First Encounter
I met Lisa to hear about my new Journey member.
But then I heard an unfamiliar title, one you wouldn't normally hear used for someone participating in the Journey.
"Professor"?
Yes. The Savior's name is registered as Professor M, but...
She asked to be addressed simply as Professor.
She isn't actually a professor... is she?
Well... Who can say?
But she did request that you visit her lab...
Her lab...
At least the name Professor seems fitting. Apparently, she really does conduct research.
I guess I'll find out more once I meet her in person.
The lab is located on the outskirts of NOA.
I've also prepared a simple map marking its location so you can find your way there, Captain.
Thanks, Lisa.
Is there anything else I should know?
Hmm... Nothing else in the information I received really stood out.
The Professor seems fairly well known in the area, but all I heard were good things. People described her as a rational and courteous intellectual.
That certainly sounds like an ideal professor...
There is just one thing I'm worried about...
The atmosphere in NOA has been rather unsettling lately.
Huh? The atmosphere?
Hmm... It seems you've noticed it too, Captain...
Of course, I doubt anything weird or dangerous will happen to you, but...
Still, the title of Journey Captain is bound to attract attention in NOA, so please be careful at all times.
*Sigh...* Hopefully I'm just worrying over nothing.
No, it never hurts to be careful.
I appreciate you looking out for me.
Though Lisa seemed unusually concerned, I figured there was no cause for concern.
Right now, getting to downtown NOA to meet the new Journey participant was far more important.
As such, I soon forgot all about the unsettling atmosphere I'd been warned about.
Turn left down that block...
Then take the alley on the right.
As promised, Lisa had drawn me a map showing the location of the lab.
It wasn't exactly a great drawing... but it was better than nothing.
Ah, you're looking for the Professor's lab! Just head down this alley.
Hm? You're asking how I know the Professor?
Well... A thief broke into my shop recently, and the Professor happened to pass by and help me.
She took one look at the footprints and things the thief had dropped and figured out what kind of person they were...
And thanks to that, the thief was caught without a hitch. Hahaha!
As I asked passersby for directions, I also asked them about the person known as the Professor.
Just as Lisa had said, the Professor seemed to have built quite a reputation in the area.
Their answers also had one thing in common.
Piecing together the clues at the scene...
To identify what kind of person was responsible...
She sounded just like a famous detective from a mystery novel.
It should be somewhere around here...
The alley was lined with nail salons, bakeries, and other businesses that looked nothing like a lab.
Both the map and the locals had pointed to this alley, but...
I couldn't find it anywhere and ended up wandering around aimlessly.
...Huh?
Just then, I spotted someone coming down a staircase and stepping outside.
Tall, with a cold expression and dressed in dark colors...
For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off her.
...Phew.
She threw out the garbage bags she'd been carrying in her hands and stared at them expressionlessly, before turning away.
Maybe it was because I'd been staring blankly at her, but...
As she turned, her eyes, half hidden beneath her hat and hair, met mine.
Fufu. I take it you have some business with me?
...You've been wandering around this area for a while now.
You even spoke to the merchant up ahead exactly twenty minutes ago.
Am I wrong?
Oh, well... I'm looking for someone.
Looking for someone, you say...
After a moment's thought, a faint smile crossed her face.
Then that makes two of us.
Captain.
Huh? Don't tell me...
Fufu. Apologies for the late introduction. I am Professor M.
As you've probably heard, it would be easier for both of us if you simply called me Professor.
Were you watching me?
That wasn't my intention. You simply... stood out.
I remember everyone I've seen around here, while you were comparatively unfamiliar.
Besides... You're quite famous in NOA, whether you realize it or not.
Your appearance is rather distinctive. Especially that black robe of yours.
I feel like I was just analyzed...
Fufu. Analyzed? I wouldn't go that far.
Our meeting was partly a coincidence, after all.
I happened to have some rubbish piling up in the lab.
I knew you were lost, but I didn't expect you to be this close.
About that lab of yours...
Where exactly is it?
Ah, of course. It has neither sign nor marker, so it's quite difficult to spot.
This works out nicely. Rather than talking out here, why don't we go inside and I make you some tea?
I followed her up the ordinary-looking stairs and found what was essentially an office.
The office was heavy with a musky scent, perhaps perfume, that made me slightly dizzy.
It's a tad cluttered, but please, come in.
Oh, right. The building is rather old, so I sprayed something to help mask the smell.
Eliminating an odor is no simple task.
It wasn't an unpleasant scent, and I thought it would be fine once I got used to it.
So, this is your lab?
Fufu. Closer to a private office, really.
I study everything from the basics of psychology—behavior, cognition, and personality—to criminology...
However, I do not receive research funding from anyone, nor am I under any obligation to produce results.
You're really serious about this...
Fufu. I'm glad you approve.
My sole intellectual desire is to analyze and understand humanity.
That's what drives my independent studies.
Analyzing and understanding humanity...
Something about those words bothered me in a way I couldn't quite explain, but the Professor moved on before I could ask about it.
There isn't much you'll find all that impressive, but feel free to look around while I prepare the tea.
And if you're curious about anything, just ask.
While the Professor prepared tea in the kitchen, I looked around as she'd suggested.
Just as she'd said, books from all sorts of academic fields were scattered across the tables.
But among them was...
Huh? This is...
Behavioral Psychology Through Criminal Cases.
A book easily more than five hundred pages long.
It described recent crimes and the psychology revealed throughout the crimes and subsequent investigations.
That's the book I was reading before you arrived, Captain.
I told you, didn't I? I also study criminology.
But setting my research aside, it's quite an entertaining read.
The behavior and psychology people reveal at their absolute lowest... can be rather striking.
...I-I see.
I don't really understand, but...
Don't worry. My work as a researcher aside, I've made my own preparations for the Journey.
Besides, I'm also looking forward to seeing how we'll spend the coming year together.
What made you join the Journey?
...Hmm. What made me join, you ask?
Fufu, right. I suppose I should just come out with it.
I recall telling you earlier that I was in the same situation as you, since you were looking for someone.
Yes, I meant exactly that.
I'm currently searching for someone.
Someone?
It has already been quite some time.
A certain someone disappeared without a trace. I knew her very well, but even I have no idea where she is, or if she's even alive.
She was the only person who could stand beside me, and the only one who could understand me.
She was also the only one capable of standing up to me.
That sounds like a complicated relationship.
Indeed. That's why I at least wanted to know what happened to that person.
I believe it was called the power of the Stellar Archive?
I thought that power might point me toward her unknown whereabouts.
...Assuming the reward for completing the Journey need not be used for the public good.
If you're going this far to find this person...
She must be important to you.
"Important"...? Fufu
Yes, of course. That person was very, very important to me.
In any case, that's why I don't intend to simply drift through this Journey.
So for the coming year, I hope I can count on your capable guidance, Captain.
...And that you won't let me stray in another direction.
The Professor offered me her hand.
Looking back, everything began after I took that hand.
The Journey wasn't the only thing that was beginning.