Work Song: 04/05/2028, 07:50  Alright, so that covers Jun's segment. With Ena, we didn't have any malice repairs to do, so going in for a more superficial mind probe shouldn't seem too bad, but still, just like with the others, not going in full prevents you from getting the best ending. For now, what he needed to confirm was ''Ena's true identity'' and ''what motivated her to mobilize in LABO today''. As well as ''whether or not she was infected with malice''.  (Should I look in detail, or just do a quick check...? I get the feeling I should just do a quick check, but... Well, there's only a low probability of malice infection... so yeah, let's just do a quick check.)Natsuhiko focused on Ena and answered. ...Okay. Allow me to just make a quick check. That's fine. It's better to have safety nets rather than rely on unconditional trust alone.And as Ena said that with a smile, the kids walked up to her-- --and activated Senses Sympathy.   ♪ BGM: Ominous Ambience ♫ He found a record of Ena's ''true identity''. But what he saw... was beyond Natsuhiko's expectations.  ♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫ Ena saw Communicators as ''existences that should be protected'', and thus she strove for a career where she could protect them herself. And after she graduated, she entered a certain organization within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT): The ''ESP Bureau''. Founded in April 2014, the organization was single-handedly responsible for the administration of BC-related activities.  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. --Kuroda spoke of how the situation surrounding Communicators had grown more tense over the years, far outgrowing what the MEXT alone could handle. He spoke of the increase in BC-related crimes. The secret maneuvers of anti-Communicator terrorist organizations. And finally-- the dangers of Communicators that the national government had been kept secret up until then. Kuroda told Ena the truth surrounding the Great Rokumei City Arson. How a certain Communicator had become a lump of malice and used BC to spread that malice all throughout the city... Throughout the explanation, Ena heard words she had never heard before, like ''Senses Sympathy'' and ''N-ification''. Kuroda continued as Ena listened on in astonishment. Kuroda: --You must not bring to light any of the truths you learn through this work. 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.And thus, Ena became a government official in charge of Communicator management and protection-- A ''Communicator commissioner''.  The commissioners were government officials of the MEXT in name only, for they were closer in function to a police or public safety department. To protect herself, she had to take lessons in marksmanship and self defense. In 2029, they exposed researchers guilty of illegal Communicator confinement and experimentation. --But there were also times when Communicators were the victimizers rather than the victims. Criminals found uses for BC abilities. Empathy, for example, could be used in industrial espionage to gain corporate trade secrets. ''Protection and surveillance are two sides of the same coin''... Communicators were to be both protected and put under surveillance. Ena trained her body, and at the same time-- she steeled her stoic heart. (The thought that ''Communicators have to be protected'' is too short-sighted and dangerous... I mustn't let my guard down. They're a different breed from us with their own unique abilities...)Eventually, it became a natural habit of Ena's to close her heart towards Communicators. --But then one day, Kuroda assigned Ena with a new duty.  Kuroda: Yes. Well, to be more accurate, you'll be stationed at a BC specialty school as a commissioner to protect and observe the Communicators. I know it's hard, but don't forget that at the core, we're part of the Ministration of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Considering the Education part, it shouldn't be odd to teach, should it? B-but... I've never even imagined taking on such an assignment...Kuroda: No, you actually need this sort of experience right now. Since your heart's been hardened considerably these past two years, you see. ...?Kuroda: Well, you'll understand as soon as you take up the assignment. Go interact with some pure-hearted children and soothe that heart of yours. --And thus, on her third year in the bureau, Ena reached a turning point as a commissioner.  The BC specialty school established in Ena's hometown. (Starting today, I'm going to be playing teacher...? I know it's for work, but it's such a pain...)Ena shook her head in frustration as she headed for the school building. She closed her heart as always and masked her true character from those around her.  ♪ BGM: Quiet Days of Rokumei City ♫ The students were all obedient and adored Ena. As she came in contact with her students, Mashiro and Natsuhiko especially, Ena's frozen heart gradually thawed. (... These kids are innocent, aren't they? I need to protect these kids at the very least...)Just as Kuroda had said, living as a teacher had gradually restored Ena's original intentions.  ♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫ There were several suspicious points about the state of LABO's management that provoked Ena's intuition as a commissioner. She spent her days off conducting her own investigation. Eventually, a dreadful doubt welled up within her. (There's a possibility... that LABO's conducting human experimentation to enhance their results?)As her investigation progressed, that doubt gradually became conviction.  Yes.Ena gathered evidence and proposed a compulsory inspection of LABO to Kuroda and Higa. And unexpectedly, Kuroda answered thusly: Kuroda: Higa and I have already suspected that LABO and Rokumei City are up to no good. But even if we requested a compulsory inspection, the higher ups wouldn't approve it. Why!? Are we not a national agency!?Kuroda: What I'm thinking... is that even the top brass here at the ESP Bureau have probably fallen to LABO's side. Perhaps by bribery or by blackmail. Those words enraged Ena. They were the only ones who could expose LABO's crimes, and yet-- Chief Kuroda. Commissioner Higa. Do you feel nothing? It is our duty to protect Communicators, is it not?Ena drew closer to Kuroda and Higa. And then, as if they had been waiting to hear those words from her, they spoke: Kuroda: ...We don't need no stinkin' permission. Let's make that compulsory inspection. Higa: With which members? Kuroda: Well, we don't know who's in the pockets of the Rokumei City government. So let's just go with the three of us. It's a dangerous mission, though, so you don't have to come with us if you don't want to, you know, little missy...? No. I'll go with you. Their prepared provisions included a forged inspection warrant-- and a single handgun for Ena's self-defense only. Kuroda: LABO is a den of demons. We don't know what's waiting for us in there. If worse comes to worst, you need to be prepared to use this. And with those words, Ena steeled her heart.  ♪ BGM: Approaching Death ♫ Ena got split up from her superiors and was unable to escape... She was forced to stand up against the terrorists on her own, knowing that anybody could be an enemy--  ♪ BGM: Silence ♫ Not a single memory appeared to have been altered by Subject N. After seeing all of those memories, Natsuhiko thought to himself. (... So that's what it was... That's why Prof. Tsubakiyama closed her heart to us... She had to keep fighting all alone without even being able to reveal her true identity...)What Natsuhiko felt in regards to the true identity Ena had hidden from them was not shock, but rather respect. All of his suspicions about Ena were swept away by what he saw of those memories. (... It doesn't matter anymore that she closed her heart to us. Prof. Tsubakiyama is our ally!)And with joy in his heart, Natsuhiko ended Senses Sympathy with Ena. 
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| ← # ? May 26, 2017 11:47 |
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