The World Ends With You Part #36 - 4 Days Left: Indelible Guilt

Part 36: 4 Days Left: Indelible Guilt

4 Days Left: Indelible Guilt

: That's an unusual place to start. Huh? Where's Beat?

: What's he doing over there?

: So it seems. Weird place to start the day, huh?

: ...

: Right?

: Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah.

: Speaking of weird... What's gotten into him?

: AAAAAAIIIGHT!

: Whoa, what was that for?

: Yeah... You said it. From the way Lollipop-- wait, Kariya, was it? The way he was talking, we gotta beat him today.

: Yeah, jus' be ready, Phones. Lollipop's one tough customer.

: Oh, come on. He's just another Reaper. I've already beat two Game Masters, remember?

: Naw, man, Kariya's skills put the brass to shame. He's only a small fry 'cause he likes it that way.

: Yeah, they were talking about that.

: Trus' me, he ain't' gonna mess up like Pinky did, yo.

: ...Wait, are YOU worrying about ME?

: N-naw, man! I was jus' sayin' we gotta be vegetant! We after the Composer, not Kariya.

: Vigilant. And is the Composer that strong?

: He's gotta be, right? How else he gonna keep sly punks like Shades in line? All I'm sayin' is we ain't gonna get a better warm-up than Kariya. So let's take him down, rescue Rhyme, an' then book it to the Shibuya River!

: It won't be that easy.

: Well, you better man up, yo, cause we gotta find Lollipop. Le's start at the scramble.

: ...If the GM was right, Beat's only got two more days after today...

: Oof! Oww, dammit! Freakin' wall... Now where's that keypin? Whaaa?

: Gone!? Then we're trapped in here?

: ...Tsk. Here, of all places...

: What do you mean?

: N-nothin', aight?

: ...... Crap. This complicates things. How do we open the walls without a key? Think, think..

: ...Well, thanks for mentioning. What is it? A box? What's inside?

: I couldn't get it open, man. I tried smackin' the button on top, but--

: Are you crazy? What if it was a trap?

: ...Yo, you show me a button, and I wanna push it. Aight?

: I think they design traps like this with you in mind.

: Sh-shut up, yo! Leas' we know the button don't work.

: Press it an' this weird voice comes out.

: Oh yeah?

: Now what does that mean?

: Hmm? We got mail, yo. "See you at Towa Records. Key's in the box." This mail...

: It's from Kariya. So the keypin is in this box?

: That sneaky bastard. How we supposed to open it?

: ...... If the box says "wrong" then there must be a "right." We need a clue... Hey! What's that piece of paper?

: Yeah, they was lyin' all over the place.

: Let's check it out.

: I'll hang on to the box, yo. You tell me when to push the button, aight?

Let's try here first.

: Hmm? Why isn't he talking?

How strange, but it doesn't help us now.

Interesting, given that's the noise symbol for battles with grizzlies and rhinos.

And another with noise symbols.

: Yeah, 'cause it's on that box of yours.

: Whoa! You're right.

: Think there's a connection?

Incidentally, scanning reveals 4 yellow noise symbols in the same shape as the paper.

I suppose you see what must be done.

Death Thrash Minks and Brit Popguins. We're in top-tier enemies here, the creme de la creme of noise.

Brit Popguins drop Popguin on Hard, but as a 25% efficiency Force Rounds pin it still won't go many places.

Press it

: OK... Here goes, yo! Careful when you push it!

: ...Me?

Booya! We did it, Phones!

: ... "We"? OK, box's unlocked.

: I'll take it from here, yo!

: ...

: Dammit... Not yet, man. This is a Lv. 1 keypin. It won't open the way to the record store. But we could get into the Miyashita Park area.

: Well, no point in staying here. Let's see what we can find over that way.

: Aight! Follow me, yo!

: Uh-huh. Lead the way...

: He's already said he's over by the record store.

: Whatever, yo. He can hear me. I shout loud! Rrgh... C'mon, I can't stand sittin' around here!

