Q Come to think of it, why did Kanata turn delinquent?
There are various factors so it’s complicated, but the main reason is that she confessed to Orange and got rejected.
My future self. It’s certainly true, now that I’ve met the future Momiji and the future Reina, I thought in the corner of my mind that such things could happen.
「I’m really sorry, but please don’t erase…」
But I never thought it would be like this. That attitude of continuing to be depressed over Super Mecha Battle 5 even though we’re supposed to be fighting against the end of the world. Yep, this guy is definitely me. If that happened to me, it would blow away my other thoughts and leave me depressed.
And the appearance that contradicts those words. A painful sight with bandages wrapped around one eye from above. Looking closely at the screen, there are scars of unhealed burns from his right index finger to his wrist, and the middle finger of his left hand is missing from the first knuckle onward. I can’t even imagine how many battles he’s overcome, how much of hell he’s seen. But the fact that he’s still alive despite those wounds tells me 「I did it」.
The me on the other side of the screen opens his mouth as if to pull himself together, slapping his face with a pan.
「Well, whatever. Let’s do the ‘handover’. This time, it seems impossible for Momiji to hand over this video after the ‘fixation’ is completed. So assuming the one in front of me right now hasn’t been ‘fixed’ yet and has the possibility of becoming a sacrificial pawn, let’s proceed with the conversation. It looks like I’m reaching my limit too, and it seems inevitable that I’ll die soon.」
I gulp down my saliva. Neither Momiji nor Kanata, who are watching with me, say anything. That’s right, when I wake up tomorrow, I might be in a world that has been ‘fixed’, a world destined for citation in 2060. ‘HAO’ won’t activate, and some of those who realize that fact will be plunged into the midst of despair and chaos, a life with a promised end.
「I have one request for you. Do what needs to be done and connect to the next. If you’re lucky enough to not be ‘fixed’, carry those burdens and produce results. The real hardship was for the me in Ver1.08 and Ver2.00. If the path and support are already in place to this extent, there’s no problem. If you run with all your might, results will always follow. Nothing could be easier.」
「But it’s my fault-」
「But you’re going to say it’s your fault, right? That’s not true. Responsibility issues are ultimately meaningless. Produce results, and everything will change. Look at me, a general person who’s good at games, hailed as a prophet. It’s 2052 at the time of filming, but can you believe it? People still believe I have real powers. And it’s precisely because I continue to run at the forefront that people believe there’s hope and follow along. Become a symbol, an existence that changes the future.」
「…I can’t do it.」
I avert my gaze, unable to look directly at the me on the other side of the screen, as if anticipating my words even though it’s a recording. A world devastated by my actions. A ruin with not a single person. If I had acted better, at least the people of this Ver could have lived longer. I wonder what expression I have right now. Concerned gazes fly at me from Momiji and Kanata.
But what do you expect me to do? An ordinary person until yesterday, becoming the central figure in the chaos. Fighting and getting injured in a world promised to end, like the one on the other side of the screen. Not a single person around me is saved, and they disappear miserably as citation information. Words quietly fill the room in response to my depressed self.
「I initially thought it was impossible too. After the 3-day ‘Scorch Wars’, I learned that this world had been ‘fixed’ when ‘HAO’ wasn’t updated. While running from government investigations and pursuers from other companies, I watched the world come to an end. I never thought the world I believed in so much would crumble so fragilely. Wars between nations, evolving Strains.」
「……」
「But as I watched, I thought. How boring. It’s ridiculously dull to just watch humanity perish steadily without any reversals, right? But if I could move and create a chance for a reversal. If I could contribute to that. As I thought that, my body was already moving.」
「……」
「It was painful and scary at first. Depending on the situation, I had to kill people, and comrades died too. I guess this is what it means for every day to be hell. Even if I take action, people die, and even if I don’t, people die. Do you understand how I felt when the people I managed to rescue were crushed by Strains the next day, with pieces of flesh scattered on the shore?」
「How would I know…」
「But I did it. The fact that this video is being delivered properly means I accomplished it.」
「How would I know that! Even if you say that, I’m…!」
I unintentionally scream at the voice in the video. Why do I have to go through such things? Why do I need to see hell? I was just playing games normally, so why is this happening? It’s too absurd. In the first place, there’s no need for me to do it. The Prophet should just retire or commit suicide, saying he’s lost faith in humanity. Why do I have to carry the future on my shoulders and fight, getting injured to that extent?
Momiji leans forward and quietly pats my right shoulder. That calms me down a little. That’s right, no matter what choice I make, Momiji will surely be on my side. So the choice not to do it is still very much an option. Feeling the weight of her helping hand on my right shoulder, I listen to the rest of his words.
