Let's go Beyond Communication in Root Double -Before Crime * After Days-

TheMcD: May 4, 2013; Monaca / Subject N 2024
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Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead: 04/05/2028, 07:50

♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫

Ena and her mother moved away from Rokumei City to a neighboring town. Her mother refused to stay in a town that served as a constant reminder of sad memories. But even in the new town, Ena grew to follow in her deceased father's footsteps. She continued to pursue a job to protect Communicators just like her father had. But it was by no means an easy path to follow. For her father was a government official at the ''ESP Bureau'' of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

Tips posted:

TIP: ESP Bureau
Category: Fiction

A department of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) established in April 2014 in reaction to the ESP Synchronization Hypothesis proposed by Antoine Courbet in 2012, as well as to the Andresy Witch Hunt in February 2014. The bureau was hastily formed to receive the concerned party of the witch hunt, Alice Enflamme, as Communicator A, and thus at the time, it was seen as a disorganized group of just a handful of people.

The bureau conducts administrative activity in Rokumei City. Its main function was to cooperate with the PRC to encourage Communicator migration into Rokumei City and support their lifestyles, but after the Great Rokumei City Arson, the importance of the bureau was reevaluated and all BC-related administrative activity was delegated to them henceforth. The bureau has roughly equal authority as the police to expose BC-related crimes, and thus today, some jokingly call the ESP Bureau the ''BC Police''.

The ESP Bureau, founded in April 2014, was the organization single-handedly responsible for the administration of BC-related activities. She had thought that by entering that organization, she'd be able to obtain the same work as her father, but-- Once she had gone into middle school and started investigating her father's life, she noticed something curious. For some reason, all employment records of him beyond his assignment to the PRC in April 2014 had been erased. And there was an absolute dearth of information on what sort of work he did for the five months leading up to his death on September 16.

(What's the meaning of this...? Was he doing some sort of special work?)

When Ena questioned her about the anomaly, her tight-lipped mother eventually caved in and spoke about her husband's work. Ena's father was a ''Communicator commissioner''.

Tips posted:

TIP: Communicator commissioner
Category: Fiction

A government official attached to the ESP Bureau, tasked with the management, protection, and observation of Communicators. The existence of Communicator commissioners is hidden from the public, and thus, commissioners are issued false titles and identification to hide their status.

Everything a commissioner learns on the job is confidential, including even the fact that they have the job. The business requires complete understanding of both the dangers Communicators pose and why they need to be protected. The position is extremely mentally taxing, and thus commissioner candidates are often transfers chosen from the best of other departments like the National Police Agency or the Public Security Bureau.

Communicator commissioners managed and protected Communicators outside of the public eye. With that knowledge, Ena pursued her father's footsteps even more fervently. She majored in parapsychology at university, earning exceptional grades-- And as she graduated, she slipped through all the obstacles to enter the ''ESP Bureau''. Before she knew it, 13 years had passed since her father's death. --On her first day at the ESP Bureau, Ena went to greet her direct superiors. In a certain building in Tokyo, Ena opened a door and went inside a room.

Excuse me.

On the other side of the door were two men. They turned to look at Ena and spoke up.

Kuroda: Oh, you must be the new girl.

I am Ena Tsubakiyama, newly assigned here today. Pleasure to work with you.
Kuroda: I'm Kuroda, chief of Communicator Commission Division 1.
Higa: And I'm Commissioner Higa of the same division.
Kuroda: Well, no need to be so stiff. We may be teased as a sort of 'BC police', but we're not actual police, obviously. So relax.

Yes, thank you, sir.

Despite her words, Ena didn't relax her posture at all. The man named Kuroda smiled wryly to see that as he spoke up to her.

Kuroda: --Well, okay then, how about we change the topic? I'm sure you're aware of this, but we are in charge of various administrative duties regarding BC-related activities. Our work is quite extensive, ranging from Communicator protection, management, and observation, all the way to the exposure of BC-related crimes. Our staff consists of people transfered from not only MEXT, but also the Police Agency, Public Security, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Anyway, at best we're a team of experts, and at worst, we're a ragtag gang of misfits. At any rate, the situation around Communicators has gotten tense over the years and outgrown what the MEXT can handle by itself. So compared to when your father was with us, we've been strengthened into quite a large scale organization.

Huh... Chief Kuroda, you knew my father?
Kuroda: He was my superior when I was young. He taught me quite a few things. I'm truly in his debt. Back in those days, there weren't any more than ten of us, including me and Chief Tsubakiyama. But now we've grown into quite an extensive family.

Is that so...!?

Ena was pleased to have met someone who knew her father professionally.

