We can teleport with Drift Aura, but it's not the same...
It's not grungy, at least, and there aren't any mimes. That's always a plus.
[ the one problem, though? is the pigs. definitely the pigs. as one goes by, monika will see a memory of kazuki's, from 1:47:47 to 2:08:36.
you're dressed, your guitar is strapped around your shoulders, and you're backstage, ready to go, though you're practically vibrating with nervous energy. ichika is out there in the audience, along with her coworkers, and you know you have to do well tonight. this is your one chance to show her that you this isn't just a pipe dream - that you can really achieve something. moments before you go on, akito gives you some quiet, last-minute words of encouragement. isshiki touches your shoulder, offering a reassuring smile.
then it's finally time. the lights dim. the cheers quiet. and that's your cue to open with a familiar guitar riff to draw the crowd's attention to where you and isshiki stand on stage. isshiki does his intro, and then the concert really takes off.
it's better than you ever thought it could be. isshiki is the most amazing performer you've seen in person, and standing next to him, playing guitar while he sings like his life depends on it - and you know it does, he bets everything on this, to give his all in the moment - you've never had so much fun in your life.
this is it. to play music like this that can touch so many people - this is what you've been dreaming of for so long.
and all of a sudden, it stops.
the lights go out. the music quiets. you and isshiki are both so shocked that you stop, too. this isn't part of the show. could be that something went wrong backstage, so isshiki tries to flag down a tech despite the darkness, but it doesn't last long.
when the lights come back on, you're staring down the barrel of a handgun. hana, isshiki's annoying groupie, has somehow made her way to the stage and taken over. she speaks into the mic like she's always belonged here.
"Here on stage today, there's a super villain who needs to be judged. And I've taken the liberty to judge them here today! I was really planning on doing it somewhere else today... but judging a criminal is the same anywhere, so I'll just kill them right now!"
she can't mean... you? what the hell for? sure, you're not exactly polite, but you've never been the one she cared about. so why...?
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?!" you've never done anything to her. so why is she pointing that stupid gun at you? "Let me go!"
she ignores you, telling you to shut up before firing a warning shot to the side. you flinch, hearing the bullet fly past, and stare at her in disbelief as the venue descends into panic, terrified screams filling the air as the crowd tries to flee. but you hardly even register it, frozen to the spot as hana laughs with delight. finally, you risk a glance toward the audience, where only your sister and her coworkers remain to try to gain control of the situation, and your eyes meet ichika's.
she looks as afraid as you feel.
as isshiki steps forward to try to bargain with hana, akito begs him to leave, but he simply shaks his head. "I will not run. You're a close friend, Kazuki. I won't leave."
you protest, "Isshiki-san, she's insane! Please just think about yourself!"
you wouldn't be able to forgive yourself if something happened to him. but of course, hana steps between you, telling you shut up as she raises the gun again. and what are you supposed to do? you can't fight a gun, so you fall silent, and listen to everyone speak around you. your mouth twists with disgust as hana tries to explain to isshiki.
she insists that she's doing this for him, threatening your life for his sake. because he'd been happy once, she says, about to achieve his dream with his debut with gaimu. but that dream was destroyed, and isshiki made into the bad guy. she places the blame squarely on ichika and that enomoto guy standing with her - and you, for the criminal offense of being the brother of a police officer. she claims that somehow, the three of you took his dream away, so you'll have to pay with your lives. she even admits to having done it before, to that first police officer killed on camera by adonis. she brags about it, about how scared the man was, how he begged for his life and tried to run. and she says it's all out of love.
she really is insane.
isshiki deliberately draws her attention, keeps her talking, and you can't help but feel like you should do something. he's trying to keep you safe, and all you can do is stand here and wait for her to shoot or for the police to save you? you can't do much, but just listening to this is...
how can she be so shocked that isshiki wouldn't want someone dead? she's just doing the same thing as everyone else - deciding isshiki's future for him, and even when he tries to explain, she still doesn't get it. it fills you with rage.
"What are you, stupid? You're not watching Isshiki-san at all." you hear yourself speak before you even realize what you're doing, and of course, she's offended. but it gives you fuel, so you continue, "If you actually bothered to watch Isshiki-san, you'd never do something like this! Did Isshiki-san ever sing out of hatred? Of course not. What the hell were you listening to all these years?!"
as she lowers her gun just a little, she looks shocked, as if it never even occurred to her. that just makes you even angrier, but you don't have time to say anything more.
gunshots echo through the concert hall, and that's the last thing you hear.
as the memory fades, kazuki staggers, and rubs his face with one hand. why that one...? ]
[AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH fuckinggggg pigs. truly hateful that she does relate to hana in a certain way. though it also feels like getting reminded of something super embarrassing she once did, like committing several horrible acts for a guy is the same as middle school cringe.
she instinctively reaches out to steady him when he staggers. and then she's silent for a long, long moment.]
