 而“蓝迪”则死于“3”号“自囚牢”，他的尸体横卧于床上，头部被殴，成了致命伤，睡衣及床单已形成血块。 “到底……”“我”（＝贾桂琳）以忍住呕吐的