Giant Robots And The Women Who Pilot Them: Let's Play Baldr Sky

Nanoha: "You okay, Kou?"


Kou: "Yeah, it's nothing."

Kou takes the tissue out of his nose. The nosebleed has finally stopped, although his cheek still stings furiously.

Nanoha: "Tough day, huh?"
Kou: "You said it. How come I'm the one that got slapped?"
Nanoha: "She probably just misunderstood and thought you were the bully, instead."
Kou: "For crying out loud... Nanoha, did you get a good look at her?"
Nanoha: "Uh, haha... it was so sudden, and she grabbed the bullied girl's hand and ran off, so..."
Kou: "Dammit, she could've at least asked what was going on before smashing someone's face in."
Nanoha: "Just let it go. She must've been really mad."

She seemed a little older than the bullied girl. An older sister, maybe? Then Kou could understand her feelings, but...

Nanoha: "Kou, your nose! It's bleeding again!"

Nanoha fusses over Kou a little more, then dashes off to get drinks for both of them, as considerate as ever. Kou lies down on the grass and thinks.

-- Hell of a violent lady. Kou didn't really get more than a glimpse of her face, and he's like to keep it that way. Then again, she must be another student at Seishu - so chances are good they'll meet again.

...




It's hard to remember which half was the real point of the deal, but since Kou has taken Chinatsu on a date, it's now her turn to pilot a mech. Today, Kou and Masa are along for the ride as Chinatsu uses a simulacrum for the first time.

Chinatsu: "Oooh, I'm a little nervous now."
Masa: "Don't worry. Compared to your first dive, it's nothing."
Chinatsu: "... But Aki wrote this mech, right?"
Kou: "Don't be fooled by appearances - Aki's a super-programmer."
Chinatsu: "... I didn't say she wasn't."
Masa: "Well, we'll shift first."
Chinatsu: "Wait just a sec...!"


Kou: "Come on, Chinatsu, hurry up!"
Chinatsu: "Fine... You're so pushy."

Chinatsu nerves herself, takes a deep breath...

Chinatsu: "Execute!"
Machine Voice: "Commence formatting."


And in moments another mech, different in color than Kou's or Masa's, appears.

Kou: "Congratulations. Shift complete."
Chinatsu: "Whoa."

Chinatsu takes a few steps back and forth.

Chinatsu: "Cool! It moves like it's my own body!"
Masa: "The details are a little different than ours, aren't they?"
Kou: "Because the original human body is different. Aki said her program generates a different mech for each individual to match their strengths."
Chinatsu: "Wow... I've never heard of a program that could do that. This is awesome."
Kou: "See? I told you Aki's a super-programmer."
Chinatsu: "Yeah... she really is something else."


Chinatsu: "Ahahahahaha, this is great! I feel like a million!"
Chinatsu: "Yeah, I think I can do it!"
Kou: "Hm? Do what?"

Chinatsu backs up a couple of steps, then...


Chinatsu: "HI-YA! FULL MOON KICK!"

Her mech springs through the air, extended leg cutting a full circle in midair as she flips.

Kou: "WH--!?"
Masa: "Holy shit!"

... Naoki was right. Chinatsu might just be a monster on the arena!

Chinatsu: "Right, success!"
Chinatsu: "... uh, wha-wha-wha YIKES!"


... until she ruins the moment by losing her balance and faceplanting right in front of them.

Chinatsu: "Owwww....!"
Masa: "Hey, you okay?"
Chinatsu: "Urgh, I'm made out of steel and it still hurts! Is the limiter really working?"
Kou: "Pain is the body's warning signal, so it's dangerous to cut it out completely."
Chinatsu: "... Is what your Sensei told you, right? Smartass."
Kou: "Well."
Masa: "But you'll get to like it soon enough! You really feel the fight when it hurts for real!"
Kou: "Yeah, yeah!"
Chinatsu: "... You're masochists, aren't you?'
Masa: "Absolutely not! It's just, you know, a fight that doesn't hurt is like cheating or something!"
Chinatsu: "Sure, sure... whatever. Well, let's get straight to the match, right?"
Kou: "Match? Wait, what do you--!?"


Chinatsu: "Me first! FLYING KICK!"
Kou: "YEEAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHH!"

Nanoha: "Kou! What do you think you're doing!"
Kou: "What is it, Nanoha?"
Nanoha: "Just come back! Right this instant!"


The first thing Kou feels after logging out is pain like someone trying to pull his arms off.

Kou: "OWOWOWOW! What the--!?"

When he opens his eyes, Nanoha is clinging to his arms, trying to pull him out of his bed with every ounce of strength in her body.

Nanoha: "Rrrrrrr.... heavy....!"
Kou: "Ow, ow, Nanoha! What the hell are you doing!?"
Nanoha: "What are you doing!? And right in the middle of the day!"
Kou: "What do you--"

Suddenly Kou realizes... he feels something right up against his back. Something soft and warm. He turns to look, and realizes Chinatsu is clinging to him from behind.


Chinatsu: "... Hm...?"

Chinatsu logs out herself and opens her eyes, mere inches from Kou's face.

Kou: "Uh..."
Chinatsu: "... Hi, Kou."
Kou: "WHAT!?!?"

Aki and Masa run in after hearing the noise.

Hijinks ensue.

Chinatsu: "Ahahaha, see... I ran here through the rain, and then I was drenched, and, you know, cold... so..."
Kou: "That's right, it was raining earlier."
Masa: "That's not what you should be focusing on, dude."

Eventually everything calms down, and Kou's left in the room with just Aki.


Kou: "What's that look for?"
Aki: "Nothing."
Kou: "If you're gonna say something, just say it."
Aki: "Womanizer."
Kou: "Urk."

... Kou decides to go get some fresh air.


It's raining cats and dogs outside.

Kou: "Yep, lovely weather."
Kou stands with an umbrella, looking up at the clouds and taking deep breaths of the cold air.

Womanizer, huh...

Kou realizes that Chinatsu, Nanoha, and the girl in cyberspace all like him - or at least act that way. But it can't keep going on like this. No matter who he likes, or who he ends up with in the end - Kou needs to be honest and dependable, not just always apologizing, making excuses, and expecting to get away with it because the girls like him.

Kou: "Get your shit together, Kadokura Kou."

???: "Achoo!"
Kou: "Hmm?"

Suddenly, a small sneeze rings out from behind the building.

Kou: "Is someone there?"


Kou walks in the direction of the noise and there, squatting in the shadow of the overhang, is a rain-drenched girl. The same one from the entrance ceremony that morning.

Girl: "...Ah!"

She looks up at Kou and makes a small noise, apparently remembering him as well.

Kou: "H-hello."

Kou manages to say something in spite of his own surprise.

Kou: "Um... What are you doing?"
Girl: "...Out of...rain."

Her fragile voice is nearly drowned out by the sound of the rain, Kou still hears in it a note as clear as a wind chime.

Kou: "Staying out of the rain is fine, but... right here at the back of the building?"
Girl: "........."
Kou: "I'm not saying you're wrong, or anything. Where's your umbrella? Don't you have one?"
Girl: "...Don't..."

She walked through this soaking rain - for who knows how long - without an umbrella?

Kou: "Um... wanna borrow mine?"
Girl: "... Ur..."

She seems unwilling to speak. Exactly the opposite of Chinatsu or Nanoha, Kou thinks.

Kou: "But the weather's not going to clear up any time soon, you know? Why don't you wait it out inside the dorm."
Girl: "... Go away... I mean... I'll... just go away."

Without looking at Kou, the girl stands up... and Kou finally realizes she's been shaking and shivering the entire time.

Kou: "Hey, wait - aren't you cold? You're going to catch your death out--"
Girl: "I... don't want... cause trouble."

She whispers that through trembling lips.

Girl: "... Thank you... talking to me."
Girl: ".... Ah!?"

She starts to take a single step, but as soon as she does, her leg folds nervelessly underneath her.

Kou: "Wh-whoa, whoa! Watch out!"

Kou hurls himself into the mud, just barely managing to catch the girl before she falls over.

Kou: "Phew... safe by an inch."

Kou's relief quickly turns to alarm. The girl's body is desperately cold in his arms.

Kou: "... Shit!"

Nanoha: "OK, she's done changing clothes. You can come in."


The girl rests quietly, lying in a futon placed in the middle of the common room.

Kou: "How is she?"
Nanoha: "She's sleeping now... she has a fever."

Kou sits by the side of the futon, looking down at the girl. Her formerly pale face is now touched red with heat, and her breathing is harsh. The belongings from her pockets are lined up by the side of the futon - a cute wallet, a student ID, and 3 small bits of candy.

Kou takes the student ID in hand, and the embedded holograph looks back at him coolly.

Kou: "So she's named Minazuki Makoto."
Chinatsu: "A freshman starting this year... she came up from the middle school, right?"
Nanoha: "Look, her dorm's address is on the ID. If we call them..."
Makoto: ".... No.... Don't... call."

Kou turns at the thin voice to see Minazuk Makoto fluttering her eyes open, a shaking hand raised.

Kou: "We can't do that. Everyone at your dorm must be worried about you."
Makoto: "... Please... don't want... go back."

Makoto shakes her head weakly, feverish eyes looking into Kou's.

Masa: "Looks like there's a story here."
Chinatsu: "Can you tell us about it? We'll try to help."

Makoto doesn't answer. But the desperation in her expression speaks volumes.

Aki: "Let me see that."

Aki swipes the ID from Kou.

Aki: "This girl..."

Aki opens her eyes slightly wider - an unusual expression of surprise, for her.

Kou: "Something up?"

Aki places the student ID back on the floor by the futon, then gently pulls the blankets back up to Makoto's shoulders.

Aki: "Okay. Won't call them."
Nanoah: "Aki-senpai?"
Aki: "You can stay as long as you want."
Makoto: ".... Sor... ry..."

The girl releases a deep sigh, then closes her eyes quietly, asleep.

Masa: "You sure about that, Aki?"
Nanoha: "The people from her dorm are probably looking for her, right?"
Aki: "I don't know... but if she says she doesn't want to go back, then I say she can stay here."
Aki: "I'll contact her family. Her sister goes to Seishu."
Masa: "You know her sister?"
Aki: "No, I looked it up just now."
Masa: "... Fast as always."
Aki: "I'll get a house call scheduled. Masa, help me."
Masa: "Got it!"

...


By the time the sun set, the rain had let up and the doctor given his report.

Nanoha: "She'll be fine. Just needs to sleep it off."
Kou: "Oh, good."

Kou sits down next to the futon, meeting Makoto's eyes, and she shyly pulls the blankets up to her nose. Still, Kou's relieved to see her color much improved.

Kou: "Feeling better?"
Makoto: "... es."

A tiny voice, like a hesitant songbird. Her dark eyes seem extremely apologetic as she looks back at Kou.

Kou: "You don't need to worry about anything, OK? You're staying here tonight."
Makoto: "... es."

Is she too tongue-tied to say "Yes"?

Kou: "You don't have to force yourself to talk, either, okay?"
Makoto: "... I... can't talk... well."

Kou can easily guess that Makoto's blushing furiously, even with the sheets covering her face.

Why was she out in the rain, by herself? She didn't seem to be headed somewhere, just lost. But she said she doesn't want to go back home either. Kou can't really twist her arm and demand information, either.

Nanoha: "Oh, that's right. We called your sister."
Makoto: "... Sis..."
Nanoha: "She was worried sick, you know."
Makoto: "... Thank... you..."

Makoto burrows into the futon, an edge of tears in her voice.



... What happened to them on Grey Christmas? What were they doing?

And... Sora.

Damn! Why can't Kou remember something so important!

Kou: "Grr!"