It wasn't. If she really loved him, she'd have listened to Isshiki-san and his songs. She'd have thought about what he actually wanted instead of deciding on her own.
If someone doesn't care enough to listen, there's no way they can call that love.
Loving someone means... knowing when to take a step back and listen. You can't decide what's best for the people you love just based on your own selfish desires.
[which is a very funny thing to say right before the oinkers oink again-- and then there is another memory (7:15:12-7:18:34). a memory of living through the excruciatingly painful experience of having your physical body abruptly disassembled, bit by bit, until only your consciousness remains. and then, recognizing your mistakes and setting out to fix them, even though it means you won't be a part of this world anymore. remember when monika said there's nothing for her to go back to? yeah.
the ui aspects are all present in the memory. just pretend the protagonist's name doesn't exist.]
well, that was just as horrible an experience the second time around. monika has a bit of a faraway look after the memory ends, silently frowning for a moment, before she sighs.]
... Yeah, that's what I meant. You don't have to feel sorry for me or anything. It's just what it is.
Then if you can, I'll make sure to show you around.
[ as for that... ]
...I don't know yet. The reapers said we could choose when we go back, so that's something - I won't have to go right back to Hana pointing a gun at me, or anything. But I guess it means I'll have to figure out a way to stop her, and I don't know how to do that.
... It's too bad our psychs probably won't work outside of the UG. But with enough buffer time, isn't there a way you could alert security or something? Take the element of surprise away from her.
...But yeah. That's the only thing I could think of, but the problem is explaining how I know. It's not a small thing, to say someone's planning to try to kill you, or that they're with Adonis. And I can't tell them that it already happened, or they'll just think I'm crazy.
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[It's a long, long way down if they happen to fall over the edge. Monika eyes the ziplines.]
It's no spa or music store, but it's definitely a lot prettier than what we got last week.
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It's not grungy, at least, and there aren't any mimes. That's always a plus.
[ the one problem, though? is the pigs. definitely the pigs. as one goes by, monika will see a memory of kazuki's, from 1:47:47 to 2:08:36.as the memory fades, kazuki staggers, and rubs his face with one hand. why that one...? ]
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she instinctively reaches out to steady him when he staggers. and then she's silent for a long, long moment.]
... I wouldn't call those technical difficulties.
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No. No, they weren't.
...I'm sorry for lying. I wasn't ready to think about it.
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[sir!!! she looks so apologetic.]
I'm sorry I found out like this.
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But... now you know why I could finish the concert. She was with those Adonis nutjobs, I guess.
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[she presses her lips into a fine line, and then she sighs.]
She had the audacity to act like it was an act of love, too... But that wasn't love at all.
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If someone doesn't care enough to listen, there's no way they can call that love.
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a small nod.]
Loving someone means... knowing when to take a step back and listen. You can't decide what's best for the people you love just based on your own selfish desires.
[which is a very funny thing to say right before the oinkers oink again-- and then there is another memory (7:15:12-7:18:34). a memory of living through the excruciatingly painful experience of having your physical body abruptly disassembled, bit by bit, until only your consciousness remains. and then, recognizing your mistakes and setting out to fix them, even though it means you won't be a part of this world anymore. remember when monika said there's nothing for her to go back to? yeah.
the ui aspects are all present in the memory. just pretend the protagonist's name doesn't exist.]
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So that's what you meant before. [ how do you respond to this? to someone erasing themselves like this? ] God, Monika, I'm sorry.
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well, that was just as horrible an experience the second time around. monika has a bit of a faraway look after the memory ends, silently frowning for a moment, before she sighs.]
... Yeah, that's what I meant. You don't have to feel sorry for me or anything. It's just what it is.
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Did you ever get an answer from the reapers? About whether you could go somewhere else.
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I asked Ruby that one time. But she was so baffled by the stuff I told her that I just... didn't get an answer. So I don't know.
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[ choosing not to be pessimistic about that, for once. ]
It's pretty normal there, and it's got a little bit of everything. There's no way you wouldn't find somewhere you like.
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I think I'd really, really like that, Kazuki.
[a beat.]
Are... you going to be okay, though? Going back to all of that?
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[ as for that... ]
...I don't know yet. The reapers said we could choose when we go back, so that's something - I won't have to go right back to Hana pointing a gun at me, or anything. But I guess it means I'll have to figure out a way to stop her, and I don't know how to do that.
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...But yeah. That's the only thing I could think of, but the problem is explaining how I know. It's not a small thing, to say someone's planning to try to kill you, or that they're with Adonis. And I can't tell them that it already happened, or they'll just think I'm crazy.