「Momiji said she’d let me play the prototype of Super Mecha Battle 5…」
「Momiji!」
No, this isn’t a helping hand, it’s a chain of threats! I hurriedly look at Momiji, and she has a mischievous expression on her face. The hand on my shoulder doesn’t attempt to leave that spot like a vise. But still, that’s too much of a threat against me. I love robot games!
「Even in the battle where I lost this left finger, Momiji said the developer of Armored Gear was there, and if we saved him, he might make a new game…」
Well, in that case, I’d throw myself into hell. Even if it’s hell, there’s a possibility of achieving a goal in a short period of time that an ordinary citizen would never be able to accomplish no matter how hard they tried. My favorite robot games, but no new releases come out. If there’s a future where they’ll be developed, I’ll devote myself to it. Moreover, if we can use the ‘handover’, it’ll have meaning even if it’s still in development.
Finally, the mystery of the previous Vers is solved. With Momiji and Reina’s support, it’s certainly possible to gloss over the combat aspects. But what about the heroic actions? Why didn’t the Prophet’s disguise get exposed even in the future?
It’s because he was( luring and manipulating with.)
「Momiji is really terrible! She disrupted the ‘Reformists’ concealing the ‘Scorch Wars’ to bring about this situation, causing mutual destruction. Half of this ruin is the work of the Strains and ‘UYK’, and the other half is Momiji.」
「Half and half is the worst.」
「And the other day, I got this injury as a result of staying up all night playing games, and because of that, Super Mecha Battle 5 got erased by Momiji… a demon…」
「That injury is from staying up all night!? What are you doing on a life-or-death battlefield? …But I see, it’s not just hell.」
It’s a terrible story. No one would ever think that’s the reality of the so-called great Prophet. That’s why I can feel at ease. This guy is undoubtedly another me, and it’s a path I can walk. Because I was able to do it, you can do it too. That’s the truth. The me on the other side of the screen raises his thumb and laughs.
「It’s okay! We have the Orange Response Manual from Ver1.08 to Ver3.00! No matter what we’re thinking, we ultimately get lured by the bait and move. We’re idiots, so we don’t notice.」
「What kind of things did I go through because of that idiot…」
「I never thought the real deal would start after the ‘fixation’… How many times do I have to revise the manual…」
「I must have messed up, huh?」
When I ask that, the two nod their heads vigorously. I don’t even know how to react anymore. Should I feel defeated, or should I ask out of curiosity what I did? But the sense of despair within me was fading. The me on the other side of the screen clears his throat with a cough and spreads his arms wide. With confidence surging in his chest, he persuades me. The man on the other side of the screen moved forward against this despair, whatever the reason.
「By the way, in Ver3.00, there seems to be a tournament called the Apollyon Grand Prix. In a world that doesn’t end, you can compete in robot operating skills purely, like a game. Without losing anyone’s life, you can play. If I have any regrets, it’s that. The me who wasn’t ‘fixed’, please make that wish come true.」
「That’s awesome. I’ll definitely participate with Nakamoto.」
「That’s too unfair. He’s a human cheat.」
「And finally. Don’t hesitate to use us as stepping stones. It’s been about 9 times since I logged in. Certainly, considering the 8 billion human population, it means sacrificing nearly 70 billion people. In this regard, ‘HAO’ is undoubtedly a gruesome system. However, on the other hand, they can only live for the 10 years until the end. In contrast, if we can overcome the end even once, the majority of the 8 billion can move forward. If humanity survives for 90 years, 8 x 90 = 7200, so we’ll make up for it. It’s an outrageous argument. But it can’t be achieved with other plans. In a plan that sacrifices the vast majority of 8 billion to move forward, an unimaginably broad future unfolds.」
「……」
「And what we’re doing is, of course, not something to be praised. Lying that we’re the Prophet, deceiving those around us, and involving them in hell. It’s utterly impossible to atone for this sin with a simple apology. Results. The result of saving the world will paint over this lie from above. So I’d like to end by saying this to my past self. –」
I ruminate on those words over and over. From now on, if I’m ‘fixed’, I will physically experience hell, and if I’m not ‘fixed’, I will live with the awareness that I myself am part of those who have turned the future into citation information.
But if I run away from that, I won’t be able to face the man in front of me and the citation-ized humanity. Even if I physically live, I’ll die mentally. Then I have no choice but to confront it, I have no choice but to traverse the path even if I have to sip mud. So I stand up and declare to the other side of the screen, even though I can’t hear it.
「Leave it to me.」
3 days left until the final update of ‘HAO’. The end is just around the corner.
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