: I know! Settle down. What's got him so upset today? Did something happen?

: Yo! Phones! I see somethin' over there!

: OK. Let's check it out.

: Again?

Yo, I call Box Holder! Jus' say when you wanna push the button.

Moon box has a picture of the big noise symbol, but there's more than one floating around.

The solution is to kill all of them.

Minimal Rhinos drop a fun pin on Ultimate, but that's the postgame difficulty so I can't get it yet.

2-step Boomers are dropping this and I decide to use it. Grave Marker's kinda like a reverse Vulcan Uppercut but it still juggles really well.

Neku: ...

Press it

: Sure you got it right, man?

: ...You tell me, genius.

Hey! Very imprecious, Phones!

: Rhyme must have had her hands full... OK, box's unlocked. Let's open it up.

I got this, yo!

: ......

: Man, I'm sick a' rackin' my brain...

: He's actually been... THINKING?

: Aight, your turn, Phones. I'll watch the box!

: ...

This one covers both screens, but it's simpe enough, except that it's hard to tell which room has 4 noise in it the first time.

On hard, 2-step Boomers drop Boomer, the unbranded Grave Marker pin.

: ...

: Sure you got it, man?

: ...Help, if you're that worried!

Wow, Phones. That was spesticular!

: Rhyme DID have her hands full... Very full. OK, box's unlocked. Let's open it up.

I got this, yo!

: ...

: All right. Let's hurry! But still... You have to wonder. Why would Kariya go through all the trouble of trapping us here by the underpass? To buy time?

: ...

However...

: What's he doing?

: Flowers... Was there an accident here?

: An accident! ...

: Hey, whoa! Tears?

: This is where...

: Here?

: That morning' me an' my folks had it out. Jus' like always, I took off. An' jus' like always, Rhyme came after me.

: I jumped in front of her, but...

: That was our ticket to the UG.

: I'm...I'm really sorry, man.

: Rhyme wasn't a loser like me. She had dreams. Things ahead of her. If I... If I hadn't run outta the house... Hadn't fought with my folks... If I'd pushed her outta the way a second sooner...

: But c'mon, man. You know she didn't hold it against you.

: I'll never know.

: ...Huh? But you two got along great!

: Yeah, she never blamed me.

: See?

: LISTEN!

: I dunno. But when we woke up in the UG, an' whatchu think she said to me?

: Rhyme didn't remember a thing about me.

: So they took her memory... Like they did with me.

: Prob'ly. But she didn't win the Game. So even if I become Composer an' make her right again... her memories a' me might be gone for good.

: That's terrible...

: It's what it is.

: But I don't care! I'm still gonna bring her back! That's the leas' I can do for her!

: I'm with you, man.

: Thanks. ...... Sorry, I'm wastin' time. We...we gotta get over to Towa Records!

: Is he even here?

: Tsk... Fool's prob'ly hidin' somewhere. Yo, what if we scan for him?

: You can't scan Reapers.

: No, but we might find anotha' clue!

: ... Alright.

Scanning without getting in a battle progresses the story, so I'm gonna fight some to rig some brands.

: I can't scan!

: What? That's wack, man! Try again.

: ...... I'm serious! It's not working.

: No way! Why not!?

: Good question.

: So this means... what? Everybody's a Reaper?

: C'mon, please. You see any wings? And if they were Reapers, they'd notice us.

: Aight... so then what, yo?

: Yeah, all the people's got 'em...

: Wait! What if it's the pins? Maybe they block my scan, like the Player Pins!

: Could be, yo. Rhyme said Players can't scan each other.

: Or technically people carrying Player Pins. It's like the pin blocks the signal.

: So these people is all Players? I mean, if they got pins, yo...

: No, we're the only two Players. I'm sure of it. These people are alive-in the RG. Maybe the Red Skull pins are like the Player Pins for the RG.

: Naw, they can't play the Game if they alive. THINK, man!

