Part 91: Kid - Entrance to Final Route - Part 4

Track—Karussell Delphine



That was it! Microorganisms! There were unique kinds of microorganisms found around thermal seafloor vents that weren't seen anywhere else. That was why Leiblich Pharmaceuticals was researching microorganisms on the seafloor...

'Himmel' - 'IBF' - 'High pressure oxygen treatment device'

All these words that I had known flashed on to the screen of my mind. As usual, I had no idea why I knew them. I had no idea about the reasons or causes behind them, but I was convinced that they were facts.



I said this straight out to Sora.


"H-how do...you...know about that?!"


"I thought so...Leiblich made IBF on the seafloor to research germs and viruses. The theme park was just a kind of cover...The researchers acted like staff members for LeMU, going above the ocean and back down to the seafloor. In that way, nobody would suspect that there was a lab here. Or it might have been a way of securing capital. Working in conjunction with a bustling amusement park...you would never be short of research funds. I'm right, aren't I?"


"Kid..."


"Exactly...who are you?"


"I don't even know myself...All I know is that I DO know these things...I know it all. Like a prophecy playing like a film in my mind."


"You...you couldn't. Are you lying to me?"


"Are...are you hiding something...?"


"I'm not hiding a thing. I am being completely open about it...about everything I know...everything..."


"........."


"........."


"I see. Anyway, I please forget about the conversation we just had."


"I know. I won't tell anybody."


"That's not what I mean....I mean forget it. There is no research station on the seafloor. In the past there was, but it has been closed."


"Please...just pretend that is the truth."


"Okay. I understand. If it is that important to you...then I will forget it."


"Do you promise?"

I swore that I would. Then I left the Control Room.

[Music—Stop]



I noticed a sound. I looked for the source of the sound. Someone was crossing the corridor where it came to a T up ahead.

A girl!?

It was a girl that I had never seen before. I followed after her as if I were being pulled in by her.


"Hey! Hey! Wait! You there!"





I carefully went deeper into the room. There I noticed a square space cut out. I peeked inside. Down below a small lift was stopped. It looked like there was another room directly below the infirmary. I pushed the button calling the lift and hopped in.



Track—Traum In Der Dunkelheit



I was at a loss for words. I didn't know where to start.


"..."

The girl just stared at me intently.


"It's..al-alright...Don't worry...everything is alright..."

She didn't answer.


"Uh...um...Anyway, let's go where everybody else is!"


"Everybody?"


"Yeah, it's not just me. There are lots of other people..."


"Help?...Did you come to help?"


"Y-yeah...that's right."




"Huh?"


"There is...no way out anymore..."

The girl's eyes were sad and moist. I decided to...

We get a choice this time around, and it’s between “Ask her why she said that” and “Take the girl out.” The first choice takes us back to You/Sara’s routes, but since Coco’s somewhat incorporeal here, will anything actually happen if we try to take her out?


"Let's go!"

That was what I said.




"Anywhere. Let's just get out of here."


"Why...?"


"Coco, because if we stay here, then we'll probably..."

[Music—Stop]

I sucked in my breath. Somehow I knew her name as well. Coco Yagami. And then I had a premonition that something was about to happen. I thought that when I took my eyes off of her...Coco would vanish...Like a ghost...

So I would take her out of here...


"Don't go...please..."


"W-what?"


"Please, don't go...Don't leave me alone..."

I couldn't understand what she meant. I couldn't understand...but my mouth had an answer.


"I won't go. I will stay with you, Coco."

'Please, don't go'...just now the two of our minds had overlapped. I felt if I took my eyes off of her, she would disappear. And Coco felt the same way. Coco's eyes watered as if she were sad.



I followed Coco's eyes.




"Who are you talking to?"

I hurriedly looked back. But Coco was no longer there.


"Coco! Coco!"

My voice echoed and died in that small, steel-plated room.


"Cocoooooo!"

No one was there to answer my shouts. There was no sign of anyone and it felt as if it might have been that way from the start. There were no wrinkles where Coco had been sitting. No warmth either. There was just a faint smell. Like the frozen smell that follows the north wind across snowfields.


"Co...Coco...? Did...did you just say...Coco?"

Track—Gedaechtnisschwund

I looked back at Takeshi. Something was different about Takeshi. His lips were trembling.


"Takeshi...do you know Coco?"


"........."


