Became a Failed Experimental Subject Novel - Chapter 3

Even the possibility of receiving discarded food made the park the best place among the trash cans.  Even here, for some reason, other homeless people rarely came. However, for some reason, the parents’ stares grew colder each time I visited the park.  Because I was searching through the trash cans so often, eventually the police came.

“Uh, uh…? I…before.”

“Hmm.”

The police officer who had come to chase me away was the one I had borrowed money from a while ago.  Seeing me searching through the trash cans, the police officer was startled and placed a hand on the gun at his waist. However, remembering that the gun wouldn’t work, he lowered his hand.

“What…are you doing here…?”

“Eating.”

“Uh…yes…uh, there have been complaints from people around here…that you keep coming here and they want you to be chased away.”

“Who said that?”

“No, it’s not that someone said it, it’s that people, people are uncomfortable.”

“I can’t give up this place. The food people throw away here is the best.”

My reply caused the police officer to show a somewhat subtle expression. A bewildered expression, a chaotic smell…within the monster’s senses, a part of his thoughts is read.

“I don’t intend to harm people.”

Reading the police officer’s worries, I said, and he gave off a scent of relief.

“Uh…hmm…I guess you’re not a villain…well, did you maybe awaken superpowers and injure your head due to unfortunate circumstances…?”

“I’m fine.”

“If you’re fine, why don’t you get a job…you’re quite strong if even a gun doesn’t work on you, aren’t you? Get a thorough examination and become an Esper!”

I knew about the thorough examination before becoming an Esper. I knew that they thoroughly investigated awakened superpowers and conducted very detailed physical examinations for research purposes. If I received such an examination, even though I had lived in a lab, no, because I had lived there, I knew very well what would happen afterwards. They would immediately gather S-Class Espers from all cities, capture me, and put me on the operating table.

“No.”

“You’re a really unusual person…what should I call this? A homeless super Esper?”

“What’s homeless?”

“It means someone without a home…but, where did you get those pants? They look like firefighter pants from a long time ago? And what’s with the bracelet? You didn’t steal it, did you?”

I sensed a slight attempt to get this from me and find the owner. I glared at the police officer, releasing a weak killing intent that didn’t even require activating my core.

“I didn’t steal it. It’s mine.”

“Ugh…ah, I see, ah, shoot, you’re really a superpowered person…”

Shaking his head, the police officer sat down on the bench next to me, sighed, and reached into his pocket.

“Uh, if you’re searching through the trash cans because you’re hungry…here, take this and go buy something to eat.”

“Are you lending me money again?”

“Do you intend to pay me back?”

“Hmm…”

Thinking about it, I realized that I had no way to repay the money since I couldn’t earn any. As I hesitated to receive the money, realizing this reality, the police officer suddenly put the money in my hand.  Reflexively, I was about to grab it, but I stopped, thinking that even a slight touch might turn the policeman’s hand into minced meat. The money fell to the ground.

“Oops! What are you doing! You have to take it!”

“I can’t pay it back.”

“I’m just giving it to you, so take it, go buy something to eat, and stop searching through the trash cans.”

“Give it back.”

“Wa-wait! Promise! Take this, and you’re not going to search through trash cans here anymore!”

“Hmm.”

Taking the money with both hands again, I held the bills with my thumb and walked to the store the police officer had pointed to. The hot dog was delicious. However, it wasn’t enough to fill my stomach. That’s why I couldn’t stop searching through the trash cans.

***

“Haah…”

“Hmm.”

A while later, while I was searching through the park’s trash cans, I encountered the police officer again. The police officer looked down at me, sitting on the ground to avoid breaking the bench, with a jaded expression.

“Uh…didn’t you promise not to come?”

“I didn’t search through the trash that day, I went somewhere else.”

“Ah, you just didn’t come that one day…I see…”

“If you’re giving me money again today, hand it over.”

“…Just in case I’m asking, will you stop rummaging through the trash today if I give you something?”

“Hmm.”

“Then, I’ll give you a little more money, so could you please not come here anymore?”

“That’s impossible. This is the best place.”

“There’s no point, really…Look, I haven’t had lunch yet either.”

A moment later, the police officer returned from the store with two hot dogs.

I tore open the wrapper and ate the hot dogs in two bites, then went back to rummaging through the trash.

“You ate a hot dog? Why are you still digging?”

“Because you gave me a hot dog, not money.”

“Just like my cat who scratches the walls even if I buy him a scratching post…”

I stopped and looked at the police officer, who was muttering incredulously.

“A couple of hot dogs aren’t enough to fill me up.”

“Right, with that size…ugh, this is awkward.”

I’m rummaging through the trash because I’m hungry, and since I’m still hungry, I have no choice but to rummage through the trash.

The police officer, agreeing with this obvious logic, continued the conversation while eating his hot dog slowly.

“Listen…I need to somehow get you to leave this place. How can I get you to stop coming to the park?”

“There’s water and food here.”

“Yes, that’s why there are a lot of complaints…Children who come to play in the park keep seeing a homeless person drinking water from where they wash their hands and eating food from the trash cans.”

“I haven’t caused any harm.”

“Right, yes…you wouldn’t cause direct harm…you’re the kind of person who would just walk away even after taking a bullet…but the people who live around here get really worked up just by the presence of a homeless person nearby…especially in this day and age.”

“No one’s had a seizure.”

“Did you not receive mandatory education?”

“What’s mandatory education?”

“Hmm…”

A look of confusion appeared on the police officer’s face.

