Part 78: Despair solution

The floor opened, and a machine rose up out of it.

It looked like...a computer. At least, it kind of did.

There was a monitor, a keyboard, and a cross-shaped device of some kind.

Something about the machine scared me, but I forced myself to walk up to it.

I was terrified.

Tears poured down my face.

I wiped them off, even as more took their place, and forced myself forward.



I looked at the screen. It was blank.



All I saw was my own frightened face staring back at me from the glass, drenched in tears.



(I'm lookin' kinda freaked out... I know I'm sweating like crazy, but seeing it kinda drives it home. Okay, Junpei, just calm down, all right? Everything's gonna be okay.)

[Sound Bite: System]

(--Gah! Man, I wish that thing would just shut up...)
Automatic incineration will take place in...



(All right, back to this thing. If it's only showing up now, then it's gotta be important.)



(Hmm...)
Hey! Move!



Okay, it's turned on. There's nothing on the screen, though... This is bad... This is really bad... If there's nothing on here, how are we supposed to do anything with it...
(Sure, just push buttons, I'm sure that'll--)



...Hahaha, of course. That is perfect!

(Huh. Well, at least it's on now. What's on the screen, though...)
What is this...?
What the hell...



(It's got a bunch of numbers scattered across a 9 by 9 grid. The numbers range from 1 to 9...)
Do you think that if we solve this puzzle...
The incinerator'll stop? Yeah. Well, we can hope, right?



[Sound Bite: System]

(Ah man, that goddamn voice again...)

[Music: Trepidation]

Automatic incineration will take place in...





(My heart feels like it's gonna pop...)



I was sure I had to solve it, somehow, but...

I had no idea how...



I felt the seconds tick by as I stared at the screen, completely lost.

My cheeks felt hot as tears poured over them...

Then I heard a voice. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

It was muffled. I turned around...

Pressed against the window in the entry door was a face--a frightening, evil face.



It was Hongou. How long had he been watching me?

"Awwwww... Don't know what to do?!" He was yelling, but his voice was still muffled.



His laughter was muffled by the door, but it still tore at my heart like the claws of a vicious monster.

I bit my lip and glared at Hongou, struggling to hold back hot tears.

"You're a terrible person! I hate you!"

"Oh my! How could you call a gentleman such as myself a terrible person? That's not very nice. I'm quite fair. I don't use tricks or play dirty. You see? I've even left you a way out."

"A...a way out?"



"What's the point of stopping it?! You'll only capture me and make me do this all again! I'm not going to listen to you! If you're just going to throw me back in here, I might as well just die now!"



"The verification function...of the RED?"

Then I remembered...

Before Hongou left the room, he had scanned 2 bracelets into the RED...



1 + 3 + 5 = 9!

I ran to the door with the [9] on it...

I grabbed the RED and put my hand against the scanner panel.



...



...



I hear Hongou's muffled voiced from across the room.





"..."

"Now, start the experiment! Solve the puzzle!"

"I can't! I don't know how!"

"Of course you don't! Isn't that the point?! You understand, don't you?! Access the morphogenetic field and find the solution!"

"I can't!"



His horrible laugh echoed across the room, and even after his face disappeared from the window, I could hear it.

[Sound Bite: System]

[Music: Silence]



[Video: T & R]
Highly recommend watching this.

[Music: Chill and Rigor]

I was crying, great gulping sobs broken by hiccups that shook my body.

I was terrified. I could feel my fear pressing down on me like a tremendous weight.

Somehow, I forced my shaking legs to carry me back to the device.



Fear scattered my thoughts, and all I could think of was how I was going to die.



My palms were sweating, and my blood was boiling in my veins.

It was hot. So hot. I couldn't breathe. I felt dizzy.

My heart roared in my chest, as if it would pound itself to pieces.





I held it tight with both hands and prayed.

Help me, Jumpy...

Help me... Help me... Help me...

Jumpy! Jumpyyyyyy! Jumpyyyyyyyyyyy!

[Music: Silence]







Akane!?
Who the hell is Akane...
Shut up! Just shut the hell up!
(Seven and Lotus don't understand.)



(Clover's looking at me and I think Snake may have figured it out... No, it doesn't matter. They're in my way.)
(Where'd she go? Maybe over here...)

[Music: Digital Root]



Say something!
(...)



(I swear I just heard her...)
(...Shit!)
Akane! Answer me! Akane!



I spun around.

I heard a voice. His voice...

I looked around. He wasn't in the room, of course...

But I'd heard it so clearly... Like he was right there...

"Jumpy!"

I screamed as loud as I could.

Immediately, I heard him call back.



Okay, so a reminder: if it has a portrait, it's the top-screen. If it has quotation marks, or nothing at all, it's the bottom screen. Why am I pointing this out now? Well...

"Jumpy!"

(That's her! She's there!)

Then, that means...

Akane! Are you in an incinerator right now!?

"Yes, I am! How...how did you know!?"



("Right. There's only one way to help her. You were brought here to help my sister. To save Akane." I think I get it now...)

[Music: Silence]

[Sound Bite: System]



"Jumpy! We don't have time!"



Got it.
(...And I do. I get everything now...)

[Music: Morphogenetic Sorrow]



(I know why the Nonary Game was held today. I know why we were kidnapped and brought here.)



(All of this was planned out to lead to this one moment.)
(Oh my God...)
(This is...this is insane! I...I can't believe it, but there's only one possible answer...)







(She recreated the history of the future that she had a glimpse of, 9 years ago. She tried to save herself that way 9 years ago--)



(That means that there's only one thing for me to do. Even if this is all some sort of insane plan...)



(I will save... Akane Kurashiki. I must save her, no matter what!)

[Sound Bite: System]



"Jumpy...!?"

Yeah, I know! Just hang on, all right? I promise I'll get you out of there! I'm not gonna let you die! I promise!



(All right, time to get to work, Junpei!)



(Whatever. It doesn't matter! Get out of my way!)



Just trust me, okay?!
(Sorry, Lotus, I didn't mean to snap but there's a lot more at stake here than your pride. I'll apologize later, all right?)
(Now, let's have a look at this thing... We've got numbers all over this grid. Now, if I'm looking at this right...)

I'm going to assume you know how a Sudoku works. Junpei gets all the rules for it correctly despite not knowing what one was mere minutes ago and no one explaining it to him (I'm going to assume Snake would if he could knew about it, because he knows literally everything).

If you really don't know, or need a refresher, then they're in the video.

All right! Bring it on!



[Video: End]





Yes, that really appears upside down in-game. 999 uses the DS in some goddamn incredible ways.









Gentarou Hongou official art.