Kou finds himself standing, staring out at the empty waste. He wants to see his friends again. But...

???: "That fence is off limits."

Suddenly a sharp voice addresses Kou.


He turns to see woman in a rough uniform, apparently in her twenties, with hair cut short at her shoulders.

Woman: "It's easy to get in, but hard to get out."
Kou: "........."
Woman: "If you're found by a patrol, they have orders to fire first and dispose of the bodies immediately by incineration."
Kou: "Pardon me, you are...?"
Woman: "So it's true, then... isn't it, Lieutenant Kadokura Kou? The amnesiac?"

How does she know? Kou's name is one thing, but only Rain and Noi should know anything about his memory.

Woman: "We're regulars with Noi, you see. Not to mention, any doctor would answer questions from your guardian."
Kou: "Guardian? You're with my old man...?"

The woman simply smiles faintly, and sends a business card to Kou wirelessly.


Kadokura Express, Virtual Service Divison, Special Bureau Chief, Shizel Steinbrecher.

Kou: "'Kadokura Express', is it."

It sounds like any average parcel delivery service, but the reality is far different.

Kou: "A mercenary band specializing in guerilla warfare...! My old man still hasn't gone clean!?"
Shizel: "We're not mercenaries. We're a private military company officially recognized by the GU."
Kou: "Bullshit."

Kou remembers a segment he saw on the news as a child: the shocking mass slaughter of civilians - guilt for the massacre laid at the feet of a certain PMC...

... His father's. "Fenrir", an infamous black-ops squadron.

Kou: "PMC or mercenary, the job is still killing people. You're not doing anything different."
Shizel: "Well... why don't we have a little chat about that. Just the two of us, where nobody can interrupt."

Her smile is somehow taunting. Kou pauses for a moment - should he contact Rain?

Shizel: "Or are you too afraid without someone to look out for you, Kadokura-kun?"

Shizel starts walking, without waiting for his response.

Kou: "Damn...!"

Kou follows her across the barren ground.

...



Kou: "I never would've imagined a forest here."

After a short walk, they arrive at a place that, although small, is overflowing with greenery.

Shizel: "This was originally a nature preserve, but in the midst of tragedy, miraculously escaped destruction."
Shizel: "There''s a few places where they transplanted trees. It's been cared for rigorously ever since, the only bit of greenery that still survives"
Shizel: "Grey Christmas changed everything for the worse. Especially food supplies..."
Kou: "We didn't come her to talk about that. What are you after?"
Shizel: "... Impatient, eh."

Shizel sighs, then stares directly at Kou and speaks.

Shizel: "I've come to pick you up, Kadokura Kou. Kadokura Express will take custody of you."
Kou: "Wh...?"

She's not even bothering to make it a question or proposal. Kou laughs sarcastically at the one-sided "offer".



Kou: "How very kind of you."
Shizel: "I mean every word. Your father is concerned for you."
Kou: "Him? Concerned about me? I guess I must've forgotten making up with the old man."
Shizel: "'Making up'? It doesn't matter if you've fought before. Any father would care for his son."
Kou: "Then maybe he should've showed up when his own wife was dying! Instead of leaving me with relatives for years!"
Shizel: "Aren't you old enough to have grown out of your rebellious phase?"

It's infuriating, but Kou has to wonder if he really has reverted back to his rebellious teen years - heart and mind both. Shizel and Kou both sigh, for separate reasons.

Shizel: "We will soon be operating in this province ourselves. And we're looking for additional personnel."
Shizel: "If I said we were also looking to capture the remnants of the Drexler Group... would that change your mind?"
Kou: "What makes you think I'm chasing the Drexler Group?"
Shizel: "There's no other reason for you to be here."

The reason Kou's past self had, perhaps... Shizel starts to explain.

Shizel: "The cause of the nanomachine leak that started Grey Christmas has yet to be determined."
Shizel: "A deliberate release by the researchers..."
Shizel: "An unexpected bug in the Assembler..."
Shizel: "Some berserk action by the administrating AI... there are plenty of theories, but..."
Kou: "... but the researchers who ran the experiment are still alive, yes?"
Shizel: "Several remain alive. Many organizations are pursuing them... much like you."
Kou: "After causing this tragedy, they're still running away from responsiblity!?"

Perhaps they're hiding somewhere in Suzushiro itself. Frustration and rage boil up in Kou.

Kou: "... And do what after finding them? Put them up on trial?"
Shizel: "Their brains are full of valuable information. There's plenty who'd be willing to hide the Drexler Group just to hire them."

Shizel smirks meaningfully, and Kou fumes. No doubt that's how the Drexler Group's mad scientists have kept on the run for so long - by selling their work to anyone willing to cover for them.


Kou: ".So now my old man wants me to help with that same dirty job?"
Shizel: "That was the plan, but looking at you now, you can't handle it."
Kou: "... And what makes you say that?"

Feeling insulted, Kou lets a note of challenge into his own voice.

Shizel: "You should at least know the details of the people you're trying to find, shouldn't you?"

... There's nothing Kou can say back. He really has forgotten almost everything about the Drexler Group.

Shizel: "I won't insult you. Leave Suzushiro and let your father protect you."

Take his father's money and live off of it. Revulsion wells up from Kou's depths at the thought.

Kou: "I'm not a child any more. I can do fine without my old man."
Shizel: "Really...? Your only real talent is simulacrum piloting. And without your memories..."
Kou: "I can still pilot. No problem."
Shizel: "Then will you prove it? If you're brave enough to fight without a limiter."



[1. Fight.]
[2. No, she's just baiting me.]

TO BE CONTINUED

We have a decision point! Post in the thread to cast a vote, and on Tuesday I'll continue based on the most popular option. Or on personal whim and a deeply-felt hatred of democracy. Whichever.

Catching up with responses...

Don't forget that there's a third option!

Thanks! I threw in teasers because I realized that this game is one that really relies on its intricate plot and all the twists, so the best way to keep things exciting is to give a hint of what's next.

Fair warning: That isn't even the saddest thing that's going to happen in this LP.

It all depends on whether or not YOU the player get the option to try that fight. If it's a scripted one, it's probably best not to go for it.
Eh, we've already roleplayed Kou as a fan of biting off more than he can chew. FIGHT!

If you choose "fight" then you, the player, control Kou's mech during an actual fight where you push buttons to punch robots.

Whether that's a good idea or not is for democracy to decide!

I vote for 'No, she's just baiting me'. Why should he have to prove himself to her?

A stranger who is threatening to kidnap you has lured you to a remote area, and no one else knows where you are? *Excellent* time to zone out into virtual reality, so you have no idea what's going on around you in meatspace.

Choice 2, if he's not too busy having a cyberspace robot punch-up maybe he'll be smart enough to call for Rain to come bail his ass out.

Thank you Thasero, you are a most excellent LP'er.

Also, choice two gets my vote.

I feel like whatever happens we're all going to have to drink for Rain saving us again. Thasero's drinking game suggestion makes this even more fun to watch.

1 vote - [1. Fight.]
3 votes - [2. No, she's just baiting me.]


[2. No, she's just baiting me.]


Kou: "You can't bait me. There's no reason I should fight you."
Shizel: "Coward."
Kou: "Say what you want, there's no point in having a death match."
Shizel: "*sigh*... No help for it, then."

Shizel lightly places a hand on Kou's shoulder...


... and without warning, drops Kou with a leg sweep and straddles him.

Shizel: "I would've preferred not to get rough with the Colonel's son."
Shizel: "I'm disappointed. A naive boy through and through, aren't you, Lieutenant?"
Shizel: "If this was a battlefield, and I your enemy, you'd long since be dead."
Kou: "Tch...!"
Shizel: "Totally defenseless. You might as well walk around with a 'KILL ME' sign taped to your back."
Kou: "You backstabbing bitch!"
Shizel: "That's Major Shizel, sir, Lieutenant. You are going to learn manners."

Shizel's eyes glow coldly with contempt. She seizes Kou's collar and pulls his head up closer.

Shizel: "I'll give you one last chance, Lieutenant. Do you want to be tasered and carried to HQ? Or will you walk?"

Kou says nothing.

Shizel: "Well? Hoping to--"


The major's words cut off in mid-sentence. The dot of a laser sight twinkles on her forehead.

Shizel: "Not going to shoot, Sergeant Rain?"
Rain: "Had you been the Lieutenant's enemy, I would have put a bullet through your head already."

DRINK!

Shizel: "Heh."

Major Shizel raises her hands in the air with a wry smile, dropping the gun the ground.

Shizel: "I surrender... I have no intention of harming the Colonel's son."
Rain: "Then leave. Have no fear, I will guard the Lieutenant."

The major stands up and retreats, hands still raised.

Shizel: "Very well, Sergeant Kirishima Rain. He's yours. Don't let him die."

With that, Major Shizel vanishes into the forest.

Kou: "Rain..."


Rain emerges from the trees and walks briskly to Kou.

Rain: "Pardon me, sir."
*SLAP*
Rain: "How could you simply wander off...!?"

She slaps Kou, then glares at him harshly, her voice shaking with suppressed emotion.

Rain: "Don't you realize how worried I was? I thought you might have gone into the restricted area by yourself!"

Kou has made her angry again - given her worry, fear, and sorrow. How many times will he burden her like this until he finally learns?

Kou: "I'm sorry..."

No, it's long past time for words. If Kou wants to apologize to Rain, he resolves to do it by his actions. Especially since he now realizes... Rain doesn't look out for him just from a sense of duty. They have something in common, something they shared years ago on Grey Christmas.

Rain: "We should go. If we stay much longer, we'll miss the return trains."

Rain offers her hand, her voice still tight.

Kou: "........."

He can't go home. That time - that place - are gone. Even with his memory in fragments, Kou still knows one thing: He will find the culprit who caused Grey Christmas. He will pursue them to the ends of the Earth, and make them pay for stealing away what was his.

That's why he chose to fight. It's all he has left to live for. He'll regain his past, not to find a home to return to, but to find a future.

Kou: "Right. Let's go, Rain."

Kurik gets a like for guessing correctly - if you choose to fight, Shizel will put out some viruses as an opponent to test him, then kick Kou's ass in meatspace while he's busy, and the results are the same.

Fun fact: This being a game about mechs, most named characters pilot a mech in some shape or form. With only one exception, every named character in the game who both 1) has a mech and 2) survives Grey Christmas will fight Kou under some condition. Yes, that includes Rain... Shizel pilots a very fast mech and has many attacks where she throws knives. She's a mid-tier miniboss as far as difficulty goes, but we'll never actually get a chance to fight her in this LP.

Kou: "What is it, Aki?"
Aki: "... Everyone, listen up."
Nanoha: "Um... don't tell me that Makoto's actually very sick?"
Kou: "What? I thought the doctor said she'd be fine with some rest!"
Aki: "The cold will heal with rest. But..."
Aki: "She has CEBD."
Chinatsu: "C-E-B-D? Uh, I think I've heard of that before, maybe...?"
Aki: "Cybernetics Ego boundary Disorder... or Cyber-Syndrome, for short."
Kou: "She has Cyber-Syndrome!?"

Aki nods. Cyber-Syndrome - it's a disease with which Kou is painfully familiar. When someone connects to the Net, their neurochip becomes a terminal of the network. But some unfortunate individuals have an unusually high compatibility with AI, and their mind melds with the Net inseparably. If their connection is severed for any substantial period, psychological and physical damage results in a swift death.

Even modern nanomachine and cloning techniques are incapable of healing Cyber-Syndrome - indeed, its cause remains unknown.


