Part 25: Ei Sekigahara 3

Another tie, this one three-way. So I decided to roll a die. First choice on 1 and 2, second on 3 and 4, and third on 5 and 6.



And we got 5! That means…





Chapter 25: Ei Sekigahara 3

Music: Forty Winks (Rikako Watanabe)




Positive.




But I haven’t seen them at all this afternoon. Do you think they left?
I seriously hope so.

Consider Operation Aegis

(Chihiro Morimura’s objective. One with great implications. Especially for those from another world, like me. If Operation Aegis succeeds… we’ll never be able to leave this world. That must be it… That must be why I killed her.)

Consider Iori Fuyusaka

(She seems to have a particular fondness for me. It appears she confessed her feelings to me… and I have yet to give her an answer. What was I going to do…?)




Will that be a problem?
Oh… I don’t know. Will it?
……
But you shouldn’t worry, especially with that uniform. It may be from the future, but it’s still a Sakura High uniform. So you don’t have to feel like a stranger.




What’s Sakura High like in the future?
…In the future? Well… There should be a new building up and running.
…*Should* be?
Yes, you’ll see it for yourself someday.
Aw, no fair…




Well, there’s no teacher there, so it’s closed right now.
……
Leave it to me! I’ll figure something out.





What’s up?
Hey, Usami-chan!



Well… He wanted to check out the school. So I’m just showing him around.
…… O-Oh, cool…
Yup! Anyway, we better get going.
All right, see you later…




Wonder what that was about. Well, let’s just head inside, then.



*turns around* …!




Looks like Ei noticed Yuki.



And we run after her. Guess Ei’s curious about how she knew him, after all.



Unfortunately, we lose her.

That had to be her… The girl who delivered the message from myself…





…Nothing.



No, I’m fine. Must’ve been my imagination.



Let’s head to the nurse’s office for real this time.



(from outside) *unlocks door* The door’s open.






And all I had to do was lie to the teacher. “Please! My classmate skinned her knee!” Hehe…

Devious. You’re a regular criminal mastermind, Iori.



What’s wrong?
Well, um… I-It’s just the two of us in here together… all alone…
……



Ei Sekigahara: Master of tact. Let’s just examine the desk.





Oral NM…





These drawers are locked up tight.
What are you looking for?
……





Nothing else really stands out here.



*shakes head* …… Are you looking for something, Ei-kun? It must be really important! Let’s see… There has to be a spare key for that desk. And it’s probably somewhere in the teachers’ lounge. Okay, I’ll make up another excuse. Then I might be able to get my hands on it.



Consider Oral NM

(The label’s a bit different, but it lists the same medication: Oral NM: C0204.” Just like the bottle I picked up before…)





Ryoko Shinonome… Looks like she was given C0204…

Use Oral NM on Chihiro Morimura’s Desk



She’s been administering this drug to these students. Ryoko Shinonome… There are more… Shu Amiguchi… and Juro Izumi.





Gah, fuck. It’s Megumi Wick. What do you want? I got my own problems here, like whether or not that reference actually scanned.



Come back when—



Music: Bleak Pressure (Kikuchi Yukinori)



Megumi looks awful shocked to be in a Mexican standoff despite the fact that she drew first. What’s going on here?

Those men that are after me… Are you working with them?



…What *I* wanted?




Don’t shoot!



What are you thinking!?





What in the world just happened with Megumi?
Not a thing…



And you’re wandering around by yourself? Where’s Iori?
…… What’s your problem?



*shocked gasp*
I’m going to look for Megumi.




I know I’ve seen her somewhere… But where? Damn it… Come on, think.



That’s right. She’s…

Music: Track Down (Mitsuhiro Kaneda)







Quite a bit of android information here. This all looks like research date… Ah, here we go. Shikishima Tech Lab #6… 6th level underground. So, this is a Shikishima facility. Current year is… 2104?





Is that what this place is being used for?



What the hell… I keep getting these terrible headaches.




Music: Metal Demon (Mitsuhiro Kaneda)






Think fast, Ei!



Surely you can do something!



Uhh…



Welp, we’re fucked.









Go up there, and you’ll cough up blood until you’re dead.



Well, clearly… I’m just a hopeless busybody.
……
I inspected the Sentinel that was transmitted underground. How much do you understand about the current situation?



I have no idea what happened.
Then allow me to fill you in. I’ll start from the end.




Music: The Chills (Yoshimi Kudo)




Seems like whoever shifted you was in a hurry to do so. Otherwise… There’s no way a Sentinel would end up here.

Use DD-426 on Strange Girl



It’s a program that’s been implemented into you. Well, into the nanomachines in your body, to be specific. Its main function is to sever a portion of the nanomachine. The part that’s cut is physically connected to the brain. And that region of the brain is where memories are stored. Your brain suffers damage each time a connection is severed.
*anxious, pained gasp*
You can lose your memories, or worse… become a husk.

Is *that* how Ei lost his memories? Seems likely!

Is that why I’ve been getting these headaches? I’ve had them ever since I got here…

Consider DD-426

(This is all so sudden. I’m not entirely sure I can believe her… But I *do* keep getting these headaches. And I definitely don’t want to become an empty husk…)



Is this irreversible? Can I try deleting the code?
…That’s not possible. Access to your nanomachines is restricted. Once a code or program is implemented… there’s no way to delete it.



How long… How long do I have before I become a husk?
Depends on the intensity of the infection. Or how much time you spend inside the infected Sentinel. The longer you’re in there, the worse it’ll be. Let’s assume the infection is moving slowly. To spread to your entire body, it’ll take about a month. That’s the best-case scenario. Worst-case would be within a few days.
A few days…



…but there *is* a way to delay its effects.



I found it by analyzing the underground mainframe’s data. It *is* a facility that researches future technologies, after all. I can create a code that’ll temporarily stall the effects.
…You can?
First, let’s make a deal.
…What?
I need a small favor from you.




Not anyone can use the shifter. Only those who possess nanomachines can use it.



……

Use Android on Strange Girl



What’s a young girl like you doing in this place by yourself?



He’s looking at her blatantly exposed robo-leg, for the record.

…I see. The androids here are wrapped in a human-like skin. …Just like you.



Yeah, it’s pretty easy to see the damage on this skin. Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now.



He said some AI stole an android and escaped…
Tsukasa Okino, huh? You should ask him about DD-426. No one knows more about it than he does.
Is that so?
So, how does my offer sound to you?
I don’t really have a choice.
Then it’s settled.






Spooky.



We’ve removed “How did Ei lose his memory?” and replaced it with “DD-426?” Assuming that the escaped AI is 426, how might these two be connected?

So, what now?

Juro Kurabe
Iori Fuyusaka
Megumi Yakushiji
Natsuno Minami
Yuki Takamiya
Shu Amiguchi
Keitaro Miura
Tomi Kisaragi
Ei Sekigahara
Destruction

There's also:

Takatoshi Hijiyama (Locked behind Ogata)

The poll is here.