Exploration, shared part 1
A burning clock head comes into view. Neither the clothing nor the hands of the clock differ from their usual state.
*knock* *knock*
Hello? Is anybody in~?
<The door's locked... Is there nobody inside?>
Clock. M.Y.H.
Clock, move your head, she says... Eep!
Ryōshū's scabbard rattles menacingly, swinging in Sinclair's direction.
It seems Araya has fallen into this peculiar space alongside us.
<We should probably check somewhere else first.>
Hm... It's not even budging.
.......
Did you not hear what I said? The door's not budging.
*yawn*
<Heathcliff... I think she's talking to you.>
... The door won't budge, yeah. What do you want me to do about it?
What an absurd question. An obstacle emerges - you and that bat of yours terminate it without any thought given to the risk involved or the tactics available. Isn't that supposed to be your day-to-day doctrine of action?
The location beyond is yet to be screened, Executive Manager. Please fall back to a defensible distance. Heathcliff shall breach the door and scout ahead.
Bloody hell, you've got some nerve telling me to put that door in! One look round and you can tell they spent a fortune on this place... What if they make us foot the bill after I've smashed it to bits?
Hm. You make a valid point. As the man says, Executive Manager. Reconnaissance beyond this door should be postponed...
Heathcliff stood agape at Outis, who didn't seem to feel even an ounce of hesitation about using him as cannon fodder. He stepped back, shaking his head as though the interaction had tired him out.
... Are you planning to knock on the stalls all day, Dante?
<You never know...>
It's only proper to do so in a restroom. Toilet etiquette is an important virtue!
All well and good, I suppose... But shouldn't we be on our way and take a look around outside?
<That's the plan.>
<...!>
What's got you rattled, Manager Bud?
<I just heard what sounded like a toilet flushing in there...>
... You're still trying to spook me, even after everything we've been through? Not falling for it anymore... Nope...
<But I really heard it...>
Enough, Clockhead! What d'you reckon gawping inside those toilet stalls is going to do?
The Executive Manager is executing a methodical search pattern! Even these fixtures may conceal hints of intelligence decisive to the operation!
*puff* This master detective inspected this entire restroom the moment we entered. There is nothing left to see, C.H.
This reminds me of when we played detective back in T Corp.~ We had so much fun back then, didn't we, Rodya?
Yeah... we did. Anyway, how about we hurry up and get out of here first?
Yeah. We can't waste any more time here.
A stall with a closed door.
It seems wisest to venture outside as Miss Ishmael suggests.
... G.G., C.H.
... I think I can guess what she means even without her T.L., S.C. interpreting.
It's probably "Gotta Go, Chore Hour." or more probably... "Get Going, Clockhead."
... (She gazes at me without a word. The serene smile on her face suggests that she regards us favorably.)
There are remaining tasks here, Manager.
The way ahead is completely blocked. It does not seem possible to pass through for now.
A hide of skin stitched with something lies stuck to the floor like an unwashed rag. Its lips, eyes, and teeth have all lost their distinguishing features and emulsified into one slick mass.
This place is quiet to an uncanny degree. A "room of rest"... Truly, a chamber wherein one may rest freely.
Faust is staring into the empty space.
Ready when you are.
If this is how it's gonna be... Well, I'll need a smoke.
I turn my head and see Ryōshū with a cigarette already pinched between her teeth, a wisp of smoke rising from the tip.
Hong Lu seems to be listening to whatever story Don Quixote's telling with genuine delight.
Sinclair is bombarding the blue lady with all kind of questions.
.......
I don't think the conversation is going particularly well.
Don Quixote is recounting the acts and miracles of Fixers animatedly, in an effort to keep everyone's mood alight.
... Hong Lu seems to be the only one paying attention.
Heathcliff keeps circling the same spot restlessly.
It is rather frustrating that I am unable to be of assistance, trapped in this location. Should you need me, Executive Manager, I, Outis, am ready to be of service at your command.
I'll be restin' here for a bit. Gimme a shout when it's time to leave~
.......
Ryōshū has her eyes closed. The sizzle and hiss from the tip of the cigarette, however, tells me that she's not asleep.
I am ready, Manager.
The corpse of a Noir. Blood seeps into the black suit, turning it dark crimson.
The corpse of a Rouge. Their veins have stopped writhing, turning dry and grey.
Familiar golden light leaks through a narrow gap between the tiles.
I can almost hear the faint murmuring of conversation between people.
I peer through the gap, but the glare of the light is too bright for me to see anything.
[미사용] 상호작용 할당용 임시 공용 더미 대사
Dante. I am well aware that circumstances weigh heavily upon us... But ought we not hasten to find Meursault?
No further explanation from my side is necessary.
Was there something else you needed to check? Let's make it quick and get moving. We need to find Meursault ASAP.
*puff* Can't exactly take a proper break when I know one of us could be experiencing the worst thing out there. Let's go if you fellas are all rested up.
Do you suppose Meursault is all right? Being cast out into a strange place like this, all on your own... It'd leave anyone terribly lost and afraid.
<I... don't think he'd feel lost and afraid... But yeah, best we hurry up and find him.>
Fuhu... Then let's be on our way!
Um... Manager... Shouldn't we hurry and start looking for Meursault?
Hath the time arrived for us to resume our adventure? Verily, I remain ever at the ready!
Bloody hell...
Heathcliff is pacing back and forth restlessly.
Oh. Are we movin' again, then?
Please rest more if you remain fatigued, Executive Manager. Give the order, and I, Outis, shall detach a search party and...
<It's okay. I should go with you guys.>
As expected of our Executive Manager. You are an example to every unit under your command...
Outis showers me with praise. Didn't know public restrooms came with showers.
