Chapter 2
"Verdict. The defendant, Kait Crouch, is sentenced to exile. The term of confinement is seven thousand days."
The murmurs behind him, a voice demanding silence like a shout. A man yelling it's unjust, and the sound of something being struck.
Listening to it all dispassionately, Kait absentmindedly accepted the verdict.
***
It's been a long time since the public's expectations of politics have focused solely on how it can indulge them. In essence, perhaps the modern era is one where people have lost interest in anyone but themselves.
Kait Crouch was raised to become the symbol of a political society.
He was extremely healthy, with balanced excellence in both mental and physical abilities. The ideology was that the most superior human should stand as a new 'Leader' to break the modern political system that instills resignation and peace.
One of those raised as a prototype for the 'Secret Society' holding such beliefs was Kait.
Even now, he doesn't know what criteria he was chosen by, but he was sold off at a young age for a considerable sum by his family and was raised with some care within the society.
After enduring countless tests, the boy selected as one of the two 'final candidates' was ultimately arrested by the authorities before he could stand as the 'Leader'.
"Well, I guess I should consider myself lucky it wasn't the death penalty."
From Kait's perspective, it felt like he'd just received a biased education at an overly intense cram school. He was secretly fed up with their almost religious political ideology and never really accepted it. Since he never clearly rejected it either, if going along with the flow is a crime, then he had no choice but to accept that.
While the verdict was being read, he actually felt relieved that he wouldn't have to play the role of a dictator he never wanted.
Seven thousand days means a little over nineteen years. He thought, tuning out the judge's words, that he'd rather not be thrown back into society just before turning forty. Might as well double the sentence while we're at it.
'I'm sorry, Crouch-kun. We've forced a young man like you to carry this burden alone.'
"Please don't worry about it. This is far better than being forced into a role I never wanted."
'It's strange. If we hadn't met under these circumstances, you might have been my successor... No, I should say no more.'
"Stay well, Your Excellency."
'In the private prison you're being sent to, I've arranged for you to live as comfortably as possible. Even as Supreme Commander, this is the limit of my authority. I hope you'll forgive me.'
"That's the best news I could hear. Thank you so much."
Strangely enough, Kait had grown close to the Supreme Commander, the current administration's highest authority, before and after the trial. The reason his standard of living didn't decline until the verdict was given and he was exiled to space was largely thanks to the Supreme Commander's efforts.
Meanwhile, the organization that raised Kait seemed unchanged, apparently already searching for and raising the next candidate for Leader. It seemed that any rescue operation for him was either never considered or quickly dismissed.
Hearing that directly from the Supreme Commander, Kait felt pity for those still being strung along. At the same time, he realized that his existence had been used as a social pressure release valve.
In that case, the freeloader who had only studied and trained his body had apparently been of some use to the world, and that made him feel a little proud.
***
Not long after the verdict, Kait was thrown into space along with his prison. This wasn't because he was special—every exile convict followed the same fate.
Thought Criminal 279502. That was the new name assigned to Kait Crouch.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Crouch. I am the Warden in charge of your life here. I will monitor both your mental and physical health in space and manage the life-support systems in this prison. I advise against attempting to destroy me, as it is considered inadvisable behavior."
A sphere about thirty centimeters in diameter.
Apparently, this was to be his partner in life from today onward.
In the end, he wasn't able to get his sentence doubled. Which meant being cast out into the world just before forty was now inevitable. What now?
"Once this greeting is concluded, Mr. Crouch will be referred to by his inmate number. Please understand this is standard protocol. Now then, Inmate 279502, let's make this time a fruitful one."
For most who received this sentence, those words would have felt like biting irony.
But for Kait, they didn't. He had been thoroughly exhausted on Earth. Compared to being caught up in people's schemes and arbitrary ideologies, solitary life in space was something he even welcomed. For now, he shifted his mindset to simply enjoy the solitary life ahead.
"Truly. I look forward to working with you, Warden."
"...Yes. Inmate 279502, do you have any questions?"
"Yeah. First, I'd like to know about the prohibitions in this place."
"There are several prohibitions. First, access to information from Earth is fundamentally forbidden. If you file a request, I can provide information after censorship, but understand that email exchanges and such are impossible."
"Got it. I probably won't file a request anyway, so don't worry about it."
"Is that so? Until now, one hundred percent of inmates have sought information from Earth. If you ever need it, please submit a request."
"Understood. Anything else?"
The Warden listed the prohibitions in a very businesslike manner. Hacking the prison, entering the control area, physically damaging the prison, and acts of self-harm or suicide were all forbidden.
When he asked if physically damaging the prison and suicide weren't essentially the same, the Warden explained the difference.