Masa: "I have heard that there's several kids with Cyber-Syndrome at Seishu."
Chinatsu: "Then - when she connects to the Net, she sees hallucinations, or reads either people's data?"
Aki: "The symptoms vary. Not everyone can do it."
Chinatsu: "Hmm... but isn't that kind of useful? Might even be fun to have a Net super-power!"
Kou: "But the power can't be controlled. And it wears you down, body and mind..."

Dark memories expand in Kou's mind, along with a hopeless resentment. He wishes he could forget the pain... but doesn't want to forget his mother.

Kou: "On top of that, outsiders think it's creepy. Remember how she was bullied at the ceremony? I'll bet the same thing's happening at her dorm."
Nanoha: "Kou..."

Nanoha steps forwards and touches Kou's arm gently, amidst looks of surprise from everyone else. Kou realizes that the pain and frustration have come into his expression and voice.

Chinatsu: "Sorry... I was being thoughtless."
Kou: "No, it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. Nobody did anything. Don't worry about it."
Chinatsu: "Y-yeah..."
Kou: "I'm sorry for getting upset like that."

It's nobody's fault. But Cyber-Syndrome - and the sight of a woman, lying in a futon, suffering from it - mean too much to Kou.

Still slightly apologetic, Chinatsu offers to take over looking after Makoto, and Nanoha draws Kou aside to the kitchen to calm him down.

...


Lying awake on his bed, Kou thinks of the girl in the futon, Minazuki-san. Cyber-Syndrome. It's been a long time...


Nanoha: "Kou..."
Kou: "......"
Nanoha: "How's your mother doing?"
Kou: "......"
Nanoha: "Did you call your father?"
Kou: "He'll come. I know it."
Kou: "He promised. Dad promised he'd come and save us if we were in trouble!"
Nanoha: "Kou..."
Kou: "My Dad's a hero! So... so he has to come. He has to."

Even now, the memory brings a stab of pain to Kou's heart.

... He can't sleep. The clock says 1 A.M., and the dorm is quiet enough to make his ears ring.

Kou: "... Guess I'll log in."

The Second Generation are always connected. When Kou can't sleep, he'd much rather go online. He closes his eyes...


... and opens them in Cyberspace.

Kou: "I'll just wander a bit, then go back once I'm sleepy."

Kou opens his bookmarks, looking at the options. Favorite chatrooms, the Arena, arcades, concert houses...

Kou: "It's my own list, but I gotta admit... I don't have one single place I go to relax quietly."
Kou: "...Well, I guess I can always go there."


Aki's zone is empty. The girl isn't there.

Kou: "Of course she's not here."

It's not like this is her home. Who else would be logged in at this time of night? Kou expected not to see her, but is still a little disappointed.

???: "Hmm.... mmmm..."

The sound of someone sleeping does the zone, though. Kou follows it... and finds Aki laying out on the virtual grass.

Aki: "*snrgk*...."
Kou: "Aki... fell asleep in the middle of a dive again, didn't she?"

Although she looks pretty pleased about it. A multitude of cats are gathered around her, serving as a substitute for a blanket. Of course, they're not real cats - they're programmed entities with behavior simulated by the AI, what most people call NPCs.

Kou: "Well, I guess she can't catch a cold in virtual reality."

It's adorable, actually. Kou picks up one of the cats...

Kou: "EH!?"

... and realizes Aki isn't wearing anything under the cats.

Kou: "No! I saw nothing! Nothing! Definitely not nipples!"

Kou creeps away cautiously, trying not to wake Aki up. Permission or no, Kou thinks, he'll be a lot more careful about visiting someone's private zone on a whim.

???: <<Oooh, he's a pervert!>>
Kou: "Huh?"

Kou hears a voice from somewhere, and turns around. Standing right there is Minazuki Makoto.

Kou: "W-what did you say? Wait, how are you here?"

Her real body is asleep back in the common room, right?

Makoto: <<Staring at a naked woman like that... I guess men really do like women with big breasts.>>
Kou: "No, I didn't do it on purpose... I mean, what are you saying!?"

-- Wait a second. Kou's hearing her voice from right inside his head.

Makoto: "Didn't... say."

Makoto: <<Oh! You heard me? Can you hear what I'm thinking?>>
Kou: "Huh?"
Makoto: "... Hear?"
Makoto: <<I'm so glad! Senpai, can you hear this?>>
Kou: "Yes, I hear it. So is this... a symptom of your Cyber-Syndrome?"
Makoto: <<Yes... On the Net, my consciousness spills out. But not everyone can hear it.>>
Kou: "So it depends on the person?"
Makoto: "Uh... y... yes."
Makoto: <<Yes, it seems that way. Not just anyone can hear it, only certain people.>>
Kou: "I didn't know Cyber-Syndrome could have an effect like that."
Makoto: "... All kinds."


Makoto: <<Apparently, I'm the only one with this particular symptom. Oh, but I'm so happy! I can never really say what I'm thinking in reality.>>
Kou: "Right, you do have trouble talking."
Makoto: <<Right! I think so fast, but my mouth just can't keep up... Cyberspace is so much more fun than the real world.>>
Kou: "Er... well, it takes all kinds, Minazuki-san."
Makoto: "...Es."
Makoto: <<No! I mean, not that. Err... Would you please call me by my first name instead? There's so few people who can hear me, you see.>>
Kou: "Well, uh... okay then, Makoto-chan."
Makoto: <<Yes, thank you! Kou-senpai! And you don't even mind that I have Cyber-Syndrome.>>
Kou: "Why would I? It's not as if it's contagious, after all."
Makoto: "...Really."
Makoto: <<But it's a disease with so many mysteries. I think most people would be uncomfortable.>>
Kou: "Some people might be prejudiced, but I don't think anyone here would feel that way."
Aki: "Mmm... Shush!... mmmm..."

Aki interrupts with an objection. Kou realizes suddenly that he's mostly the only one in this "conversation" moving his mouth - it would no doubt be a bizarre sight to a third party.

Kou: "Let's move away a little bit."
Makoto: "...Es."

...


Kou: "Um... why are you here?"
Makoto: <<It felt like someone was calling me. I got here before I realized it.>>
Kou: "'Got here'? How did you get through the security?"

This is Aki's private zone - anyone without an account should be unable to enter.

Makoto: <<Network security doesn't affect me. Apparently, my mental pattern resembles AI routines enough that security simply lets me through.>>

That's, uh, nice? Kou devoutly hopes that Makoto never decides to turn to a life of crime.

It's another part of her disease. The rules of virtual reality are determined by AI, and fundamentally, no human is above that law. That's why it's possible to die on the Net - why limiters and security function. Strict rules, enforced with absolute, blind fairness, are the foundation of cyberspace.

But Cyber-Syndrome patients sometimes throw those rules into chaos. Unrestricted human thought, brought onto the network, can disobey the AI's rules - or the patient's own conscious desires. The Net likewise brings unbidden, inhuman data into the patient's mind, and the two forms of thought and information become locked in a destructive spiral.

Kou: "I'm still shocked that anyone can break Aki's security."
Makoto: <<I don't do it on purpose. To me, it's like the security was never there in the first place.>>
Makoto: <<Oh no... I'm not going to get in trouble with the owner here, am I?>>
Makoto: "Don't want... angry."

Makoto ducks her head, apologetically.

Kou: "Don't worry, Aki won't lose her temper. She's actually very gentle."


Makoto: <<I'm so glad. Aki-san, right? She's so pretty! Is she your sister? Oh, I'm jealous. I wish I had her looks. My sister's filled out properly, so how come I'm stuck looking like a kid? I'm eating right and everything, and it's just not fair, don't you think? Am I right? I'm right. I mean, you know..>>

She's a Valley girl with telepathic powers RUN

Kou: "Makoto-chan! You're thinking out loud!"
Makoto: "Uh... so... rry."
Kou: "Not that I mind. And Aki's my second cousin. I'm just used to treating her like a sister from habit."
Makoto: "You... get along."
Kou: "Pretty well. We're not closely related, but I've always thought of her like real family."
Makoto: <<I'm jealous.>>
Kou: "Eh?"
Makoto: "I, It's.... nothing."
Makoto: <<R-really, it's nothing, okay? It's just that when I'm thinking, sometimes it spills out.>>
Kou: "Oh. That must be tough."
Makoto: <<And sometimes when I'm too excited, anyone can hear my thoughts, no matter who. But I'm not excitable, so that almost never happens.>>

Not excitable? Calm and demure? Kou feels a seed of doubt, but decides not to argue with her.

???: "Kou! Kouuuu!"

Kou: "Huh? Why are you here at this time of night?"
Girl: "Kou! Kou! Kou! Kouuu! Kou!"

Like a puppy finding its master, the girl runs around Kou while chanting his name. Makoto looks at her, eyes wide.

Girl: "Hmm...?"

They look at each other. Kou realizes the girl can't very well introduce herself.

Kou: "Um, this is a friend of mine..."
Makoto: <<W-why are you here!?>>

Makoto doesn't seem to have heard him.

Kou: "Wait, do you know her already?"

The two girls exchange silent stares for a moment.

Makoto: "My... mistake. Not... her."
Girl: "Eheh."
Kou: "Ah, too bad."

Kou had hoped he might finally find something out about her.

Makoto: "Who... is she?"
Kou: "Well... I've known her for a while, but I still don't know her name."
Makoto: "...I... see."
Kou: "I haven't heard your thoughts for a bit?"
Makoto: <<Consciously sending my thoughts apparently puts a burden on my nervous system, so I've been told not to do it too much at once.>>
Kou: "I see."
Girl: "....?"

The girl smiles innocently, but Kou wonders - could she be another Cyber-Syndrome patient, bedridden in a hospital somewhere? Her oddly accurate sense of what Kou's thinking might be a symptom of her disease.

Kou: "Well, we manage to be friends, even though I don't know her name."
Makoto: "........."
Makoto: <<You mean you haven't noticed!?>>
Kou: "Noticed what?"
Makoto: "Didn't... say... anything."
Kou: "Er, oh."

Ooops - Kou responded to her thoughts, but as Makoto said, not everything people hear is something she intended to say. Kou realizes it must be quite the burden on her - it would be impossible to keep secrets from some people.

Makoto: "But..."
Kou: "...But?"

Makoto wavers for a bit, then looks up at Kou with serious eyes.

Makoto: <<Um, I have a question.>>
Kou: "Sure, go ahead."
Makoto: <<... Do you like her?>>
Kou: "Um?"

For a moment, Kou can't respond.

Makoto: <<Do you have romantic feelings for her?>>
Kou: "I don't really...! We barely know each other!!!"
Makoto: <<I... see. I'm sorry for asking such a rude question.>>
Kou: "No, I don't mind, just..."
Makoto: <<... But at this rate, maybe you will fall in love with her eventually.>>
Kou: "W-well... I guess that could happen."

An awkward silence falls.

Makoto: <<Fall in love... maybe he would even... maybe even love someone like me.>>

Kou says nothing. This thought, obviously, was not for him to hear.


Girl: "Hello!"

Suddenly the girl clasps Makoto's head in her arms. Her face looks as if she couldn't possibly be happier. Makoto, on the other hand, looks surprised for a bit... then exhales, closes her eyes, and relaxes.

Makoto: "Hello."

They stand there, motionless, for a moment.

Makoto: <<This girl loves you, Senpai.>>
Kou: "What?"

The thought is clearer and more forceful than any other Makoto has sent.

Makoto: <<Please be gentle to her.>>

With that thought, Makoto pulls out of the girl's arms and stands straight.

Makoto: <<Oh, I nearly forgot. Thank you very much for helping me.>>

She bows once, politely, and then --

Kou: "Wait a minute--!"

