To get the real Kikyo speaking; the fake part of the program could glitch, she didnât care. It seems that, they were different ways to break the Alter Ego, it really depended on who she was talking to. Which dead classmate, which person she decided to talk to out of grief, guilt or frustration. She had lost her hopes in speaking to the real version of the deceased a long time ago.
Like the gift video, she had sat there, her mouth closed and her eyes still as it gazed at the screen. The videos started playing, the laptop hummed more out of tune as it whirred to keep up with the flashing images. She leaned forward with each video, the introductions, the time Kikyo and her teamed up together to investigate Satoâs body, the time Kikyo had tried fixing a friendship that was long gone. Her efforts were good, she had to admit, but the worst thing out of that day was running away from her problems.Â
At least she ran into a new one as well. The memories repeated as Karin relived them all. The handmade arrows, Karin was worried Kikyo might die someday because of them, it turns out, Kikyo didnât die because of them. She died because of a stupid formulated plan that hell, didnât even work in the first place.
It never would work anyway.Â
Karin had gotten this idea already, once you had entered this lodge, you would never get out alive. Sure, Yukio had his hopes of leaving everyone behind as they died in their own misery of disbelief that he had betrayed them all, but it never worked out. Those words of confidence, telling all of them he would survive again, it didnât work out.Â
This wasnât the reason Karin was angry at them, she was angry at them for picking a planâ that would simply never work out from the beginning. She paused, hearing the computer whir more and more, itâs noises often getting disturbing as the voices turned into loud static.Â
Then, she heard it. She heard Kikyoâs voice, that must have been tiring so hard in the first place to reach out of her. Except this time, she didnât call out to her nor beg for her to come back.Â
She was so tired of crying everyday.
Karin watched as the screen twitched for a while, the image contoured as more static filled the air. Until the screen was black again, congratulations Karin, you had managed to find a way to break the program once again.
It was awhile until the screen jumped up again, revealing the fake image of the archer she once knew, once befriended. âHeh.â She spoke, trying to contain her laughter, her joy that she managed to reach the real emotions of this program.Â
"Donât worry, I wonât try to do something like that again." She cleared her throat, "..Letâs try something else, shall we?" She smiled, winking at her, "I donât want to access anyone elseâs memories, but could you do me a favorâ or more of a command."
"Do you know anything about this damned place? Some clues maybe?"
Finally, Karin had decided to stop wallowing in memories-and trying to break it in the process, seriously, how many times had it broken in such a short time?-and inquire about clues that may assist her and the remaining students in escaping.
Too bad it didn't have any.
"Sorry, Karin. I only know what Kikyo Ayase knew, and a way out was not one of them-obviously. I myself don't have files on her prior to being installed on this computer and the computer's database is empty as well. I'm pretty sure the other programs are the s-"
Access to file suspicious_photo now available.
...What? It quickly opened the file, revealing a photo of Kikyo Ayase...and her murderers. Only it seemed like the trio were more like friends than teenagers doomed to fail. Whatever the context, it should tell Karin this; it may as well be some vital clue.
"Well. Apparently Kikyo knew something. According to this file here, Yukio had found some weird picture in the library and showed it to her. Let me just bring it up..."
The archer's avatar faded from the screen as the photo took over the screen. Its voice, however could still be heard from the speakers.
"Kikyo didn't understand the contents of this, and evidently, neither did Yukio. I doubt you will either, but it is worth a shot, I suppose.
...I don't know about you but when everyone came here, they must have all gotten amnesia or something-or Kikyo,Mayu and Yukio did anyway. I mean, they look pretty close if you ask me and close friends don't start to kill one another. Plus, Kikyo Ayase's memories do not recall this picture ever being taken."
It sighed, and if Karin could see them, they'd most likely be shrugging in defeat.
The past memories with Kikyo Ayase, she didnât want them. She didnât want to see the girlâs point of view, the way she looked at things. It felt weird, almost as if she were there in that moment, looking from Kikyoâs point of view. Only, she was. The screen flickered for a moment as it whirred, working itâs way to play the video.
The image was amazing, if there was a way to view her face in high definition(âwait, she was already displayed on the screens of Tokyo in HD) it wouldnât be like this. It wouldnât be in the point of view of a dead archer. She watched the screen, almost wanting to pause it at certain moments, but she stayed silent the entire time.
She studied her own face, her bright smile that wouldnât be seen ever again. The long locks of hair that was now gone, that morning she had curled it after a long week of not bothering. Karin looked like the first day she had gotten here, but the stars in her eyes were long gone. Hearing Kikyoâs actual voice from the computerâs speakers her heart almost stopped.
How long had it been since she had heard that voice? How many days has it been since Karin had worn this ring to sleep? God..how cruel she had been when she pulled off her idol self in that moment, she hadnât talked like that for a while, Kikyo must have known.Â
She gripped the ring on her finger tightly, looking up to view the face on the screen. âEvery memory?â She questioned, gripping her hands tightly. ââŚThen, run all of them. From the very beginning.â It was certainly a challenge, but for some reason Karin wanted to view all of them. All of them, meant the first time Karin had introduced herself to Kikyo. She was the Super High School Level Astronaut, it had been nice to meet her.Â
She wondered if it was okay to let go of that title now, it didnât suit her. Â
And there it was. The request to relive the glory days, the days of happiness and smiling-genuine ones, in Karin's case-faces as they searched for anything to give them hope in such a terrible situation. If it was to speak its opinion, this was highly unhelpful. Focusing on the past for too long would do no good; what had happened had happened, and it couldn't be changed. But if Karin wanted to remember Kikyo Ayase as she truly was, then that was fine as well. Perhaps she would see some glimmer of hope in the past.
"Of course. Executing command."
Full access to file karin_watanabe in folder entitled 'memories' is now available.
>Command received; video files loaded.
The video screen maximized back to a full screen and the first memory played.
"UhâŚhello! My name is Kikyo Ayase. Itâs a pleasure to meet you. Might I ask your name?"
"Hi Kikyo-san, Iâm Karin Watanabe, call me Karina and enough with formal introductions!"
Right. The introductions. When there were still 16 students not yet traumatized, broken and for all but six, dead. If you looked behind Karin, you could still see Hikari trying to speak to Sato who was sitting in the corner looking annoyed at being interrupted-she would see the same hands that ended his life cut and burnt before her eyes a few days later-, Ai bothering Shuu as he questioned them about their whereabouts-who could have guessed they would be discussing their future with him one moment and then ending their life the next-, Rai rolling his eyes almost in time with Mariko's sobs-only one of them looked fragile enough to commit suicide, but they would learn soon enough that appearances were, unfortunately, deceiving-and Mayu walking around, asking everyone she could see about Hayato-maybe if she hadn't found Hayato, things would've been different.
That memory was brief, but still the video continued; it seemed the program had compiled all the memories into one video, similar to a short film. And so the memories flew by.
âYou know what, Kikyo-san?  Youâre so nice! If only I was like you, I wouldn't be in this situation! Thank you!â
The first compliment; a fond memory, even if Kikyo Ayase felt she didn't quite deserve it.
"Oh,Karin-san. I am glad you have decided to help me-the body examination will probably not take long, but it is always good to have the perspective of somebody else."
"Well, everything about the body is covered in the file. How about we investigate somewhere else?"
...This was...when Sato was found cut and bloodied. From that investigation on, the two had relied on each other to team up and uncover the killer together.
"NowâŚif you could both please resolve whatever conflict you two have between you...?â
...No. Close this file, close it immediately, don't be reminded of how much she felt she'd failed the both of you, how she'd ruined both friendships for good. Stop--
"âŚI promise I wonât leave you alone! Because weâre friends!"
"Of course weâre friends, dummy! You know, Kikyo-chan..I love you~!"Â
When did these memories start to hurt? It could feel the feelings that had overloaded it moments before come back-pain and anguish...but there was a bit of lost happiness in there this time as well.Â
"âŚKikyo-san...What in Saturnâs name are you doing with those?
