HOPE: 09/16/2030, 18:04  And it is thus that we come to the right decision for this. As some of you already worked out, we have to set everybody to maximum for the correct answer that lets us continue on.  (Does somebody have to die...!?)It was almost time to make their decision. The time to decide who to cast away was imminent...!  ♪ BGM: Ominous Ambience ♫ (... Who do we cast away...? I can't decide that...!)--He couldn't come to a quick decision. (... I've seen everybody's memories. I've had a glimpse of everyone's lives. I've come to know the emotions they've had...!)He recalled the words he had heard in everyone's memories.           Everyone had their own convictions. Natsuhiko had learned that by seeing the particulars of their memories. ...And that's why he couldn't choose. Even though he may have been able to cast someone away had he known nothing-- (... But... In that case, I want to keep searching to the very end. For a route where nobody has to be cast away!) To stand up against despair. I won't let anyone else die... All nine of us will survive together!! ♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 3 ♫  All of us survive... together? Yes.For six to survive, three had to stay behind-- That was a premise that Natsuhiko did not want to accept. Sacrificing some to save others...? I'm sick and tired of that notion! What!? Watase, you see... I've been living nine years of peace thanks to Yuuri sacrificing her life. I've been allowed to live nine years in an illusion thanks to Mashiro's dedication. I'm truly grateful for those two, but-- Are you telling me to just accept that some people will have to be sacrificed!? ...!Natsuhiko spoke to the others as well. Everyone else here is the same as me... We've all had our lives saved by someone else's sacrifice. We've all lost something precious because of someone else's sacrifice. How many times must we repeat that cycle?Everyone's faces froze at those words. Every individual in the room had lost something in that same way. However-- Easier said than done! Do you have any way to actually pull that off!? No, I don't! But I'm saying we shouldn't just give up and accept that 'some people will have to be sacrificed'! 'Sacrificing yourself' is the same drat thing! Don't give up on life! Remember what Wataru said? Fight on until the very end! If you wanna give up, then you can do that later, right!? ... It's the instinct of the human individual to try and survive regardless of the situation, right? Then isn't it the logic of the human community to try and survive together, without sacrificing anyone!? Everyone here wants to live! So isn't it only obvious for us to try and survive as a whole!?Even if it were an idealistic thought detached from reality... Even if it were nothing more than an impossible delusion... That was what Natsuhiko desired.  He remembered all of the unsightly sides of humans he had seen today.      --And every one of them had held dangerous weapons. Every one of them was frightening. And once again, everybody--     --had become unable to fully trust one another.  Humans are filled with malice. Humans are bringers of despair. That's what he had once thought.  He had seen many beautiful, precious sides to them too.            We all strove hard to get to this point! We never gave up, did we!? If any of us gave up that easily, we would've died long ago! We're the ones who never gave up!Everyone fell silent at Natsuhiko's words. Deep silence filled the control room. Eventually the silence was torn apart-- by Yuuri's voice.  L... let's think, everyone! There has to be a way waiting for us somewhere... No, even if there isn't! We mustn't give up on thinking until the very end of our time limit! That's how we've gotten this far, isn't it!? We survived even when our path was filled with poisonous gas, even when fire chased us from behind, even in the most dire of situations, didn't we!? When Captain Kasasagi and I were trapped under the rubble, you didn't abandon us, did you!? I don't want to die! But I don't want to sacrifice anyone else, either!! Those are my true feelings!!That was perhaps the first time Natsuhiko had heard Yuuri shout so seriously. She had always smiled quietly. She had always cowered in fear. She had always been thinking of others-- It was the one and only time she acted selfish. Her will resounded in everyone's hearts. Her best friend smiled in relief.  Yeah... You're right, Yuuri. I think so too! I also agree...! Well, that sounds like the more rescue squad-like option to me! But in all honesty, what do we do? Make a full-power sprint in the thirty second span that the bulkheads remain open? That's impossible! Some of us are injured, you know!? The only emergency stairs that go to the surface are in Area 2! We can't make it in time even if we run from here!Time passed even as they held this discussion. A look at the watch revealed the time was ''6:07 PM''-- 10 minutes until detonation. (Think! Is there no other way!?)He recalled everything they had seen and heard. Natsuhiko's memories. Watase's memories. Yuuri's, Mashiro's, Salyu's, Kazami's, Jun's, Ena's, Ukita's memories-- Nothing came to mind. The time was ''6:08 PM''-- 9 minutes. (C'mon, don't give up! Think! There's just gotta be a way!)He recalled everything that happened today.     (We'll find an escape route!)The very moment that thought crossed Natsuhiko's mind, as if to support his will--  Huh...?