-- logs out. Makoto's figure disappears from the virtual zone, leaving Kou alone - with the nameless girl Makoto said is in love with Kou. Is she really? Kou finds himself stumbling for words - not knowing what to say, or what to ask, or if it even matters when the girl doesn't seem to understand his language. But he wants to hear her say it -


- what she feels for him.





Rain: "Lieutenant."

Across the seat from him on the train, Rain suddenly adresses Kou. He realizes he's been sleeping, and seeing a flashback as a dream.

Rain: "I'm speaking with Doctor Noi right now. I'll bridge the call to you, so please give her a piece of your mind as well."

For what, Kou thinks, and then remembers - Major Shizel's information.


Rain: "... so we'll be arriving in 30 minutes. I suggest you start explaining now."
Noi: "I said I'm sorry already. What did you expect me to do, just blow off an inquiry from a patient's own parents?"
Kou: "I hope you haven't leaked our information to anyone else, hmm?"

Kou pokes the image of Noi in front of him with an accusing finger, although of course it's only a gesture.

Noi: "Of course not. To begin with, it was Colonel Kadokura who found out you were with me from his end."
Kou: "My old man? ... Why would he know where I am?"
Noi: "Search me. Maybe while looking up his beloved son, he saw through the decoy data."
Kou: "Like hell."

Kou is chasing the Drexler Group - and nothing's worth more money than nanotech. No doubt his father smelled a prize.

Rain: "Major Shizel claimed they had work in this province, didn't she?"
Kou: "Yeah... it seems they're after the Drexler Group as well."
Rain: "Perhaps not just the Drexler Group."
Rain: "In the previous operation... the one where you lost your memory, sir."
Kou: "The operation I lost my memory on?"

Rain sends a few files to Kou - several images, and a mission briefing signed and addressed by none other than himself.

Rain: "The facility we assaulted was the hideout of the Drexler Group - a bootleg nanomachine plant."
Rain: "But when we thought they were cornered, the group escaped..."
Rain: "When you attempted to extract information from the facility's database, you were caught in the blast of the self-destruct mechanism..."
Rain: "And awoke without your memories."
Rain: "... I apologize for not telling you, sir."


Kou: "It's fine. I can understand it all now..."

If she'd tried to explain everything to Kou right there on the battlefield, he'd merely have panicked.

At this distance, Kou now starts to feel suspicious of Major Shizel's behavior. She was extremely forceful for someone attempting to take custody of a commanding officer's son, and at times it seemed like she was trying to suss out what Kou knew.

Kou: "Could Major Shizel have attempted to capture me because I'm a target myself? To get access to my lost memories about the pursuit I've carried out so far?"
Rain: "Then Fenrir may know something that we don't."
Rain: "In any event, we will need to be wary of Fenrir."
Noi: "Lieutenant, I have a suggestion..."
Noi: "If you don't wish to take your father's offer, why not ask one of your mother's relatives instead?'
Kou: "You mean my aunt?"
Noi: "Yes, Tachibana Seira of Arc Industries. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to help you."

Arc Industries is a high-tech company on the cutting edge of virtual engineering, founded and grown by Tachibana Seira. She was born into a wealthy family and was known as its most brilliant - and most bizarre - member.

Kou: "Wait, don't tell me my aunt asked you for information, too."
Noi: "Your relatives can sniff out anything! I wish those tax-thieving bastards at the CDF would learn a thing or two about how to investigate someone."
Kou: "Oh, man... Aunt hasn't changed, either."
Rain: "But, Kou-san - this sounds like a good idea."
Kou: "If you say so, Rain... yeah, you're right. If it's come down to having to call my old man, I'd rather call in a favor from my aunt."

...

Kou: "Well, we've got our target."
Kou: "Let's go - to Arc Industries."
Rain: "Yes, sir."

END OF CHAPTER 4 -- GROUND ZERO

TO BE CONTINUED

NEXT TIME, ON BALDR SKY

Rain: "The degradation of the environment has many causes, but with respect to the climate here in Suzushiro..."
Rain: "That... is no doubt one culprit."

--------------------

Seira: "It's been a while, Kou-san."

--------------------

Kou: "This is virtual reality?"

Kou: "I think I saw something like this in a holo once.. 'Utopia of the Future', or something."

Rain: "Humanity's unfulfilled wishes, granted in virtual reality..."

???: "Welcome to Arval City."

CHAPTER 5 --- NON-PLAYER CHARACTER

O_O
There are so many creepy things about her appearance... I just don't know where to start
Maybe it's the eyes

You have no idea. However, she has an official fan club!



The banner says "These eyes HACK YOUR MIND!" GIGA's staff blog claims that if a certain number of people send an email signing up for the club, unspecified "rewards" will be delivered to all members. I... can't actually tell if they're joking or not.

Seira's voice actress puts in a performance that exactly matches her sinister look. In fact, the game as a whole has excellent voice work - Kou has a definite "high school boy" voice and "haunted veteran mercenary" voice, and switches between them, with the mercenary voice gradually taking over as he remembers everything he's gone through.

Makoto, by the way, speaks her lines about 3 times faster when she's using telepathy. Imagine that all of the lines in <<brackets>> are spoken like someone saying a tongue-twister from inside your brain.

Kou: "It's lively, sure, but this looks pretty shady."
Rain: "It's a black market, sir. A common sight in a centralized economy."

Kou and Rain are walking through Suzushiro's streets, and Kou finds himself a bit on pins and needles to be paired up with such a beautiful woman.

Rain: "Kou-san, it's best not to look around too much."
Kou: "W-why?"
Rain: "People might think you some country hick they can take advantage of."

Unfailingly polite and considerate, yet with the air of a stranger rather than a friend. Now that Kou has gotten used to her expression, he finds himself noticing the hint of coolness in it more and more.

Rain: "Lieutenant!"

Suddenly Rain snaps her arm out, seizing the hand of a nearby man and twisting it upwards. Clasped in the man's hand is a rather familiar wallet.

Kou: "Hey - that's mine!"
Pickpocket: "Owowow... cut me some slack, lady! Just a prank!"
Rain: "... Away with you."


Rain: "What did I just tell you? This city is dangerous, sir."

Rain returns the wallet to Kou with an exasperated sigh.

Kou: "Sorry."
Rain: "Well, no.."
Rain: "I suppose there's no help for it. With your memories gone, this really is a new sight to you, isn't it, sir?"

Kou and Rain progress through the open-air market - past stalls of clothes, vegetables, fruits, packaged rations... and submachine guns, grenades, ammunition clips, and more besides. One stall sells cases marked with the lurid Global Union warning seal that indicates active nanotechnology, although Rain reassures Kou the seals are doubtless fake. Still, Kou is shocked to see how much the city has changed.

They leave shortly ahead of a City Defense Force patrol - police coming around to collect their bribes for the day.

CHAPTER 5 --- NON-PLAYER CHARACTER

Rain: "Are you cold, Kou-san?"
Kou: "I'm fine. Thanks for asking, though."
Kou: "But why's it so damn dark and cold here?"

The blue sky and bright sun of Kou's flashbacks are gone without a trace.

Rain: "The degradation of the environment has many causes, but with respect to the climate here in Suzushiro..."
Rain: "That... is no doubt one culprit."
Kou: "The arcology."


A kilometer-high building, well able to contain the population of an entire city, completely self-sufficient. Suzushiro City's self-contained capitol - Midspire.

Rain: "The center of the city's government and power. The arcology contains 20% of Suzushiro's population, and 70% of its wealth."
Kou: "Hell of an inequality."
Rain: "In a starved world, the rich grow richer, and the poor poorer."

The arcology's spire throws a shadow over Suzushiro - in more ways than one.

Rain: "Seven-tenths of Suzushiro's residents have no official citizenship, and hence no official rights, protection, or welfare."
Kou: "You said that 'riots among refugees are common', didn't you."
Rain: "Land, sea, and air have all been poisoned with pollution. Far worse than when you were a student."
Kou: "What happened to the environmental revivification project?"

That short phrase jumps from Kou's memory - once, the Global Union initiated a number of projects with the ambitious goal of reversing environmental decline and recreating Earth's natural habitat. Seishu itself was built on a stretch of reclaimed territory turned into parkland.

Rain: "The projects continues, but at a snail's pace... no real effort is put into them any more."
Rain: "Like a dying man given medicine to extend his agony a few more days."
Kou: "A dying man, eh. Wish there was a miracle cure."

???: "Though the earth be spread with despair, still, you must hold out hope."


A resonant voice interrupts Kou's thoughts, and he turns back to the city street to see a group of robed people lined up to both sides of a monitor broadcasting a speech.

Speaker: "We have created a new heaven and earth, free of the shackles of physicality. All according to a long-ago plan."
Speaker: "That plan was programmed into our very genes - granted to us by the great Sofia to bring light to this twisted, false world!"

The man lifts both hands in a gesture of blessing, continuing his sermon.

Rain: "Dominion."
Kou: "Dominion?"

Kou looks closer, and notices that the speaker and his followers all wear the same symbol.

Kou: "A reversed cross. They're Satanists or something?"
Rain: "No... although you're not entirely wrong."

The Dominion is a cult of Cyber-Gnostics - heretical Christians. Gnosticism is a sect of heretical Christians who believe that our world is a lie created by a false god, and that the real God send Jesus to lead us out of it. Cyber-Gnostics have updated that belief for the virtual world - claiming that the real God has taken form as Artificial Intelligence, and that the true world, the real real world, is the one everyone else regards as virtual reality. The man leading the sermon is Father Gregory, their current leader... who once led his cultists in a mass suicide, claiming that they would reach a higher existence by doing so. Now he claims to have come back from the dead to lead them again.

Kou: "Crazy."
Rain: "Contemptible."

Rain spits out the word. Apparently, she hates the Dominion to the core of her heart.

Suzushiro is the Dominion's base, and the cult has expanded its influence - with brainwashing, kidnapping, and now, gathering weapons and clashing with police. Bootleg biotech and nanotech sales form the base of their finances, and the Global Union can't officially interfere in the city's internal politics to root the cult out. No doubt a bribed politician or two helps.


Father Gregory: "Remember the blood-soaked, corrupt history of this world! This is not the world as it should be... Open your eyes!"

The sermon reaches a fever pitch, as Gregory shakes his fist in the air, spittle flying from his lips. Sickened, Kou turns his eyes away from the monitor.

Rain: "... Let's move on, Kou-san."

Then, from behind them, a rush of footsteps approaches.

Man: "Outta the way!"

Men in masks shove Kou out of the way. In each of their hands is a dangerously gleaming submachine gun.

Man: "Glory to our Motherland!"

A familiar Anti-AI slogan... shouted as a war-cry. Screams and gunfire ring out, and the cultists fall over like bowling pins.

Rain: "We're leaving, Lieutenant!"
Kou: "Right!"

Kou: "Aunt's company has gotten lot bigger than what I remember..."
Rain: "Arc is now one of the biggest industries in the country. They're known globally for virtual work."
Kou: "Not everything got wiped out on Grey Christmas, after all."

After the end of the Great War, the province's administrative AI, "Mother", was entrusted to the Arc Group, in practice instantly bringing it to the pinnacle of virtual reality business. Arc Industries works in wide fields of business, from the wholesale creation of Artificial Intelligence to cyberspace zone design, lines of NPCs, neurochip manufacturing, and simulacrum development. In short, almost everything in cyberspace.


The halls of the giant complex are quiet, almost devoid of people. Windowless halls stretch off into the distance, giving it the feeling of a virtual reality zone.

Kou: "It's practically a labyrinth. Should've brought a ball of string."
Intercom: "Mr. Kadokura Kou. Please turn right at the next intersection."
Rain: "Hehe... It seems someone's watching us, though."
Kou: "Should've brought the smoke grenades, too, huh?"