Kuroda: Now then, daughter of Chief Tsubakiyama, what sort of commissioner do you wish to be?

I want to be like my father... a commissioner who will protect Communicators, even at the cost of my own life.
Kuroda: ...I see.

Kuroda smiled sadly at that declaration.

Kuroda: I don't want you to become like your father.

Huh?
Kuroda: I understand why you'd want to follow in your father's footsteps, but you still lack awareness of the true dangers of Communicators. And because of that lack of awareness, you'll end up with the same fate as your father.

...!?

Kuroda watched Ena as she caught the meaning of those words.

Kuroda: What gave us that awareness was, unfortunately, the Communicator who was under Chief Tsubakiyama's protection. She was the Communicator brought into the PRC as a BC research subject, codenamed 'Communicator A'. Unlike your ordinary Communicators, she possessed an extremely dangerous ability known as 'Senses Sympathy'.

Senses Sympathy...?

That was an ability that even Ena, a parapsychology major, had never heard of.

Kuroda: It's only natural that you haven't heard of it. Its very existence is hidden throughout the country. It's extremely dangerous even compared to the other BC abilities. The reason we manage Communicators so strictly is directly related to that danger.

--Kuroda explained the ability to Ena. Sensory sharing. Memory manipulation. Memory erasure. And the final phenomenon associated with the ability, the collapse of the Communicator's mind. With repeated usage of Senses Sympathy, the Communicator's sense of self would cease to function-- And at the same time, they'd become a lump of malice, spreading curse-filled thoughts throughout their surroundings... But it was hard for Ena to believe.

...Is that true?
Kuroda: I wouldn't get anything out of lying about it, would I? In any case, Communicator A used Senses Sympathy on countless occasions throughout her lifetime-- and in the end, she became a lump of malice.

Why...!? For what purpose would A use such a dangerous ability!? There was no reason for her to use it, was there!? Did my father or any of the PRC researchers not stop it!?
Kuroda: ...

A bad feeling welled up in Ena's chest as she watched Kuroda fall silent.

...Don't tell me the PRC researchers forced her to use Senses Sympathy... all for the sake of BC research...!?
Kuroda: No.

Kuroda forcefully interrupted Ena.

Kuroda: Many people make that misunderstanding, both in and out of our organization... but the reality is completely different. At the time, the PRC was exerting all its efforts in an attempt to cure Communicator A. She didn't become a lump of malice after coming to Japan. She was already showing symptoms when she was in her homeland in France.

Huh...!?

As Ena's eyes widened, Kuroda handed her an old newspaper article.

This article's about... the 'Andresy Witch Hunt'!?
Kuroda: Good, you know your stuff.

It's because I researched documents on my own back in my school days...

--As Ena majored in parapsychology, she gained a fairly deep understanding of the history of BC. And from there, she learned the details of this particular incident as well. There was a modern witch hunt incident in February 2014 in Andresy... The victim, Alice Enflamme, was a girl who was 18 years old at the time of the incident. Ever since she was young, she demonstrated various abilities, and as a result, she was shunned by people around her, including her biological parents. Regardless, Alice's parents profited off of her abilities. They founded a new religion, labelling Alice as a ''child of God'' and her telepathy as ''oracles'' as they ripped money off of believers in what was essentially fraud. Those fooled resented her. Her parents never loved her, and instead used her as part of a money-making scheme day after day... Her spirit must have worn down considerably. The years went by, and by the time she turned 16, a new phenomenon occurred. Lawyers who had sued the religious organization for fraud were inexplicably falling victim to memory loss and stupefaction, one after another. The local police hypothesized that religious officials had used some form of drug to induce memory defects in the lawyers, but... The lawyers' bodies showed no sign of drug reactions, and thus, the investigation made no developments.

--But one day, the dark side of the church was brought to light. A certain scientist had established a genetic test to determine ''BC aptitude''. Townspeople began to recognize the existence of Communicators. Eventually, people investigating the religious organization's illegal acts began to think, ''Is Alice actually a Communicator, and not a child of God?'' To check their suspicions, they ran a genetic test on Alice-- and found a result that nobody had ever seen before. ''IGF2R Gene Abnormality Type S''. Alice was the world's first confirmed Rank S Aptitude Communicator. Fraud victims and believers alike were enraged at the test results. ''The Child of God we believed in was just an ordinary human with a genetic mutation. Alice is nothing but a filthy phony who used the bizarre powers granted to her by her defective genes to deceive people. Her power is by no means a power of God. Rather, it is a power of the devil-- a witch's power.'' The devoutly faithful had clung onto that delusion.

