Off-site Screenshot test poster

Chapter 92: Takatoshi Hijiyama 5

But then… I’m not thinking straight myself. Okino’s a man. Why was I so scared that Sekigahara would “steal” him…?

Man, you’re dumb, Hijiyama.

Consider Tsukasa Okino

(That damn Okino. That was too far for a joke. …… Anyway… What was going on with those talking images? If I recall… They said something about being reborn…?

Music: LONER (Azusa Chiba)

Where is Okino?

Oh, there’s Okino. And he’s waving to us, how nice.

Okino.

I need to get some information out of the nurse’s office. So I need you to distract the school nurse, Morimura.

Morimura’s wearing a big white coat. Can’t miss her. All I need is about 10 minutes.

H-Hey.

And with that said, Okino just runs off on his own. Typical.

Consider Distract Morimura

(Okino’s trying to sneak into the nurse’s office. So I have to keep Morimura occupied in the schoolyard. She should be wearing a white coat.)

There’s nothing interesting at the break area but an unresponsive Shu Amiguchi. But I repeat myself.

Over to the schoolyard, then.

Yes, ma’am.

Boobs.

Yes?

Music: Bad Omen (Mitsuhiro Kaneda)

A student’s been injured…

Oh no… Can you help me get them to the nurse’s office?

Uh, well, actually…

This is going too well! Quick, change tactics!

Not what I meant!

Wait, I mean… their leg’s mostly fine, actually.

Hijiyama…

OH FUCK

I know that uniform. You’re from Nigakuri High, aren’t you? Are you trying to pull pranks on teachers?

The jig is up…!

I’ll say!

Tell me your name.

Who’s your homeroom teacher?

Abort! Abort!

Music: LONER (Azusa Chiba)

We need to beat feet!

Let’s just head back to the wooden school building and wait for Okino.

Some kind of nostalgia, I suppose. The building still smells like it did back then…

Consider Sentinel

(Back then, I was just focused on training to pilot the Sentinel… I never imagined I’d end up like this…)

Music: Between The Lines (Kikuchi Yukinori)

You can take a closer look.

The thrill of it all left me speechless.

That’s right.

Look at those arms. Those legs… It’s like an iron giant.

A 2,000 ton invincible iron giant, at that.

Let’s just hope this one hasn’t taken a vow of pacifism, because we’re going to need to do some kaiju ultraviolence with it.

I don’t know much about the technical side… But it uses an electromagnetic field instead of gunpowder. One ton of shells in a single salvo.

A ton…!? They’re just like the main batteries on the Nagato.

They control their own path. Never miss a mark.

How is that possible…?

It will revolutionize war as we know it.

If all that’s true, then… it sounds like a gift from the gods. Or something out of a science fiction novel.

Professor Douji can tell you the specifics. Apparently it’s based on this technology out of Germany…

All we need to do is strap in and protect our homeland. And if I’m not able to, that duty will fall to you.

Why did they turn to students like us…?

You and I were apparently the only viable choices.

Fuckin’ blushing up a storm here, Hijiyama you ain’t slick.

Why are you here? This area should be highly restricted.

I assume because she’s the one who developed the machine you’re looking at.

Oh… you know. I’m just delivering documents on the professor’s behalf.

Not that convincing, Okino. Quick, Hijiyama, deflect!

It’s fine, Keitaro. She’s the professor’s daughter.

Good, good.

I have permission.

From yourself, presumably.

We’d better start on your synch connection adjustments. Well… The professor wants to, anyway. I’m just the messenger.

Smooth. They’ll never suspect a thing.

……

Thank you for passing that along, Kiriko-san. Let’s go, Keitaro.

(Keitaro should have been made the only Sentinel pilot… But nothing in the history books even mentions him. Maybe they couldn’t get the Sentinel ready in time?)

Is Okino back yet? Let’s look around. I somewhat doubt we actually managed to buy him ten minutes with that little stunt, so it’s possible he got caught.

Music: Feeling At Ease (Rikako Watanabe)

Who are you?

Do I look that different? It’s me, Hijiyama. I never imagined you’d wind up here too!

Takatoshi-san?

I suppose I can’t blame you for not recognizing me. I’ve been living here for half a year now, myself. It’s had time to grow. Take a closer look. I swear it’s me.

……

Scratch that, HOW did you get here? What’s happened at home since I’ve been gone?

Slow down, I can only answer one at a time…!

Use Yakisoba Pan on Keitaro Miura

It is 100% in character that the first thing Hijiyama would ask Miura about would be yakisoba pan. I refuse to consider any other possibility.

I’ll treat you to some yakisoba pan.

Oh, no… I’m fine. These days… I’m in the care of Kurabe’s grandchild.

I see… But I’m telling you, you’ve got to try this yakisoba pan. It’s the most delicious food this era has to offer!

Takatoshi-san…

What is this… hemborger?

This is the funniest thing that has ever happened. I am now dead.

Use Tsukasa Okino on Keitaro Miura

(Okino said he didn’t want anyone knowing he was here… Best not to go talking about Kiriko Douji, either…)

Weird that Miura just doesn’t ask about this. “Hey, buddy, you know when you disappeared for six months after chasing a girl into the woods? …What was up with that, exactly?”

Use Sentinel on Keitaro Miura

Well… That’s actually how I came to this era.

What, through the Sentinel?

It has the capacity to time travel.

What…? So it’s true… It really is a weapon from the future… Where is the Sentinel? Somewhere nearby?

It is around here, but… I can’t move it. Shikishima and this era’s government caught wind of it, too. They’ve seized the Sentinel.

Dear gods…

You came here.

What happened after I left?

You escaped as an accomplice to Kiriko Douji. At least, that’s what all the reports said.

Nothing doing!

Really like how they localized whatever archaic form of “No!” Hijiyama presumably used here.

Do you think I’m a spy, as well?

No chance of that… But… even if you were a spy… You wouldn’t face any punishment for it.

What do you mean by that?

There’s nobody left in our time to authorize it…

So… we lost the war. Just like in the history books.

It’s nothing to do with the war. The monsters destroyed everything…

*shock* What do you mean? Explain yourself.

*shock*

Music: The Sector Theorem (Kazuki Higashihara)

The shrine held a way to travel across time…

You’re coming, right?

Then let’s get going.

In hindsight, I cannot believe the audaciousness of the devs with this fucking clock animation.

There’s not a soul in the factory or the bunker. Doesn’t look like there’s anyone around here, either. You’d think this place was hit by one of the air raids… But there isn’t even a single body. No sign of any international aid or intervention…

Because Japan wasn’t the only one hit. If I had to guess… This is the state of the entire world.

Music: IMMINENT (Yoshimi Kudo)

Use Destroyers on Tsukasa Okino

Yeah. They’re all Deimos. Destroyers of worlds.

And those aren’t even the biggest. What you’re seeing is just a fraction of their forces. A unit of hundreds has already passed through here…

Use Deimos on Tsukasa Okino

They don’t eat. The people have all been captured. Thanks to a buried UFO… well, a saucer.

A saucer?

That’s what the Deimos are after. Their goal is to break through to that giant underground saucer. Specifically, to get in contact with its tech. That triggers the saucer’s shifter, which teleports civilians. As to where they go… or why the Deimos do it… we don’t know.

So my mother… and Tamao-san… These things took them away?