Part 67: Ei Sekigahara 5

Chapter 67: Ei Sekigahara 5




I have to consider my next moves carefully.

Don’t we know that the numbers on the note correspond to a message from the message service? We should go investigate that.




As we approach the phone booth, a cop notices us. What’re you lookin’ at, pig?



Darn.



Well, let’s go through our Thought Cloud. Maybe we can figure something out while we wait.

Consider Natsuno Minami

(…… That student I saw in front of the school gate… She’s Natsuno Minami. She’s likely already gone home by now. I’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning.)

Examine Cryptic Note





(One set is the user number, and the other is the password.)

Examine Communication Device



(Have I been following his orders this whole time? He wanted information… And he was trying to extract it from that data unit. ……)

Examine Phaser



Dude! What the fuck, Ei!?

(This is the same gun that android was using. The one from the future…)



OH MY GOD, EI, YOU MORON

(For the record, this is one of my favorite moments in the game. It’s just… so dumb.)





I’m taking you in for further questioning.



Ei takes the gun back!




Music: Between The Lines (Kikuchi Yukinori)





…And I end up back here.




Those black suits must’ve disposed of the body.



At that point, they were already coming after me. Did I lure Morimura out here? It just doesn’t add up…



I managed to find some good clues here before. But I’m still not sure what some of them mean…

Well, then let’s go back over them.

Examine Key



(It has some kind of emblem on it. Was I driving a car?)



(The emblem appears to be a button.)



D’okay.



Well, I pressed it. No nearby car made a sound, though. Maybe it’s somewhere further away.




Out of nowhere, a motorcycle sans driver quietly rides up next to Ei.





Voice Authentication… Verified. A key is required to unlock this vehicle.
It’s voice-activated, too? Is this… a self-driving motorcycle?

Exactly, Tesla must have made this! That also explains why it’s decked out like a stealth bomber: it’s clearly a self-driving vehicle for warfare, used to safely and reliably used to deliver Tesla-brand motorcycle batteries to the front line, whereupon they will safely and reliably explode! …That was a really labored setup for an “exploding Tesla batteries” joke, but I got there!



A key is required to unlock this vehicle.

Use Key on Motorcycle



You may issue commands using your voice. Please set your next destination.



Who do you belong to?
Registered drivers of the Shikishima SXR-NR: Ei Sekigahara and Chihiro Morimura.
Me… and Morimura?



Then it must know where I’ve taken it. I’m guessing you have a travel log, right? Can you pull it up?
Displaying travel log.



Looks like I’ve taken this thing all around the city. But there are only two places I’ve visited multiple times… Aside from Sakura High, it’s just this one other spot.
Set this location as your destination?
Yes…






Did I… leave anything with you?
Invalid request. Please specify.
I want to know if I left behind any messages.
Two logs found from Ei Sekigahara.
S-Seriously?
Begin playback?
Yeah… Show me.



Whoa!? Distracted driving much! Don’t watch-secret-messages-from-your-past-self-and-drive, man!

My—well, *your* intuition was right. I’m leaving this message as a precaution. Just in case I lose my memory sooner than I expect. You’ve still got work to do if you want to escape this world. You must acquire the data logs from 2188. One more thing—and this takes priority over all else. You can’t let Chihiro Morimura execute Operation Aegis. She holds a position as a nurse at Sakura High School… But it’s all under false pretenses. Stop her at all costs.



The log ends.



In any case… some interesting developments have come up. I’ve confirmed that Iori Fuyusaka was able to use the gate.

Music: The Chills (Yoshimi Kudo)

I checked the log she left behind. The ID she used… was Morimura’s biometric ID. Iori Fuyusaka *is* Chihiro Morimura. Knowing this… do I still try to stop Operation Aegis? That’s the real question. …… Well, the answer’s obvious… Isn’t it?
Playback complete.



Fuyusaka… is Morimura? How is that possible…?

Jeez, Ei, try to keep up, this is shit from like fifteen hours ago at least.

…And what did I decide to do? ……





Now what am I gonna find here?





This factory has to be what I’m here for.



Music: LONER (Azusa Chiba)




Here to cause some more trouble?



…Something wrong?
*averting gaze* No, nothing…
Ah. Let me guess… You finally lost your memories, right?
…!? H-How… How did you know?
Just by the way you’re acting. Kind of a dead giveaway.





Okino…





……
It didn’t work… I suppose 32% wasn’t enough.



No… I don’t.



Focus.
H-Hey, Okino…
Take a good look at my face. I know you can remember…



You can, in fact, choose “Never mind” here, but it just results in Okino backing off without any dialogue (other than a “……” from Ei) and rewinding the conversation a bit.






Consider Oral NM

(Pills the android gave me in the underground facility in 2104. They slow the effects of DD-426.)



Music: Hard Pill to Swallow (Kikuchi Yukinori)



Sentinel No. 19… So this is where it was transmitted. …Is this a hangar for Sentinels?




