Part 53: Tsugumi/Sora Bad End - End

Day 6, Part 5: After hopping down to IBF and being helpless to prevent the researcher’s death, the situation is grim. Tsugumi/Sora’s Bad End starts after “We were quickly approaching the earliest estimated time for LeMU's implosion....it was almost May 6, 4:30 p.m.”

For maximum effect, imagine we’ve just come through Tsugumi’s route.

Video: Takeshi—Spiel

Track—Karma



We'd tried everything. There was nothing we else could do to get out of here. There were no paths left for us to take. Hit by that reality, all of my remaining strength drained away. All I could do was watch the seconds on the clock slip by. The kid's condition had gotten worse, and he was sleeping in a capsule pod. We had tried contacting the outside using the communication lines.

But... Nothing had changed since we were at LeMU. All sonic, and electrical communications were down. Every once in a while, static would come through the receiver from the outside. Which meant that the lines were functioning...but the computer's communication software wasn't working. We had been trapped here by Leiblich Pharmaceutical to hide the existence of IBF and its records from the outside world. Our reality was a nightmare. How I wished... That it all had only been a long dream... Thinking that, I closed my eyes slowly.



An announcement grated mechanically from the room's speakers. I could hear sharp metallic sounds echoing from somewhere. The walls creaked ominously and the floor shook.


"Looks like...it's started."

Tsugumi looked at the ceiling, and murmured this.


"Started...?"


"Or I guess you could say, it's finished."


"Finished..."

I looked up at the ceiling. And I couldn't see anything. The heavy reverberations were coming from somewhere far away in the water.


"In the end... It looks like this is my place."

Tsugumi let these words fall from her lips without any expression.


"Tsugumi...what are you talking about? Place? What place?"

From her spot on the floor, You raised her head feebly.


"I've been searching for so long. Now I've finally found it. This is my... Place to die."

Tsugumi stood unsteadily. She dragged...her right leg....


"Tsugumi, what happened to your...leg?"


"Oh, this…?”

Tsugumi looked at her leg as if it was the first time that she had noticed.


"It really wasn't anything. I kept telling myself I couldn't die no matter what... But it looks like I was wrong again..."

[Announcement]
"Two minutes before implosion".

Dragging her leg, Tsugumi hobbled toward the door.


"Tsugumi... W-wait!"

I tried to chase after her, but tripped awkwardly. My hands hit the floor. When I tried to stand...I fell to the floor again. My legs wouldn't move as I wanted. Sprawled out on the floor, my whole body was numb and I couldn't move.


"...!? W-what's happening...to me… *cough*”

I started coughing, suddenly, and put my hand to my mouth. Removing it slowly...I noticed my palm was sticky with blood.


"Tsugumi...where are...you going?"

My vision began to grow dim. The distance separating us became distorted.


"......"


"Who knows...?"

Tsugumi tilted her head.


"Pretending to be friends wasn't so bad, but..."

She opened up the flood hatch, and went into the infirmary.


"This is probably the last time we'll see each other."

Her outline seemed to flicker faintly.


"Good-bye..."

As Tsugumi walked down the hallway...I lost sight of her. She closed the hatch from the outside. She turned the handle so I knew that the door was sealed. In that instant—I heard the terrible roar of water from the passageway on the other side of the wall. The watertight hatch groaned and buckled under the tremendous force of the water, but somehow withstood the pressure.


"Tsu...Tsugumi...!!"


"Tsugumi...!!"

[Announcement]
"One minute before implosion."

Beeeeeeeeeeep......

The alarm from the pod's control panel started shrieking a high-pitched warning. I turned my head to look over at the source of the noise. The vital signs, which should had been displayed on the monitor, were no longer moving.


"Kid..."


"Kid...no..."

The alarm wouldn't stop, its cold, flat tone, drowned out the silence. The lines weren't moving. No heartbeat. No breathing. Nothing.


"It can't be... It's got to be wrong... Aaagh.... Somebody tell me this is all just a bad joke... Takeshi... Tell me it's a lie..."

Lying flat on the floor, You started sobbing. The terrible roaring from overhead gradually became louder. It seemed as if the whole floor were trembling. Ignoring the complaints from my body, I used the rest of my strength to pull myself close to You.


"Takeshi...where are you...?"


"I'm...here..."


"Where are you? Give me your hand..."

The floor was wet with blood. I somehow slid my arm over to her. Both of You's hands took my right hand, closing around it gently.




"Takeshi..."

You came crawling over to me, pulling closer the hand in her grasp. She hugged my hand close and held it to her chest. Squeezing it closely, firmly. The palm of my hand covered her chest.


"I hate this... It's so cold... I... I don't want to die..."

You's body was starting to shake. I could tell from my hand pressed against her that she was rapidly losing energy.


"Takeshiii.... My heart... My heart...feels like it's going to burst..."

Her skin and clothes were freezing cold. The only place where warmth remained was her chest, where our hands were touching. You's heart was beating so hard, it felt like it would explode.


"I'm scared... Help me... Help me Takeshi."

Her voice was getting hoarse, and she was having trouble breathing. I couldn't move anymore either. I tried to breathe - to comfort her - but all that came from my mouth were red drops of blood. Extending my fingers toward You, I ran them over her body to check if she were still alive.


"Aagh... It hurts..."

Her whole body was wracked with spasms, her frame bent, twitching backward... But soon, even her shaking became weaker. She became colder and colder with each passing moment. Only her heart remained beating ferociously. It sounded far away, as though it could almost be my imagination.




"You probably didn't...feel anything about me, but..."

Her voice was devoid of strength. A single tear followed these words.


"But I...really liked...."

You's heart made one last frantic burst.



I heard nothing. The warmth of her hand was totally gone. The beating of her heart lost forever.



In that moment my vision went red.



Red. Everything was red... I couldn't see anything. All I could feel was slippery warmth. My face was pressed into the floor so hard that I thought it would become part of it.



I couldn't move. I couldn't support myself. The floor was cold and hard. My body stiffened and became cold as well. My consciousness faded, disappearing... And... From somewhere...

[Music—Stop]

The crackling sounds of the communication lines faded away.