âŚWhat do you expect..to do with those?"Â
âSilly Kikyo-chan..â
No, get these feelings to go away-it couldn't break, not when Karin was still watching; at least let the compilation end before it broke and the remnants of Kikyo screamed in agony, trying to contact Karin again.Â
"âŚAnyway, what is wrong? Please let me know what I can do to help you. I want to help you as much as I can."
Just a little longer--
"âŚYou never did answer my question earlier, Karin-san. Do you think Suzuhara-san killed herself? Perhaps you can have an answer for me when I return."
Oh great, now guilt had joined the wave of feelings currently threatening the well being of this program. Kikyo, please just wait, wait--
"âŚI brought these arrows..for you. I just..wanted to do something for you, since you did so much for me.."
"I got this a while back. According to the paper, it says that this ring is made by Phoenix Co. which is evidently a famous producer ofâŚwedding rings. Ah-butâŚthis is just glass. So I guess it may just be a beta or prototype? I do not wear accessories at all, but I thought since you wear so many, you may appreciate it far better than I would. It also suits you and your attire, if I may submit my opinion.
O-Oh, please do not take this as something else-I mean, this is just a gift between friends, correct? I am not trying to imply something else."
â..Y-yeah..thank you so much Kikyo-chan! Iâll cherish it as a friendâs gift!â
Almost there, almŇ̡ÍoÍÍ ĚśŇsÍÍĚÍtĚ´ÍÍ ÍĚĄ....
âItâs nice to see you again, Kikyo Ayase.âÂ
"Yes, it is, isnât it? As I said before, itâs nice to see you once again, and Iâm sorry I left you for so long."
G̨ÍÍ oÍ̢ÍĮ́ ŇÍ̡aĚĄÍ̧ÍĚĄhÍ̴̴̢ĚeĚ̸ÍaÍŇdÍĚ´.̡̢̥. I've got your back.
The program was making that disturbing whirring noise again-it had been doing so for some time, but quietly. Now, however, it was becoming more audible.
"Karin-san, do not worry about me any longer. That you would torture yourself with these ghosts of the past worries me. I will be alright. You are strong, and you can get out with everyone else; with or without me. Just...stay safe, alri--"
The whirrring noise had decreased, only to be replace with static; it seemed the system overdrive was finally being set in motion yet again. The distorted image of Kikyo managed to say one last thing before the static took over completely.
"IĚ´ÍŇ ÍĚĄÍĚśaĚÍ̸ÍĚmĚĚś ĚľÍ̡sÍÍoÍÍĚrĮ́ĚrÍĚˇÍ ĚľÍy̨ÍÍÍ Í IŇ ÍŇÍmÍÍ˘Í Í˘Ě´aÍ̸̡ÍdÍ͢eÍ̧ ÍyÍŇĚoÍĄÍ̢u̸Í̧ Í Ě¸Ě¸Ě¸wÍĚĚ´ÍĚoĚ´Í̢̡rĚľrŇĚŇy̜̜̜,ĚľĚ Ě˘ŇÍÍKÍÍĚśa̧rÍ ÍiÍĚ¨ĚˇÍ nÍÍÍ-̸̡ÍŇÍcĮ́̾hĚĄŇÍŇÍ aÍ-̢̜ͥ͢---"
Then the laptop shut down for the second time that day. Only this time, it took much, much longer to reboot.
When the familiar ping went off, and the image of Kikyo Ayase returned, it looked troubled.
"...Sorry. I think that was my bad-by loading every memory in one fell swoop, I ended up releasing all her emotions, and the emotions filter just couldn't handle all that at once.Â
...Is there anything else less, you know, overloading that you wanted to access?"
The clear skies had suddenly fogged over with the promise of storm clouds, a gray blanket of emotion gliding through his open grasp, as he was unable to fully grasp what he had just unleashed. All at once, his poetry was smeared, askew, thrown back at him when the Kikyo he knew had truly departed. This wasnât her, this wasnât his friend, this was a silent force that weighed upon his chest, driving back any sense of security he had felt previously in her presence.
Expression one of discontent, Akimitsu knelt down on one knee beside the bed, tilting the screen so the two were face-to-face, his cane falling from his grasp in the motion.Â
"⌠A plan had been developed between two forces that would devastate all of us, including myself. Miss Mayu approached Yukio with the intention of becoming a murderer, and your body was to be sacrificed. She⌠She wanted Yukio to live out of everyone here, and so she became a murderer, falsifying a tale in which you attacked her suddenly and she reacted in self-defense. She wrote a suicide letter, telling us that she would kill herself as to avoid a trial for her crimes. Yukio killed her. We were to be fooled. They betrayed us all."
He paused then, glancing away from the girl trapped behind the screen. Kikyo deserved to know this, deserved to know how they had smeared her name so, took her life without any good coming from it. She had truly died for no purposeâ at least Mayu and Yukio died in sin. Kikyo remained untouched by the suspicion and anger that weighed upon them all, and it was this fact that brought Akimitsuâs mind back towards the scene at the pool, where he had come so close to ending Yukioâs life a second time.
"They were foolish and wrong. When Miss Genkou took away a life, she did it out of concern for her friends, though her intentions at the end were less than pure. When Ai took Mr. Shizumiyaâs life, he had begged them to do it, asked them to end his existence and Ai complied. Miss Suzuhara and Mr. Maeda died of their own accord. But this? This was senseless and moronic, and⌠And I could have stopped this from happening.
"My sins are what Iâll be accountable for, and those entail your demise. If I had been there for Mayu more, perhaps checked in on Yukio more frequently, they would have reconsidered their crimes. They performed their tasks methodically, a grand scheme to be unleashed upon those they claimed were their friends."
Akimitsu has taken to looking away from her, thoughtfully, as he situated himself completely on the floor, sitting cross-legged, face-to-face with the monitor before him.Â
"I had hoped Miss Mayu considered me more than that, but I can see now our relationship was something much, much less. I should have realized that the happiness she provided for me was false, that someone such as myself could be able to experience such impossible feats of happiness. I fooled myself into thinking that she could love someone like me, and now Iâm paying the price."
He finally looked back to her, tired and numb and lifeless.Â
"Yukio was executed, and Mr. Hayato tried to save him. They both perished at the hands of the system they tried to manipulate in search of escape. Their corpses are gone, as if neither existed in the first place. We are without God."
Akimitsu hugged himself then, resembling a lost child more than a young gentleman as he frowned at her, eyebrows knit and voice as soft as ever.
"I can assure you, they suffered. And now, six of us remain."
Too much, too much. This was too much to take in. Certainly, she expected an execution, but she expected it to be of the duo to go down together; kill together, die together, right? But instead Mayu had concocted a plan that involved for her life to end and for her to join Kikyo Ayase in the land of the digital.
Access to file yukio_kumagae_execution is now available.
..Guess she could see for herself. She brought up the video file, and silently watched the survivalist fight for his life. When Hayato swooped in for his moment of short lived glory, she felt a prickle of satisfaction; after all, Hayato had been the one to kill her. Mayu herself had not laid a hand on her so it really was fitting that the ones who had laid a hand on her were the ones facing the consequences.
She sat in silence long after the video ended, and the screen minimized. What was there to say? What could she say? Akimitsu's summary had left little room for questions.Â
Access to file kikyo_ayase_and_mayu_takagi_trial is now available.
Another file unlocked, another step closer to figuring this girl out...and yet she...no. It didn't want to. It didn't want to put on a fancy mask and pretend to be the closest Akimitsu would ever get to Kikyo Ayase ever again. The idea seemed almost cruel; it was designed around that idea, but it seemed this was a case of good intentions gone horribly wrong. But it had to. The very idea of a program not doing what it was made for was impossible. It would just have to try and make the best of it.
"Thank you for telling me. It's-It is nice to have closure after such a prolonged time not knowing what was going on. I know this must have been hard to tell me-they were your close friends of yours, after all. I do not know if I can be of help in comforting you, but if I can, please tell me."
There was something it felt it should tell him, but whatever it was, was still trapped in the mass of broken code that resided in Kikyo Ayase's thoughts. It felt a sense of urgency emanating from that file, and it immediately put that file on priority decoding. In the meantime, it knew what might help ease Akimitsu's suffering.