"You do know her!"


"No...I don't..."


"Liar! The way you said that, I know you know her!"


“Really...I don't..."


"Why are you lying? The girl was here just now. But when you showed your face, she vanished..."


"You’re the one that’s lying. There's no girl in here..."


"Yes there was! I'm positive that Coco was sitting on that bed!"


"............"


"Tell me! Who is she?"


"I said I don't know anything about her..."


"You're asking the wrong guy. I didn't see a thing. You're the one who said you're seeing things, right? I should be asking that question to you. Who is Coco? Some friend of yours?"


"No. But..."


"So why do you know her name?"


"I don't know why! But it just suddenly popped into my head!"


"Oh, not this crap again...You've got a pretty tricky case of amnesia..."


"............"


"Alright, Kid."


"Let's say you happened to meet some girl in this compression chamber. And you don't know why, but you knew her name. And then, like some phantom, she just disappears without a trace."


"You're telling me to believe that?"


"I'm telling the truth!"


"Sure you are."


"It's true, I said!"


"I know, I know."


"You don't get it at all!"


"Look, I'm getting outta here. You coming?"


"...Huh?"


"Everyone is waiting for you...we're going to eat together..."


"Who cares about eating?"


"Hmmph..."


"Fine, do what you want."

Takeshi left me with those harsh words and departed.

[Music—Stop]



The bio scan figure was eating at my mind.



The number had dropped from six to five.

Track—Insel Null



There were fried chicken sandwiches and drinks secured from the sandwich shop there for everyone. Only Tsugumi was absent. I wondered where she had gone....but more than that, I was worried about her. I told everyone about the girl.

But...Everyone just laughed and no one listened. No one else had seen the girl. Then I remembered the bio scan figure.



What could it mean? If the girl was in fact a ghost, that would mean that the number five was correct. Sora wouldn't be included, and the four of here plus Tsugumi would equal five. But the number had jumped to six and even to seven.



That reminded me of what You had said.





When the girl disappeared the number would be five. When she appeared six, and when she split, then seven.

Split???

This marks the end of new content in this update. There’s still a choice to be made at the end, even if we’ve already seen it.

Ha, ha. That was crazy. I shook my head at my own silliness. Maybe I was losing it... Something had to be wrong with me. I needed to calm down, collect myself. While I thought this I flipped up the tab on the can of cola.

[Music—Stop]

Fushaaaww!

At first I didn't know what had happened. I licked the liquid around my lips. It was sweet. It seemed as if the cola had exploded into my face.


"KYA, HA, HA, HA"


"AH, HA, HA, HA"


"FU, FU, FU, FU, FU"

[Everyone]
"GA, HA, HA, HA, HA"

Everyone exploded in a chorus of laughter.


"Hey, what the heck are you doing, Kid?"

You said this laughing.


"These cans contain pop made with special gas so that they are made at 6 atmospheres. But right now we are at 1 atmosphere, right? So if you don't hold it down when you open it, the carbonation inside explodes..."

As she laughed, Sara took out a handkerchief. I took it and wiped my face. I was enveloped in laughter... Without noticing, I'd forgotten about everything that had been weighing on my mind.



No help had come. There was no contact. The people on the floating island should have known that we were all trapped down here. So why didn't anyone come? Even if they couldn't open the watertight doors, there should be divers that could tap on the window glass or something...

Track—Ersteboden




"Please leave the rest to me."

Saying this Sora grinned.


"Sleep...but where?"


"Are there any places to lie down or anything?"


"In the sectors that were submerged in water, but unfortunately not in the dry areas..."


"Instead, I have prepared another place for you."


"Another..."


"...Place?"




"You're not saying that four people have to sleep in this cramped space?"

It was the place was where I had seen the girl.


"What is this room anyway?"


"Let me explain. This is a decompression room for medical purposes. Here people suffering from decompression sickness, or the bends, are treated."


"The bends?"


"Yes."


"Normally when people leave LeMU they spend an extended period of time going through decompression and adjusting from 6 atmospheres to 1 atmosphere. However, as a result of the accident, everyone has experienced a sudden change in pressure. You may be suffering from the bends."


"So, just to be safe, I want to have everyone undergo repressurization in this room..."


"But...there is nothing wrong with us."


"In cases of light decompression sickness, you are not necessarily aware of it immediately. There are cases where the pain doesn't start for a day or two."


