KEIJI UKITA'S REACTION: 09/15/2030, 20:14 ♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫  Huh... Ah! Natsuhiko gasped and looked at the owner of the voice. A car was parked at the shoulder of the road-- and Ukita had come out of the driver's seat.  Mr. Ukita! Is something the matter? What's with all this commotion outside in a place like this?Ukita questioned the kids with a curious look on his face. Suddenly, Natsuhiko remembered Mr. Ukita's accident.  Beats me. Maybe there was a system error in his car's ADS? But I thought ADS failures were exceptionally rare? (What if that wasn't an accident...? What if Q targeted Mr. Ukita since he's with LABO!?)Terrified, Natsuhiko rushed up to Ukita. Mr. Ukita, please listen! You see--Natsuhiko and Mashiro explained Salyu's conjecture. Ukita probably didn't know who Salyu was, so they explained her story as well. And after he had finished hearing everything, Ukita spoke with a grim look on his face. ...Q's targeting us!? This is a huge concern! You know about Q too, Mr. Ukita? Computers are a hobby of mine. Naturally, that includes browsing the internet as well, which is how I happened to learn of them. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect they'd target my own workplace when we've got nothing to do with them.His phrasing sounded a little cynical, but he appeared to have believed the kids' word. Natsuhiko sighed in relief as he continued the explanation. We just caught one of those terrorists. You caught one!? Y-you kids did!? Yes. But he might have just been a diversion. Hmm... In that case, we can't rest yet, can we? But we at LABO have the strictest security in the entire city. Terrorists couldn't target us even if they tried. I highly doubt they can crush our security that easily. But it wouldn't hurt to be alert. Hmm... Indeed, it would be disastrous in the off chance that they did manage to take over the facility. So in that case... Okay! I'll talk to the security staff and get them to strengthen security even further! Okay, please do!Mashiro and Ukita smiled at each other.  ♪ BGM: Extra-Sensory Perception ♫ (Sorry, Mr. Ukita, it's not like I don't trust you, but...)He decided to read Ukita's mind just to make sure, just like he did with Jun. He searched for Ukita's brain waveform and identified him as Type 1. He continued and focused on the desire to know what was on his mind. (Please, Mr. Ukita, open your heart to me...!)The moment that thought crossed Natsuhiko's mind, he heard a voice echo in his head.   {But there's no time. Need to act now!} --..gh.Natsuhiko had gradually gotten used to it by his third attempt. He successfully used empathy. And above all else, Ukita was thankfully opening his heart to them.  ♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫ Hmm? No, no, I only did what was natural. I have an obligation to fulfill as a member of LABO. But no matter what happens... promise me you kids won't put yourselves in danger.The kids felt that having him as an ally would be a big support. ...Salyu obediently listened to Ukita's words. Okay then, I shall be heading back to LABO now. I apologize, but we'll have to part here. Okay, please do!Alice: Kyankyan! With Natsuhiko and Alice's voices at his back, Ukita returned to his car. He then drove back towards LABO. But as they watched the car drive off-- Salyu muttered quietly. ...I don't understand what's on other people's minds. Hmm...? What's this all of a sudden? Well, there's something I want to ask you two. Did you notice anything suspicious about Keiji Ukita's speech and conduct? Huh...? Suspicious?An unpleasant premonition quickly spread among them. Salyu petted Alice and continued. When I said anything suspicious, I was referring to the reason Alice cried out like that. That 'kyankyan!' cry indicates when someone's flustered. ...Why would he be flustered? !?Natsuhiko and Mashiro gasped at that word. ...Wait, what do you mean by flustered...? He didn't look that way to me. Alice can detect nuanced changes in facial expression that may be difficult for humans to detect. Subtle indicators such as sweat, muscle tension, and shivering... If her analysis is correct, then he was flustered. But I do not understand the reason why. (No way... Huh...? Wh-which is it? Is Mr. Ukita a ''victim'' or an ''aggressor''?)As he pondered, Natsuhiko suddenly realized something. There was something bizarre about what he had heard of Ukita's mental voice.  {But there's no time. Need to act now!} Natsuhiko had been quite relieved to find out that Ukita's heart was open, but-- The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Why would Ukita think ''there's no time'' just from hearing Salyu's conjecture? (H-hold on a second...!)That wasn't all that was strange. ''I can't get these kids involved too'' could be taken in a way that meant he had already gotten other people involved. Th... there's two possibilities. Either Mr. Ukita really felt the gravity of the terrorist threat-- Or Mr. Ukita is with the terrorists... and thought that we had caught onto the plan...?Natsuhiko's heart pounded. (Q uses ''sleeper agents''...! Is Mr. Ukita the sleeper agent in their LABO terrorist plot...!?) ...Oh crap! Let's chase after Mr. Ukita for now! Y-yeah!There was no time for Natsuhiko to dwell on unpleasant memories. The kids ran off in the direction they had seen Ukita leave.
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| ← # ? Feb 10, 2017 23:53 |
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