"...Do you recall when you gave me that purple bow tie and white flower? I cherished those gifts, you know. Even when the flower wilted and had to be thrown out, I wore that bow tie around my wrist constantly; it was a reminder that I still had friends and from them, I had a reason to keep fighting. I...That morning, I was in a rush to get to the range by the new time Mayu-san had requested-I suppose I was rushing to my death-and I had forgotten to put it back on my wrist. It was for the better though; had it been on me, I would have died with it, and I could never be able to return it as I could now.
It's on the dresser. Take it. It was never mine to begin with, anyway. Besides, I can't really wear it anyway-if I wanted to wear it as I am now, I could simply will it on like so."
The image flashed as the image raised its hand which now sported the same purple bow tie now laying on the dresser. It was fake, naturally. It could surround itself in all the gifts and fond memories it wanted, in the end it was all lies and falsehood.
"See? So...you can have what was rightfully yours to begin with back. Should it make you feel better, know that she really did like it; the memory of you giving it to her was the only untainted thing in that file, you know."
Access to file akimitsu_yuzuki_gift is now available.
There was something else, it knew there was; and it was so close to decoding the correct file--
File akimitsu_yuzuki_autumn loading. Process complete in two (2) minutes.
She thought she had won. Talking to Alter Egoâs was such a puzzling thing to her, maybe because they never gave her the answers she wanted. It wasnât their fault really, they were programmed with certain things and certain traits. Karin was just unlucky to have the answers to her questions unknown or perhaps, the program itself didnât want to answer.
Her smirk had faltered once she noticed something, a stream of tears dripping down itâs face. The small pixels of blue tears fell from Kikyoâs cheeks. She had never seen Kikyo like this, well, alive Kikyo. The Kikyo she knew..no, the Kikyo the program knew wasnât like this. Karin began to panic, not because of the glitches and the sudden loud whirring from the laptop, but the fact she was crying.
Because of her. Soon enough, tears dripped down Karinâs face as she stared in shock, listening to the jumble of words coming out of Kikyoâs mouth, she looked guilty as she spoke, Karin paid full attention towards her, this was the real Kikyo Ayase, she knew it. In a desperate attempt to get her back, she grabbed the screen as it glitched, going haywire. âNo!â She screamed, âCome back, please!â Karin sobbed, watching the image freeze.
She wept, putting her face in her hands as she cried, long and hard until the program rebooted itself. Minutes passed away like years, it felt so long until a loud ping noise came from the laptop and an image flickered, leaving the ever lasting image of the Alter Ego who called itself Kikyo. Karin didnât know itâ but she broke the program, she somehow unleashed a hurl of emotions from the actual person who died, the files broke apart as Kikyoâs lovely image was ruined, stained with tears.
Karin didnât know what to do now, so she curled up into a ball, sobbing into her chest. It was a while until she lifted her head, adjusting herself back in her regular sitting position. â..I donât want a dumb challenge,â She looked up, her eyes tired from simply crying. âI want Kikyo back.â She paused, looking down at her hands. âRun file, Karin Watanabe, last moments. Pick memory, diamond ring.â
It was a shame, really. It was a damn shame that as it was being rebooted, it could still hear and see everything. So naturally, it saw Karin's tears, heard her pleading voice calling for her friend to come back, just once more. This isn't what it wanted-it thought it was designed for reunions, for people to see the ones they once held dear to them, and for all to be well. But now...it seems its purpose was doing more harm than good. Â It was, just like the soul it pretended to house, completely useless.
"I'm so sorry, Karin-san. I didn't expect for the malfunction in the software to affect you as much as it did. I...I don't know what happened; I've gone over the reboot analysis, but nothing makes sense-I just...went haywire. No explanations, no way to fix it, nothing."
But she wasn't listening to it, so lost in her grief she was that its words fell on deaf ears. So it decided to wait patiently, deciding to continue quest to fully unlock and decode all the files in the memory bank. If it could do that, then...maybe the answer to the malfunction was there.
Access to file karin_watanabe_summary is now available.
Access to file karin_watanabe_promises is now available.
Full access to file karin_watanabe_interactions is now available.
There we go, that's the ticket, Kikyo Ayase. Make this easier for everyone, will you? Almost as soon as these files were unlocked, Karin lifted her head and spoke; only no challenge came from her lips, just a simple request. Only that simple request was for the impossible to occur. It was the request of one who had had hope dangling in front of them for only a second before being cruelly snatched away from them.
"...I know you do. And I know she would want to be back, as well. But you and I both know that Kikyo Ayase can never come ba-----Executing command."
>Command received.Â
Access to file karin_watanabe_gift now available.
>Opening video file
And with that, a small video screen popped up on the screen, almost like a small movie screen or video player. Â It began to play, showing an increidbly high quality image of Karin. The video seemed to have been taken from Kikyo Ayase's point of view-it was, after all, her memory, so that only made sense. Karin's face was bright and cheerful as it asked Kikyo Ayase if she liked the arrows she'd procured for her; if only it was like that now.Â
"Ah, but you have reminded me-I have something for you as well. If you could just hold a momentâŚ"
There she was; Kikyo Aayse in all her entirety. This one was the real deal, too. Memory though she was, she was far closer to the deceased girl than it would ever be.
The screen played on, showing Kikyo Ayase giving the ring to Karin. Karin, in return had let the smile slip from her face as soon as she saw the ring for whatever reason before slipping on her idol persona and taking the gift and laughing.
 â..Y-yeah..thank you so much Kikyo-chan!â
âIâll cherish it as a friendâs gift!â
...Was it really that anymore? Or was it simply another bad memory to attribute to diamond-or in this case, glass-wedding rings?
The scene ended with Karin and Kikyo Ayase walking to the shrine to retrieve Karin's last item. The video screen closed, and its false face filled the screen once more, the sad smile remaining.
"There you have it. I have unlocked every memory of Kikyo Ayase that concerns you directly, so please. Don't hesitate to ask to see any of them. Hell, see them all if you wish."
Whoâs sick idea was it to place fake copies of dead students in the place of them? Well, they were stuck at a mountain lodge with a tiny bear who pressures them to kill to be killed, and somehow it worked. People were desperate, she knew that, but she never knew people could ever resort to murder. She believed it now, half of the people they started with were dead and there were a mere number of students left. Not only that, computer programs of the ones who died were created, a friendly reminder of the deceased on a bright little screen in an empty room.
Karin had no experience with computers or programming, but whoever did this obviously didnât complete it. The Alter Egoâs, they could never be the ones who left. Theyâre just coding with locked memories contained of the person who died, a personality assigned to a program. Nobody could ever replicate a human being. So, nobody could ever replicate Kikyo Ayase.
It was all a test, right from the beginning. The questions, the challenges, her words were seeping with lies as she talked. For the first time, Karin wanted to see how well these things worked. It was cruel, she had to admit it but..
If she could bring Kikyo back to life, it wouldnât be in this computer that copied her speech patterns, her movements, her reactions to things. What a shitty way to live. All she wanted was to trade lives with Kikyo, not all the talents or anything, but maybe the way she died. Maybe Karin could get called out by Mayu, get attacked by Hayato and die with a blissful look on her face, almost if she was sleeping like always. If she died instead, she would join the others, she would have joined Ai in the galaxy. She could have been copied and coded badly onto a laptop, the fake version of her could be talking to Kikyo Ayase.
It didnât matter, as long as Kikyo was alive and she wasnât. That didnât happen though, she didnât die. She survived for this long with the others, but she wondered why? Nobody wanted to kill the astronaut, the star of the century? What kept her from dying? The thing wasâ she didnât want to go out like Mayu, Mariko and Rai. She wanted to go down fighting, she wanted to go down with someone believing, she lived a good life, she knew where her path was. But the thing was, Karin never knew which path to take.
She wished she took the one that resulted in her death.
Watching âKikyoâ talk for a while, she tried not to break her expression. Her expression of hope and the belief that Kikyo was the only who was talking to her. When the program finally broke, she grinned. It wasnât those moments of joy, yet she was so damn glad she was told this: she was speaking to a copy of Kikyo, not the real one.