"After you figure out you're in trouble, it's too late...?"


"Correct. In other words, this is just to be completely safe."


"Hey, Sora. What about the...uh...that...thing...in the infirmary? There was a device there to diagnose all kind of illnesses, right?"


"Do you mean the L-MRI perhaps?"


"Yeah, that."


"If you do a scan with that, can't you tell right away if you've got decompression sickness?"


"Unfortunately, no, we cannot."


"Why?"


"As you saw before, that device is out of order. Discovering the problem and repairing it would take time and energy."


"Oh..."


"Sora, can I ask you something?"


"What?"


"I want to know more about this decompression sickness..."


"I see. Decompression sickness occurs when there is a sudden change in the surrounding air pressure and gas bubbles that can't be discharged accrue in the body. Gas becomes air bubbles and these gather in tissues or veins. When gas bubbles remain inside the body, the oxygen respiration efficiency drops dramatically."


"So...no matter how many deep breaths you take it feels like you are suffocating?"


"Yes."


"So we will seal this room and pump in a high concentration of oxygen, raising the level to approximately 3 atmospheres... Then we slowly decompress you back down to 1 atmosphere. Using this difference in pressure we dissolve the gas bubbles in your body back into your blood, where you get rid of them naturally by breathing."


"You mean you make us like a can of cola that won't blow up..."


"Yes, precisely."


"Okay, I got it."

[Music—Stop]



But, boy, it was....cramped...



And shouldn't Sora have been undergoing decompression as well? I was so tired that my mind and body felt numb, but strangely sleep didn't come for me. Takeshi had monopolized the bed. He was breathing deeply and peacefully. Sleeping so well in an emergency like that... You, Sara and I sat on the floor. I gradually got annoyed with Takeshi sleeping like a log. There were still four hours until the decompression was complete. The night was long...

Track—Ersteboden

Video: Kid—Waking and Sleeping



I noticed that the date had already changed. I waited on the hard floor for the treatment to finish.


"Um...ummmna...myuna...myuna."

...He was the only one of us...


"Geez, he's so loud...that idiot."


"Nakkyu...I can't sleep...at all...."

Takeshi's talking in his sleep echoed throughout the room. We were mentally drained and the three of us were in no state to sleep. No, it was worse than that. Gradually we had started to go mad.


"Why don't we just wake him up and tell him?"


"It's no use. Snoring and talking in your sleep aren't something that people can control."


"We could tape his mouth shut...?"


"Or even better, we could drape a wet towel over his face..."


"...Wouldn't that kill him?"


"Yeah, you're right..."


"Why is HE the only one that gets to sleep on the bed?"

You let the bed have a swift kick as she said this.


"...Oh...yeah...oh...I...like...that..."

Takeshi shamelessly carried on like that, looking happily asleep.


"I wonder what kind of dream he is having."


"Who knows...?"


"I'll bet it's something sexual, judging from his stupid expression."

You reached out toward Takeshi's face and pinched his cheek. And then...

[Music—Stop]
Fun fact: Some of text in this section is randomized for each time you go through it, which is why there are some differences in the video (which I highly recommend watching.)


"Y...You...You..."


"Huh?"


"Huh?"


"..."


"...Smack, numya, mumya..."


"It seems...like he is talking in his sleep."


"He's not dreaming of You, is he...?"


"Stop that...there's no way."


"Ooonyumm...You....nyum...myum..."


"Hey, Takeshi! How dare you have dreams about me!"


"...and she's way too rough...that's why she can't get a guy...myumyum."


"Huh?"


"What?"


"........."


"Oooow...ooon......You.......dummy......"


"H...hey,hey, hey - Takeshi! Wake up!"

Track—Klamauk

You had grabbed hold of Takeshi's collar. If we didn't stop her, she might have strangled him.


"Take it easy, Nakkyu. He's just talking in his sleep."


"She's right. He doesn't mean anything by it...probably not anyway."

Takeshi continued to blabber with a dumb, blissful look as he slept, oblivious to our troubles.


"I've had it! I have no choice but to...!"


"Wh-what are you going to do?"

You put her hand in her pocket and pulled out the marker from before. She popped the cap off of the pen and prepared to...


"Giggle!"


"No...you're not going to...?"


"You bet I am."


"You're gonna chop his head off..."


"Not with a pen!"






