Part 17: Extra 2

BGM: Anomalous Sepulchur
Like before, I'm going to show some of the old version's art to compare to the current version; this time, it'll be for the gymnasium and the theater.

-The gymnasium:



-The theater:



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BGM: Agoraphobic Sloth
Update 4 let us choose between four people to talk to while Jasmine and G entered their codes to unlock the lounge, and I went with H for the update itself. Here are the other three conversations you can have, starting with Agnos.



Hey, A, I was wondering if...

Please be quiet, I need to find this thing. It'll only take a moment.

I saw him frown. It felt unusual to see him in such a state of hurry. What was he looking for exactly, anyway? His bag was pretty big, so it had to contain a lot of things. I caught myself thinking it was strange that Smiley left him with all of this, while he took everything we had. Was our stuff in this bag? No, no, there was no way. Eventually, he stopped searching.



You mean, something you had isn't there anymore?

That is unfortunately correct. You wouldn't happen to have seen a little rectangular gadget that can open, with a screen and keyboard inside it, have you?

That's a PDA, right? No, I haven't seen that.

Ahh... I guess I should've been more careful. I can't believe I've lost it.

Maybe Smiley took it?



That's true! So unfortunate. I don't have one of those newfangled phones, so I make do with what I know. Speaking of, do you have a phone?

No, Smiley took it from me.

Ahh, then that makes sense. Thank you, young man. Let us be on our way now, they have unlocked the door.

We both went back to the group.

And that's Agnos. Next, what happens if we talk to Marco...



If J would've had her hair dyed blue instead, she'd be a blue jay!

Oh shut up, why did I even want to talk to you?

Hey, that's not very nice. I'm just making joke. You know? Joke. It's joke.

He made a few motions with his hands, while he purposefully spoke in broken English.



What does that even mean?

Oh, frazzled? Exhaustion or something like that. I wanted to be a bit fancy.

Feels more informal than fancy to me... but anyway, I guess they're about done now.

He did have a point with his argument too.

So I guess, thanks for, uh, lifting the mood. Even if your methods are questionable at best.



He moved away with a big grin.

Yeah, and can't spell questionable without “quest”, as in 'Simon's quest to escape the terrible curse known as Marco”...

I joined the others after grumbling some words to myself.

Lastly, there's Ray.



So, what do you make of this?

Of what?

This whole thing. You know, being trapped in here and...

Honestly couldn't give a shit if I didn't have to. I have business to take care of. I have things to do. I don't have time to get stuck in here with a bunch of kids and a grandpa.

He took a swing from his flask. I tried understanding the situation from his point of view, but it was rather difficult. We definitely didn't have the same priorities in life.



He exposed his flask again, as if proving a point. I frowned slightly.

Wait, your business is to drink?

What's it matter to you? What if it's about this drink?

I was going to think about it, and consider your point of view, but if you're just saying you want to get out of here to drink til you pass out... no thanks, then!



He left my vicinity. The more I spoke with him, the more unlikable he became in my head.

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BGM: Ambient Strain
After Simon determines he should focus on finding the odd person out, he has a choice of four people to talk to in the lounge (before Marco collapses due to his food allergy). I rolled a die and we went with H in the update, but here's the conversation you get when you speak to Agnos.



In what manner do you mean?

Like, this whole setup... that “try to find who doesn't belong” kind of thing.

Ah, I see, like “spot the differences”! A very popular kind of puzzle, if I may say.



Maybe not so much these days. That's not really what I meant, anyway... I mean... what do you think it means?



That doesn't make any sense.

Since we weren't alone, others were eavesdropping on our conversation. H took a sip of her drink, apparently finding the man's suggestion hilarious.

Ah, well, probably not. I was only joking with that one anyway. Chances are that the person who is not like the others is simply more informed than the rest.

I listened to him, but I kept my wits about me. Something he said didn't seem right. If I trusted him at face value, he wasn't the one who was different... and yet, perhaps he was. I had to remind myself that even A might be a liar, just like anybody else.

And then Marco collapses. The next conversation you can have here is with Ray.



Hey, Ray.

I decided to man up and stand to join his side. He didn't look very welcoming, and the second I called for him, he gave me a dismissive wave. I wasn't deterred by his attitude, though, so I insisted.

Listen, I want to talk about the paper...



You didn't talk at all, so...

Anyway, go away. I'm trying to think.

I didn't go for the obvious sting, or else I might've ended up sprawled on the floor and barely conscious.

That might be the case, but it's about the paper...

Yeah? What about it?

Do you know anything else? Did the paper come with anything else, or...

No. There was just the paper. Is that all?

Yeah, I guess.



Before you go, listen. I think A's planning something. I dunno what his game is, but I'm gonna get to the bottom of it soon.

Do you suspect him of anything?

He's got some weird stuff in his bag. I caught a glimpse earlier, so I'm gonna try to get info on that out of him. I dunno when, but soon.

He released me. I didn't know what he would be going for. I was just hoping he wouldn't beat up the old man, or worse... But I had to admit I also harbored similar thoughts. A part of me was... unsure about A.

...and then Marco collapses. Last conversation option is with E.



I took a piece of paper and started writing with the pens. Once I made a few questions in advance, I joined her and notified her I wanted to talk by giving her shoulder a tap.

Oh, who's there? Did you want anything?

Since I didn't greet her like A, I figured she must've been confused about who it was. Quickly, I wrote my name on the first question's piece of paper, too.

Ah, it's you! Let's see... you want to know more about my disabilities?



I don't mind talking about them. It was a difficult experience, though, so please bear with me. It happened half a year ago... I was alone at home. I was taking care of my laundry when everything went dark. I passed out somehow, and to this day I've yet to know exactly why...



Three men with lab coats approached me once they saw I was awake. They put me through several tests and checked my vitals. There were no words exchanged, and they only watched me.



They wanted to test something with someone whose senses were removed, I only remember that. Then they did that... they removed some of my parts.



My stomach churned a little. I felt sick at that revelation. They removed her organs?! Her eyes and her ears... they were just gone?!

The headphones I wear and the blindfold I have aren't normal... they're both made to perhaps recover my senses. You could think of them as 3D printers.

Since we can't get to this point without getting the first ending, we already know that, but obviously Simon doesn't.



It may sound ludicrous, but I assure you it is the truth. I hope that can satisfy your curiosity.

She smiled. Despite it all, she didn't abandon her optimism. While turning to take another piece of paper, I dropped the lot onto the ground in my hurry. Damn it! I moved as quickly as I could to recover the messages and ask her, though it took a while.

By the time I was back up, E had already gone, feeling her way to the couches. Further interrogation would have to wait for a later time.

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BGM: Anomalous Sepulchur
We're now three endings into HASC, and here's what the flowchart looks like:



So, we still have a lot of options for where to go from here, so vote where you you would like to pick up from next time. The options are:

-When we chose to pair with Marco and investigated the library
-When we chose to pair with E again and investigated the theater
-When we chose to go on a walk with A, instead of staying at the lounge
-When we were trying to decide what to do with the gun we stole from Agnos, after he killed everyone else