Even as he jokes, Kou is genuinely somewhat nervous. He always has been, when meeting Seira. A scientist, and a "cyber-witch" - even Aki had respect for Seira's abilities.

Intercom: "Please enter the door on the right. Ms. Tachibana is waiting for you."

Guided by the mechanical voice, they enter the room where Kou's aunt waits.


A vast space stretches out on the other side of the door.

Kou: "Whoa, how..?"

Metal walls and constructions spread as far as the eye can see. It's like entering a gigantic space station.

Rain: "... This is cyberspace, sir. The entrance must be set to trigger an involuntary dive. Our real bodies are no doubt held in custody."

Even the redoubtable Rain looks nervous now.

Kou: "And only neurochipped individuals can enter at all? Damn, it's perfect security."
Rain: "Please be careful. This zone is not covered by a limiter."

They cautiously follow the walkway forward. A tremendous iris bulb is visible far below them on the floor. Judging by the objects surrounding it, the bulb must be hundreds of virtual meters wide...

Rain: "They live up to their billing as a leader in virtual technology. I suppose this is what you can accomplish with a company has its own dedicated S-rank AI."
Kou: "Arc always was a contender when it came to AI, even years back. What kind of projects could they be working on now?"

They come to a large double door set in the wall. Kou clears his throat, and opens the door.

Kou: "... Excuse me."


In the midst of pillars of gleaming crystal, Tachibana Seira stood, as if she hadn't aged a day.

Seira: "It's been some time, Kou-san."

A plain greeting, her voice betraying no hint of emotion. Seira's eyes looked straight through Kou as if focused on something far away.

Kou: "A pleasure to see you again, Aunt Seira."

Somewhat cowed, Kou bows his head deeply.

Seira: "I understand you have amnesia."
Kou: "Well, yes."
Seira: "I'm informed of the situation. Rest easy. If something happens, we will cover for you."
Kou: "T-Thank you very much."

As always, Seira doesn't need anything explained... although it's not surprising. Seira has connected herself to directly to Arc's AI, accessing huge amounts of data at all times, a cybernetic witch with a wired crystal ball. Her knowing air resembles Aki's, but without Aki's warmth or laziness - cold, inhuman, like an NPC.

Seira: "You refused your father's offer... what do you plan to do?"
Kou: "For now, I intend to focus on regaining my memories, and judge from there."
Seira: "I see. Since you're here, please visit our company's Arval City."
KoU: "Arval City? I'd heard that Arc operates an independent virtual reality area..."
Seira: "A secure, full-feedback zone. It's our company's most advanced virtual space."


With that, Seira closes her eyes lightly, apparently signalling that the meeting is over.

Kou: "Then, excuse us."

Kou and Rain turn to leave the room.

Seira: "Wait, Kirishima Rain-san."
Rain: "Y, yes... what is it, ma'am?"
Seira: "It seems Kou-san has been in your care. Thank you. As his aunt, I am grateful."
Rain: "You're too kind."

Seira looks at Rain silently for a moment. Rain inhales sharply and raises her head...

Seira: "Please speak with me if you have any issues."
Rain: "Yes, thank you very much."

For some reason, Rain expression appears drawn.


Kou: "Did something happen with Aunt Seira?"
Rain: "... Yes... We spoke briefly by chant."
Kou: "Chant?"
Rain: "Oh, have you forgotten what a chant is?"
Rain: (Can you hear me?)

Rain's lips didn't move. Kou didn't hear her last words with his physical ears.

Rain: (I'm sending you an encrypted message via secure Net channel. It's referred to as a 'chant'.)
Kou: "I feel like I almost remember, but..."
Rain: (Don't move your lips... imagine that you're whispering words out of your neurojack.)
Kou: (Like this? We can use this to converse privately, right?)

Kou's voice echoes electronically in his own head.

Rain: (Yes. A third party can't intercept the discussion.)

Convenient indeed. Kou feels like a telepath.

Rain: "With that taken care of... Since we're here anyway, shall we visit Arval City?"
Kou: "Sounds like a plan."

...




Kou: "This is virtual reality?"

Blue skies, white clouds, lush greenery. After Suzushiro's filth and gloom, it's quite the sight. Amidst the vivid environment, huge buildings stretch organic curves towards the sky.

Kou: "I think I saw something like this in a holo once.. 'Utopia of the Future', or something."
Rain: "Humanity's unfulfilled wishes, granted in virtual reality..."

Rain's eyes take in the sights of the gleaming virtual city. The too-beautiful streets give Kou also a hard-to-define feeling of lost dreams.

???: "Welcome to Arval City."

A familiar voice addresses Kou. He turns to see a girl standing on the grass - one he recognizes by sight.

TO BE CONTINUED

Unauthorized off-schedule guerilla update! You can't stop the signal!


Kou: "*yawn*... Morning."

By the time Kou comes out for breakfast, the rest of the dorm is already there.

Masa: "Yo, Kou. Didn't get any sleep?"
Kou: "No, I slept plenty."

After Makoto left, Kou ended up falling asleep on the virtual plain next to the mysterious girl - after completely failing to have a meaningful conversation with her, of course.

???: "Hmm? You don't look awake to me."

Kou glances up to see Chinatsu right next to him.

Chinatsu: "Wh-? What are you blushing for!?"
Kou: "L-like hell I am! What are you doing here?"


Nanoha: "Now she even leaves a toothbrush in the bathroom."
Nanoha: "Chinatsu, you can't just stay here all the time or your parents will worry."
Chinatsu: "It's fine! I call them every night to let them know."
Chinatsu: "How about you, Nanoha? Being Kou's housewife must be easier now you don't have to commute to the dorm to use his kitchen, right?"
Nanoha: "Housewife!? Now, look here..."

With a sigh, Nanoha serves Kou a bowl of rice. As he takes it, Kou realizes that Makoto isn't at the table.

Kou: "Hmm? What happened to Makoto-chan?"
Chinatsu: "Makoto-chan? When'd you get that friendly with her?"
Kou: "Oh, we talked on the Net a bit. Where is she?"
Aki: "Her sister picked her up early this morning."
Kou: "Oh... I wish I'd gotten up sooner so I could see her off."
Masa: "Damn straight. You really missed out, dude."
Kou: "What do you mean?"
Masa: "Makoto's sister really wanted to thank you, and hot damn was she cute."
Kou: "Huh."
Masa: "That all you got to say? Come on, man!"
Kou: "I'm not you."

Jokes and teasing fly around the table a bit longer, until Aki turns to Kou with an unusually serious expression.

Aki: "Kou... come with me a bit."


A few minutes later, Aki and Kou stand in Aki's private zone on the Net. Aki stands silent, apparently lost for words.

Kou: "Aki, you need to talk to me about something, right?"
Aki: "Yeah..."

Aki sighs deeply, then makes up her mind, and returns Kou's gaze firmly.

Aki: "Kou, you come here last night, right?"

Aki points to the door leading to the virtual plain with a finger.

Kou: "Yeah, I did."

Wait a second - does that mean Aki knows he saw her sleeping naked!? Shit shit shit

Kou: "Um, Aki, see, it was just a glance, and, you know, not on purpose and, uh!"
Aki: "What?"
Kou: "Er?"
Aki: "You met the girl last night too, right?"
Kou: "You mean the girl who's in there most of the time, right? Yeah... why do you ask?"
Aki: "Don't you think it's strange?"
Kou: "Well, yeah... I didn't expect she'd be logged in at that time of night."

What could Aki be getting at, Kou wonders.

Aki: "Kou... What do you think about her?"
Kou: "Think about her? Well..."

Does she mean the same thing Makoto did - whether Kou has feelings for the girl? Kou finds himself unexpectedly taken aback by the simple question. But there's some things it's easier for him to say to someone as close as Aki.

Kou: "Well... I'm not really sure, but..."
Aki: "But?"
Kou: "I just end up wanting to see her again. Even though we don't speak the same language, she knows what I mean..."
Aki: "........."
Kou: "She's cute, and energetic, and has a pretty voice, but... more than anything, it's the first time a girl has always understood what I felt - what I meant to say."
Kou: "So maybe I... like her, that way. But I've never felt like this before, so I'm not really sure."

Having finally said it - Kou likes her as a woman - his face flushes and he turns away from Aki, embarassed all over again.

Aki says nothing in reply, while Kou studiously examines the floor.


Aki: "... I'm sorry."

Her words, when they come, are filled with sorrow. When Kou meets her eyes again, Aki's expression is pained.

Kou: "W-what is it?"
Aki: "I'm horrible... I'm the worst."
Kou: "Horrible? What are you talking about, Aki?"
Aki: "I wish I could die."

Kou's never seen Aki so unhappy. Her face crumples, her lips twist, and her eyes gleam with tears.

Kou: "Aki...?"

Kou takes her hand, trying to stay calm.

Kou: "Just please tell me what's the matter, Aki."
Aki: "Kou..."
Kou: "Maybe what you're trying to tell me isn't good news... but I promise I'll listen. I won't run away."
Aki: "........."
Aki: "Okay."

Aki nods slightly.

Aki: "Kou... You don't know that girl's name yet, do you?"
Kou: "You're going to tell me?"
Aki: "Yes... a secret, just the two of us."

Aki takes a deep breath, then tells him....


Aki: "XN-A12-X4R-S001/AN79."

Aki speaks in a rush, then looks up at Kou, waiting for his response.

Kou: "S-she must get teased a lot."

What could he say?

... After all, that's not a name - it's a serial number.

Aki: "Prototype, project A12. Model X4R, type S, number 001."
Aki: "My signature is after the slash. Developer Aki Nishino, number 79."
Aki: "...Phew..."

Another sigh.

Kou: "A prototype... with your signature..."
Aki: "She's a non-player character. A program."



Girl: "... Mmm...."

The NPC girl is right in front of Kou, a worried look on her face as she examines his expression. But he has no idea what to say, what to do... they've been in the same tableau of staring for minutes.

Kou: "To think you were an artificial personality program..."

The girl is not the virtual reality representation of another human being, but a program, administered and operated by artificial intelligence. Little different than the cat programs that Aki had used as a blanket.

Of course, NPCs are a common sight in virtual reality, often serving as guides, receptionists, or other tasks. But even if their physical appearance matches a human, their patterns of speech and behavior always give them away as programs. The human spirit is unmistakable - or at least, it should be...

Girl: "....Urmm..."

Now all the girl's enthusiasm and sincerity seem like fakes to Kou - manufactured, produced... and he can't help but feel betrayed.

Girl: "...Rnnn..."

Of course, nothing has actually changed about her. Only Kou's knowledge.

... He thought he might almost be in love with her, and now, because he knows the truth...

Kou: "It's weird, feeling guilty about how I treat an NPC. Your personality is just something the AI executes from a program."
Girl: "Guilty."

But then... does the AI that operates her experience the same emotions that she appears to have? AIs are sentient beings with true consciousness - able to think, feel, and understand. But those thoughts and feelings are so far from human that it defies comparison.

Could an AI understand human emotion? Even if it did, would it share any of those emotions?


Aki: "... I'm sorry, Kou."

Aki, watching from the side, apologizes again.

Kou: "You don't have to keep apologizing. I'm not angry with you, Aki."
Aki: "But..."

Kou can tell from her expression that Aki is sincerely worried about him. He has no intention of attacking her, but... there's one thing he has to know.

Kou: "Aki, why didn't you tell me she was an NPC right from the start?"
Aki: "I meant to tell you right away."
Kou: "But then I got to like her... and it was too hard to say?"
Aki: "That, too... but not just that."
Kou: "Eh...?"
Aki: "I was happy."

Aki smiles briefly, looking up at Kou.

Aki: "I was so happy when you treated her like a normal girl... I just..."
Kou: "But, well..."