Even in this outfit… you managed to catch me.
Have you been in hiding ever since the incident? Just laying low in Sector 5?
……



Why were you searching for me?

Use DD-426 on Tsukasa Okino



You’re an expert on the subject, aren’t you?
I am indeed. It’s a code that was distributed on the battlefield. Do you know who’s responsible for spreading it?
*looks away* …No.
Right… This is exactly why I went into hiding. Because I can’t trust anyone… and that includes you, Ei Sekigahara.



Yet you’re not showing any symptoms.
I could say the same about you.
I’m taking pills to help reduce the symptoms.
…Pills?



……

Use Oral NM on Tsukasa Okino




These serve as additional code for priority processing.

If that means what I think it means (and it very well might just be nonsense science-sounding gobbledygook that doesn’t actually mean anything), Oral NM works to prevent the memory loss by injecting junk instructions into Ei’s nanomachines that have to be resolved before they can sever his memories, which is both a very funny “solution” and also pretty cool, honestly. Though I do have to wonder how Okino recognized what they did immediately. That’s not really how pills work.

These aren’t going to save me.



All you’re doing is buying yourself some time.
What about you? You’re completely healthy. There must be some way to stop it, right?
I’m afraid that’s impossible.



I discovered a code created by 426. …The aptly named DD-426.



*gasp*
…Which resulted in the loss of my memories. That’s why I was unaffected on the battlefield.



You don’t seem like you’ve lost your memories at all.
That’s because I transferred my memories to my nanomachines. And I was able to create a simulated personality. It carries all the qualities that make up my identity.



You’re a program that’s simulating Okino?
Initially, yes. But now that I’ve been affixed to the brain… I’ve become the true Tsukasa Okino. I possess the original Okino’s personality and memories. You can’t even tell the difference.
…But you’re still not the same. The Okino from before was different.
Human beings are constantly evolving. Whether we retain our memories or not, we’re never the same as our past selves.



Your pursuit of me caused quite the panic. Professor Douji wants to have me restrained. And now that you’ve caught me, maybe it’s time I gave up…



…?



Okino switches to his “Kiriko” affect.

Help!





Music: High Alert (Yoshimi Kudo)




*momentary grunt of shock*
Hey! Who the hell are you!? How’d you get in here!?
Please, make him go away.




This is highly-classified material, and you’ve seen too much.
Damn you, Okino…






Tsukasa Okino. We met in Sector 5…
Good.
…And you’re an AI construct.



Is that all? You’ve neglected to remember some rather important details.



Okino… Do you really have to stand so close to him?
…Don’t pay him any mind. He’s just jealous.
(blushing) Y-Yeah, right…
Now concentrate, Ei Sekigahara… Try to remember why you kept coming back here.




My head feels like it’s about to split in half…
What about the pills?
They aren’t working…
But you’ve taken so many of them already. They still aren’t helping?






You seemed very reluctant to go through with this at first. But now, you’ve come to rely on this plan. So what changed your mind?
Nothing changed. I still think this is terrible… But there are some things I don’t want to forget. Like that vile face of yours.
…I’ll be sure to preserve that memory for you.



Sure. First, I’ll input a memory extraction code into you. Your memories can be saved at any time. Your consciousness itself, though, can’t be saved.

I like how Okino just throws this detail out and it never actually gets remarked upon. “Oh, by the way, the thing you think of when you think of your self, your fundamental awareness, will be forever lost in this process!” It’s fucking horrifying! It’s also weird because, like… how does Okino even know what’s going to happen to Ei’s consciousness? It’s not really something that can be quantified or measured. This isn’t a complaint, just an observation of the game’s priorities here. It’s quickly establishing the classic “Ship of Theseus” dilemma as seen in hit show WandaVision: if you replace all the bits inside, when do you become someone else? For what it’s worth, I think the game’s take on this is pretty interesting and novel in a couple of ways, but I’m getting a bit ahead of myself there.

Then, a simulated personality will—

Music: Who D-Unit (Yoshimi Kudo)

All I need is for you to save my memories. I don’t want some AI taking over me.
A simulated personality will think the same way you do. It’ll be able to work together with your own brain. In other words, it will act as a support to your brain. The relationship is symbiotic. It’ll teach your brain new ways to think and solve problems… But you will still be in charge of decision-making.
I just… I hate myself. I really don’t need a simulated personality…
…All right. In that case, I’ll simply extract your memories.



They’ll be stored in your nanomachines. I’ll configure it so when the D-Code region is detached… Your memories will be backed up. We’ll require an intracerebral map to save your memories. Though it’ll all be pointless if you end up as a husk. Your brain *did* have more damage than anticipated… My equipment can only do so much. I’ll only be able to map roughly 30% of the region per scan. So you’ll have to make multiple trips. Let’s get started, shall we? Please, take a seat.




We’ll start with some word exercises. Try listing any words starting with “A” that come to mind. As you say each word, imagine the object in your head.



Apple… Asphalt… Anchor…







Looks like we can’t progress Ei any further until we see one of Natsuno’s scenes.