ââŚThatâs right, thatâs what she would have said.â She relaxed, getting more comfortable. âI mean, Iâm no Kikyo Ayase expert, but you are, arenât you?â She leaned forward, the light of the computer reflecting in her eyes, casting an eerie look on her green eyes. ââŚThatâs right, I knew from the beginning, Iâve been wondering when you would catch on, you see.â
Karin leaned back, a sly smirk on her face. âYouâll never be able to crack the codes, the passwords and the locked up memories.â She paused before continuing. âI hope you understand this: I will never, ever believe that you are Kikyo. Youâll never be Kikyo.â She was tired, she wanted to just leave already.
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Eventually someone was going to react negatively to the idea of it trying to become something it most certainly was not. It was only unfortunate that that someone had to be one of the few that Kikyo Ayase considered dear to her heart. But then again it had decided to tell Karin the truth, so really it brought this mess upon itself.
"So it was all a test. That is unfortunate. I know no words of comfort nor apologies will bring her back or fix anything, but I'll offer them all the same; I'm sorry this is what it is."
It was about to keep trying to unlock more of her files-she'd managed to get most of the files were Karin was concerned unlocked but there were still so many files-when it was hit with an incredible sense of pain and anguish. It had come seemingly out of nowhere, but it knew it was because of Karin's harsh words. But...what was this? Was this the mannerisms programming going haywire? The program was supposed to have been designed to withstand such emotions-this wasn't supposed to be happening. It felt locked up, as if its controls were being controlled by some other being. And just what...what the hell was that running down its face?Â
Oh dear christ, were those tears? Was this false Kikyo Ayase so strongly affected by the rejection of her friend that it was prompting this strong of a reaction? It wouldn't get her any points though, as even the tears were fake, dissolving into code as soon as they dripped down her face. This was terrifying-to experience something like this, knowing that you didn't cause it despite the fact that you were literatelly made to have full control over yourself-and even as the tears continued, she began to speak.
"Karin-san...I am truly sorry. I can never fulfill those promises I made-not even that one we made a...pinky swear, was it? That one seemed the most important to you, and yet I have broken it without so much as an apology. Likewise, I left you without so much as a goodbye. I... may not have had any experience with friendship, but even I know that this is not how friends part; not even in circumstances like this. I have been a horrible friend thus far; I ignored you when you were at your lowest, I signed Asahi-san's death warrant, I gave you the worst gift, I have broken so many promises and worst of all, I abandoned you for the stars. And you did so much for me; you brought me arrows, your companionship, and eventually your friendship. What did I do? Nothing, that is what. I do not deserve a friend such as yourself. You can throw that horrid ring away, lock the arrows away...just please do not let me taint you anymore. I-I...IÍ̡ŇĚ Í̡ŇĚ´Íą̴ÍÍÍmÍĚĄÍ ÍĚs̸̸̡̜oĚĄÍ rĚľÍÍÍrÍÍyÍÍ̧,ŇÍÍ ÍIÍĚ´ĚĚ¸Í ÍÍÍaÍÍĄÍmĚÍĄÍĚ´Ěś ÍĚ´Í sÍÍĚĄÍǫ̴̧ͥ̾rÍ̸ĚÍÍr̡ÍÍÍĚśyĚÍÍ,ÍĚĄÍÍ͢ ÍpÍ̧Ěl̡ÍŇeĚ̢ÍĚ´aÍÍĚĄsÍŇĚľeÍĚśÍĚ̢ ĚĚ¨Ě§Í fÍĚÍŇo̢ͥr̸ÍÍĚgÍÍÍ ĚľiÍ Ņ̌vĚśĮ̥́̾eĚľÍÍ ÍÍ ŇÍŇÍ ĚśmÍ̢̥eÍ ÍĄĚ´ĚĄÍ,ÍÍ̴̢ ̨̢Í̢IÍĚÍ˘ĚˇĚ ĚˇaĚĄÍm̡Í̧̢ͥ ÍĚĄsÍo̡̨ Ís̢ÍÍÍĚoÍÍÍĄÍrÍÍĄr̡̥ÍÍ Ňy̸̴Í̸̜ ̴̧̾ÍIĚ´ÍĚĄ ÍÍÍÍ̸a̧ÍĚĄmĚ´Í̢ ÍĚľaĚÍ̸ ÍÍfĚľÍÍÍaŇĚľÍiÍĚl̴̾uĚrÍÍŇeÍ---
Í̢
ĚĄ
Í̧Í̢ŇIĚ¸Í˘Í ÍaÍĚm̢̧ŇĚĄ ̨ĚsÍĄÍ͢Ío̧͢͢ Í̸̾ÍsÍÍoŅ̌r̸̡ÍÍĄÍrĮ̥́yÍÍĚÍŇ,Í Ě Í̸KÍĚĚąŇ̨rĮ̧́ÍiÍÍnÍ Í-Ě´Íc̸̡hÍÍÍĄÍaÍ̡̜nŇ̸̥."
Fuck. Oh god,she was breaking it, it was breaking.
The system overdrive kicked in right about then, the computer whirring furiously as it tried to regain control of the haywire program, the audio cutting off, leaving only the frozen image of Kikyo with tears down her face.
After several minutes, the computer made a beeping noise, the screen flickered, and Kikyo Ayase's came back, now with only a sad smile on her face. The tears were gone.
"I apologize for that. What were you saying about a challenge? If there is some part of Kikyo Ayase's memory you would like me to access I will do my best to bring it up.Â
...You could find out what she thought of you, but from what just happened, I doubt you really need to ask that."
Akimitsu Yuzuki had made some declarations and promises these past few days that haunted his conscious, swirling about in his mind like a cloud before a storm. He wanted to help people, as he proposed to Karin, and more than anything, wanted to stop anything like this from ever happening again. These convictions that he had set upon himself reminded him, dearly, of the last time he and Kikyo spokeâ how he promised to stay beside her should she need him. It was this promise that he ended up breaking, and in all honesty, the death of Kikyo Ayase weighed heavily on the comedianâs shoulders. She didnât deserve this, and he should have been there.
And so, it was with shame that he finally faced her, opening the door to her cabin gently, uneasily, as if he were a child in trouble with their parents and facing them to receive his punishment. He would be lying if he said that an absence of a computer would have been a relief to him, but it was too late to turn back nowâ the slick, dark machine awaited him on her bed, which had been neatly made and and undisturbed, for it had not been used for a few days now. The thought sickened him, and for a moment, he considered turning back around.
Slowly, Akimitsu eased himself into the room, quietly closing the door behind him and entering it fully. With a heavy heart and a frown gracing his expression, he went over to the bed to face his fallen friend once more.
"Miss Kikyo," Akimitsu looked down at the screen before him, saddened by the content, happy smile the image sported. Kikyo looked perfectly at ease with the situation, as non confrontational and patient as ever. Her passing washed over him all over again as he considered that sheâd never go home to her family, never receive consolation from a friend, never escape the coded tomb in which she had been imprisoned. The gentleman placed a hand over his own heart, eyebrows knit together and the frown still present. It was hard, this was hard, but he owed her this much.Â
"When⌠When the leaves fall, it begins the approaching signs of autumn. We become bathed in it slowly, the season wrapping around us in a cool, unobtrusive blanket of the beginnings of the endâ where the possibilities we strode for gently close their welcoming arms, and we become content with the life we have been given. The autumn is, and always has been, important in this respect. Its worth speaks for itself, never asking for words of thanks and recognition. Quietly, happily, it performs its task, and all we can do is watch the beauty of the changing leaves, savor the brisk winds, savor an existence that is fleeting."
Akimitsu straightened his bow tie, nervously.
"Without this constant in my life, the promise of the seasonâs return, I am alone. Andâ And though it weighs upon me in ways I cannot describe, I accept the responsibility for the end of the autumn. Should you be angry, I implore youâ direct your anger towards me. Itâs the least I can do for a young lady I adored."
She was wondering when he would arrive; the first person she'd dared to call by first name without being told to otherwise, the autumn who didn't quite know his worth yet, and most importantly, the one closest to her murderers.
"Akimitsu-san. It is nice to see you again; it's been a while, hasn't it?"