"Zzzz...zzz..."


"He, he, he...what goes around, comes around. Take that."


"Heee, heee.... It's a masterpiece..."


"Ha, that's funny. Let me try, Nakkyu."

Scribble, scribble, scribble.




"Nin! Nin! Ninja!"


"Ooon...nyum..."


"HA, HA, HA, HA! I'm laughing so hard my gut hurts..."


"Hey, Kid. Why don't you draw something on this idiot? You'll feel loads better."


"Alright. Let's see. Um..."

Scribble, scribble, scribble.



And the three of us kept taking turns doing graffiti on his face.



Scribble, scribble, scribble.
Scribble, scribble, scribble.

...Dozens of minutes later. Takeshi had been further transformed into a much-decorated creature, miserable, disfigured and hard-to-describe.



Track—Insel Null




"Did you sleep well?"


"Thanks to somebody, I was up all night."


"Huh? You didn't sleep a wink?"


"Nope, because of this idiot."

You lifted her foot and kicked Takeshi who was lying on the bed.


"Ooon...nyum...I'd like a perm...please...nyuma..."

Takeshi was still dreaming.


"Ha, ha, haaaaaa...."

It looked like Sora had noticed the graffiti and was trying to keep from exploding with laughter.


"What happened to his face?"


"We got so mad..."


"We took turns drawing on him."


"We scribbled the night away with this marker."

Saying that, You laughed loudly.


"Even so, maybe you went a little too far..."


"No, no. We didn't sleep at all because of this noisy beast."


"It's poetic justice."


"So Sora, hold off on telling him for a while, alright?"


"You mean...you want me to pretend that I don't notice?"


"That's it."


"Ooon...nyuum...it's all white...curlies...nyumanya..."


"Enough of that. Sora, what about the decompression...?"


"You are all done of course. Is there anyone that feels ill?"


"I feel fine."


"Me, too."


"Well, we were up all night so I feel groggy."


"And Takeshi...?"


"Just look at him."


"Ummmh...ummmh...math, social studies, science, English class, music......I can't play that...zzz..."


"Alright everyone. I would like to have you all gather in the Control Room at once. I'll go on ahead."


"Has...anything happened...?"


"I will tell you all about it in the Control Room... Now if you'll excuse me."

Sora ducked and left the pressurization chamber. Sora's face as she left was devoid of humor.



Sara was next to me... Ahead You and Takeshi were talking about something as they walked. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Eventually Takeshi slowed down, separated from You and came back to us.


"Hey, you got any idea what You's all miffed about?"


"Who knows?"


"You don't have any ideas?"


"If I did, you think I'd be asking you? You told me to 'look in the mirror,' but..."


"Huh?"


"What?"


"That's no fun..."

When Sara said that, it seemed like Takeshi finally figured it out. He wiped his face with his hand.


"What's this?"

He stared at the black ink on the palm of his hand.


"Damn that girl..."

Clicking his tongue, Takeshi hurried back up ahead to You. Sara and I laughed as we watched Takeshi and You exchange words.



She was leaning against the wall, her arms folded and facing down.


"Morning."


"Morning."

With our greetings, Tsugumi slowly raised her head.


"Hey, Tsugumi, where did you go last night?"


"........."


"Are you alright?"


"........."


"Sora was telling us about when there is a sudden change in air pressure..."


"The bends? I know. Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

(Huh?) Flashed through my mind.

...it seemed like something about Tsugumi had changed from the day before. Maybe it was loneliness, but her attitude and way of talking had been toned down.


"Are you really fine?"


"Yeah... Let's get inside. Sora is waiting for us."

At Tsugumi's urging, Sara and I entered the Control Room.

Track—Hologramm




"Actually, everyone, there is something I need to tell you right away."

Sora paused for a second. Sora looked over all five of us...You, Sara, Tsugumi, Takeshi and finally me. The cooling fan whirred away in the silence. Occasionally the sound of metal on metal would ring through the room. The five of us waited on Sora's next words.


"Last night, after the four of you, apart from Tsugumi, entered the pressurization chamber... I was in the Control Room here thinking about ways to escape or contact the outside."


"And... While I was checking the internal status of LeMU, I discovered something."


"You found a way to escape?!"


"No."


"Then a way to contact the outside?"


"Not yet."


"Then what did you figure out?"


"I discovered the strength of pressure the bulkheads can withstand...I found their limits."

