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Chapter 57: Natsuno Minami 5
We haven’t checked in with Natsuno in… oof, over thirty updates. Let’s rectify that.
Ta-Tamao-san!?
Consider Scar on Cheek
(A small puncture on my cheek. Looks like I got stabbed by a needle… I must’ve gotten it in the girls’ bathroom. But why can’t I remember anything about it…? Did I… Was I captured and had my memories erased? What if they implanted something in me… Hmm. I’m probably overthinking it.)
Nah, I’d say most of that was dead-on.
Consider Keitaro Miura
(At least for now, I told Miura-kun… He should stay at Juro-kun’s house. After all, I’m the one who dragged him into this. I need to take responsibility.)
How are you here, Tamao-san?
Music: STAGNATION (Yoshimi Kudo)
This place isn’t ideal… I’d be found far too soon.
Hm?
Wonder what they did to her…
Suddenly, the manager enters!
Oh, um, well…
Wait, don’t tell me. You turned in your sign-up form but never came, huh? It’s Aiba-san, right? Erika Aiba?
……
Right next to Minami-san in class 1-C.
Uh, yeah, right…
Have you recovered from your illness?
*looks back at “Tamao”* Well, actually, she…
Oh, okay. Well, that’s too bad. I hope you get well soon.
Natsuno, come on, girl! I know you don’t remember the bathroom, but think a little! Time travel!
Class 1-D… Next door…
Looks like someone found a new identity. Good for her. Or him. Whoever that is in there, really.
“Aiba” leaves, at any rate.
Right. I should go tell the coach.
The nanosecond the manager leaves the room, BJ pops out of his shell in the corner.
Did she find you?
…? “She”?
The girl that was just here. Aiba-san.
Nobody was here.
……
Natsuno is confused, but decides not to press the issue for… some reason.
Sound good?
Natsuno. The gate…
Jeez, pushy today, aren’t we BJ? You know, it’s always the gate with you! You never ask me about my day! Is stopping the robopocalypse really more important than us!?
Maybe we can sneak out.
Use P. E. Bag on BJ
Are you going home, Natsuno?
Ha ha… You got me. Please don’t tell Senpai. Our planet is in danger. There isn’t a second to spare!
Yeah, whatever.
You think Natsuno pulls that alien conspiracy shit often as an excuse? Might be worth having people think you’re a loon to get out of practice now and again.
Music: The Tower of Knowledge (Hitoshi Sakimoto)
Sector 1 has been searched. No Sentinel found.
I see. Bummer…
We found a Sentinel there, but not the one we’re looking for.
Travel to Sector 5 is possible… But there is no signal from No. 17.
Sector 2 was our first destination.
Yeah, but we didn’t get to look around much.
Let’s go there again and do a proper search.
But we shouldn’t let our guard down.
Natsuno, you wait here.
You’re going by yourself?
I certainly won’t waste it waiting.
Natsuno immediately begins wandering off, because fuck that.
Just gonna peek around a bit.
As Natsuno approaches, a white flash emanates from offscreen, vanishing just as quickly as it appeared.
I saw something light up…
That’s what you get for leaving me behind.
Music: Emotional Storm (Yoshimi Kudo)
Oh fuck, that’s… not good.
What happened to you?
Talk to me…
I’m sure I can save him.
What!? Why do you think you suddenly understand alien biology or robotics!?
Where is it? Is this it?
I think it’s this…
Consider BJ’s Brain
(There’s some letters on this. Shiki… shima… …Shikishima Robotics?)
HOLY SHIT, SHE FINALLY GOT IT! Everyone, this calls for a celebration! Where’s the cake!?
Consider Shikishima Robotics
(BJ’s not an alien. He’s a robot made in Japan.)
Well, if it isn’t the king of lies himself. First you make her think you’re an alien, and then you make her think you’re dead! Well, you didn’t actually say any of those things, but still! What fanciful new deception will you enact next, Miura!?
But wait… What I saw earlier… It was a different robot?
Sentinel No. 8. A remote control type. This is not Sentinel No. 17…
Of course it’s not… Wait. No. 8…? Could this be the aftermath of Iori’s collapse in the science room from a few updates back? Was that flash Gouto shifting away? Then the destroyed scout unit would probably be the one Ei shot, wouldn’t it?
Oh boy, Natsuno’s piiiiiissed.
Use Shikishima Robotics on BJ
You’re just a robot made in Japan. You’re no alien…
“Just” a robot, she says.
……
Isn’t that right?
I bet this is another one of Shikishima’s. *gasp of realization*
Huh, you figured that one out rather quickly. I’m honestly impressed.
Music: Hard Pill to Swallow (Kikuchi Yukinori)
…… Four-legged autonomous cranes from Shikishima Industries… Hi-Quad 150B.
No way…
But… why? Why are robots meant for Mars invading Earth?
……
Oh boy, I hope you’re ready for some ludicrous nonsense because I’m sure as fuck not.
…Not Earth?
It is a speculation. The lack of proof makes it only a possibility.
Okay, but… what?
The basis for my speculation is this log.
There are 117 planets under consideration for the project. Of those, the top prospect is a planetary system 12 light-years away.
I don’t think this is going to work. Aren’t you the professor’s daughter?
Yes, I’m helping with the layout.
For the migration ship? It looks quite small.
In the harsh environment of space… It is not possible to sustain life for extended periods of time. The ship will be carrying only our DNA. In the final phase of the project, humanity will be restarted.
So we’re creating aliens. How large of a population are you estimating?
We’re planning for 6 million.
And you really expect me to approve of this project?
If you’d just listen to my mother’s explanation…
It is not necessary. This endeavor is nothing but self-satisfying. It is impractical. Now that my father has passed away, I’m the one in charge. The research will be disposed of and the funds suspended.
You can’t… Ogata-san, please.
The log ends.
A communication log between Natsuno Minami… And Shikishima’s top executive. Nenji Ogata.
Ogata-kun?
After this log… The plan was implemented.
But it just says that it wasn’t implemented in the log itself… Something must have happened to change that…
OH GOD
Natsuno. Do you understand? It is possible…
And then Natsuno was the alien. Bet she’s pretty jazzed about that, eh?
Christ, that was a lot of information.
Well, we’re not gonna be picking Natsuno again for a bit.
Here’s the new Mystery File updates from that one.
To accompany these new revelations, we add 2188 Nenji opposing Project Ark.
We also add “Alien Planet?” as a mystery.
As it happens, I checked the completion percentage after recording this one, and it turns out we’re at exactly 50% completion for Remembrance. So buckle up, ladies and gents, we’ve got a wild ride still ahead of us.