Part 51: New Perspective

Part 51 - New Perspective







"Shogun" must have been the one who gathered them. They were all under his mind control.

I had a flashback of Ayase's form as she came falling down this afternoon.

In front of this cast of thousands, in the middle of a live nationwide broadcast, as people tensely anticipated my words,

I

Would be compelled to jump from here.

If I did, it would be an archetypal example of the saying about how dead men tell no tales.




They'd make up a story about how I'd flung myself to my death out of regret over my crimes....

The curtains would close on New-Gen with one last riveting film.



Because the viewers wouldn't be satisfied unless things went that far.

That's what entertainment is.



Not only everyone. I'll be happy too, that way.

Because if I die, I'll never have to undergo such a painful and frightening experience again.

"Ha, hahaha, hehehe...."




SFX: The crowd starts cheering for Takumi

What, the answer had been this easy all along?

SFX: The cheers die down



At ease, I nonchalantly flung my body out into thin air.



I sensed the wind across my whole body. It felt nice.






Male Spectator A: "Ah~h, he died."
Male Spectator B: "What a dumbass."
Female Spectator: "Cree~eepy."
Absolutely Everyone: "Gyahahahahahaha--"




While Takumi was lost in his imagination, the crowd has started chanting: Whose eyes! Are those eyes!

Terrified. So scared I might piss myself.

It was the first time I'd felt death so close at hand.

My consciousness went faint.

Like a child persisting in saying no,

"I dun wanna die...."

I screamed and cried.



The expectation, that my actions will shake people to sympathize with me and come to help me.

The expectation that if I did so, maybe the police would realize I wasn't the criminal, but simply a nasty otaku, and come save me.

The expectation that if I did so, maybe my parents, sitting at home and watching TV, would come out and offer themselves up in exchange for me.

The expectation that if I did so, maybe Rimi would come, riding in on her white horse to rescue me.

The expectation, that if I'd opened my eyes with a gasp, I'd discover that in truth this was all a dream.

Brimming with those varied hopes, I shook my head desperately and recited my wish, "I don't want to die."

But--




His voice hadn't changed a bit from before.

"You've already stepped up on stage."
"Don't you think it's the best possible venue for your awakening?"
"The people gathered there have high hopes for you as well."



When he said that, I lost the ability to retreat or turn around.

"Hakunah matata!"
"He's only trying to intimidate you."
"Takkii, Nanacchi is dead...."
"I'm tellin' ya, there's nothing wrong with running away now."

Even if you say that....

"I want you to concentrate on the landscape you can see from there."

His voice was very cool, and yet it gave off a forcefulness that provided me with no room to back down.

"There's only one thing I'm going to have you do here."
"I, I can't.... ju, jump.... I, I'll die...."



Eh? Th, that's not it....? Then I don't have to die?

The chant fades away. It's not so much that they stopped chanting, but rather, Takumi is no longer paying attention to them.




OST: Fear

"....!"

Find my Di-Sword!?

H, how!?

Until now I'd searched for it everywhere, and there'd been practically no signs of me finding it.

How ridiculous, asking me to "find it" out of the blue, in a place like this....



"Isn't that all I need to say for you to understand what I mean?"

I don't understand....

"Don't let him fool you, Takkii--! Di-Swords don't really exist! Delusions can't appear in reality, right-o?"
"There's no way.... I can find it...."
"You've come into contact with people who bear their own swords many times before now."
"...."
"Haven't you?"
"You must have heard about it from them. How to get your hands on a Di-Sword."




"This sword was born by gathering lamentations."



"Something similar to.... a parallel world."
"Another possibility existing in the same dimension."



"There isn't much meaning in how it's phrased."
"The one certain factor is--"
"This sword exists in that territory."
"....It was there before I knew it."
"At first I didn't notice it."



"Maybe you can already see yours."
"You just aren't 'seeing' it."



"--Is the view you see the real thing?"
"It's possible to turn delusions into reality."



"In other words, it's making people recognize errors as reality."



"You've already been provided with numerous hints."
"You must already 'see' it."
"In this vista spreading out before your eyes!"

In other words, errr.... errrr....



"If, if I find it.... will, will you let me go....?"
"You won't clear the quest simply by finding it."




Of course I couldn't do that! If I couldn't move from here, how was I supposed to go get the sword!? What the hell was "Shogun" trying to make me do!?

"That's why I've been saying he's gonna stick impossible hurdles in front of you, cause he only wants to kill you anyway!"
"Nanami-chan won't live if you can't do it."
"Let's escape, okay? Takkii, let's go home, okay?"

B, but, if I take even one step away from here, he'll kill Nanami....

"That's what I'm saying! No matter what, you can't save Nanamicchi."

He'd said... I could save her....

"Are you gonna trust him? He might be lying, you know?"






That said, I didn't have a particularly broad view from here. Most of it was hidden by buildings.

I had to find it.... my sword....

"You can't."

I ruminated over Ayase and Sena's words one more time.

How was I supposed to pull this off....




OST End



For some reason, I remembered a pattern on the ceiling of my room.

OST: White out



The wood grain of the ceiling looked kind of like a person's face.

Once I started looking at it like that, I stopped being able to see it as anything other than a face.



Th, that's true.... It's hardly the same thing as the pattern in a piece of wood....

"You're to 'cut it out.'"

"Shogun" murmured in his usual composed tone.

"If you see the sword, 'cut it out.' You can do it."

"Yeaaahhh, no idea what he's sayin'. He's just blabbing random stuff now!"




But the last time I'd tried to make my fake Di-Sword materialize as the real thing, nothing had happened....








We haven't seen one of these since Part 2! It's time for another poll!

The poll will run for a total of 48 hours, starting from when this update is posted. All you have to do is navigate the branching questions and reach the end.

Unlike the previous poll, there is a fail state for this one. If you get an answer wrong, Shogun will be disappointed, and who knows what will happen then....

Can Takumi find his Di-Sword?