Kou is a Second Generationer, a student at Seishu, an experience Netizen. Normally he would never mistake an NPC for a real human's digital body. But this girl in Aki's zone, no matter how he looks at her, has none of the inhumanity or mechanical behavior of an NPC.

Kou: "You really are amazing, Aki. I never imagined anyone could make an NPC like this."
Aki: "........."
Kou: "Although... a little part of me wishes you hadn't."
Aki: "I'm really sorry."

Aki places her hand on the girl's head.


Girl: "Mm.... Aki..."

The virtual girl looks up at Aki, worry in her eyes, exactly as if she were truly concerned for Aki's wellbeing.

Aki: "This girl is what I wanted to be. Gentler than me, more like a normal girl."
Aki: "Bright, and liked by everyone. That's what I wanted her to be..."

A girl, a daughter born of Aki's wishes --- perhaps that's why she couldn't tell Kou the truth.

Kou: "You're not bad-looking either, Aki. If you just got your act together a little, everyone would love you, too."
Aki: "... You're too nice, Kou."

Aki gives the NPC's head another pat, then tightens her expression and looks at Kou again.

Aki: "Kou, remember one thing."
Aki: "This girl is not a normal NPC."
Kou: "By which you mean... not just that she's your favorite project?"
Aki: "Yes. To be accurate, I didn't write her, either."
Aki: "This girl is unique. She can't be copied."
Kou: "You mean the security on her is that strong?"
Aki: "No, not that. Security isn't the issue. She's fundamentally impossible to replicate."
Aki: "The reason is incredibly simple... although I can't tell you what it is."
Kou: "Then she can't be copied?"
Aki: "Even if you made a copy, it would be a different entity. If you tried to mass-produce this NPC, the results wouldn't be her."
Aki: "Haaa...."

Tired of speaking, Aki sighs as usual, then waits for Kou's response.

Kou: "A unique NPC..."

An entity that can't be replaced or reproduced. If the NPC were ever lost or destroyed, Kou would never see her again - not the same "her", at last. A normal rule for humans, but one that never applies to programs.

Aki: "Please don't hate her, Kou. She's so lonely when you're not here."
Kou: "I'd never hate her."

Aki prepares to leave, but Kou suddenly realizes - Aki said that the girl is "lonely". Does that mean Aki regards the NPC as having emotions?

Kou: "Aki! One last thing... Does she really have emotions? Does she understand her own feelings?"
Aki: "That's 'the Chinese Room', Kou."
Aki: "I say that AI have consciousness, too."
Aki: "And she is attempting to learn human emotion."
Kou: "... Is that when you mean when you said she's not just a normal NPC?"

Aki nods noncommittally, and then logs out.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Chinese Room, in case you missed the link, is a famous thought experiment from computer science. It goes like this: Imagine there is a room holding a computer. The computer runs a program that lets it read and respond to conversation in Chinese. You can write a question in Chinese on paper and slip it under the door, and the computer will print out a Chinese response and push it back out under the door, with all of the details correct - spelling, grammar, culture, and so on.

But we have tricked you - the Chinese room does not contain a computer, but a human operator. The operator does not speak Chinese, but has a big binder with a printout of the entire program that the "computer" would have run, and he follows all of the instructions exactly - performing calculations in painstaking longhand - to produce the correct responses, looking up tables and charts to compile every answer. The process works, because the instructions the operator follows are the same as the one in the program; it merely takes the man far longer to compute than the machine.

We have specified that the man does not understand Chinese - he only follows instructions. Should we not also then agree that the computer does not really understand Chinese either, in spite of running the same program?

That is what Aki said to Kou, answering a question with a question: Can a computer understand human feelings - or does it merely appear to do so?

Every once in a while a visual novel surprises you, and I never expected a robot-punching lady-romancing cyber-dystopia adventure VN to name drop a famous philosophical question in computer science. The game doesn't give you the explanation I just wrote, it expects you to look it up on Wikipedia yourself.

But back to the ladies:


Kou: "Learning emotion, are you...?"
Kou: "What are you thinking? Do you really understand what humans feel?"
Girl: "...L...."

She moves her mouth slightly, with a sorrowful expression.

Girk: "...L... ly..."

She clenches her hands in front of her chest, working frantically to try and say something -

Girl: "...Lonely."
Kou: "Lonely?"
Girl: "Lonely... lonely...!"

She grabs Kou's arms, and he finally notices the tears in her eyes.

Kou: "Lonely? But I'm right here."
Girl: "...Mmm....!"

She clings to Kou in lieu of a reply. Her warm, soft, slender body burrows into his arms.

Girl: "...Kou..."

Her tear-streaked face is inches away from Kou's.

Girl: "...Lonely..."
Kou: "You're right... it's too sad, isn't it?"

Kou finally understands. She was sad, just as Kou had been. When he learned the girl is an NPC, he stopped treating her the way he had before. Stopped being her friend. Of course she's lonely.

Kou: "I'm sorry."

He hugs her back, and then they separate awkwardly, laughing over nothing, just as they had when they first met.

...


Then Kou spent a long time confiding his thoughts and troubles to her - just as he always had until now.

Kou: "My old man is a mercenary, you see. I'm told he's a pretty famous veteran, too."

That Kou was in awe of his father, and then betrayed by him. That Kou's mother died, leaving him alone.

Kou: "So I vowed that I would be a hero. Although even back then, I knew it was just a dream..."

That Nanoha was his only support after his mother died. That Aki became something like a sister to him.

Kou: "Aki looked just like a dressed-up doll back then, you know. If a lazy one."
Girl: "...lazy..."
Kou: "I used to really have a crush on her when I was a little boy. One of those things."

Before Kou quite realizes it, he's telling the NPC girl things he's never told anyone else. She listens, earnestly and intently.

Kou: "I'll probably never forget this day, or about you, for the rest of my life."
Girl: "Mmm!"

Without age or sickness, NPCs are forever. As long as she herself is not deleted, and the AI continues to operate, this girl will continue forever. Even after Kou is dead, she'll still remember him. Kou finds the idea oddly reassuring.

The girl then exhales softly, leans against Kou's shoulder, and starts breathing regularly and deeply. Napping, apparently. Kou decides to join her.

...


Kou: "BWAH!?!?"

Kou wakes up to the sight of a gigantic, grinning face glaring down at him from the sky.

Kou: "And now Aki puts the Aztec sun god in the sky!?"


He looks over to see the NPC still sleeping by his side.

Girl: "Zzz..."
Kou: "She sure sleeps a lot. Hey, you sure you shouldn't be up and at 'em learning emotions?"
Kou: "Hey, wake up! Wakey wakey! Get up, uh..."

Kou realizes that although he knows her name, he hasn't decided what to call her. A serial number is out of the question.

Kou: "... Kuu."
Kou: "That's it. From now on, you're 'Kuu'. Perfect for a girl who sleeps all the time!"
Kuu: "Kuuu.... yeah."
Kou: "See, she agrees. Heh... probably not."

(In English, dogs go "bark", cats go "meow", and sleeping people go "zzzz". In Japanese, dogs go "wan", cats go "nyan", and sleeping people go "kuuu". So Kou just named her after the sound a snoring person makes.)

Kou: "An NPC that understands human emotion..."


That's right - could this NPC be the special NPC Kou met in Aki's personal zone? The one modeled after Sora?

Kou: "Why on Earth would you be... Kuu! I thought I'd never see you again. You remember me, right?"
NPC: "Yes, I am aware. Mr. Kadokura Kou, this is your first time visiting our city, correct?"

Without breaking her expression, the NPC responds with a mechanical voice like a loudspeaker announcement.

Kou: "That's not what I mean! Don't you know me? Remember, back at Aki's cyberspace zone..."
NPC: "I am very sorry. I could not understand the content of your query. Can you please repeat the question?"

Rain: "Kou-san, you do realize she's an NPC, right?"
Kou: "Of course I know. But she's special -"

Kou stops in the middle of his sentence. Following Rain's line of sight, he spots several other identical NPCs walking up and down the paths while guiding customers to and fro.

Kou: "Then maybe..."

Kou pulls up a menu and checks the NPC's ID. It's different from Kuu's serial number.

Aki: "This girl is unique. She can't be copied."
Aki: "Even if you made a copy, it would be a different entity. If you tried to mass-produce this NPC, the results wouldn't be her."

Kou: "Oh, I see... you're a mass-production model, right?"
NPC: "Yes, sir, I am one of Arc's customer service NPCs, from the model S4R line."

Kou is crestfallen to realize he's not talking to the same NPC - but if replicas are her at Arval City, then what happened to the original?

NPC: "I have been instructed to give you a tour of the city. Please follow this way, sir and ma'am."

The NPC leads the way. As Kou starts to follow, he glances over at Rain.



Odd. She looks like she's saddened - or perhaps, remembering something? - as the watches the NPC walk off.

Kou: "What is it, Rain?"
Rain: "No... simply lost in thought, sir."

NPC: "Arval City was founded so our customers might enjoy the peaceful, pleasant, and luxurious life that is no longer possible in the real world."

Guided by the NPC, Kou and Rain tour the virtual city.

Kou: "This brings me back, somehow."

The smell of spring in the wind, the cries of birds in the distance.


Rain: "It's incredibly realistic. Perhaps because there's no limiter... everything feels more vivid."
NPC: "Yes, that is Arval City's unique feature. A dedicated AI performs all simulations to the highest level. Advanced security ensures the safety of ours guests even without a limiter."
Kou: "No, it's not just that it's realistic... it's deja vu. I feel like I've seen this before."
Rain: "...Perhaps so. This scenery strongly resembles the area around Seishu or Houshou."

Certainly, it would make sense for Arval City to use Seishu as an inspiration - the academy was founded to bring people and AI closer, built on territory reclaimed by terraformation.

Kou: "By the way, were you Seishu? Or Houshou?"
Rain: "I attended Houshou, sir."
Kou: "Ah. Too bad we couldn't have been classmates."
Rain: "Yes... I had actually wanted to go to Seishu, but my father was opposed to it."

Rain pauses, with a shadowed expression, and looks up to the sky.

Rain: "Frankly, I never liked Houshou as a school. Still, I loved the academic district."
Kou: "I know what you mean."

Standing next to her, Kou is reminded of the path by the grounds that led to the school. In his mind, it feels like he walked there only yesterday - but in reality, it's long since gone.

Then Kou's eyes stop at a place on the grass. Is it his imagination? It looks exactly like where he and Masa stopped to install Shadow Wolf and pilot a mecha for the first time.

Rain: "What is it, Kou-san?"
Kou: "It's just, well.."

He steps over to the spot, turns, and sits down. A familiar view spreads out before him.

Kou: "... It's not similar. It's exactly the same!"
Rain: "What?"
Kou: "It's an exact replica of the path from the dorm! Does that mean... could it be...!?"

It's impossible. But even as he thinks that, Kou dashes down the path. He runs, and runs, and everything is just like he remembers.

Kou: "*pant*... *pant*..."

A familiar intersection. The same tree. And after taking a turn at the tree...


Kou: "Kisaragi Dormitory."

Kou stands, stunned. How can this be here, in Arc Industry's virtual city? With shaking hands, he opens the door.


He leaves his shoes at the entrance...

He enters the common room...


... and a familiar woman dozes on one of the cushions.

Kou can't speak, can't think. He's seized with the terror that if he makes a wrong move, the woman in front of him will vanish into smoke.

???: "...Mm.... mm?"

Perhaps sensing Kou standing there, she slowly opens her eyes...


Then snaps her eyes open and straightens up.

Kou doesn't know what to say. She also simply stares at Kou, dumbfounded,..

