Part 89: Goddess's Vessel
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BGM: Rinka's Room
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07/01 (SUN), Night
Sunday evening. Having taken the shinkansen back to Tokyo, I return to Lion House not long before the last train. I cast my mind back over today's events.
I got on the very first train available to see my gran. She was in the hospital. While fine, they said she had suffered a minor sprain. Even something like that can take a while to heal when you're old, so I'm a bit worried. Once we were alone, she told me everything that happened between midnight and morning. She seems to remember both someone assailing her and someone saving her. Easy to guess which one Alan was.
Apparently he told her that Scale had kidnapped her for money. Not only that, but that he also dealt with Scale. He recommended that she go to the police, but she opted not to. She believed that Scale would learn from this and regret his actions. If it were anyone else, she would have reported them immediately, but she was fine with it so long as she was the only victim. To that effect, she told the doctor that she twisted her foot in the bathroom.
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She's oddly stubborn at times like this. Once checked out of the hospital, we went back to her relative's house, where she made us some coffee. It had been so long since I saw her that I could feel my tear-filled eyes burning. Not because I was lonely or sad. It was out of relief from knowing she was fine. She wasn't bothered in the slightest by how I'd been running the store. In fact, she was happy that I was still running it in her absence. Most importantly, though, she said she was worried about me. That alone made me feel at ease. I was worried about how the store was doing, so I made sure to ask her about it. As I thought, Lion House was currently in the red. Apparently that wasn't an issue, though. I'm not too sure on the specifics, but my gran was making enough from her real estate venture to balance things out. She really did have everything together.
There were plenty of things I wanted to talk to her about. School, the regulars at Lion House... Naomi and Mao... And Miharu, too... Most of all though, Divine Selection. That and my determination to live. As it turned out, I couldn't bring most of it up. That was fine, though. I was able to remind myself that I still had a place to call home. That my gran would be there for me. She was as strict as ever, though. The moment I let it slip that I had school tomorrow, she told me to head back home so I could make it on time. It'd take over four hours to get back, but even so, she was relentless.
Her plans to come back next week got cancelled thanks to her sprain, too. Instead, she said she would stay there until it had fully recovered. It was fortunate that she got away with something so minor, but I was a bit disappointed that I'd have to wait longer to treat her to some coffee. She had some parting words of wisdom for me, too.
You shouldn't hate or resent people. What's important is getting to know them. ...So she said.
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I never once mentioned Scale or Yu, and yet it's like she saw right through me. Maybe it was easy to do when it involved someone you raised. I nod to myself in reaffirmation. Divine Selection is tonight. I won't resent Scale if she's forgiven him. I still have every intention of eliminating him, though. That's a choice I've made for myself.
In that case, there's only one thing I can do. Get to know and remember him. Having settled on that, I get myself ready and crawl into bed.
...
BGM: The Sacred Large Hall
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07/01 (SUN), Midnight
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I take a look around the Court of Fate. Only five participants remain.
Numeral I, myself.
Numeral II, Miharu.
Numeral III, Federico.
Numeral IX, Scale.
Numeral XII, Alan.
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Alan fires a blunt question at her. He must have heard about it from Scale. I doubt Scale would give that info away for free though, so they must have exchanged information. Parca averts her eyes from Alan for a moment. Not just for fun, though. It looks like she wants to examine Miharu's expression.
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Parca takes a good look at all the participants following Federico's question. My eyes meet with hers. She is smiling.
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Scale interrupts her. He is glaring into Parca's eyes. No doubt that I'm the cause behind him doing so. It's of no concern to me, though, so I just listen in on their exchange.
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I sneak a glimpse at Alan and notice that he actually has the makings of a smile on his face. If there's anyone who my impression of has changed the most since Divine Selection began, it's him. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that he's changed, himself. There's no way the person from back then would save my gran.
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Scale crumples down to his knees and smacks the platform he stands on. Not a single person addresses him, though. Instead, it's Parca's voice that rings out.
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The clock we've become accustomed to begins to move.
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A clock hand points at me. Parca's gaze follows.
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He shoots back up to his feet and starts to scream. There's some English mixed in there, but I can't understand any of it. Even so, it's easy to tell he's just swearing at us.
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Scale's screams become inaudible, as if in response to her command. You can see his mouth moving, but no sound escapes his lips. He eventually notices it as well, which casues him to stop.
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The dial turns to Scale.