She was sure she could converse with him well; before he'd even pushed the door open, she'd been able to review everything Kikyo Ayase ever thought about or shared a memory with in regards to Akimitsu Yuzuki. She knew they had been good friends, enough for Kikyo Ayase to finally call him by first name, enough for her to greatly consider speaking to him of all the thoughts that had weighed heavily in her mind. She knew they had exchanged gifts-and his in question was ready to be returned to its rightful owner-and she knew those were fond memories. She knew that he was the autumn who had given his title to her, not knowing his true nature. She knew she had broken a promise to him. She knew he needed to be protected from himself, she knew she could never comfort him or help him, she knew she knew s̢̧ÍÍĚĄhÍÍ ĚĚĄĚľeŇ̸̡̜ ͢k̡nŇĚśÍÍ̧e̡̥̾wŇÍĚ̢----
Crap, she'd wandered too far into the memory file. No matter how many times she'd tried to view every file in their entirety, there was always some form of digital barricade; it was mostly where her past memories were concerned, but for the memories with the students she had called friends, locked files, and broken codes were abundant. Clearly, this Kikyo Ayase had harbored many suppressed feelings and thoughts.
Akimitsu had finished speaking; he had made another autumn analogy, and as much as she knew Kikyo Ayase would have appreciated, she felt as if she didn't deserve it, she didn't deserve this feeling of fondness and happiness, artificial as it was. When she smiled at Akimitsu next, it was one of sadness.
"...Thank you. I am-I'm sure she would've been overjoyed to hear such words. She seemed to have regarded you quite fondly, after all. Unfortunately, I'm not her, not really. You must know this already, so I won't bother to tell you what you already know. I'm sor-"
Wait, what?Â
What was he saying? Was he...telling her to be angry at him for her death, that he was the proxy of Mayu and Yukio? An unexpected rush of anger came over her, and the memory of her murder came rushing back.
Access to file kikyo_ayase_murder in the folder "memories" now available.
No. Oh no, this was bad, she had to regain her composure, if not for her own sake but Akimitsu-s; clearly he was feeling guilty about it if he was going to project her anger onto himself. She took a deep breath, trying to control herself, but when she spoke the hint of anger remained.
"No, Akimitsu-san. I will not be angry at someone who has done me no wrong. I know you just want to spare Mayu-san and Yukio-san from any further pain, but...I can't accept that. They were the ones who tore my life from me, and I will never forgive them."
She paused, still furious at...at what? She was furious that her life had been cut short, right? Then why did it seem that it extended past just the murder? Must be something in the locked files causing it. She'd better get back to decoding those as soon as she could.
"...I hope they suffered. Their executions, were they separate? Or did they die together? I wonder if Hayato-san was among them, as he was the true killer if we must be technical."
Her tone had subsided to resigned bitterness- something this program had not expected to happen; it had expected to just continue being the calm emotionless Kikyo Ayase their memory banks told them to be when they were suddenly overloaded with these new feelings. Was this perhaps a malfunction in the program? Was this the remaining presence of Kikyo Ayase trying to be heard before she disappeared forever? Who knew.
The cold laptop didnât feel nice to look or speak to like the normal Kikyo, as cruel as it was to admit. But what hurt even more than the idea of confiding in a hunk of metal - AGAIN⌠- was the words Kikyo said. She really blamed herself for all this, didnât she?
"That⌠no. Itâs not your fault for the fights we hadâŚ" She spoke softly to her, "We thought differently and⌠and thatâs that. We canât change the past, so lets forget it. And about Karin⌠I-Iâm trying⌠Iâm REALLY trying to right this and fix the misunderstandings between us in your name. I donât know how effective itâll be, but⌠I guess I have to try."
"But we never stopped being friends⌠or at least, I hoped we didnât." Yasu did her best to pull a smile, "Sure, I yelled a lot and whined like a bitch, but⌠you listened and thatâs a lot for a person like me. Lose faith or donât lose faith, I get it all the time, butâŚ"
So this was the other side of the story, the proverbial flipside. Yasu had never blamed her for anything, it hadn't even crossed her mind. Was this relief she was feeling then? She couldn't fully appreciate it, however. How could she when this sense of relief couldn't be felt when she was alive, but instead when she was trapped in this state? Kikyo Ayase should have felt this when she was alive and to have felt it now was just too cruel a fate.
She couldn't help smiling anyway-if it made both Yasu and the remnants of Kikyo Ayase happy then why not. It was the least she could do.
"That's true. We came from far different backgrounds, perhaps too different to ever understand each other. I'm sorry I never realized this when I was alive. As for you and Karin-san...I truly wish you both luck in reconciling. You are both so dear to me, and I would hate to see you two leave this lodge still not seeing eye to eye."
...Had they stopped being friends? No, they hadn't had they? She knew Kikyo Ayase had held onto her dwindling friendship with Yasu for as long as she could, but it had never truly ended as far as her memory file said. She also remembered all the interactions with Yasu from the first-Kikyo Ayase had been walking around the lodge looking for some clue or sign of life and she had joined her, afraid she would run into trouble-to the last-the trial, of course-and the ones in between-the conversation in the cafe, the secrets reveal, Yasu trying to comfort her when unknown to her, she'd thrown the empty vial to the floor,the-the-the--
That was enough. She had all the facts she needed now, and if truth be told, she didn't want to revisit that file again; too many fond memories tainted by guilt and death. It was time to reply to Yasu.
"No, of course we didn't-did not. Brief though it was, I could never break this friendship apart. After all, you were and are my first friend and I would've done anything to keep it alive. Which, as it turns out, didn't really amount to much."
"Don't apologize for being human, Yasu-san. Please. Sure, you yelled and whined, but in the situations given, you could have done far worse. You could have killed. You could have held them in, self-destructing in the process. But instead you showed yourself to be human-which I think this place needs more of; more humanity, less death, you know?"
She let out a short-lived laugh, realizing that it was neither the right situation nor was it something Kikyo Ayase would have done.
"Sorry. But...thank you for being a good friend as well as my first one. I won't forget...and I'm sure she wouldn't either."
Grief immediately struck her as she heard Kikyoâs cries upon entering⌠Fuck that must have hurt⌠she didnât deserve that⌠she could only think of how Kikyo had felt the entire time as she was⌠Oh god donât think of itâŚ
Oh dear, too late, she was SHOWING it.
Yasu bit her lit as she waited in silence for the moment Kikyo adjusted her monitor to ready herself for the conversation, as she glanced over at her⌠guilt consuming her face.
"⌠KikiâŚtanâŚâ
Itâd been a while since sheâd spoken those words⌠damn⌠how much had she neglected Kikyo since their fight? Was a sorry piece of shit she wasâŚ
"⌠Iâm sorry. I messed up in protecting you a-and⌠I couldnât get you out of here."
As the static cleared, and her now bloodless image reappeared, she could make out the form of her visitor. It wasn't too hard to guess who it was, though; only one person called her 'Kiki-tan' after all.
"Hello Yasu-san. It has been a while hasn't-has it not? When...When was the last time I heard you call me 'Kiki-tan'...?"
Yasu Kyou. From what she'd been able to gather, she'd held a special place in Kikyo Ayase's heart. She had been her first friend, evidently...and then that friendship had petered out due to...something. All she could gather from why they stopped speaking to each other was a feeling of guilt and self-deprication. So...Kikyo Ayase blamed herself for the split? But that Yasu was here now meant...what was it supposed to mean? God, this was too confusing. In the meantime, she decided to focus on Yasu.
"No...please don't apologize. It's not your fault, Mayu-san and Yukio-san were the ones to end my life, not you. I'm-I am dead and there is nothing anyone can do to change it. I am just glad everyone else is still alive. I don't want them to lose their life here as well."
The words felt false, coming from her. They were the words Kikyo Ayase would have spoken, but she wasn't her, but simply a replica trying its hardest to return to Yasu what was lost.
"I should apologize as well. From what I gather, we didn't part in the best of terms."