Faust is staring into empty space, her brow faintly furrowed. She may be analyzing our present circumstances. I shouldn't interrupt.
Let's head outside. Hanging around here won't solve anything.
Huh. Good thing I've still got some smokes left.
<Is smoking allowed in here?>
Tch... Not sure. I'll light one up once we get outside, then.
Isn't this restroom rather cramped for a "luxury" department store? Maybe it's only a temporary facility until they can build a proper one.
Sinclair is staring fixedly at the mysterious woman who resembles Demian.
Verily, never before have I beheld a privy of such splendor! If the privy alone boasteth such grandeur, what wonders must await beyond... Manager Esquire! Let us sally forth at once!
Get movin', you lot, or I'm heading out first.
We should establish this location as a forward base and reconnoiter the surrounding area first, Executive Manager.
Hiya, Dante. So when're we leavin'? It's nice and clean in here, sure, but... there's something creepy about this place.
We ready to go? Man, I sure hope we won't see another pile of corpses fallin' down on us. I don't wanna get crushed to death under a pile of rotting meat... That'd be the stuff of 3 nights-long-nightmare.
G.G., C.H.
Gotta Go, Chore Hour? Or... Get Going, Clockhead...?
I'll go and ask Sinclair later.
... It's the restroom.
<Right...>
<Hang on... She can interpret my ticking?!>
... (She says nothing more, but her smile lingers still.>
... Keep following the star, then someday...
... Star...
Sinclair seems to sink inward, lost in deep thought.
(She does not reply. It seems any attempt to uncover her identity will prove futile.)
<It's just a corpse.>
<... No longer breathing.>
<There is no response.>
[미사용] 아직 이 안에서 마무리할 일이 있습니다, 관리자님.
The corpse of a Noir. The only remaining proof of their existence is this abandoned hat, signifying their rank.
<It's just a corpse.>
The corpse of a Noir. The fabric used to weave their clothing is so thick that not even blood seeps into it.
Maybe I really was a tree in a past life.
When I encountered the diagram and structure of the mind in arboreal form...
... I felt drawn toward it and concluded it to be the rendering of the soul.
But I wonder... does the soul really take the shape of a tree?
Perhaps a tree is merely one way of representing it. The mind may be too unstable to possess a ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ at all.
Yet, the human forms I saw the ■■■■■ shape throughout the City converge again and again upon the structure of a tree.
The blueprint for ■ ■■■■.'■ ■■■■■■■ System alone suggests as much, does it not?
Once, a child descended from a ■■■■ and rained down as water.
Water that gives the mind material form. ■■■■■■.
The experiments conducted ■■■■■ ■■■■■■ gave me the certainty:
The tree bears ten fruits.
The tree is divided into three domains.
And the order in which the tree ■■ ■■■ended carries significance.
Even if the mind does not take the form of a tree,
this method is worth attempting if the mind can be ■■■■■ into an arboreal model and interpreted through it.
Is language not the same?
■■ take mere ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■, devoid of meaning, and confine them within the form of language - and through it, ■■ communicate.
I define this invisible, unstable mind as a tree.
■■■■■■ draws like from like, taking the form that provokes the least aversion.
But what we need is not something which is drawn up, but that which blooms.
The bucket must become a seed. It must become a will that bursts forth.
The ■■■■■■■■ human body and its structure are built according to a design inscribed in our very genes.
In the same manner, a blueprint bearing the diagram of the tree must be implanted within people.
... But how?
Perhaps ■■■■■■ should have taken the form of light, not water.
Because to gaze upon something means that the light has entered me.
Because to gaze upon something is to bear its seed beyond any power to resist.
Therapy or conversation cannot heal the soul.
Measured against this schema, psychotherapy is no more than a ■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■.
But now that I know the shape of the human mind, could I not diagnose and heal it?
If so, it may be possible to heal not only ■ ■■■■., where I was born, but also the terrible suffering that has enveloped the City itself.
It may be possible to heal the people of the City who are afflicted by an illness that makes them unable to know who they are ■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■ toward death.
The shape of this tree is but an outcome of compiling my ■■■■■■■■ discoveries; I did not prescribe this form.
Just as the human body has an ■■■■■■■■■■ diagram, this tree is a diagram of the human mind.
To treat the afflicted, one must first understand the body.
Yet no one has thus far completed a visualization of the human soul - or consciousness - let alone devised the means of systematizing its structure.
Sinclair is still huffing, apparently not yet over his anger.
Your attention, please.
We are pleased to inform you that your Prestige Tier has advanced to the next level.
Your attention, please.
We are pleased to inform you that your Prestige Tier has advanced to the next level.
At Grand Magasin Sisyphe, customers who spend more are awarded a status worthy of their patronage. We encourage you to continue shopping and work your way toward our highest tiers.
We invite you to prove what you are worth by consuming to your hearts' content. Thank you for choosing Grand Magasin Sisyphe, and enjoy your shopping.
<Huh. Looks like our rank went up.>
<I've got no idea what's changed, though... or what new perks come with it.>
Your attention, please.
We are pleased to inform you that your Prestige Tier has advanced to the next level.
Your attention, please.
We are pleased to inform you that your Prestige Tier has advanced to the next level.
Your attention, please.
We are pleased to inform you that your Prestige Tier has advanced to the next level.
Your attention, please.
We are pleased to inform you that your Prestige Tier has advanced to the next level.
Your attention, please.
We are pleased to inform you that your Prestige Tier has advanced to the next level.
Your attention, please.
We are pleased to inform you that your Prestige Tier has advanced to the next level.
Your attention, please.
We are pleased to inform you that your Prestige Tier has advanced to the next level.
<Something seems to have changed... Let's try taking the escalator.>