♪ BGM: Extra-Sensory Perception ♫ Everyone's eyes widened. They all stared at Watase. C-Captain... d-did you just say something? And with telepathy...?That was indeed Watase's voice. But it somehow didn't seem to come from his voicebox. Watase! Don't tell me you awoke to BC too!? N-no! It wasn't me! I don't have any aptitude, and I wasn't even trying to use it! I mean, it even echoed in my head, too! It couldn't have been my telepathy, could it!? Th-then what in the world was that--An illusion!? An auditory hallucination!? As soon as those question's passed Natsuhiko's mind, the voice echoed once more.  It wasn't an illusion, nor an auditory hallucination. Everyone certainly heard that voice. A ''something'' that was neither Watase's voice nor his telepathy. {If that's just a dummy, then we can escape through there...!}As the voice continued, Natsuhiko remembered. (It's from back then! That's what Watase said three hours ago when he tried to escape through the drainage pipe!)Watase seemed to make the same realization, for he murmured dumbfoundedly. Wh-what... What's going on!? Why am I just now hearing what I said in the past!? Could residual information energy have returned again!? But Captain Kasasagi wasn't using BC back then! That phenomenon shouldn't even apply! No--!True. Watase wasn't using BC back then. But Natsuhiko was. He had been continuously using Senses Sympathy on Watase. (Our brains were connected via BC particles... Everything Watase experienced had propagated back to me. So in other words, that means--!)The trace information energy emitted from Watase's mind drifted through the space between him and Natsuhiko. And due to the particle amplifier, the energy was amplified and lingered there without dissipating-- (It's only coming back now!?)The moment he made that realization,   sights of the past flickered before his eyes.  {Then that means we have three problems that we have to solve first-- #1: How do we open a hole in the pipe?} {Why was there a bomb planted inside a fire extinguisher!?}  {We've got a respirator set up and a transfusion kit if we ever need it, but nothing we can use right now.} {So... should we wait for the water to cool down after we stop it from running?} {That'd be the best way, but it'd probably take too much time...} {All of LABO will be flooded. Please be careful.} --and then disappeared.  They exchanged glances. There was something clearly strange about that phenomenon. Th-that... That didn't seem like a simple return of lingering information energy...Naturally, it wasn't a simple reminiscence. It was fragmentary sights and words. But that collection of fragments seemed to hold some sort of meaning. Wait, could that stream of information just now... contain a way to escape!? Think, guys! Try to find meaning in what happened just now!♪ BGM: The Truth is Revealed ♫ The nine of them pondered. What was the meaning hidden within those flickering sights? The first thing we heard was 'the pipes', right!? Then should we really try to escape through there after all!? But we failed when we tried three hours ago, didn't we!? Then what should we do!? How to open a hole, a way to breathe, hot water, intake pipe... There's a way to escape hidden in this information... And that way is...!?It was just a mess of ambiguous, fragmentary information.  There was an answer. Aah...!Natsuhiko abruptly gasped. And at the same time, everyone's eyes widened.  It seemed everyone reached the answer at the same time. ...I see... So that's the way!They found the one, final route remaining-- A route where everyone's survival was possible. (That's it...! That's it, that's it, that's it! That has to be it!!)His heartbeat sped up. His temples went numb. The hope they finally found at the last moment-- They exchanged glances and shouted it. --Okay, everyone! This is the plan! First, we hack into Brain Cell and get six of us out of here! Yes! Then the three left behind will escape from the 'designated location'! Roger! Understood! All right!--Everyone understood, without anyone having to say the particulars. At that moment, nine minds became one in perfect unison. But that still means three people have to stay behind! Who'd be the best to stay behind!?Natsuhiko, Yuuri, and Watase all answered at the same time. We'll stay behind! Security Sector 6 have their eye on me and Hikorin! It'd actually be more dangerous for us to try and escape now! Yeah! After you six escape, I'll take responsibility for Natsuhiko and Yuuri and get them out of here safely!The six nodded to the three's proposal. Then once the bulkheads open, we'll evacuate to a safe place! If we board a rescue chopper, we can escape the security department's clutches altogether! Then after we escape, we'll go pick you three up! Let's reunite outside! Then once all nine of us are back together, let's migrate to the ESP Bureau headquarters! They can't pursue us there!The plan fell into place all at once. Mashiro and Salyu looked at Natsuhiko and Yuuri and spoke. I'm worried, but... this is the only way, isn't it? It's tough even with that in mind... It's okay, it's okay. Mashiron, Salyu... We'll meet again outside for sure. ...Promise?And then Kazami and the others spoke to Watase. Captain, take care of those two for me. Hang in there, Captain. I know you can do it. I won't forgive you if you die or allow either of the other two to die, okay? I might not be in any position to say this, but... I'm counting on you, Captain Kasasagi. Yeah, I know... That's my duty, after all.There was no need for any other words. This was not a final farewell. Everyone believed they'd live to see each other again. There's no more time... Let's begin, everyone! In one minute, we'll hack into Brain Cell and open up the bulkheads! So please wait by the bulkheads and escape as soon as they open, okay!? And with those words, everyone raised their voices in unison.
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| ← # ? May 31, 2017 17:00 |
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