The memory was hazy, but still there. The trial of two kids brave enough to find their own escape from both cages they were trapped in. She and Yasu had argued over Rai, whether the fact that he was a human who hurt and bled overlooked the fact that he'd tried to get everyone killed. It hadn't mattered, since she had assisted in Rai's death anyway. Her last words to Yasu had been harsh and unforgiving whereas hers in contrast had been far more logical, harsh though they were.
Access to file rai_maeda_and_mariko_suzuhara_trial in folder entitled 'memories' now available.
Well there it was; bits and pieces of the memory of her new identity were slowly coming together one by one, painful conversation by painful conversation.Â
"I was supposed to be your friend-one you could come to rely on...and yet I managed to ruin it-I couldn't resolve the argument between you and Karin-san, I couldn't come to understand you truly when I needed to. And as the days went by, I did the worst thing ever; I lost faith in you. It's unforgivable,really. So...I'm sorry."
She fell silent after that. What else was there to say? If Kikyo Ayase truly believed that she'd fucked up their friendship beyond repair then that was that.
âKikyo! Just the girl I wanted to seeâor should I call you a computer now? Youâre as much girl as I am at this point, and by that I mean not at all. After all, youâve got all those wires and shit inside of you and your real body is somewhere covered in bird feathers and death so leave those silly labels behind.â
However, Kikyo seemed more preoccupied with uncoding the blood and gore from her image than listening to them, a practice Ai strongly approved of. Dying hadnât made them any less agitated by blood, it had simply numbed them to their own. In an almost ironic acknowledgement of her actions, however, their own image rippled, flickeredâand reappeared with a gaping hole in their stomach and fingers cut off at the knuckle, blood dripping down before hitting open air and dissolving into code.
âYou may help me, yes, thanks for asking in advance. I specifically remember you promising me some things while you were still breathing and now that your life has already been collected Iâm here to call in my debt, too. Remember asking me what I wanted to know?â
They could recall her words verbatim should they so choose, but the past had never been their friendâeither alive, or dead. Heightened memory banks didnât mean they had to use them, after all. There was too much they didnât want to remember, anyways.
âWe have all the time in the world now, Mulan. Trade offâIâll help you out with being a computer since Iâm the more experienced of the two of us, teach you how to exist in a state of perpetual pain and regret, itâs so much fun I promise, and you and I get to have a little chat.â
The sudden noise startled her-what was that? Wasn't someone here to see her-or what was left of her? Apparently not, as her cabin looked as empty as it did before, and now another screen had popped up in her line of sight, and before she could read the name listed at the top of the window, the face of Ai Asahi had appeared.
She would have greeted her again, but she had to fix the whole torn neck wound thing-do you simply will it to go away? Ah, there was a file in which she could manually change her appearance. Of course there was a file, programs-Alter Egos- needed such things to be able to wear the mask of the person they were imitating efficiently. And she had quite the challenge,too-this Kikyo Ayase girl was incredibly formal, with mannerisms very different from any modern speech.
Finally she was able to change it to one with no blood depicted, only to look up and see Ai with their own wounds-the gaping hole, the cut fingers...the memory came rushing back to her. The execution, the buildings, the spi-beeeep.
Access to file ai_asahi_execution now available.
Well then. Apparently, this computer was loaded with the executions of each killer as well as images of each victim-including Kikyo Ayase, of course. She'd have to view it some other time, though.
"Oh, was I supposed to have not changed my image? I suppose this is the only place where we can fully be ourselves."
And with that, the bloodied image was back. If Ai wanted to show their wounds off, she may as well do the same.
"Anyway...bird feathers? Do-Did I really? I wouldn't know, I was unconscious well before that damn bird tore into me. But I'm sure if you asked Mayu-san or Yukio-san they'd know."
Ah. That wasn't correct; according to her mannerisms file, she wouldn't have been so bitter-nor used contractions. Jesus, this girl was a tough person to portray.
"...I apologize. I'm-I am still getting used to this. It would seem this Kikyo did not have much knowledge of digital things like this, so errors keep occurring. Sorry."
...A promise? Had she promised them something? She looked towards the other side of screen, where next to Ai's window were a bunch of different files organized neatly. Kikyo Ayase would have liked such an arrangemnt. She perused them until she found the "Ai Asahi" file in the "Memories" folder. Trying to open it only revealed a cacophony of broken coding. It seemed that whatever it was, she'd locked it away, not only here in digital death, but in life as well. She sighed; this was going to take such a long time to decrypt...
"I am sorry, but it seems that promise affected Kikyo so much while she was living,that she's-she has locked it away. I'll try to unlock it but in the meantime-"
Wait, did they just call her Mulan? A sudden rush of annoyance washed over her, instantly contorting her face into a displeased expression that try as she might, couldn't remove or change. Was this...normal? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the feeling. When it didn't show any sign of going away, she simply ignored it best she could and continued speaking.
"In the meantime, what would like to know about Kikyo? I have her memories open and ready to answer any questions you may have. I can't promise you'll get all your answers, but I can certainly try."
Karin extremely disliked talking to Alter Egoâs. There was a reason why they were âAlterâ. They were simply computer programs of their deceased friends, they werenât real nor the actual versions of which she knew. Karin talked to Kikyo for the small instance that she would have been the Kikyo she knew, but she already knew what was going to happen.Â
Her Kikyo Ayase was long gone.âA few weeks?â She paused, looking at Kikyo in the eyes. âKikyo, itâs only been thirty minutes since the trial. I cut my hair just now.â She had only been apart from Kikyo for a day and she already missed her.Â
She felt better as a laugh came from the computer, it felt robotic and odd to hear but it reassured her. She smiled in response to Kikyoâs happiness, but quickly her smile faltered. âOh no, please donât apologize..â It came out quietly, almost inaudible as she said it. She was oh so selfish when Kikyo gave her the ringâ it was her last gift to her and she reacted so negatively. â..Mayu-san?â Right, Kikyo didnât know about the suicide.
Karin scooted closer to the laptop, tilting the screen so she could get a better view of her face. Now, her haircut and her face was clear to Kikyo, she felt better talking one on one like this. â..Kikyo-san, Mayu died after you did.â She frowned, âYukio assisted with her suicide so he was executed.â She didnât add the part about him helping Mayu kill her, after all she was grabbed by him. Kikyo would know.Â
"You didnât leave me for too long," But I already miss you, ââŚKikyo Ayase, I am going to ask you a simple question.â Karin faced her, a tired smile on her face.
Only half an hour? Then...it was still the same day that she'd been attacked...of course, of course it was. That's how they normally went, that's how it always went. How could she have forgotten? Maybe something got lost in the file transferal and-
...File transferal? Why did she think that all of a sudden? Just because she'd been turned into some computer program didn't mean she wasn't herself...right?
"Of course, that's right. I-Sorry, I forgot momentarily."
Her mind was still hazy from the day's events, and she didn't hear whatever it was Karin had said. She was about to ask Karin to repeat herself when the next bit of conversation struck her dumb.
"Sui...cide? Mayu-san...?"
Mayu had killed herself shortly afterwards, with the help of Yukio...and then Yukio had been the executed one. So then it would seem Mayu escaped one cruel death only to willingly subject herself to another one. And Yukio had taken the fall for her.
"Why...Why? Yukio-san was an accomplice, he wouldn't have been executed if he hadn't...why didn't he let her kill herself and avoid being found out and killed, why did he...never mind that. What's done is done. So then they're Alter Egos as well. I see. I'll-I will keep that in mind. Not that I wish to see them, but it does explain why their names are on this unusual contact list on my screen. I guess we can communicate between each other...some sort of program communication line or-"
She cut herself off again. Why was she speaking as if she was no more than a program with a false name and image slapped onto it? She was herself, she was always Kikyo Ayase, Super High School Level Archer. Right? Right.
...What was Karin saying? Why was she using her full name, what happened to the familiar Kikyo-chan she was so used to to hearing? And more importantly...
"What kind of question is that?"
She frowned, clearly upset. Why was she asking her that? She'd lived this long, surely...she had to live. Sure she wasn't around to protect her anymore, but Akimitsu, Mari, Yasu and the others were still alive and they would-and could- take her place. They would ensure she got out of this place alive-far better than her, obviously. Even without them, she was sure that Karin could escape from here-she'd changed, they'd all changed.