"Unfortunately, returning to Earth for medical treatment is also not permitted. I'm equipped with medical technology to handle various diseases, and I will procure medicine from Earth. Please understand that returning to Earth due to self-harm or suicide attempts is not possible."
"So, someone in the past tried to return to Earth by using treatment for self-harm as an excuse?"
"That is correct."
Apparently, there were rare cases where one could return to Earth before the sentence ended.
One example was an accidental incident, like a collision with an asteroid. Although the Warden would attempt to destroy or evade it, if the attempt failed or the scale was too large, temporary return to Earth would be permitted. That's probably why hacking was prohibited.
That said, if a collision happened, you'd probably be dead before you could return.
While he was lost in thought, the Warden's explanation ended.
"That concludes the overview for now. For the sake of inmates' mental stability, the provided tablet allows you to enjoy a selection of entertainment content. The range may be expanded for model prisoners, so please keep that in mind."
"Oh, that's nice."
"Based on your prior request, literature from the Common Era, from classics to recent works, has been pre-installed. For other publications, please submit a separate request—"
"Warden."
"—Yes? What is it?"
This too was probably arranged by the Supreme Commander. What first connected Kait and him was, above all, their shared taste.
With a sparkle in his eyes, he interrupted the Warden's words.
"I wonder if I can get my hands on unpublished works?"
"Unreleased titles? I can try searching, but there's no guarantee they'll be found. If you have any specific requests, please let me know."
"How about 'Shinobi Blade' by Professor Moai-Kokonoe?"
"...That work does not exist in the database. Would you like to submit a network search request?"
"Of course. Please do!"
Even before his capture, Kait had enjoyed searching for and reading text data from the depths of the network dating back to the Common Era.
The Supreme Commander preferred published classics, but perhaps because Kait was younger, he also liked more underground content.
Even among unpublished works, many literary gems were buried in the underground.
"Man, I won't be bored with this."
"I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself."
Though mechanical, the Warden's voice sounded slightly exasperated.
***
Unfortunately, the amount of text a person can read in a lifetime is limited. There isn't enough time to read all the great literature while alive, and devoting your life to just that is a luxury most people aren't afforded.
Kait viewed his prison life positively, believing he had earned the right to spend his limited life reading without interference.
"Alright, exercise complete. Warden, please check."
"Yes. No decline in motor or physical functions detected. I conclude that today's schedule is complete."
"Thanks. Now then..."
Finishing his daily exercise, he immediately turned his attention to the tablet.
Meals, exercise, sleep, and reading. Kait's prison life maintained this routine completely. According to the Warden, he was a model prisoner.
From his perspective, he was just doing what he liked in the way he liked, and that got him labeled a model prisoner. He'd actually be troubled if that led to a shortened sentence.
"By the way, Warden."
"What is it?"
"Does being a model prisoner shorten my sentence?"
"No. Exile convicts are not eligible for sentence reduction. It may be disappointing, but—"
"No, no, that's fine then. By the way, Warden, has permission been granted to view the underground works from the early 2000s that I applied for?"
"Yes. The data is scheduled to be transferred within three hundred hours."
"Alright!"
He clenched his fist, but the Warden didn't react. Maybe it was exasperated.
While waiting for the data to arrive, Kait passed the time by browsing the book information registered in the database.
***
Just under three years since being sentenced to exile.
Kait Crouch was thoroughly enjoying his prison life.
—Until this day.
"I have a report, Mr. Crouch."
"?"
Surprised internally at being addressed by name instead of number, he turned to face the Warden.
"It's rare for you not to use my number."
"As of today, Mr. Crouch's sentence has been nullified."
"...I'd like to hear more details."
Sentence nullification was no small matter.
He had already confirmed that exiled convicts weren't eligible for pardons. Even if they were, there's no way a sentence of over ten years would suddenly be lifted.
"Contact with Earth has been lost."
"That's news to me."
"Mr. Crouch never showed any interest in events on Earth."
"That's a bit harsh."
"Yes. Since we have confirmed that communication with all nations capable of transmission has been lost and that Earth's contaminated zones are rapidly expanding, we have concluded that human society has collapsed due to some cause."
The surreal explanation prompted Kait to approach the window that showed Earth.
"The orbital elevator is broken."
"Yes."
When was the last time he looked down at Earth? For some reason, he could see that the orbital elevator extending from the surface was broken. There should have been several more beyond his field of vision, but judging from this, they were likely not intact either.
I see. Humanity's history has come to an end—Kait quietly came to terms with it.
"Based on the above reasons, we have determined that Mr. Crouch's exile sentence has been fulfilled. Warden 8979's authority as the superior in this prison is hereby terminated, and Mr. Crouch is recognized as the new superior."
The Warden's bureaucratic words echoed hollowly in the prison that housed only Kait.
***
The sentence had ended. Unwilling as it was, that was the only truth.