Saying that, Sora turned her eyes to the side of the console. In the darkness, a three-dimensional image of LeMU sprung up.




"I mean LeMU's walls. The partitions between the outer seawater and the inner air."




"Like I said yesterday, LeMU is a structure basically constructed on a saturation diving specification design. In other words, the internal air pressure equals or is greater than the external water pressure. However, the complex's internal air pressure is currently at 1 atmosphere... Therefore..."


"LeMU's outer shell is constantly being subjected to severe water pressure."


"Correct."


"But LeMU is not constructed to endure this situation for a long period of time. Inevitably it will, at some point, reach its limit..."


"Well put, You."


"So...when is this limit...?"


"According to LeMMIH's calculations..."


"In 119 hours...or five days from now, right?"

We stared in tandem at Tsugumi.




"........."


"It is exactly as Tsugumi says... The estimated time of implosion is approximately 4:30 a.m. on May 7. Of course, it is only a calculation and there is a margin of error."


"Plus or minus 12 hours...is that the margin of error?"


"That is correct, but..."

That pushed us into silence. It seemed like everyone was lost in thought. We knew for sure that we were in serious trouble. Sora's words had shaken us a bit. But five days sounded like a long time and it really didn't register with me. I kept thinking that a rescue team would arrive at anytime... So I didn't really feel that it was worth worrying about.


"Sora. Can I summarize what you said to make sure I got it?"


"?"


"At 4:30 a.m. on May 7, the walls of LeMU will reach the limit of the pressure that they can handle. But that might happen at 4:30 p.m. on the sixth or at 4:30 p.m. on the seventh. Is that right so far?"


"Yes..."


"So doesn't the opposite also hold true? I mean, at the worst LeMU will be fine until 4:30 p.m. on May 6. So we're fine until then and have nothing to worry about."


"We can't be absolutely certain that we will be safe... But judging from the results of LeMMIH's calculations, that would appear to be the case."


"Oh, so that's it..."


"So as long as help comes by the sixth, then we are okay?"


"I see.... If you had said 'We only have one more day,' or something I might have burst out crying. So we still have lots of time.... Someone will surely come to help us before that."

The tension in the air broke and sighs of relief could be heard around the room. Tsugumi, having gotten the information somewhere before us was smiling to herself, smugly. It was 5:50 a.m.


"Yaaaaaaaaawwwwwwn."

Takeshi gave a large yawn.

Track—Insel Null



The floor was covered with water.


"That was good!"


"I'll say!"

We had just polished off fried chicken sandwiches that Takeshi had made for us. As for the other four... Sora was, as usual, cooped up in the Control Room trying to make contact with LeMMIH. Tsugumi had vanished without saying where she was going. Takeshi had gone to deliver sandwiches to Sora and Tsugumi. You was changing clothes. Apparently she had spilled something on them while eating. Fortunately, her normal clothes were safe in the changing room in the dry area.


"Hey, I'm full now. Why don't we play a game?"


"A game?"


"Yeah. The Yamanote Line game or a word game..."


"I know! Rock, paper, scissors charades!"


"........."


"We play and the winner gets to choose something. And then the loser has to mimic it, okay?"


"........."


"Ready, jyan, ken, poi!"


"........."


"Come on! Put your hand out."


"I haven't said I'm going to play. And what is that jyan-ken-poi?"


"It's what you say when you play rock, paper, scissors."


"And as to whether or not you are going to play...you are!"


"Who said YOU could decide?"


"Be quiet! Now let's play! Not doing anything is boring, right?"


"Oh...alright..."


"That's more like it."


"........."


"Okay, here we go. Ready, jyan-ken-poi!"

I was paper and Sara went scissors.


"Ha, ha. I won!"


"So...I pick... Salmon."


"S...salmon? You mean like a fish?"


"Yup."


"So let's see it!"


"Salmon...salmon... Salmon salmon salmon salmon salmon..."

I opened and closed by mouth like a fish, gyrating my hips around and doing my best to become a salmon.


"Kya, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Sara was laughing and holding her stomach. It looked like I had been a good salmon.


"Alright. Now I'm warmed up! Let's go again!"


"Ready, jyan-ken-poi!"

I went scissors and Sara was paper.


"Ooooh, I lost."


"Don't give me a weird one, okay? Please, please."

I decided to make her act like...