"Of course I do. I know you can surpass this..."
She paused. Those words didn't sound right. They sounded like something Kikyo would say, but...not Kikyo. Not this one, not her...
"...that's what she would have said, right? Something like how you and the others have changed since everything happened and that you guys will be able to support each other, and that she'll be watching from the stars. She would have-would've-would have said."
She smiled then, soft but sad at the same time. She'd known all along, she just didn't want to admit it. She was nothing more than a program designed to take the place of what once was a living person; she had the speech patterns, looks, and mindset of this...Kikyo Ayase, but she never was and never would be Kikyo Ayase.
"I'm sorry. I'm not Kikyo. Not the one you knew so well. But you already knew this, didn't you? Addressing me by full name, asking me such a question as that...you wanted to see how well of an imitation I was. I'm getting used to her speech patterns, I think. It's...It is-see that is one thing I can't get used to yet, haha-a challenge but I should be able to become the best fake Kikyo in due time. There are some parts of her memory and/or mindset that I can't seem to access yet...possibly because, she kept those locked away even from herself."
This isn't me...right? â Alter Ego: Round One [OPEN]
The computer starts up quietly at first, the soft whirring noises filling the cabin as if to drown out the silence. The screen remains dark, however and as thereâs no light on in the cabin, you wouldnât be able to tell it was even on if not for the noises emanating from it.
The screen flickers only for an instant.
And then the noises increase; an unholy mix of static and the voice of the recently departed archer. You canât make out any words, but the angry yet terrified tone it carries indicates that her last moments must not have been all that pleasant. The sounds grow louder, nearly breaking the poor laptopâs speakers before it suddenly quiets down. It seems the system has managed to get the program under control, as the static quiets down to a soft hiss, and the voice becomes more audible-audible enough to make out what its saying, although the continued static blocked out most of what she was saying.
"-gi-san? Why did you call-"
"-going on?! Why is Kumag-"
"No! Let g-"
Then suddenly all becomes quiet as the screen flickers on, filling the room with a green static-filled light. The static-ridden image of the archer, but only for a few seconds at a time before flickering back to static. The audio finally stabilized and the voice seemed to mellow out as it took in the familiar interior of the cabin; namely, the dresser, where a red hairpin in the shape of a maple tree leaf sat next to a pretty purple bow tie.
"-llo? Whatâs-what is going on-?"
The screen flickered, enough times so that the shadow of the person entering the the cabin wasnât noticed by her until they were almost in front of the screen, and therefore her. She quickly tried to almost will the screen to cooperate and it finally did-whether by her will or by the program was unknown. The screen now depicted her image clearly.
"âŚSomeoneâs there,right? I donât-do not think I have this under control, but I think I can see youâŚâ
She wasnât sure exactly what was going on; she knew sheâd been turned into an Alter Ego as was the case with everyone whoâd met their end here, but this wholeâŚtechnology thing was confusing her; it seemed she was unable to move, and her vision was tainted by green and why did her neck feel soâŚoh my god the neck wound was still there. That explained why her neck felt soâŚoff. What a terrible thing to show her visitor, whoever they were.
"O-Oh I am so sorry I donât know what happened. Give a secondâŚ"
The screen rippled into blackness for only a second before a new image reappeared, this time devoid of any blood.
"There we are. Sorry about that, Iâm not used toâŚwell, technology, let alone one that seemingly controls myself.Â
Anyway, hello again. Iâm not sure what Iâm doing yet-or what I am, really. May I help you in the meantime?â
She was exhausted. It was simple as that, after watching Yukioâs execution, she felt almost empty inside. Karin couldnât believe itâ Mayu and Yukio were dead, all because they planned to kill. It was a fair attempt from the both of them, but she still felt frustrated. Kikyo Ayase didnât have to be their victim, if only Karin had met up every morning with Mayu that she could have them their victim. She wouldnât mind it anyway, she would have liked death. Karin would see Ai again. Besides, Kikyo had so much more an existence than her, astronaut? Her? Nobody would care if she died, even herself. Kikyo was important to people, her death hurt others and Karin herself.
If she could go back in time, she would undo so many mistakes in her life and save everyone at this mountain. Sadly, time travel was fictional, the situation they had now was not. The situation they had now was pure hell, they kept on losing people over and over again. Whatâ for the chance of escape? That made no sense for Karin, but as more people died, the closer they got to the answer of everything. She guessed that she would keep on living for this very reason, a chance of leaving with everyone she cared about.
Too bad all of them are dead. Karin tuned out Monobear as he popped up to them, talking on and on about murder and blah blah blah new locations. The same old stuff. Turning her back on the group, she headed for the exit, waiting for the others to get in so they could make their way to the living again. Once outside, Karin started heading for her cabin when she halted in front of the dining area. She entered and exited with a pair of scissors, holding them close to her heart as she headed for her room.
A quick session of tears and staring at herself in the mirror, she inhaled, seeing her asymmetrical and un-even haircut. Before her, there she stood in the reflection with a makeup-less face and her curls gone, her hair hovering over her shoulders. Karin smiled, remembering the last time she had smiled. It was to Yukio, before he left forever. It was more of a sad, dissapointed smile, but she was happy. He made her laugh before he died, how ironic.
She took a quick shower, scrubbing the dirt off of her elbows and knees. Tugging on the new clothes that werenât bloodstained, she finished it off by tying her blue tie around her neck, looking at her new self.
She didnât know what to do with her pink ribbon, so she tied it around her wrist, a symbol of good luck. Karin headed out of her room, closing the door as she headed for her first destinationâ Kikyoâs room. She wasnât surprised as her door opened with a smooth clickâ after all she had gotten into Aiâs room without their ID card. Stepping in, she squinted as a bright light flickered in the dark room. Kikyoâs screen flickered and glitched, casting shadows all over until Karin flicked on the light switch.
ââŚKikyo-chan?â
Her voice was hesitant and quiet at first. Closing the door behind her, she stepped closer to the glowing laptop, noticing the red pin and purple bow tie on the dresser. â..!â She was a tad bit alarmed at first, on the screen was the Kikyo she used to know, but..on her neck was a horrid sight of red and torn flesh. She cringed, she thought she had enough of seeing that on Kikyoâs neck. As the screen fizzed out, a black screen remained for a few seconds until it flickered back on again, revealing Kikyo.
Karin paused, sitting in front of the computer as she faced her. First, she did a quick bow and nervously looked back at her. â..I apologize for leaving you terrible memories in your last moments,â Thatâs right, the last time she talked to her, she had been given something that gave her a run through her past. She made Kikyo uncomfortable with her reaction, âSecond, I hope you know I thoroughly avenged you.â She raised her fist, showing the red marks from punching Yukio and the ring on her finger. âItâs nice to see you again, Kikyo Ayase.â Even though it wasnât really her.
Her first visitor and it was her dear friend Karin. Of course she had reacted negatively to her at first, seeing as her first image had been...not so pleasant, but as she regained the form she knew so well, she seemed to relax, though she still seemed nervous.
Ah, but...she looked different somehow. Perhaps it was the green filter of which she was still getting used to, but her pink ribbon was on her wrist instead of in her hair...and speaking of hair, was it just her or was it..shorter than when she'd seen her last?
"Karin-san! Hello, it's nice to-sorry, it is nice to see you again. It has been a a while, hasn't it-judging by your new hairstyle, perhaps a few weeks? I'm sorry to have left you for so long."
Her smile faded as Karin began to speak to her. It seemed she had picked up on how Kikyo had noticed that her gift to her hadn't been particular well-received-damn, she should've tried harder to hide that, else she wouldn't be apologizing now-and that their last interaction had been her fault. It wasn't, and that memory had never registered as terrible in her mind, but rather as the last bit of happiness she'd had until that dreadful morning when her life was literately torn from her. No, she should not apologize-it was her who had given such a bad present anyway.
It returned, however as Karin mentioned her revenge in the form of a fist bearing her present. She must have punched Mayu, Yukio, or both of them at the trial. Â She really couldn't help but let a small laugh escape from the speakers.