Their resentment for having been deceived intensified, and in conjunction with their fear of Communicators, their malice reached critical heat-- and the people became insurgents. The building that served as both the Church and Enflamme family home was set aflame. Alice's parents died in the fire, but Alice herself narrowly escaped the burning church. And the next morning, once the local firefighters had her in protective care... An abnormal spectacle unfurled. A group of insurgents who tried to attack Alice all lost consciousness and fell around her. ...And afterwards, Alice went missing. Those were the details of the ''Andresy Witch Hunt''.

Tips posted:

TIP: Andresy Witch Hunt
Category: Fiction

The French government has defined some antisocial religious groups as sects and made efforts to clearly define the line between these sects and other religions. The government was faced with the problem of religions abusing the precedence in laws and human rights afforded to them by France's value systems. In 2001, France adopted an anti-sect law, prompting legislation from the rest of Europe. And in March 2012, a certain French sect triggered an incident. A sect named ''Under the Name of God'' which deified a 16-year-old girl as a child of God was accused of committing fraud against its believers. Lawyers who attempted to prosecute the sect fell victim to memory loss and stupefaction one after the other.

Local police in charge of the investigation suspected the sect of drugging the lawyers, but there was no trace of evidence. The investigation reached a deadlock. But afterwards, the investigation tackled the the incident once again from an unexpected angle. That December, Antoine Courbet, a Betelgeuse New Treatments brain physiologist who had placed himself in France, proposed the ''ESP synchronization hypothesis''. According to that hypothesis, inspection of the IGF2R gene would allow for the screening of so-called ''espers'' who possessed extra-sensory perception. Many scholars brushed off the theory as mere quackery, but the plausibility of ESP's existence began to spread by mouth throughout the town.

And in February 2014, Alice Enflamme, age 18 at the time, underwent a genetic test on the basis of the theory. The results turned the situation on its head. For she turned out to be a top-class esper-- the world's first Rank S Aptitude Communicator. The faithful who had believed Alice was a child of God now deemed her as a witch born of a genetic mutation. Their rage surged into an insurgency, and they set fire to the church that served as her house.

The local fire department's efforts quelled the insurgency in just one night, but two major mysteries remained from the tragic incident: First, why did the insurgents that attacked Alice all lose consciousness? Second, where did Alice disappear to afterwards--? Such is the incident known to the world as the Andresy Witch Hunt.

The incident that became the first page in the history book of anti-Communicator terrorism. It was an incident that Ena had already known about-- but by connecting what she had just heard from Kuroda, she realized a new truth.

(It's not written in the article, but... could Alice have used Senses Sympathy...!? So then was the string of incidents of lawyers losing their memories a result of Alice using memory manipulation? And the insurgents fainted as a result of her using that ability in self-defense...!?)

But there was a more important matter at hand. Ena questioned Kuroda with a trembling voice.

Wh... why would you show me this article...? Does this incident have something to do with my father?
Kuroda: Of course. The Communicator that your father was protecting while he was alive-- --was that very same Alice Enflamme. Later known as 'Communicator A'.

!!

Kuroda continued as Ena gasped in astonishment.

Kuroda: After the witch hunt, worldwide Communicator discrimination and persecution became a frequent occurrence. But at the same time, Rokumei City and the PRC worked against that trend, promoting protection for Communicators. Discriminated Communicators were recommended to migrate to Rokumei City and in exchange for becoming test subjects for BC research, they'd receive financial aid for their entire livelihood... It was a win-win situation for both the Communicators who wished to live in peace, and the PRC who wished to advance BC research. And miraculously enough, the first Communicator to be received by the PRC, as well as the first to be put under Chief Tsubakiyama's protective care, was none other than Communicator A.

No way...! That can't be...!
Kuroda: It is unbelievable, isn't it? Try reading this, then.

Kuroda handed Ena a printed stack of papers.

Kuroda: This is a journal of A's probation, as written by Chief Tsubakiyama. It was left in his government-provided computer. It appears to not be an official report log, but a simple personal journal... This document is an extreme necessity in order to understand what had happened in this town at the time.

Ena read her father's journal as instructed. It was a very informal journal. In it was a record of the ''after days'' Alice had experienced once she had survived and overcome the crime that had come before.

♪ BGM: Close to the Truth ♫

Tips posted:

TIP: Taiho-jutsu
Category: Nonfiction

A general term for martial arts techniques used for the apprehension and restraint of suspects, culprits, and other ruffians by the police, coast guard officers, self-defense force military police and other such judicial police officials granted the authority to perform criminal searches by the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code. Empty-handed techniques are based off of Nippon Kempo, judo, and aikido, while baton techniques are based off of kendo. In the event the official has a police cane, they use jojutsu, and in addition, they practice combat with imitation guns and other tools for all sorts of situations imaginable. Taiho-jutsu is built from the accumulated knowledge of police organizations, public safety departments, the self-defense force, and security guard departments, but since the most important principle is that the art is to be used only for restraining the opponent, the techniques are devised to minimize any unnecessary damage dealt to them.

