Part 45: Episode 30: The Uneclosed Picture Book

Once, there was a chrysalis.
The chrysalis was all alone.
It didn’t know how to grow up, so it stayed a chrysalis forever.


One day, a butterfly came along.
The butterfly said, “Let’s be friends!”
“I can show you how to become a beautiful butterfly like me.”
The lonely chrysalis was happy.
Because it wasn’t alone anymore.


But…
Its friend the butterfly disappeared soon after.
The lonely chrysalis was alone again.
It didn’t know where to go anymore.
It didn’t know what it wanted to do anymore.


The lonely chrysalis shrank, and hardened.
Nothing will ever come out of it now.
Poor chrysalis.
Poor chrysalis.

The music stops.










As we entered the next room, a familiar pair of excitable birds greeted us.
It’s the Christmas Junkies! And here I was expecting some emotionally charged, heart-wrenching scene!

You shouldn’t judge by appearances. Maybe these creatures have some sort of deep internal conflict, as well.

Well, we did find out that they have a tragic backstory…
And we still need to get them out of here, too!


Miru, Kaku. We need to get out of here! If we stay here too long, we won’t be able to go home anymore.
M-Merry Christmas!? (Whaaaat!?)
This place is called the Holiday Star, but it’s not Christmas, is it?
If we don’t get out of here, we’ll never be able to celebrate Christmas again!

…I suppose that’s an expression of surprise?

They do appear to be moved.

Merry Christmas! (That would be bad! Really bad!)
Merry Christmas! (Miru and Kaku want to start preparing for next Christmas! ZZZOOOM!)

The two of them run off into the darkness.
The music stops.

That was… a lot easier than Okosan.

I guess so.
We just went through this plain corridor a little while ago, anyway. I already know who we’ll find through that door.

Enormous enemy is approaching! Keep your dignity, Nageki!
I’m already dead, so I think I’ll be safe no matter what, but… do be careful, Miss Lourde.



Huh?
There’s no reply. It’s just a kitchen.

Miss Lourde, watch out!

What? What!? What happened!?
Nageki slams into me from behind. I go rolling across the floor.
Behind me, I heard a loud metallic clang.

Nageki! And I thought you were such a gentleman!

…?

I looked behind me, unsure of what to expect.
A gigantic bear trap is lying on the floor where I stood a moment ago. Did that fall from the ceiling?
Before I could question it more, though, a familiar voice confirmed the suspicions I had.



What do you mean “Do not fear”, you peoplecidal partridge proprietor!?
And you’re supposed to lay bear traps on the ground, anyway! Hanging it from the ceiling? Really!? I swear, kids these days can’t do anything right!
I was planning to modify it such that it would seize the victim’s head and then lift them back up to the ceiling…
It would help with exsanguination, you see.
…I see you weren’t planning to close, after all.

My neck hurts just thinking about it!
But this wasn’t the time to be angry at the doctor; we had to escape now!

Fluffy heretic chef!
I mean, Dr. Iwamine! Your dark fantasy affections end now!
You’ve noticed too, right? This place isn’t normal! We’ve been shut in.
If we stay here too long, we’ll--

What, you mean he already knows?

I read a report on a similar phenomenon, where a number of people shared a dream… a few years ago, now.
I suspect we are under the effects of something not unlike mass hypnosis, caused by the eclipse… If that is not the case, you should not be here.
……?
Well, at least we don’t have to explain it to you. Let’s escape together, Doctor!

Rejected at the speed of light!

Are you more comfortable here, then?
Hmm… Who knows? I haven’t even been here for half a day, I haven’t quite decided yet.
But didn’t you say yourself that you’re one of those sad people who only love research, Doctor?
Your brains will rot and drip out your ears if you stay in this eternal holiday kingdom with its happy-go-lucky king!
It is as you say--If I have my fill of research, I cannot complain.

Um…

Yuuya did say that our brains were disconnected from our bodies, so… I guess so?

To cast away all functions but conscious thought… What a pure state of being! It fascinates me.
B-b-but! Do you really want to stay in this dream forever, Doctor? Since when were you the dreamy type!?
Dreams are not such rigid things as you seem to think. The activity of the brain is no different while dreaming that while waking.
But there isn’t anything here to use for your favorite diabolical experiments!

You’ve lost me!

To put it another way, the birds on this star hold within themselves the capability to replay any number of past events.
This star is practically overflowing with material for study. Have no worries there.
…This isn’t the sort of thing that happens every day, after all. Since I have the chance to experience it, I want to stay and take advantage of it.
Are you really sure about that, sir? No matter what you study, no matter what you discover, you’ll never be able to announce it to the world!
I seek knowledge, and knowledge alone. I am not doing this for someone else’s sake, or for some earthly goal.

As Dr. Iwamine finished his declaration, the room filled with a blinding white light.









As the light faded away and my vision returned, a room much like the one Okosan was in began to take form.

Go on ahead. We have nothing more to talk about.

The shell cracked!
Well, it did crack, but…

It looks a little… sub-par.
Those cracks must be from Miru and Kaku.

Probably…

We don’t have much time, so we’ll go rescue the others! Please reconsider while we’re gone, Doctor!

This is no time for “hohoho”, fluffetic!
And so we once again stepped through the door and into the next corridor.



The music stops.





I do hope he decides to help us… The infirmary would be awfully lonely without the murderous fluffetic around.

…Miss Lourde.
Yes?
We’ve got company.

!
From out of nowhere, a group of Holiday Star citizens appeared in front of us.


Geez, we’ve already decided to go home! No one likes a host who tries to lock you in their house and make you stay forever!

How many of these vague, see-through citizens are there, anyway!?

You all should try talking to The King, too! Only a tyrant would try to stop visitors from leaving, right?
Have you all been here with that king forever?
No, we haven’t.

So you came from outside?
You must have been the same. We were very afraid, and we came here.
Afraid…?

Nageki and I had a nice time coming here on a comfortable train with a friendly conductor. I don’t remember being afraid of anything…

If you came from outside you have homes to return to, right? Why are you staying here?
Because we don’t have to worry about anything.
Because there’s nothing scary here.


!!!



Just like before, the citizens slowly morphed into copies of The King.

So there is nothing scary here. Everyone is together. Let’s be together. The King is waiting on his royal throne.
But… The King--

The King glances nervously at Nageki.

The King does not want to be friends with that mourning dove. You don’t have to come.
…That’s not very nice of you.

The Kings fade into the darkness, leaving their selfish command behind.
The music stops.

Wow, Nageki! From the look on his face, I bet The King is changing his royal underwear right about now!
He’s a bit of a crybaby. I don’t think scaring him is very hard.

I do wonder about it, though. Why was he so afraid of Nageki?

The Migrant said something about that, too. Maybe you’re The King’s natural enemy?

And--

Those vague citizens turned into The King, and disappeared. If what they said is true--

Perhaps everyone who stays here ends up turning into The King?
That’s a bit much! What is this, a horror movie!?

At least it sounds like he’s waiting for us. We’ve got to go find the others and then teach him a thing or two about international travel laws!




Meanwhile, on the other path…








I can probably trust Mr. One--Leone, rather, to keep my body from spontaneously combusting or anything like that.
That artistic scientist fellow’s probably cleared the clouds away… But the king of this place blocked the moonlight.

A search-and-rescue mission in a zone of total surrealism, eh? This is new even to me.

I reached the first door on my side. Hopefully the other two were doing well.
I opened the door and stepped into the bright light that shined from the entrance.