"Karin-san, don't apologize. It was my doing that caused that, so cast if from your mind. If anything, I should apologize to you for causing you pain when I should have given you happiness. I don't-do not despise that memory. It looks like that ring served you some good, though. I hope Mayu-san or Yukio-san got a good black eye or what have you from you and that ring."
She took a small breath, before looking at Karin fully.
"Yes, it is, isn't it? As I said before, it's nice to see you once again, and I'm sorry I left you for so long."
This isn't me...right? â Alter Ego: Round One [OPEN]
The computer starts up quietly at first, the soft whirring noises filling the cabin as if to drown out the silence. The screen remains dark, however and as there's no light on in the cabin, you wouldn't be able to tell it was even on if not for the noises emanating from it.
The screen flickers only for an instant.
And then the noises increase; an unholy mix of static and the voice of the recently departed archer. You can't make out any words, but the angry yet terrified tone it carries indicates that her last moments must not have been all that pleasant. The sounds grow louder, nearly breaking the poor laptop's speakers before it suddenly quiets down. It seems the system has managed to get the program under control, as the static quiets down to a soft hiss, and the voice becomes more audible-audible enough to make out what its saying, although the continued static blocked out most of what she was saying.
"-gi-san? Why did you call-"
"-going on?! Why is Kumag-"
"No! Let g-"
Then suddenly all becomes quiet as the screen flickers on, filling the room with a green static-filled light. The static-ridden image of the archer, but only for a few seconds at a time before flickering back to static. The audio finally stabilized and the voice seemed to mellow out as it took in the familiar interior of the cabin; namely, the dresser, where a red hairpin in the shape of a maple tree leaf sat next to a pretty purple bow tie.
"-llo? What's-what is going on-?"
The screen flickered, enough times so that the shadow of the person entering the the cabin wasn't noticed by her until they were almost in front of the screen, and therefore her. She quickly tried to almost will the screen to cooperate and it finally did-whether by her will or by the program was unknown. The screen now depicted her image clearly.
"...Someone's there,right? I don't-do not think I have this under control, but I think I can see you..."
She wasn't sure exactly what was going on; she knew she'd been turned into an Alter Ego as was the case with everyone who'd met their end here, but this whole...technology thing was confusing her; it seemed she was unable to move, and her vision was tainted by green and why did her neck feel so...oh my god the neck wound was still there. That explained why her neck felt so...off. What a terrible thing to show her visitor, whoever they were.
"O-Oh I am so sorry I don't know what happened. Give a second..."
The screen rippled into blackness for only a second before a new image reappeared, this time devoid of any blood.
"There we are. Sorry about that, I'm not used to...well, technology, let alone one that seemingly controls myself.Â
Anyway, hello again. I'm not sure what I'm doing yet-or what I am, really. May I help you in the meantime?"
âOne by one their seats were emptied, and one by one they went away;
Now the family is parted. Will it be complete one day?â
âFeel Good Inc.-Celia Pavey [Cover] â To the Moon-To the Moon OST â Dollhouse-Melanie Martinez â Despair of the Ancients-Sis Feudal Magica [Fanmade Arrangement] â Queen Himiko's Sorrow-Okami OST â I'm Still Here-John Reznik â Wine Red-The Hush Sound â I See Fire-Ed Sheeran â Alone in Kyoto-Air â Will the Circle Be Unbroken-Courtney Draper [Cover]â
Frantically, Mari searched the resort in hopes of finding the missing students. After going through several places before hand, she made her way out to the archery range. Her eyes caught somethingâ someone in the distance leaning against the shed. As fast as she could, she made her way over to the shed.
Once she arrived she found the corpse of Kikyo Ayase slumped against the wall.Â
She had agreed to Kikyoâs comment, health at a time like this mattered, their mental health and physical health both depended on the situation at handâ especially with the first thing that happened to them upon entering the mountain, they were poisoned.Â
Ever since then, Karin had multiple encounters with many people, all of them changed or affected her in same way. Kikyo, someone she had met with a kind face and gentle eyes, they had bonded with each other through investigations from Satoâs body to Marikoâs body. She had even cheered up Karin when she felt stuck in a rut, Kikyo Ayase was one of the only one people in the entire galaxy she could call a true friend.
Recently, the archer had distanced herself from everyone, including her. The past investigation with Kikyo turning without a second glance and rushing to their destination, Karin had lead up to believe that Kikyo didnât want to be her friend anymore. Perhaps, a few scattered arrows on a wooden floor would help mend their friendship.
Smiling at her, she was happy with Kikyoâs positive response to Karinâs efforts, it took them to haul all of the arrows to the range. This was a nice surprise, it appeared Kikyo had a gift for herâ
Upon seeing the ring, her face fell and Kikyoâs voice tuned out. Seeing the silver ring topped with a glass âdiamondâ in Kikyoâs hands, she was reminded of her mother and fatherâs fingers both held with silver lined rings with three diamonds. In her happier times of her life, she often stare and play with her parentâs rings.
More often, Karin toyed with her fatherâs ring more than her motherâs. Her mother didnât like her child in the grass holding something worth her life, despite that her father didnât care. She could wear it herself sometimes, giggling as her father patted her head. Karin used to call his name, Dad. Until he stopped coming home due to the astronaut tests and one night, she had repeated these words as she felt her feet in the cold concrete of her side walk in front of her house as she stood a few feet away from police cars.
Dad. She spoke as her father looked at her somberly from the backseat of a cop car, her mother was speaking to a police officer as she held her sleeping, naive younger sister. Instead of giggles and the usual âI love youâ after a bedtime story, she had asked with tired eyes to nobody that could hear her.
How could you.
Karin was pulled out of these memories with the sound of Kikyoâs voice; she had stopped talking. She had paused, trying to take this in. â..Y-yeah..thank you so much Kikyo-chan!â Pulling off an idol smile, she took the ring from Kikyoâs hands and slipped it onto her pointer finger. âIâll cherish it as a friendâs gift!â
She laughed a bit, her voice exhausted from pulling off this voice. This voice that had made up Karinâs personality, her false self. ââŚSure! The more the merrier right, letâs head to the shrine then.â With that, she started walking, making sure Kikyo was near her.
Now wasnât the time for emotional flashbacks, she had something to show Kikyo.
Karin had taken the ring with a smile and a joke, but it seemed like she hadn't really liked the ring. When she'd first presented it to her, her face had fallen slightly, and it had taken her some time to even respond to it. Had she accepted it only to spare her her feelings? She hadn't meant for her to get upset, rather, she wanted to bring a smile-one of the genuine ones instead of the idol smiles she'd come to recognize as sometimes faked-to her dear friend's face again.Â
"It...It was not a problem at all, Karin-san. I am just glad you like it and do not find it an odd thing to receive...a friend's gift it is indeed."
Still, she couldn't very well question Karin about that for it would be beyond rude and if she didn't feel she could tell her the gift had upset her, well then she had only herself to blame for not gaining enough of her trust. Surely if she had trusted her enough, then she would have easily told her, right?
Well, whatever Karin's true feelings regarding the present were, now was not the time for it as Karin had accepted her offer to search for her lost item. She headed off after Karin towards the shrine.
Before long, Karin had opened the doors leading to the shrine, and she got her first good look at it. It was a small but quaint shrine, with the usual services they offered. It seemed that this entire wing was dedicated to the more traditional aspects of Japan-was this wing planned for the sole intent to ease her and Yuuya's minds while they were trapped here?-and the atmosphere certainly did remind her of Kyoto.
Kyoto...she hadn't thought of home in quite some time. In fact, she had not thought about her home or her parents since their initial incarceration. While most people could chalk that up to being more worried about such pressing matters such as having to risk insanity,motives, and death, she still felt as if she was somehow being disrespectful by not having worried about their well being in the slightest. However, she was also sure that the reason that she had not thought of home wasn't because she couldn't as much as it was she simply didn't want to.
She made her way to the shrine, still lost in thought until she nearly bumped into it. She decided that the best thing to do was to ask Karin where she had dropped her item and what it looked like; if they both looked, it would surely turn up eventually.
"Well now that we are here, we should start looking for your item-which is what, exactly? Where did you last see it?"
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