SECURITY DEPARTMENT'S PURSUIT: 09/15/2030, 09:00 ♪ BGM: Looming Crisis ♫ Natsuhiko frantically ran, urging the girls to do so as well.  Let's escape to somewhere devoid of people for now. It'll be too hard to tell who's with the security department in a crowd.In accordance with Salyu's suggestion, they ran away from the urban areas. The situation was different from their escape last night. They had taken advantage of the cover of the dark, but this time it was a challenge purely of stamina and agility. Salyu seemed like she had more than enough stamina, but--  Haah, haah...!Mashiro's rough breathing was loud and clear. Her stamina could give out at any moment. Natsuhiko took Mashiro by the hand, and right when they thought they had finally shaken off the men,  (!)a car appeared in their path. Rokumei City's emblem was painted on the side. The security department again!? This way, you two!Natsuhiko detoured into a side street. They continued into a narrow, unpaved road that seemed inaccessible to cars. Crap, they'll overtake us at this rate! Is there nowhere we can hide? I-I don't know!Mashiro cried bitterly. Her voice sounded so pained. Mashiro was by no means fast on her feet and her physical strength was subpar at best. (Dammit, at this rate, Mashiro's gonna--)The security department's presence was gone for now, but by no means did that mean they could stop. They ran at random through narrow streets so as to make themselves harder to track. Haah, haah, haah.... W-wait, I can't go on...!Mashiro finally threw in the towel. But that very moment, beyond the grass lining the side of the road, they saw an old, abandoned building. !! That's it! Let's hide in there! Huh? Ah, yeah!The kids stumbled into the building.  ♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫ Despite its considerable size, there was no sign of anybody inside. The kids took deep breaths. Haah, haah, haah, haah... *wheeze*... *wheeze*... ... Whew. Haah... th-think we can escape their pursuit here for a bit...? Quite possibly. I checked when we got here, but there were no surveillance cameras near the entrance. Th-thank goodness... That was honestly a close one...Mashiro spoke as she caught her breath. She seemed to have finally recovered. She took a look around and suddenly opened her eyes as if she had noticed something. ...Huh, isn't this place... Hmm, something up? Well, this is our 'secret base' isn't it? Huh? ...Ah, you're right.Now that she mentioned it, it was. It was the abandoned factory that Natsuhiko and the other children played in. Their so—called 'secret base'. Man... this place hasn't changed a bit. Well, it's so big that even just demolishing it would be expensive, after all. ...This is perfect. Since this base is familiar territory to us and all, let's rest here for a bit. A blue branch with Mashiro at 8. They wiped off their sweat and leaned against the wall. Salyu looked a little tired too as she whispered. The security department is making it hard to move around. Yeah... we've made a nuisance of an enemy, haven't we? The very townspeople we swore to protect have become our enemies... Quite ironic.Tips posted:TIP: BeyoBEYO/Episode 5 Commentary They had always known the security department to be a reliable organization, but now they were painfully aware of just how diligent they were. (Mom could've just stopped those security department freaks for us...)That thought reminded Natsuhiko of something. He remembered that strange voice he heard back when he saw his mother. Oh... right. Guys, please listen. Huh? What's up? Actually, when I was talking to Mom... I heard her mental voice for some reason. Her mental voice? You mean-- E-Empathy!? I don't know, but... probably...Mashiro's eyes widened at those words. Wait, you're serious, Natsuhiko!? Isn't that a little too quick!? You only started using telepathy just recently, didn't you!? Well, it was for just a second, but I'm sure I heard it. T-try it out on me for a sec! My heart's totally open right now, so try to listen to my mental voice! I'm quite interested too. Please try it out. Y-yeah, sure.Natsuhiko put a finger to his brow, a trick used for empathy. He shut his eyes and tried listening to the girls' mental voices. (Please tell me what you guys are thinking...!)But for some reason, he couldn't concentrate too well. Compared to telepathy, which only required focusing on a simple message, empathy seemed like it'd be several times more difficult to him. H-how about it, Natsuhiko!? Did you hear my mental voice? ...No, it's not working. Looks like it's the same as with telepathy: seems I can only use it when I'm truly focusing. I-I see... Were you focusing intensely when you were talking with the professor? ...Yeah, I guess. I mean, she did cry all of a sudden, so, yeah... What was on the professor's mind? ...Well, it wasn't anything special. She was mad, and sad, and stuff.Natsuhiko awkwardly tried to gloss over the details. He recalled his mother's mental voice. --''I knew it. He hates me...'' ''But until all the work is complete, it'd be best if I avoided him...''