Tips posted:

TIP: Nippon Kempo
Category: Nonfiction

A competitive martial art devised by judo practitioner Muneomi Sawayama, where practitioners wear armor and gloves to use punching, kicking, and judo locking techniques. Often referred to simply as Kempo or Nikken in Japan. Nippon Kempo is a ''ran'', or free-form, kempo. Instead of relying on structured kata, its core revolves around both practitioners freely exchanging blows as they master their fists. This free-form style of hand-to-hand combat was conceptualized from the ancient Greek martial art of pankration, and since it allowed for the free use of many different techniques long before mixed martial arts, Nippon Kempo had a big influence on such things as the Japan Self-Defense Force's barehanded combat drills and the police's Taiho-jutsu.

Tips posted:

TIP: Chanting in unison
Category: Nonfiction

The choral chanting of a single line in unison at a stage is called sprechchor in German and in Japanese. It can also in turn refer to demonstrators or protesters chanting slogans or demands in unison. Many German Ioanwords have entered the Japanese language, particularly medical terminology, such as karte (medical chart), kranke (sick person), gaze (gauze), gips (gypsum [cast]), kapsel (capsule), vakzin (vaccine), and neurose (neurosis). As for everyday words, the Japanese language has adapted hierarchie (hierarchy), gelaende (ski slope), rucksack, baumkuchen, and arbeit ([part-time] job). Also, while not German loanwords, some words in the Japanese language are surprisingly rooted in Portuguese, like kasutera (from pao de Castela) and kompeito (from confeito).

Tips posted:

TIP: N-ification
Category: Fiction

Refers to the condition of loss of self that Communicators experience after the excessive use of Senses Sympathy. Initial symptoms include megalomania, speaking of the personalities of Senses Sympathy targets as if they were their own, and the use of the malicious untargeted telepathy known as NBC. Terminal symptoms include total loss of self, the indiscriminate use of Senses Sympathy on everyone who comes within range, and altering the memories of those people by coating them with malice. No treatment has been found. Merely approaching a terminal patient requires the injection of AD.

It is no exaggeration to say that a terminally N-ified Communicator is no more than a living weapon that corrupts minds. It is unknown to what extent LABO's top researchers were considering that point, or if they were considering weaponizing N-ified Communicators themselves, but it wasn't long before LABO began to unilaterally confine Rank S Aptitude Communicators without reporting their activity to the government. Communicators as a whole are not obligated to live in top secret cities, but Rank 8 Aptitude Communicators are an exception. To these elite Communicators, the top secret cities are both cradles and cages.

Tips posted:

TIP: NBC
Category: Includes fiction

An acronym standing for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical. NBC disasters thus include nuclear disasters such as meltdowns, biological disasters such as bacterial infections, and chemical disasters such as the spread of poisonous gas. Strictly nuclear disasters are called N disasters. Japan is equipped with various forces to deal with NBC disasters, including the Counter-NBC Terrorism Squad, the Chemical Weapon Defense Unit, HAZ-MAT, and naturally, the rescue squads. However, in the field of BC research, the forerunner LABO coined the term ''Negative Beyond Communication'', which also has the abbreviation of NBC. This NBC refers to the untargeted, curse-like telepathy used by Communicators in the process of N-ification. Furthermore, within LABO, when the WX particle amplifier malfunctions and increases the energy levels above 1 mSv (milliscalar value), the ensuing ''meltdown'' is also called an ''NBC disaster''.

As Ena finished reading, she muttered in dumbfoundment.

♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫

Kuroda: Yes. That is what he devoted himself to. ...The cause of N-ification is currently still unclear, but it's said that the most likely cause is the overuse of Senses Sympathy. By the time A had gone from France to Japan, her N-ification had already progressed considerably. As a result of the dedicated efforts of Chief Tsubakiyama and the researchers at the PRC, she temporarily regained tranquility, but... The truth of the matter was that her mind was already on the brink of collapse. Unfortunately, at the time of her arrival, Rokumei City was rife with a citizen group's anti-BC demonstrations. The persecution of that citizen group triggered A's N-ification to progress all the way to completion. The malice she had held back came gushing forth-- The completely N-ified A escaped from the PRC. And then that tragedy occurred.

What tragedy...?
Kuroda: The Great Rokumei City Arson.