“What? Did you grow up homeless and suddenly awaken superpowers? Then there might be cases that are not registered…Don’t you have parents?”

“They’re dead.”

“That’s common these days, ah, I don’t have parents either. So that wasn’t an insult.”

“I see. We both don’t have parents.”

“That’s kind of a strange thing to say…”

There’s nothing strange about being parentless. I rummaged deep into the trash can and found a sealed liquor bottle.

Since this body is immune to poison, I wouldn’t get drunk, but I was curious about the taste of alcohol.

I carefully lifted the bottle and accidentally broke the neck while trying to open it.

Anyway, I can still drink the contents, so it doesn’t matter.

The taste of the alcohol…was terrible.

“It’s tasteless.”

“Whoa…no…why are you opening the bottle like that? Don’t you know how to open a bottle cap?”

“The bottle was too weak.”

“Wow, I’ve never heard of that before…Is this a superpower? How the hell am I supposed to drive you off…?”

“Are you chasing away other homeless people too?”

“Yes, if I don’t, I keep getting complaints.”

So that’s why, even though there’s such a good trash can here, there were no homeless people in the park.

If the police chased them away, they would have no choice but to run away.

But I’m not an ordinary homeless person.

Human homeless people might lose, but a monster homeless doesn’t lose to the police.

“Give up.”

“What if I can’t? If it comes to it, I’ll just go crazy and attack you?”

“You can attack me, but I’ll ignore you.”

“Wow, this is driving me crazy…a homeless person that bullets don’t affect, it’s like a bear…and he’s as big as a bear.”

“What’s a bear?”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m kidding. I know what a bear is.”

“Um, uh, where are you going?”

Since there was nothing more to eat in the trash can, I went to wash my hands.

Then, the children playing in the playground rushed over and interfered with my handwashing.

“Homeless person! Homeless person!”

“It’s a homeless man!”

“Hmm, move.”

These dirt-covered kids are regulars at the park playground.

At first, they didn’t come close, but as they got a little closer, I just stayed still in case I would crush them if I brushed against them, so now they’re jumping on me.

As I stopped washing my hands, the police officer urgently ran over and pushed the children away.

“Kids! Kids! Go back, get outta here~”

“Cop!”

“Wow! A homeless person and a cop!”

“No, where did you learn that kind of language.”

Thanks to that, I was able to wash quickly today.

Very carefully, carefully… I turned on the tap as if I were gently moving a single strand of hair with my fingertips.

First, I washed my hands, and then I cleaned my body with my bare hands.

While I was at it, I washed my hair and even my feet, when a police officer watching from the side sighed.

“This is why we get so many complaints! Do you think this is a shower room?! Why are you washing here!”

“The water runs.”

“The water runs! Of course! Ugh! You’re a beggar, but why is your body so good? It’s annoying!”

“Back off.”

I shook my long hair, which I had thoroughly rinsed with water, letting it hang down to the floor.

Then, the water droplets splashed around me.

“Ugh! Wet dog smell!”

“Ahahahaha! Like a dog!”

“Like a dog! A beggar dog!”

I dried my hair just by shaking it a few times.  Finally, I rinsed my mouth and gulped down some water.

From afar, women who seemed to be mothers were quietly watching me.

“Oh my, oh my…look at that body, really…if it weren’t for that, I would have filed a complaint too…”

“Wow…really, a bit…wild, isn’t it?”

“These days, it’s not uncommon for families to lose everything in a day…since he comes often, but doesn’t do anything bad to the kids, I think it’s okay if he comes sometimes…”

“Still, it’s a bit unsettling to have a beggar in this apartment complex? It would be better if he went to the park next door…I sometimes pass by there.”

I pointed to the women in the distance to the police officer, having heard their whispers.

“Those people think it’s okay for me to come here sometimes.”

“You can hear what they’re saying from that distance?”

“I can hear them clearly.”

“Uh…those people probably think it’s okay for you to be here because they brought their children out, and I saw earlier that you weren’t even trying to touch the kids…but other people are uncomfortable, so you shouldn’t come.”

“People who are uncomfortable can just not come.”

“There’s no reasoning with this beggar. Ah…really, it’s driving me crazy…am I crazy? Why am I trying to chase away a person with superpowers? I’m just a regular police officer.”

“Are you crazy?”

“A little crazy, right? Don’t you know? Unlike Esperes who are semi-obligated to protect people, the police are a profession that only crazy people apply for.”

Suddenly, I recalled a conversation between my parents from my childhood.

Being a firefighter is crazy, but it’s necessary work.

If a crazy person doesn’t do it, no one will.

And my father always looked tired.

Even when I was little, I wished my father could rest even a little.

“Police officers are necessary…um…they’re always tired…”

“Huh…I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“Okay, let’s do this. If you see me rummaging through trash cans, I stop doing that.”

“Excuse me, isn’t that saying I have to come here every time?”

“Hot dogs are delicious.”

“Trying to extort a police officer?”

“What’s extortion?”

I really didn’t know, so I asked, and the police officer sighed.

Then, as if he had given up, he threw away the empty hot dog wrapper and said,

“Hot dogs aren’t that expensive, I can buy you one…”

“Two.”

“Yes, two…can I expense this?”

From that day on, I was able to eat two hot dogs every day.

Then, the police officer, seeing me come every day, said in disbelief,

“Excuse me, why do you come every day?”

“Because of the hot dogs.”

I didn’t usually go to this park every day, but if there were hot dogs, I could come every day.

“Are you a thug?”

“What’s a thug?”

“…No, just eat them deliciously.”

Actually, I do know what a thug is.