Part 88: Stargazer

_{content warning: threat of injury/death to elderly}

Obviously, we're not going to make that mistake again! It's time to make the right choice, here.

BGM: WARNING


-Ignore it.
-Answer.

Ten seconds. That's all they get. If I'm lucky, it'll be the police calling because they've noticed something's wrong. That could lead to her being saved. Thinking that, I accept the call.



It's me.

Alan...?

The voice on the other end of the line belongs to none other than Alan Scorpion. What's with this timing? I dunno what he wants, but I don't have the time to chat right now. God knows why he would even get in contact now, of all times.

We must talk.

There's no sense of concern in his tone at all.



Surprise, there's two different ways you can end up on the third Bad End! Now, you would think that hearing him out would be the correct choice here, but here's what happens when you do so:


...That's the bad choice! He obviously knows about what's going on, but dropping your priorities (i.e. YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S LIFE BEING IN PERIL) to listen to him ends up disappointing him. The correct option is to:

-Hang up.
-Hear him out.



Sorry, but it'll have to wait! My family's in danger!

I shout this into my phone and end the call before he can say another word. It almost sounded like he was laughing, which pisses me off. What the hell did he even want?

Ugh, I can't waste any more time...!

I try to focus on typing, all while praying that she's safe. I finish the message and send it in a hurry. It must be just under five minutes. I pray that it goes through. Otherwise...

I get a call right after sending it. It's likely Scale with a new proposition after reading the message.



You really are careless. The way you let your emotions get the better of you truly is similar, though.

You're not Scale...

BGM: Alan
Did you honestly believe he wouldn't harm your grandmother after you sent him your information? Access to your info doesn't guarantee his safety. It's possible for both of you to elect and eliminate one another at the same time.



If it were me, I would have left her in the mountains after obtaining your information, so that only I could save her. That would prevent you from electing me. Once you're gone, I would kill her to prevent word of what happened from getting out. I have no doubt that he would do the exact same. He only mentioned killing her in order to make you panic.

The voice on the other end leaves me speechless. It isn't Scale speaking. It's Alan. It doesn't help that he's saying something so terrifying while I'm still shaken.

I deleted your message before he could see it, so there's no need to worry. I made sure not to look at it myself, as well.

Why would you...? Actually, forget it. Is my grandmother there?

Assuming this is your grandmother, she's still out cold from the medicine. She has a number of small grazes, but she is otherwise unharmed.

What a relief... More importa- Wait, no, she's more important. But still! Explanation, please!

Hmph...

…

BGM: Rinka's Room


Alan goes on to explain everything. Apparently, he predicted what Scale would do and followed him. As hard is it is to believe, he was actually hiding in the trunk of the car that Scale was using. Not long after contacting me, he forced his way into the car proper, knocked Scale out, and saved my gran. Now he's driving back, having left Scale behind.

Now I understand. But something more important is on my mind.

Why did you save her? I mean, it indirectly saved me, too. Are you... looking to bargain with me again?

I've said it before. The resemblance between you is what drives me.

Huh? What's that mean?

I find myself becoming more alert regarding how vague he's being. He quickly proves that I'm overthinking things, though.



I have no intention of harming her. Feel free to come yourself if you don't trust me.

He hangs up and, in doing so, avoids giving me a proper answer. I'm able to call back now because he used my gran's phone, but I guess its battery has died or something.

Argh!

The sheer stress from it all leaves me wide awake, making my attempt to get back to sleep completely futile. Five minutes of wasted time later, I fire up the browser on my phone and book a ticket for the shinkansen. Alan's right. I can't just sit here not knowing what's happened to my gran. Even assuming that she's fine, there's no doubt that it was a terrifying experience for her. She's pretty tough, all things considered, but this has to be the first time she's been kidnapped by a random foreigner and forced to take sleeping pills. I doubt she'll get over it for a while.

I had planned on keeping the store open all day, but seeing her is more important.

…...

…...

…...

BGM: Silence


07/01 (SUN), Night
Over half a day has passed since Alan saved Rinka's grandmother from Scale. He did so by predicting Scale's course of action and following him. Once Scale made his move, Alan made one final check with Rinka. She acted exactly as he had hoped. Rather than anticipate that he would help her, she acted out of emotional instinct. Following that, Alan easily put a wrench in Scale's plans.

It's ironic that I could imagine what I would do in his situation with such ease.

Alan grew quite familiar with the two-way path of deceit as he expanded his business. That's why he was able to figure out how Scale would attempt to survive without much issue. However, Alan now finds himself opposite of Scale's position. Almost as if he has been gradually picking up the pieces of himself that he discarded long ago. This is nothing new for him- he is simply returning to where he once stood.

BGM: The Memory Remains


You can't see the stars at night here.

The town where Rinka's grandmother is staying is out in the countryside. Wildly different from urban Tokyo. The Tohoku region's landscape is far more reminiscent of his own homeland. One can see the stars in the night sky there with ease.

It's hard to believe there was a time when I told people about their star signs.

Memories of times long past are included in the pieces he finds himself picking up. While he hasn't forgotten them, they have been little more than memories. Now, however, those memories carry meaning to him.

I wonder... do you still find yourself counting the stars?

He sighs as he makes his way through town. He has no one to validate his chosen course of action. He feels satisfied despite that.



The similarities truly are striking. Though it may be more accurate to say their personalities are one in the same.

The resolve to stand up to something far greater than oneself. That special look in their eyes that can choke the heart of anyone and stop them in their tracks. And the tendency to let their emotions take over, making them vulnerable at the same time. Alan cannot help but smile. At this point, he may as well be fighting for her sake.

I'll see this through to the end. It shouldn't be long now.

His thoughts complete, he sets off to find his lodging for the night. No one would suspect that he was the young CEO of a flourishing company right now. Hardly surprising.

He is nothing but a young man walking under the night sky during summer.