Part 88: Episode 80: The Human Representative

…How humiliating. It would seem that things are worse than we ever expected.
If only I’d stopped him…
There was nothing we could do that we didn’t, Kawara. The last thing you need to do now is start mourning what we’ve lost.
You don’t intend to give up now, do you?
…No. I’m fine. We have to keep going.

Yeah, that’s probably the best way to do it.

Our one chance at escape turns out to be a one-way ticket across the Styx.
There’s nothing we can do but search for clues inside the school…

Where shall we go next?
Let’s go back to the maintenance office. Mr. One might have that file open.
Very well.




I see… It seems that our worst predictions have come to bear their evil fruit.
Our worst predictions? Do you know something?
We can predict things without knowing that they will happen. Confusing predictions with reality can be fatal, young one.

I’ve been wondering for a while…

Umm, Mr. One… Are you really just a maintenance worker?
Hmm. An innocent student was shot. I suppose it’s time I introduced myself properly.




I am Leone JB. One of the great “Soaring Wings” of the Dove Party. S-class agent. Pleased to meet you.
Th-the Dove Party…?

He looks like a cockatiel to me.


You are well-informed, young one.
Hmph. It is a noble’s duty to be well-informed.
I feel like I must have missed something…
There are two schools of thought driving the politics of today. The Dove Party, who believe we should live peacefully with humans, and the Hawk Party, who believe we should exterminate them.
Exterminate!? But I thought the wars with humans were over!
Do you really believe that everyone just decided to live happily together?

We discovered Hawk activity at this school, and so I was dispatched to investigate. And, what we feared would happen… has happened.
W-wait a minute, are you saying the Hawk Party has something to do with St. Pigeonation’s!?
It seems hard to believe… This school is known for its tolerant policies towards humans. It even welcomed Lourde as a representative.
I cannot confirm or deny it… But there are a growing number of Hawk operatives attached to the school.

Oh, you got it open! Thank you!
That should speed things up a little. Let’s look inside.



To help humans and birds advance hand-in-feather towards a bright and happy future, we have decided to enroll one human in the school starting in the year 2187.
They will be the Human Representative.
The pandemic has long since ended, but we must nonetheless be cautious of the risk of infection with Sumatera Influenza when making our selection.
We will pick a strong, healthy fifteen-year old human who displays hereditary resistance to Sumatera Influenza.

The Human Representative… This is talking about Lourde, no matter how we look at it.
2187… That’s when we enrolled here.
Come on, let’s read the rest.

The chosen individual will be a symbol of human concession, to wit, a hostage for birds.
If the Representative is to die in the school, the entire campus will be sealed off, and all the birds inside will be given to the humans as prisoners.
The seal will be lifted twelve hours after the death is confirmed, and the birds will be delivered to the humans.
The school will be declared an extraterritorial zone, and avian protests of any human reprisal will not be tolerated.

If Goon is to die…?

So her death was connected to the dome, after all.
And--


Basically, if anything happens to Goon, the representative of humanity, then… the entire school takes the blame.
So it would seem. They trap us in here to give the humans time to arm themselves.
The dome will open in a few hours, but what awaits us outside is a horde of bloodthirsty monkeys… How humorous.
I-it’s not humorous at all!
So, this was the true face of her enrollment here… I rather think that this whole thing was arranged to widen the divide between humans and birds from the start.

As you know, this school’s public stance is very liberal on the human cohabitation issue.
If fact, the school’s principal financer, the Ichijou group, has been heavily involved in human charities for the past twenty years.
I have investigated the history of St. Pigeonation’s extensively, and I can confirm that it was founded with the ideal of coexistence with humans.
But the Hawk Party has been sending agents here for a long time, eating away at the system. Like a dreadful virus.
We have had information about this document for some time. It is real.
It’s kind of hard to take all this in at once… Just to make sure—
For twelve hours, the dome will remain closed. During that time, humans will gather to take revenge. And then--
…When the dome opens, they will kill every bird in sight.


That student who got shot when he flew out the hatch… There are already humans waiting out there with guns.

She was discovered this morning, and the dome was raised soon after. So the time is not from when she died, but from when her death was confirmed.
The evacuation was about… two hours ago?
Yeah. It was right at the start of second period. Around 10 o’clock.
And so we have until 10PM before we’re all killed.
…You seem awfully calm, Sakuya. Even after watching somebirdie get shot.
Remain calm, Kawara. Do nothing but worry about what’s gone wrong and you’ll be next.
I do not know who did this, but they will rue the day they decided to tangle with a Le Bel…!
What time is it, Mr. Leone?
Just past two.

Eight hours…

We have to find an escape route in eight hours, or we’ll be killed. But if we go outside, we’ll be killed anyway.

Just getting outside isn’t enough… There has to be another way!
My dictionary does not contain the word “impossible”. We shall continue the investigation!
You’re very decisive, Sakuya. I’m glad you’re here.
Hmph! Do not attempt to flatter me, Kawara.
I’m not. I mean it.