No way!? You mean the Great Rokumei City Arson was caused by A!?
Kuroda: Yeah. Fifteen people infected with A's malice committed various crimes throughout the city that night. And for some reason, half of those crimes were arson. Most likely as an influence of A's thoughts. Commissioner Tsubakiyama and I looked all over town to protect A...

Kuroda: Right at that time, a man infected with malice was trying to stab A to death with a knife. Commissioner Tsubakiyama was stabbed trying to protect A. The stunned culprit tried to run away, but I apprehended him. ...The problem was what came afterwards. I didn't know how to resolve the situation. I was so afraid of being infected with malice that I couldn't approach A. But if I left her alone, then even more people would've been infected with malice. In all seriousness, the entire town could've burned to the ground, and I couldn't do a thing about it...

Kuroda: ...In the end, it was Commissioner Tsubakiyama that saved the city. Even though he sustained heavy injuries and became infected with malice, he injected A with medication that put her to sleep.

Wha...!?
Kuroda: After A had been taken back to the PRC, Commissioner Tsubakiyama was brought to the hospital, but it was already too late. ...The town survived in exchange for his life.

Tips posted:

TIP: The Great Rokumei City Arson
Category: Fiction

At dawn on September 16, 2014, fifteen locations in Rokumei City were set on fire in quick succession, starting with Rokumei City Hospital. The fires blazed up, engulfing several lives in a matter of moments. There were 118 deaths and 232 injuries. The suspects caught red-handed by the police were members of the citizen's group, the ''Anti-BC League''. The city and the general public fervently blamed the incident as an act of anti-Communicator terrorism and evicted them from Rokumei City--

The event was known worldwide as the Great Rokumei City Arson, but it was not entirely the fault of the Anti-BC League that put the Communicators through such hardship. In reality, the true cause was none other than a Communicator. A few hours before the Great Arson, an incident happened in the city's Parapsychology Research Center (PRC). The completely N-ified Communicator A escaped from the facility. She used Senses Sympathy on the people she came across on her path, amplifying their malice and causing them to commit acts of violence. Some set fires. Others stabbed citizens with knives. One person even attacked a police officer and stole a gun. (It is thought that some of A's memories of her time in France as Alice Enflamme had some influence in their actions.)

The situation was thought to have been beyond all help, but the commissioner in charge of A, Jin Tsubakiyama, was able to safely secure her. Though many victims were lost that day, the worst-case scenario had been prevented. Researcher Eriguchi, whose negligence gave A the chance to escape, was found in a state of extreme confusion. In his police interview, he incomprehensibly shouted ''A saw my secret past. A was me.''

She could say nothing about her father's heroic life and death.

Kuroda: ...And that incident triggered the government to finally understand the gravity of the situation. And after just two years, the government put forth some serious efforts: the BC Law was put into place, Rokumei City became a government designated top secret city, and LABO was established, among other things. They recognized the deteriorating social climate and strengthened the ESP Bureau as well. We've been given authority equal to the police in regards to BC-related crimes. A spent around two more years confined in the PRC, but once LABO was established, she was transferred there. LABO may be a BC research facility, but it's also a facility for the confinement and treatment of N-ified Communicators. It's the fortress Chief Tsubakiyama had wished for in life. But before she could be cured... A died a year after her transfer. And thus the incident reached its conclusion.

Ena gulped and then looked Kuroda in the eyes as she spoke.

...Is that the true history behind this town?
Kuroda: It is. Now do you understand why I said 'I don't want you to become like your father'? The person Chief Tsubakiyama risked his life to protect was a mind-maddening monster. If you act on your desire to just 'protect' Communicators without knowing that fact, you very well may face the same fate as your father. Are you sure you still want to do this work?

--... Yes!

Once Ena finally gave that answer, Kuroda faintly smiled.

Kuroda: I like your guts! Then keep that in mind! From today henceforth, you live in the shadows behind society. You must not bring to light any of the truths you learn through this work. If you were to divulge any of the truths we just discussed, then Communicator persecution would likely explode all across Japan. The world would revert to the dark times of 2014. Therefore, we cannot speak the truth to anyone. You must commit everything to memory, mask your true character, and still come in contact with Communicators.

...
Kuroda: You never know when or if the one you're protecting will become a monster. Protection and surveillance are two sides of the same coin. If you want to protect Communicators, then you must never let your guard down around them. Keep your distance. Observe them calmly. It's a tough job... but can you do it, 'Commissioner Ena Tsubakiyama'?

Ena smiled at those words.

Tough? Preposterous. It's a job worth doing.

← # ? Apr 30, 2017 14:37