13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Part #64

Part 64: Shu Amiguchi 5

Chapter 64: Shu Amiguchi 5

*sigh*

Music: Forty Winks (Rikako Watanabe)

Man, I’m really off my game today… All these weird dreams must be getting to me… And that show that came on in the middle of the night. Wish *that* was just a dream…

Consider Outer Walls

(Miyuki Inaba was right about everything. There was a boundary. So here we are, in 30 kilometers of city. And beyond that, nothing. Wish I could pretend it was all a dream. My own private little adventure with Yuki-chan.)

Consider Miyuki Inaba

(She was right. We found that weird barrier on the edge of town. …… Maybe I should listen to her more carefully.)

Consider Yuki Takamiya

(I just wanted a nice first date with Yuki-chan… so much for that. Now I’ve got myself wrapped up in some huge conspiracy. …… Used to be I’d just daydream about girls for a while and perk right up. Something tells me that’s not really gonna work here.)

What am I getting self-conscious for? It was just a dream. It’s got nothing to do with anything I actually feel. But… if I bump into her, things could get awkward fast. *sigh* What I really need now is a cold drink. Just gotta grab a drink, sit down, and chill out for a sec…

But first, Shu has some business with Class 1-A. That business being that he needs to stalk Yuki like a creep.

Yuki, for her part, clearly wants none of Shu’s shit right now and simply walks away.

Let’s go to that tunnel again! We gotta get it on video, send it to TV stations, blow the lid off this story!

Jeez, Shu, it’s always “Holy shit, our entire existence is predicated on a lie, we live in The Truman Show!” with you. Sounds like an excuse to spend time with Yuki if you ask me.

If that was real, we gotta tell everyone…

Slow down. I got bigger fish to fry right now.

…I’m sorry, what?

No, nuh-uh, you don’t get to walk away without explaining what’s bigger than “reality is fake.”

What bigger fish? ‘Cause what we found was a huge fish, man! What’s bigger than that?

This is a really good line read, he sounds honestly kinda pissed off in a way Shu never is.

Detention?

I kinda bombed the quiz. I mean, so bad that they’re sayin’ my test scores in my transfer paperwork don’t make sense. Usually I’d just ditch, but… I just got into the same school as Nat-chan. I don’t wanna get kicked out over this dumb crap.

And with that, Yuki walks away.

*sigh*

Well, let’s go get that drink.

Drink Canned Soda

Man, I needed that. Okay, let’s think about this…

I tell someone, and they dump me in a psych ward. So… What *can* I do?

Music: Forty Winks (Rikako Watanabe)

Hey, Kurabe-kun.

You got it. Let’s see… Why don’t we go to your place this time?

I wanna check it out.

It’s true my grandma’s away visiting relatives, but… Well, right now…

Hmm… This feels… somehow familiar…

Sorry. It’s just not a good time.

Well, all right. Let’s go to my place, then.

Thanks.

Juro changes the channel away from the video game.

Music: Feeling At Ease (Rikako Watanabe)

Looks like all we’ve got is soda.

Use Kurabe’s Drink on Juro Kurabe

You’re coming, right? My treat.

You already paid for my ramen last time… I feel kinda bad.

Then what, you wanna call it a day?

I can still tag along. I’ll just pay for my own food.

Hey, you recommended it. How could I not?

Did you already finish it? What’d you think?

Kind of a campy plot. You’ve got this mad scientist who loses his real body… So he builds a new body and sets out, bent on revenge! …It was interesting, but definitely not for casuals.

*laughs* For a B-movie, that just proves it’s a masterpiece.

Shu turns off the TV.

*sigh*

Consider Miyuki Inaba

(Maybe I could tell Kurabe-kun about the TV stuff? He’s one of the only people who might believe me… But… how do I even bring it up? Don’t wanna get this wrong. I know if I don’t make myself absolutely clear… I’ll just come off as a crazy fanboy. …Actually, maybe I better keep my mouth shut.)

Just learning something about you. I figured you were only really into Western music.

Yeah, you know Shu, he loves them banjos and cowboys.

Never thought you’d be into the idol scene.

She’s been really getting big lately, hasn’t she?

…I mean, you know how it is. Just got curious…

Did you wanna just grab dinner and go home?

Actually, um… Do you think I could stay a little longer? I’d really appreciate it.

Uh, you’re certainly cavalier with that information.

And I’m all by myself here. Stay as long as you want.

Thanks.

Say, uh… Any specific reason you don’t want to go home?

…Well, anyhow. Wanna get food?

Pick up something new to watch.

This one I brought with me. It’s basically the sequel to that other sci-fi one.

Oh yeah?

Music: Cognitive Dissonance (Rikako Watanabe)

Now that we know what those videotapes really are, this has suddenly become rather unsettling…

HOLD UP! 426 is…?