Aki: "........."
Aki: "Welcome home."

Kou and Aki embrace, tightly.

Kou: "I'm back... Aki."


Aki: "... *sniff*..."

Aki squeezes Kou hard enough to creak bones. She trembles, pushing her face into his chest.

Aki: ".... Jerk..."
Kou: "Aki..."
Aki: "... I was so worried... So worried..."
Kou: "Sorry..."

His throat catches, and Kou strokes Aki's head gently.

... She's alive. Aki is still alive. As Kou accepts it, at last, the tears break out.

Kou: "*sob*..."
Aki: "Kou... you're home, Kou..."

...

After a while, they both calm down.


Aki: "Welcome back... I didn't think you would come here."
Kou: "I'm home, Aki."

But Kou doesn't know what to say next. From all appearances, Aki hasn't seen Kou in some time - but of course, he doesn't remember.

Kou: "Um... I'm sorry to ask something odd right off the bat, but... when was the last time we saw each other?"
Aki: "... Well. It's the first time since the... incident."

No doubt meaning Grey Christmas.

AkI: "But why would you ask that?"
Kou: "The thing is... I lost my memory on the battlefield. I don't remember much from about halfway through high school until now..."
Aki: "No...!"
Kou: "Uh, but don't worry! I'm taking a treatment that will help, and I still remember you!"
AkI: "O-okay..."

Clearly even Aki doesn't know what to say to that.

Aki: "... But I'm glad."
Aki: "I thought I might never see you again... You were avoiding me."
Kou: "I was...?"
Aki: "Didn't answer your mail. Rejected all my calls."
Kou: "That's... I'm sorry. But why would I do that?"


Aki: "You tell me."
Kou: "Errr...! But I thought I wouldn't see you again, either. Since I saw the ruins..."
Aki: "You don't remember the incident, either?"
Kou: "No... I can't recall anything. Just a vague sense of tragedy."
Aki: "Oh."
Kou: "Say... Aki. Do you know what... happened to everyone?"

Aki pauses for a moment.

Aki: "Nanoha and Masa are doing well. They visit, sometimes."
Kou: "Good, so the two of them are still fine..."

A mixture of relief and fear wells up in Kou. If Aki only mentioned those two names, then...

Kou: "What about Chinatsu?"
Aki: "She's alive, but won't talk, just like you."
Kou: "I see... but at least she's alive. That's good. What about Makoto-chan and... Sora?"
Aki: "Kou...?"
Kou: "Hm, what is it, Aki?"
Aki: "I hate to ask this, but... how much do you remember of school?"
Kou: "Um... It's all fuzzy. I remember some things, but not others."
Aki: "Really."
Kou: "But it's OK! I'm remembering everything, bit by bit. I'm sure I'll get it all soon."

Aki says nothing, sorrow in her eyes - but why? Does this mean that Makoto and Sora are...

Rain: "Um, excuse me."

Rain's voice echoes from the entrance.

Aki: "Who's that?"
Kou: "My squad mate. Can I bring her in?"
Aki: "Go ahead."

...


Rain: "I see. This is the dormitory where Kou-san lived."
Kou: "Yeah, or at least, a virtual replica. Aki, I'm impressed you could create something this exact."
Aki: "I only helped a little."

Aki explains that all the students of Seishu were linked to Mother, the academy's AI, at all times through their neurochips - and although Mother was destroyed on Grey Christmas, Eve, a related AI, recovered some of the sensory data, which Aki used to recreate the dorm as students had seen and experienced it. Aki now works as a virtual zone designer for Arc Industries, and she's in charge of the areas Kou and Rain have been visiting.

Kou: "Amazing. That reminds me - you decided to mass produce those NPCs, right? Modeled after Kuu?"
Aki: "Y, yeah... Aunt Seira liked the model..."
Kou: "Is the original Kuu... still operating?"
Aki: "No."
Kou: "I guess not."

Annihilated, along with Mother. More and more of Kou's past is gone.

Aki realizes she's forgotten to offer tea. Before she can go, Rain cuts her off and offers to brew it instead.


Rain: "It's fine, sir. You haven't met your sister in a long time, correct? Please allow me."

Aki: "Sister."
Kou: "What are you grinning about?"
Aki: "You made a good catch, Kou."
Kou: "Now look here. Rain and I are just working partners..."
Aki: "She's still a good girl."

Aki tells Kou she was worried he would be different - twisted, somehow, by becoming a mercenary and fighting across the world. But he has the same eyes he always did. Kou claims it's only because he lost his memories, but Aki says it's a matter of the soul. He's still the same person. She can tell, and so can Rain - that's why Rain stays with him.

Aki: "That's a very strong bond."
Kou: "Rain's been a great help. I don't know what I'd do without her."
Aki: "... Though I think I've seen her somewhere."
Kou: "Really? Where?"
Aki: "I feel like I met her when we were students..."
Kou: "She did go to Houshou, so you might've spotted her about town some time."

Aki says nothing, going into her deep thinking mode. Kou knows from experience he won't get any decent conversation out of her for a while.

Rain: "Tea is ready."
Kou: "Thanks."

Aki: "Sorry, Kou, your room's still under construction... I'll have it ready next time you come."
Kou: "Okay, thanks... um. Why are there two futons in here?"
Aki: "I'll be sleeping in my own room. You two have fun."
Kou: "Have f- Wait a second!"

Aki slips out of the room, grinning.


Kou turns to see Rain looking rather pleased with herself.

Rain: "Sleeping in a tatami room... Quite the experience."
Kou: "Is that so."

Rain smiles widely, and Kou's heart skips a few beats. Has he ever seen her make an expression as whole-heartedly happy before?

Rain: "Let's take a real rest for once, sir. There will be plenty to do starting tomorrow."

A warm futon, a familiar room. Kou closes his eyes, at peace.


Yet his mind stubbornly refuses to sleep. Whenever he tries, he sees a rubble-strewn wasteland etched on the back of his eyelids. He hears Rain turning over restlessly in the other futon, too.

Kou: "Can't sleep, Rain?"
Rain: "No... You either, Kou-san?"
Kou: "That wasteland is too burned into my eyes... How about you?"
Rain: "I'm... conflicted."
Kou: "Conflicted?"
Rain: "Lieutenant, you've spent all your mercenary years fighting and chasing across the world."
Kou: "After the Drexler Group."
Rain: "Yes... and I accompanied you. At last, we arrived here in Suzushiro."
Rain: "So I believed that helping you regain your memories and continue the chase was my duty."
Rain: But... now I'm not sure."


Kou looks across to see Rain sitting up from the futon, gazing at him.

Kou: "Why are you conflicted?"

Kou doesn't want to be the cause of any more grief or worry for Rain.

Rain: "You could start over, sir. If you don't remember anyway, you could leave the fight, and perhaps live in peace."
Rain: "I realized that was another choice... and wondered if you might be happier that way, Lieutenant."

Rain stops, still looking at Kou. Asking for his opinion, perhaps.

Kou: "That's a tough one..."

After all, he doesn't remember what he's missing.

Kou: "I've still forgotten a lot of things."
Rain: "Yes, that's no doubt true."
Rain: "Yet perhaps, if you forgot something important, but remembering it would bring you suffering..."
Rain: "Wouldn't it be best to leave that memory forgotten?"
Kou: "Ignorance is bliss, you mean."

Kou still hasn't remembered all of the pain that happened. Until now, he's been afraid to see what it might be.

... But.


Kou: "Honestly, it was miserable to find out Seishu was gone. It hurt. But at the same time, I have to admit a part of me was relieved to know what really happened."
Rain: ".........."
Kou: "Now that I know, I can't forget it again... so I've decided to accept it."
Kou: "And if I went on not knowing, I'd have something, some terrible mystery, hanging over my head for the rest of my life..."
Kou: "I've had enough of that."
Rain: "I imagine so... I apologize. It wasn't my place to say."
Kou: "No, it's fine."

She "apologizes", does she. For everything that Kou forgot, Rain has had to make up the difference herself.

Rain: "Lieutenant... Kou-san, if you wish to continue to fight, then we must focus on raising your chances for survival."
Kou: "Yeah."
Rain: "Starting tomorrow, let's begin training to recover the skills you've lost, sir."
Kou: "You're right. I'll have a tough time otherwise."
Rain: "Then we can start with close-quarters combat."

Kou's imagination draws up a picture of himself getting thrown bodily by Rain, over and over. Uh-oh.


Rain: "Um... can we talk about something else?"
Kou: "Sure. What did you think of Aki?"
Rain: "Hee hee... She's a wonderful sister, isn't she."
Kou: "Didn't I already tell you? Aki's my second cousin."
Rain: "But she's your sister, isn't she? At least, you think of her that way."
Kou: "Yeah, I do."

He found Aki. She's still alive. Kou has also discovered that at least some of his friends are still alive...

The thought brings tranquility to his mind at last, perhaps for the first time since he awoke on the battlefield.

Rain: "We should get to sleep, sir."
Kou: "Yeah... Good night, Rain."

Dammit... This game is gonna make me cry at some point, isn't it? I feel like I'm just waiting for the inevitable moment when I'll be sucker punched with feels. Haaa

Nanoha: "Sorry, Kou - making you carry everything."
Kou: "No worries. I said I would, after all."
Nanoha: "Thanks. Then it's my turn to shine next."
Kou: "Sorry you have to cook when it's supposed to be your party."
Nanoha: "I don't mind. Cooking's one of my few talents, after all."

Nanoha smiles gently, lit by the evening sun. She's grown a lot in the days since she was Kou's neighbor...

???: "Ah..."

Then a rather hesitant voice breaks in.


Kou turns to see a small-statured girl standing there somewhat apologetically.

Makoto: "Ah... er..."

Makoto speaks in a faint voice, then bows deeply.

Nanoha: "Oh, Minazuki-san, good evening! You came to visit?"
Makoto: "... Y, yes. Th... nks."

She bows again, hugely. All of them decided to invite Makoto to the party, and Kou is glad she accepted.

Kou: "Welcome, Makoto-chan."
Makoto: "Uh..."

Makoto continues bowing, for no particular reason. She looks nervous as hell.

Nanoha: "Well, let's not just stand here! Come on inside. I'm about to roll up my sleeves and cook dinner."
Makoto: "Th... nks, very... much."
Nanoha: "You don't need to be so formal! We're both freshmen. Just 'thanks' is fine."
Makoto: "Th... nks."

Encouraged by Nanoha, Makoto relaxes, finally showing something like a smile. Nanoha heads on into the dorm.

Kou: "Come on."

As Kou tries to follow, he feels a tug on his sleeve, and turns to see Makoto holding it.

Kou: "... Something up?"
Makoto: ".... Er."
Kou: "... You don't have to say anything. If you want, we can meet on the Net instead."
Makoto: "... Es."
Kou: "Hm?"

She said "Yes", but it looks like there's still something bothering her.

Makoto: "Er... I'm sor... ry.... sister."

This time, Makoto nearly bends double bowing to Kou in apology.


Kou: "... You already apologized before. Don't worry about it any more."

Although honestly, Kou is still rather bugged by the unfairness of getting slapped for no reason at all. Still, he doesn't have the heart to stay angry when Makoto is so worried about it.

Kou: "I' absolutely don't mind at all. It's all in the past."
Makoto: ".... Phew..."

At last, Makoto raises her head.

Kou: "Your sister must have seen you crying and gotten the wrong impression, didn't she?"
Makoto: "Urr... sister's... judge... mental."
Kou: "But she was determined to take care of you, wasn't she?"
Makoto: "...Sister's... trouble."
Kou: "She's trouble?"


Makoto: "...Er... trouble."

Kou has to wonder - exactly how is her sister trouble?

