Part 47: Keitaro Miura 4

Chapter 47: Keitaro Miura 4

Music: LONER (Azusa Chiba)





Consider Natsuno Minami

(I met Natsuno-san over at the shrine. She ended up dodging my question… What was she doing there? She attends the same school as Juro-kun. At least that’s what he told me.)




Nothing’s changed today, either…




Then I can find a way to return to 1945…



I’ve tried countless times, too. I hope I didn’t break it. If there’s a mechanical issue, I’d love to take a look at it. But security around the building’s been tight lately. Now I can’t get too close.

Uh, I’m not sure what you’re hoping to accomplish there, Miura. No offense, but that tech seems a little… advanced for you. Or me, for that matter.

Consider 1945

(I can’t just sit here. Actually… That factory at the mountain pass may have survived the air raid. It might still be standing in this era…)





Consider 1945



(August of 1945. If that’s true, then Japan loses the war in just three months… )




This is where the factory used to be.



Hey small child, seen any giant robots nearby?



Ohhhhhhhhhh boy.

Music: Beyond the Memories (Rikako Watanabe)




Wait, what



I’m that child’s older brother.



Stranger danger!

…No. She just… looks like a relative of mine…
……




Consider Chihiro

(Chihiro… If she’s still alive, she’d be over 40 by now. If she’s… we don’t have a family burial plot where I’d find her. I have no idea what’s happened to her. She’s either alive somewhere in this world… or… …… Chihiro… I’m going to find my way back to you.)



…I should go talk to Natsuno-san. She must know something.







It looks nothing like the school I attended.



Music: LONER (Azusa Chiba)




It’s been renovated… but I do recognize this building.



…Then over there’s where the potato field used to be. Looks like that plot of land got bigger. …… I wonder if there’s a way in.




Do they not use this building?



Consider Wooden School Building

(…This building was brand new. Now the floorboards creak. The pillars are all scratched up. It really has been 40 years…)





For a second, Miura sees a vision—a memory—of Hijyama, but it vanishes just as quickly.




And where Tamao-san came to see me off… How strange… It almost feels like it was all just a distant dream. …All right, enough. This isn’t the time to be getting sentimental.



And so we return to the front gate, having accomplished very little.





Thank you again for the bento you gave me. I found a nice spot to eat it by the Kaede River. A bento with meatballs… Quite luxurious. I was very impressed.
Oh, they were just regular old meatballs. Nothing special, but I’m glad you liked it.



Are you looking for someone?

Use Natsuno Minami on Megumi Yakushiji



Would you happen to know where she is?
Minami-san? She should be in the track room. The athletic building’s over that way. Want me to go check?
No, that’s okay.
Oh, yeah. So for dinner tonight… I think I’ll make Hamburg steak. You seemed to really like it.




Hemborger!?

So try not to come home too late.



CONSIDER HEMBORGER

Consider Hemborger

(Those meatballs they call “hemborger”… I’ve never had anything so delicious. …Enough. This is no time to be distracted by food.)






I’m glad I found Natsuno-san…





What are you doing?
I’m waiting for Natsuno Minami.
Minami? How do you know her?
And how old are you?



Oh yeah, remember when Nenji said the same thing to Yuki?



I guess he’s been looking for her too.

Guess that explains that.




Do you guys *have* to be so nosy?
Natsuno-san.
C’mon, let’s go.





Heh.




It’s fine. I said I’d wait.





There’s something really adorable about how repressed he is.

*giggle* Anyway, you kind of showed up at school out of nowhere. Everything okay?

Use Time Travel on Natsuno Minami



I met you before… back in 1945. And now, here you are.
Huh…?
You must know something about all this. About how I ended up in this era… Please. Tell me what you know.
That’s, uh… Geez, how do I put this— …!





Somewhere with no one around….

Use Wooden School Building on Natsuno Minami



It seemed to be empty.
The old school building? We can go in there?
Yes, it was open.
All right… Then we’ll talk about it there. Let’s go.

Music: Between The Lines (Kikuchi Yukinori)






Can you… keep a secret?
(flustered) …O-Of course.
Okay…
……
Then I’ll tell you. Don’t freak out, okay?




He’s an alien from the future.
*confused ellipses*



And I’m helping him find it.
…A robot?
Does the word “Sentinel” ring a bell?
…!
That Sentinel from back in 1945… belongs to BJ’s alien friend. There are a few of them, too…



(And did she say it was made by aliens? It’s a top secret military weapon created by Japan…)



…But those babies are capable of time travel.
……

Consider Sentinel

(I don’t care who’s responsible for creating the Sentinel. I need it to save my country. …But what do I do? The circuit should have repaired itself by now. But I can’t seem to reactivate it.)



……
Pretty crazy stuff, huh.

Oh, it’s definitely crazy, all right.

Use Beejay on Natsuno Minami

Get your mind out of the gutter.



I have some questions about it. I’ve heard Shikishima engineers talk about something like this. Isn’t this actually a type of scout unit?
Shikishima? They don’t dabble in alien technology.

Exactly! They don’t! You’re so close, my sweet child!

All they do is make weapons. And BJ is no weapon.
But…
Keitaro… Miura.
If he’s just a scout unit, explain how he can talk.



(whispering) BJ isn’t some kind of robot. This is just his space suit. Aliens come in all shapes and sizes. My guess is… the only thing inside that suit is BJ’s brain.




Interesting…
……

Use Sentinel on BJ



What’s your objective?
To uncover the truth.
…The truth?
You wish to know where you came from… do you not?
What are you talking about? I came from 1945.
Incorrect.

Huh?

Your log proves otherwise.
…My log?
Yeah, show us.



If you really have it, I’d like to see it.




Oh fuck, here we go



Music: Cognitive Dissonance (Rikako Watanabe)

Can you hear me?
Is that…
Miura-kun?



Oh fuck, here we go

I’m connected now. Thanks, Miura-kun.



Yuki-chan?
Everything go smoothly with the shuttle?
I was able to secure a seat, thanks to you. It’ll probably be the last shuttle. This place’ll be lost by tomorrow, too.
Has the front line advanced that much already?
Afraid so. If anything, they’re picking up speed.

What’s going on? Some kind of war?

Did Natsuno get out safely?
She arrived in Sector 3 about five hours ago.
Ah, so she’s there with you… You know, you two…



*gasp*
What!?



…………Wait, what!?

There’s my girl. Hehe, you know I’m only kidding. I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me anymore.
Of course I do…
I’m sorry about all the trouble with your father. He and I haven’t been on good terms since we split up.
It’s okay, Mom. I want to be with you.
I know… Me too, Nat-chan.



This is gonna make girls’ night awkward.



The shuttle’s about to take off.
All right. I’ll see you at Sector 3 in 14 hours.
We’ll be waiting for you at landing zone 10.
Looking forward to it.



It’s only a matter of time until the surface is lost.



……



I have to know…




That doesn’t make sense. How’s this even possible? Yuki-chan’s my mom… in the future?




So, uh, I think the only appropriate response there is a hearty AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Well, that’s just one more of…



Anyway…



We got a whole bunch of Mystery Files out of that one. Let’s check them out.



Mmm… hemborger…





Finally, official confirmation that BJ is, in fact, a robit. Alien deconfirmed.





Some of these are from previous events but I figured I’d show them off anyway.




We add three new details to the 2188 section of the board: Yuki is Natsuno’s mom, Natsuno and Miura are dating, and there’s also some vague rumblings of what seems to be some sort of war.



Also, we add romantic links between Miura and Natsuno and a new cyan link between Natsuno and Yuki to show that they’re… mother and daughter. Fucking somehow.



And here’s the board at present.