: We can't all be great thinkers like you.

Hells yeah, I ain't stupid. Everybody in Shibuya knows CAT! The two pins sure look alike, huh?

: They do.

: ...

: So that means... he's also gotta be...

: Riiight. How 'bout we go get Rhyme?

: Oh! Good call! Lollipop is waitin'!

: Oh, here already?

: Yo, shut up! You done sayin' your prayers?

: Still a ball of energy, I see. Fine. Make me do some work, why don't you?

: Here he comes...

: Phones, careful. He's--

: What? Do I detect WORRY?

: Huh!?

: Who are you and what have--

: I'm right here, man. Quit that! I'm jus' tellin' you not to screw up, yo!

: Tsk, tsk. Squabbling? You won't beat me like that. Come on. What are you waiting for?

: You heard him, Phones! It's time for a throw down!

: I'm ready!

Boss Battle: Koki Kariya

Kariya is a jerk. Hitting him with most psychs won't stop his movement, which is why I don't have BBBB on -it isn't good at all against him. However, Shockwave and Entanglement still work wonders, as does a pucked Burst Rounds. He's got one really big attack that hits really hard but he's generally much less aggressive than Uzuki.

: Ha! Eat that! Betchu had enough!

: ...... What can I say? I know when I'm beat. You win. Here's your pin ba--

: Now look sharp before I put on my angry face!

: Uzuki! What are you doing here?

: I came to see if you were goofing off. And it's a good thing. Honestly! I can't take my eyes off you.

: Oh, do you have to be such a drudge?

: Hey, who told me to put my heart into my work? Now you're gonna have to let me help.

: Tha's perfect, yo.

: Aight, Uzuki. One more fight. If I have to.

: You have to.

Boss Battle: Uzuki Yashiro and Koki Kariya

Jesus. Two bosses who behave entirely differently. And Neku's still stuck against Kariya. And Uzuki can beat Beat up fast. And they have their own light puck, and if it gets passed 10 times they have their own fusion attack.

But they aren't stronger than Kariya alone by stats, and if you can fight them well individually, you can fight them together.

The pin drop is determined by who gets hit last, by the by.

Sitting all by itself is Playmate Beam, the strongest NP Force Rounds pin.

The prince of losers, in other words.

: As promised, your pin. Catch!

Hang in there, Rhyme. I'll fix you right--

: Hey... What are they tryin' to pull...

: Yo, punks! This ain't Rhyme!

: Huh!?

: This pin's a fake!

: You dirty, lying cheaters!

: I KNEW I couldn't trust her. Hoodwinked again!

: Kariya, what are you talking about?

: Then where's the real pin?

: Where do you think?

: She lied to us!? Then my promotion... All of it...

: Beat, I don't know what to say.

: It's aight. Betchu ain't never even seen the real pin. How would you know?

: That's no excuse. I should've seen through the trick. Here. It won't make up for today... but take it.

: For everything. Right now... the UG needs you two to have this.

: The UG needs us? Why?

Aight, man. I know what to do.

: You... you do!?

: C'mon, Phones! Oh, yo, 'fore I forget.

: Hmm?

: Watch your backs.

: And why would we need to do that?

: The last Reaper to give us a keypin got erased. We think the GM was responsible.

: Dontchu go bein' the next, aight?

: Aight. Thanks for the advice. We can take care of ourselves. Right, Uzuki?

: Hmph. They can mind their own business. Go on, scram...before I get grumpy. And, um... sorry about yesterday.

Huh? Somethin' happened yesterday? I can't remember a thing! C'mon, Phones, le's bounce!

: Right. We've got a Game Master to find.

Later...

: Never.

: Huh?

: I won't give up. Not now. Don't you see how messed up this all is? They treat us field Reapers like we're tools! I mean, this work environment is just...ugh!

: Ugh-ier than it was back in the day, I'll give you that.

: Kariya... I love this town just as much as you. So I've decided.