-- (Mom was thinking things like that...?)They were quite unexpected thoughts. Though that was assuming what Natsuhiko heard was actual empathy and not just an auditory hallucination. ...Right. Maybe it was just an auditory hallucination. Huh? You're right, Mashiro. There's no way I could start using empathy so quickly. Maybe I was just hearing things. I didn't even identify Mom's characteristic brain waveform, after all. M-maybe... That's okay, though.Mashiro appeared to be preoccupied with other things. (... I guess this isn't the time to be talking about this.)As soon as they started the search, they were nearly detained by the security department. And despite being the first to nearly throw in the towel, Mashiro was probably doing her best to endure. Natsuhiko thought he'd try to casually break the tension with some optimistic conversation. ♪ BGM: Quiet Days of Rokumei City ♫ ...But still, you know, Mashiro. This place sure brings back memories, huh? Huh... What do you mean? I'm talking about the past. This is where we all used to gather as kids, after all. Ah, yeah. You're right, this place does bring me back...Mashiro looked around the ruined factory with distant eyes. Eyes that were perhaps seeing images of the past. More talk about your shared past? Ah, sorry. Is it boring you? Not at all. I want to hear more. Well, it's not that big a deal, but...With that introduction, Natsuhiko began to tell a story. --In those days, we'd gather here a lot and get excited over trying to solve the 'Seven Wonders of Rokumei City'. Seven Wonders? They're these seven urban myths this town has. Like what? Well, let's see... Hmm, what were they, again?Natsuhiko thought hard to remember them. Let's see... Number 1 : 'LABO doesn't conduct nuclear power research. They research arms production and other dangerous, national matters.' Huh... no way! The professor does that sort of research!? Ah, no, no. That's just a baseless rumor. Nothing more. ...That's a relief. But you see, when we were kids, we actually believed in this nonsense.Natsuhiko continued with a wry smile. Number 2: 'The burned ruins of the old Rokumei City Hospital are haunted by the ghost of someone who died in the fire.' ...There's no such thing as ghosts. Number 3: 'The surveillance cameras in town aren't meant to prevent crime, but to observe ordinary citizens.' ...It would be hard to call that absurd based on what happened today. Number 4: 'There exists a righteous organization that fights evil Communicators who misuse BC. They're commonly referred to as the BC Police. Their true identity is shrouded in mystery, but they're headquartered in Rokumei City.' ...Is that real life or just something from an anime? Well, you know, now that I think about it, the whole thing was more like a joke. What were the other things? Right, we haven't gotten to the best ones yet.Mashiro grinned broadly as she spoke to Salyu. Number 5: 'If a Communicator uses BC without knowing the proper way, they will eventually turn into a mind-broken monster.' Yeah, that's the one!That fifth wonder was one step beyond the others in terms of eeriness. Salyu's expression clouded over upon hearing it too. ...Monster? What do you mean they'll become a monster? Actually... this is still a firmly rooted rumor, but... Remember how it's been said that BC still has many unknown factors? Yeah. Well, it's only to be expected, you know? After all, we still don't even understand the workings of the brain that well. So if you self-study BC and practice using a failed methodology... It could put an odd load onto your brain, and if that accumulates... They say that eventually, your mind will break...! ...Salyu's face clearly stiffened. Mashiro continued in an even more exaggerated tone. And as for the mind-broken Communicators... They become 'monsters' who use aberrant BC abilities and cursed telepathy to scatter madness among people all around them... So to prevent the birth of such monsters, the government established Communicator-exclusive schools like Rokumei Academy...! --!!Salyu jolted back in fear. Despite her lack of fear for ghosts, it seemed she could still be scared by such stories with questionable realism. Well, it might not necessarily be false. I'm not so sure about that monster-prevention part, but our school does make brainwave scans and aptitude tests part of the students' yearly physical examinations. Th-then if one of those monsters had ever arisen, there would have to be records of it. Any such records? None. Nobody's seen any. See? Just a baseless rumor then-- No, you should hold your conclusions until after you hear the next one. Huh...?As Salyu tilted her head, Natsuhiko thrust his finger at her and spoke up. Number 6: 'Monsterified people are captured by a secret task force working under the Rokumei City Security Department and are imprisoned underground beneath the municipal office.' In short, the security department hides all of the monsters away from the public eye, and that's why you never hear of any. ...No...Salyu's face was already pale, her voice powerless. Natsuhiko just kept it coming. And Wonder Number 7...But before he could finish, he forgot what it was. ...Huh? Mashiro, what was Number 7? Ah, that one was like a supplement to Number 5. Basically-- N-no more! Six is enough!A flustered Salyu spoke up. She apparently wasn't good with this sort of talk after all. Oh? Salyu, you a scaredy cat~? Sh-shut up, Mashiro. Now, now, there's nothing wrong with you acting your age for once. It's cute. Shut up, Natsuhiko. I suggest you quit.Salyu lightly slapped Natsuhiko and Mashiro on the cheeks. Ow, ow, sorry, sorry, Salyu! I'm sorry I scared you so much! It was a joke! A joke! Yeah, they're just rumors, after all! A yellow branch with Mashiro at 8. This one hides the entrance to Mashiro's next friendship scene. Hahah, okay, okay. Man, we were so childish, weren't we?They smiled at each other. And thus, before they knew it, the heavy atmosphere had somehow abated.  Now that he thought about it, she was always like that. She had an indomitable will that allowed her to not shrink back when cornered, but to find enjoyment out of even the toughest of times. (That's right... she was like that back then, too, huh?)And with that thought, he had a recollection of another childhood memory.
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