Oh for fuck’s sake! Everyone, we need to take a tally! Raise your hand if you’re not Juro!

Do you recognize me?

Or at least… An older version of him. I see I was gone a long time…

You always seem to notice that whenever I wake you up. It’s been three years since you died. Next year, we enter the 22nd century.

Oh, this is… horrific. No arms or legs… Not even a face.

You’ll find the pain receptors are all still there, at least. So I’d really recommend you cooperate.

Your consciousness is stored on an electronic brain.

So you pulled my data from Sector 0. Brought me back as a ghost.

I brought you back because we need to talk. You clearly did the most work on that underground supercomputer. So we’re going to have a little chat about your research.

Use Research Logs on 426

You were testing an unorthodox function for the innerlocitor… Downloading memories into a human brain. I’m picking up where you left off. So I’ll need more details. Records say the memory transplant was a success. But all the raw data from the experiment was deleted. Why did you delete it?

……

Let’s wake you up.

Something about this prompt is just… deeply hilarious to me. I’m probably a bad person.

Guh…

...was viable. It’s possible… to download memory. Why does that information matter to you? Planning to take over someone’s body?

You killed Kisaragi. And I will make you pay. I’m bringing her back. As a human.

…… …This is incredible. How many times have you revived me here? I’m not the first, or even the second…

Only you would find the lone gap in my system’s security…

You even got me to tell you how to interrupt the D-forces’ production. Must’ve been painful if you got that out of me. Handling the Deimos code is dangerous, you know.

So that’s your process. Copy me into this husk of tin… Then erase me once you have what you need.

You’re a dangerous man… Better get rid of you early this time. Can’t afford the risk.

I found out from Morimura-san. You’re trying to transplant my mind, aren’t you? You want to replace the Tomi Kisaragi of this world with me. Do you realize how horrifying that is? How could you?

Wait, look… It’ll mean you can be human again.

It means you’re going to sacrifice a living human girl!

But she’s you. It’ll be your heart and mind going into your own body. What’s wrong with that?

……

The girl you’re talking to… She’s just a machine wearing Tomi Kisaragi’s face.

But your heart is real. You’re still you.

Don’t you get it yet? The girl you knew will never come back. Even if… Even if you steal her body and transfer my mind.

Please. Please, I… Without you, I’m…

You know I love you… But… I can’t support you. I can’t support this.

Oh, hey infamous future criminal. Kind of forgot you were there, to be honest. Awkwaaaaaard.

…Who’s that?

Uh, well…

I can tell you your biggest failure right now. She’s standing right there. You should never have revived her as an android in the first place.

You could have gotten everything you want, with nobody the wiser.

Shut up!

Juro Izumi… You’re Juro Izumi. Prisoner 426. Aren’t you? Why did you wake him up?

Same reason he brought you back. We’re both his means to an end. Tools to be used, then thrown away.

Just had some technical things I wanted to check. Don’t worry. I’ll erase him as soon as I’m done.

I noticed you kept Kisaragi’s memory from before transplanting her into the android.

…?

Paranoia getting to you? You didn’t need to keep so many backups. Strange move for a man who sees humans as replaceable hardware. Or maybe you had the same contingency plan for her. You could erase her and start over as much as you wanted.

No need to get emotional. After all… me and your Kisaragi here? We’re just data. All you have to do is reset us and we spring to life. Just like you did to me.

……

Just keep your eyes on the console for me.

Better watch carefully. Never know what might happen.

……

That should do it.

……

…Are you mad at me?

I mean, yes. That’s the entire reason she’s here, dude.

……

Music: Track Down (Mitsuhiro Kaneda)

Guess he was too worked up to notice. Never thought I’d find an escape route planned out for me. And by one of my past selves, no less.

How’s the view from the other side of that shell? A shame it might end up getting you deleted. And by the man you love, too. Very classical tragedy.

Izumi-san…

Sorry. But I need this body more than you do.

Must’ve fallen asleep watching a video…

…… That dream just now… Feels like it started off the end of the last one.

Shu turns off the TV.

…Only for Miyuki Inaba to immediately show herself.

*sigh*

Music: Who D-Unit (Yoshimi Kudo)

Hey… Man, I’m not even surprised anymore.

Are you still… the same Shu Amiguchi?

Yeah, I saw it… But what are you talking about?

What you saw wasn’t a video. Everything you saw was real… All events of the distant past.

You’re still talking about that movie I watched, right?

Use Borrowed Video on Miyuki Inaba

So let’s assume you’re telling the truth. What’s Kurabe-kun’s part in it? Does he want me to see this stuff too?

He’s… He’s the same as you. Watching the past unfold. Even if he has no idea. He doesn’t know that it’s why he keeps coming over… Or even that he’s communicating with me.

Wait, you talked to him? When? We were just hanging out, playing games, watching movies.

That’s how it appears to you, yes…