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Sounds like we can hear him again. He locks his gaze onto Miharu before shouting again.
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Scale sits down following that, like he's suddenly lost the will to live. I can't tell what he's thinking anymore. The dial continues its revolution, this time pointing toward Alan.
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Parca makes her way back to the center of the room once we're all done. She signals the next step in her standard ethereal tone.
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The platform beneath me begins to rise the moment I nod in assent. It makes its way up in a spiral-like movement at a consistent pace. Eventually, I reach an area I've become familiar with.
BGM: Silence
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This marks the second time I've been to the upper stratum. I've come to bear the burden of my decision. Standing across from me is, of course, Scale.
BGM: Do You Understand?
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He continues to glare at me. I know what he's doing. He's trying to get information out of me by having me sympathize with him. Funnily enough, I find his determination to do so almost... admirable. I can't comment on whether his actions were just or not, but at the very least, there's not a single person who would deny his will to live.
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I pause for a moment before I continue.
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Parca butts in on our conversation. Much like last time, she seems to have appeared sometime after the two of us completed our ascent.
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I make my intentions clear to her. I find myself surprisingly calm in this situation.
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BGM: Fated Selection
Interrupting the two of them, I open my card book. The cards in my possession float out in response.
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I pick out the first card containing his information.
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I choose another card.
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I read the final card's contents, making sure to keep my eyes locked on him all the while.
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All three cards float away from me once I'm done. When they reach the middle of the Court of Fate, they converge and form a triangular shape, which causes light to spill out from them.
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I can't see Scale's face anymore thanks to the light.
...
BGM: Fall Into...
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The scenery switches to a highway with more than three lanes going either direction. I'm inside a car that was easily going over sixty miles per hour, chasing down a fancy car in front of it. Inside that car were a man and woman, both barely visible. A number of other paparazzi had been chasing them, but they eventually gave up. Scale was the only one remaining now. He'd have his hands on a massive scoop if he persevered here. And then-
He lost control of the car along a sharp turn, throwing him into the opposite lane and in front of an oncoming truck. The impact of the crash obliterated the car. A photograph he had kept with him in the car entered his line of sight as his life faded to black. A photo of his best friend from college. A friend who faced false allegations of drug abuse, the fallout of which caused him to commit suicide. He was the same age as Scale and a candidate for the track and field events at the Olympics. The car and its driver may have been crippled beyond saving, but the camera hanging from the latter's neck was somehow intact.
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I had to calm myself down once I was done seeing the moment Scale died. It really is too much to be shown another person's death.
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It's someone else's death. I'll never forget Scale, but that won't stop me from following the path I've chosen for myself. That's why I can cope.
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My response is short and to the point. She's taking pleasure in our struggles against one another. Even worse, she's making no attempt to hide it. She reads out Scale's cards to me with indifference after that. My answer must not have been to her liking.
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My platform begins to move after I receive her instructions, slowly making its descent. That's how my second election ends.
BGM: Silence
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I lock eyes with Miharu upon my return to the lower area. She takes a moment before nodding. She must have realized where I'm going with this.
BGM: The Sacred Large Hall
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Miharu's regret. Miharu likely expected it the moment she knew I was going to eliminate him. This is necessary for us to elect and protect ourselves from one another. More importantly, her willingness to let me have it is proof of her trust in me. I have to admit, its contents are a bit surprising. Written on it is none other than my own name. Surprised as I am by this, it makes sense to me now, considering her confession. She really cares for me this much...
Miharu is blushing next to me, but she makes an effort to seem inconspicuous.
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BGM: Do You Understand?
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Having been told the full story by Miharu already, I know that isn't the case. She mentioned being able to talk with Parca in her dreams, but nothing about being able to use her powers. Parca just uses your body as a place to stay. You don't become some kind of divine being or anything. If anything, it's basically the same as making a folder on a computer named Parca and encrypting it.
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Federico isn't the only one taken aback. Miharu seems somewhat surprised, herself. Same goes for me.
BGM: The Sacred Large Hall
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Both of them end up laughing as they make fun of each other after that. I guess he's hardly normal if he's made it this far.
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Miharu lets her thoughts slip out. She catches herself and checks to make sure that Alan and Federico didn't hear her. I can't bring it up now, but she might know something we don't in regards to Parca's intervention with fate.
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We've somehow ended up with even more questions this late in. That being said, I can tell that we're about to enter the final stretch.
[END OF WEEK NINE (PART B): FOR JUSTICE]