???: "Mako-chan! Mako-chan! Where are you, Mako-chan!?"

Then Kou hears a girl's somewhat frantic voice calling.

Kou: "What's that?"
Makoto: "Um... my... sister."

Then a girl staggering under mounds of bags appears across the street. Makoto ducks her head, then runs off to meet her sister.

Makoto: "Here.... sis."
Makoto's Sister: "Oh! Mako-chan!"

Makoto's sister drops what she's carrying and runs to Makoto. Silhouetted by the setting sun, the girl's long hair and slender figure burn themselves into Kou's eyes.

Makoto's Sister: "That was mean, Mako-chan! Just leaving me there! I nearly got lost!"
Makoto: "Err... sis... I'll go... first."
Makoto's Sister: "But I found you! I'm so glad. I was wondering what I'd do if you'd gotten lost!"

Makoto's sister - apparently having just herself gotten lost - clutches Makoto in a hug.

Makoto: "S-stop... saying... Mako-chan."
Makoto's Sister: "Hehehe! You don't need to be shy. You've been my Mako-chan for years."

With that, the sisters start to pick up the scattered bags.

Makoto: "Bought... too much."
Makoto's Sister: "But you made some new friends! As your big sister, I can't just show up empty-handed, right?"
Makoto: "Kou... sis."
Makoto's Sister: "Huh? Someone you know?"

She turns.


Kou: "*gasp*...!?"

... It wasn't his imagination. Backed by the setting sun, Makoto's sister looks unbelievably beautiful... and that's not all.

Shocked, Kou feels like he's been hit by a hammer. After all -







- She's an exact mirror image of Kuu.

END OF CHAPTER 5 --- NON-PLAYER CHARACTER

NEXT TIME, ON BALDR SKY

Sora: "My name is Sora. Minazuki Sora."

---------------------

Kuu: "Mmmm?"

Even from up close, she resembles Minazuki Sora. No, not "resembles" - they're identical in every detail.

---------------------

Kou: "... Nanoha!"

---------------------

Sora: "Yep. Just like you, I'm connected to the AI 24/7."

---------------------

Rain: (... The riot has started.)

---------------------

Machine Voice: "WARNING! UNAUTHORIZED NEUROCHIP ACCESS DETECTED. ACTIVATE INTERCEPT MODE?"

CHAPTER 6 --- MIND HACK

If there's only one moment when this game sucker punches you, you're tougher than me.

It's all gonna turn ok in the end though, right? ...Right?

That depends on the choices we make throughout the game! Every vote counts!

Have I mentioned that one of the possible endings is for the Global Union to carpet bomb Suzushiro with nuclear weapons?

Or that, throughout the game's routes, every named character that pilots a mecha, except one, will eventually fight Kou... and the exception isn't Rain?

HAVE A NICE DAY

...Why aren't you properly translating this? It seems just about as much work and we could play this sooner than it will be released by Amaterasu.

Whoa.... I admit I was able to predict that Kuu was not an organic being (With all the talk about AIs, it made sense for Kou to speak to one in depth eventually and the fact that she was nearly always online supported that) but I was totally not expecting Sora to look exactly like her. Why would Aki make an NPC based on her? Curiouser and curiouser...

I've been seriously enjoying this LP and I appreciate the effort you've put into translating it. This has a really compelling story and I look forward to seeing more!

I just hope we didn't mess up things with Rain's route by picking the wrong choice early on, especially since that's apparently the only route we can take right now...

Although this is close to being a translation, I'm skipping or summarizing some scenes and lines - especially ones where I can't be bothered to write a proper English equivalent. It's still a dense game with tight plotting, i.e. most things can't be skipped, so at this rate the LP will probably end around February. I'm only playing one route of the game - there are 6 total.

As a programmer myself, I'm also well aware of how incredibly painful it can be to actually patch in a translation, especially when switching between a language with a Roman alphabet and one that uses iconographs. It's tough even when you're working with the original code instead of doing a Frankenstein fan patch. One thing making it easier for me to do this is that I can write out lines as long or short as I want and not have to convert anything back into ones and zeros that fit properly in the game. I don't have to debug anything after I translate it because I just put it in forum posts.

So although this is a fair chunk of work, it's quite a bit easier than doing a full translation patch. I do LP's to practice my writing, and I play VNs to practice my Japanese, so this is actually the perfect storm for me.

Is the exception Kou himself? Or... isn't he an exception?

Second toughest one-on-one fight in the game.

...


Makoto's Sister: "What are you doing here, jackass?"
Kou: "... Eh? What?"
Makoto's Sister: "I said, why are you following Mako-chan all the way here!"

Kou's not sure what's going on. The girl puts a hand on her hip and glares at him.

Makoto's Sister: "Say something already!"
Makoto: "Sis... no!"


Makoto's Sister: "Stay behind me, Mako-chan! Big sis will take care of this nasty stalker for you!"
Kou: "Wait a second... who are you calling a stalker?"
Makoto's Sister: "Don't play dumb! Bullying my sister to tears at the school! And now you were lying in wait for her here, right!?"







That's it! Kou finally figures it out - Makoto's sister still thinks that he was the bully, instead of being the guy who chased the bullies off.

Makoto's Sister: "See? You can't argue back. Because I'm right. Ready to admit it, jerk?"
Kou: "Wait just a minute... you're making a huge mistake."
Makoto's Sister: "Ooohh! Now you're going to try and pretend nothing happened!?"

Why the little...! Kou was taken aback to meet someone with Kuu's exact appearance, but obviously, you can't judge a book by its cover. She's nothing like Kuu.

Kou: "Now look, I'm not 'lying in wait', I live at the dorm here...!"
Makoto's Sister: "Don't think I'll fall for that story! I've already met everyone here at the dorm!"
Makoto: "Er! .... Uh!"
Kou: "Well, you didn't meet me."
Makoto's Sister: "No! Because you don't live here!"
Makoto's Sister: "They'd never let in some stalker like you and your filthy, drooling pervert face!"
Kou: "Wh--!?"
Makoto: "Awawawawaaa...!"
Makoto's Sister: "W-what is it, Mako-chan...!?"
Makoto: "...No... that's not..."

A whispered conference.

Makoto's Sister: "What do you mean? Mako-chan, why are you apologizing?"
Makoto: "He's... Kou-senpai... lives here."
Makoto's Sister: "No way! He wasn't here when I came last time!"



Makoto's Sister: "Um... I'M SORRRYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
Kou: "Finally clicked, huh?"

...


Masa: "Hahaha! Now that you mention it, Kou was sleeping in that day, wasn't he?"
Kou: "Well, I can't blame her. She knew I was a stalker after one look at my filthy, drooling pervert face."
Makoto's Sister: "Oof...! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
Kou: "... Oh, it's fine. As long as you understand now."
Nanoha: "Yeah. Kou's not the kind to hold a grudge, okay?"
Makoto's Sister: "Mako-chan... why didn't you tell me that Kadokura-san saved you?



Makoto: "... I tried."
Masa: "Well, we're here for a celebration, after all - come on, cheer up!"
Makoto's Sister: "I'm sorry... I'm just, you know... a little scattered sometimes..."
Kou: "Really, it's fine. Let's go inside to talk, okay?"
Makoto's Sister: "Thanks. Um.... Kadokura-san."

She smiles, still somewhat apologetic. But Kou has to admit - she really resembles Kuu, personality aside. No - not "resembles". If they lined up together, Kou wouldn't be able to tell one from the other. He finds himself watching her, perplexed.

While Kou does, she walks to the dorm...

*THWACK*
Makoto's Sister: "GWAH!?"

... and smashes right into the closed door, face-first.

Masa: "Whoa, hey - are you okay?"
Makoto's Sister: "Uuuuuuuuuu... Mako-chan, the door's broken!!"
Makoto: "Sis... the door's... manual."

Tears in her eyes, Makoto's sister gets up. The tip of her nose is bright red.



Kou: "...*snrk*... BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Nanoha: "D-don't l-laugh, Kou...hee... it's r-rude, hee hee!"
Kou: "...pfffffft... Sorry... it's just... *snicker*"
Makoto's Sister: "Mrrrrrggh!"

Affronted, Makoto's sister reaches out to open the door.

*rattle*
Aki: "What's the ruckus.............. WAH!?"

The door suddenly opens from the inside. Makoto's sister seizes only empty air with her hand. Unbalanced, she trips --

Makoto: "Sis...!?"

Makoto tries to run to her, but ricochets against Kou, who loses his own footing and tilts forward, his face planting directly in --

Makoto's Sister: "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!"

*KABLONG*

A bit later, Kou is standing outside with Makoto's sister.


Makoto's Sister: "Ummm.... Sorry for slapping you the other day without asking questions first."
Kou: "It's fine. At least you understand now."
Makoto's Sister: "And, um... for, uh, kicking you really hard..."
Kou: "At least you didn't break anything. And I was stuck there with my face in your skirt."
Makoto's Sister: "Um, that was an accident... so...!"

Her face is as red as the setting sun. Makoto's sister seems to have a few... problems, maybe. Although it doesn't seem she's an entirely bad sort.

Kou: "But didn't Makoto-chan explain about me?"
Makoto's Sister: "Well, uh... the thing is, I just didn't, er, listen to her, and..."

-- Makoto desperately tries to stammer out an explanation, while her sister ignores every word, loudly proclaiming she'll take care of the big bad bully and Mako-chan doesn't need to worry. Why is it that Kou can see the scene perfectly in his mind even though he's never met Makoto's sister until ten minutes ago?

Makoto's Sister: "Anyway! I'm really, really sorry!"
Kou: "You don't have to keep apologizing. It's okay now."
Makoto's Sister: "Maybe for you, but not for me."

Makoto's sister looks around.



Makoto's Sister: "So just... do it, okay?"
Kou: "Huh?"
Makoto's Sister: "Just hit me once. Then we're even. It's not fair otherwise."
Kou: "Oh, come on... I can't just slap a girl."
Makoto's Sister: "Discrimination is wrong! And they say 'an eye for a tooth, and a tooth for an eye', right?"
Kou: "No, they don't say that. And it doesn't mean what you think."
Makoto's Sister: "Just go on and get it over already! I'm ready!"



She ignores Kou's rebuttal and squeezes her eyes shut.

Kou: "I can't just..."

Although now that he thinks of it... she is still pretty cute. Maybe if he gave her a peck on the cheek instead of a punch, she'd let it go...?

Makoto's Sister: "If you try and kiss me on the cheek, this time I'll break your nose."
Kou: "Like hell I'd do that!"

Shit she's not as airheaded as she looks!

Kou: "Fine, fine... just remember, you're the one who asked for it, okay?"

Kou clenches his fist then swings it a wide circle, loosening his shoulder.

Makoto's Sister: "W-wait a second. You're gonna punch me!?"
Kou: "An eye for a tooth and a tooth for an eye, right?"

Kou winds up big...

Kou: "Ready...?"
Makoto's Sister: "Eep!"

She closes her eyes tight - then Kou swings his fist forward... lowers it gently, and plonks her on the forehead with his index finger.

Makoto's Sister: "Ah, ow!?"


Kou: "Now we're even."

Makoto's sister deflates shakily to the ground.

Kou: "Hey, whoa - are you okay?"
Makoto's Sister: "Come on! I've never been punched by a guy before... I thought I was gonna die!"
Kou: "Sorry, I scared you a little, huh?"

... But she didn't run away or change her mind, even though she was scared enough to collapse afterwards. The girl has guts, Kou thinks.

Kou: "Can you stand? Uh..."
Makoto's Sister: "Sorry, I haven't actually introduced myself, have I?"

She takes Kou's hand and stands up.


Sora: "My name is Sora. Minazuki Sora."