Mnestic Experience

Year: 985 - 03

Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 3 - Episode 4 - Episode 5 - Episode 6 - Episode 7 - Episode 8 - Episode 9 - Episode 10 - Episode 11 - Episode 12 - Episode 13 - Episode 14 - Episode 15 - Episode 16 - Episode 17

Episode: 1
... Mm. No, wait—for this one, we should go about it like...
Faust	... te.
No, Heathcliff's been in the vanguard for too long. I should pull him back and let him—
Location: Dante's Room
Faust	Dante.
Dante	<... Huh? Oh, sorry. Did you say something?>
Faust	I provided you an answer to your question... but you exhibited no observable response.
Faust	Is the Sinners' combat performance deteriorating beyond manageable parameters?
Dante	<No, things aren't that bad, but...>
Dante	<It's just hard to focus on one conversation when I'm trying to support battles happening in completely different places at once.>
Dante	<On top of that, Rodya's shopping chatter's starting to get a little distracting...>
A few days after we entered N Corp.'s District,
the Bus pulled over in the Backstreets of N Corp. to take care of a Distortion case.
This contract was supposed to be handled jointly with the LCD team, but...
Distortions suddenly started cropping up all over an area of the Backstreets called Butter Street, without any coherent pattern. No obvious point of origin or route of spread—nothing convenient like that, and I had no choice but to split the Sinners into several groups and send them out.
Location: -1
Outis, Ishmael, Sinclair, Don Quixote, Yi Sang, and Meursault were on their way to rendezvous with the LCD team.
Heathcliff, Gregor, and Hong Lu were suppressing Distortions that had showed up from other directions.
And with our onboard stock scraped down to the bottom, Rodya and Ryōshū, who were done with their share of the suppression work, were put in charge of buying supplies for the Bus.
As for Faust...
Location: Dante's Room
She decided to stay behind with me on the bus. I wanted to get through the consultation sessions I'd been putting off, and thought I might as well get myself some much-needed practice with handling the new Golden Bough power I'd acquired.
Faust	To reiterate: there are no issues requiring special concern regarding Faust.
Faust	It is true that Faust has, on several recent occasions, expressed dissatisfaction with a certain Faust. However, those instances should be classified as a mere personal grievance.
Dante	<I mean, that's good if that's all there is to it, but...>
This was not the first time Faust had seemed... unlike herself.
There had been times before when she spent far longer alone than usual, lost in thought—moments when she could not produce immediate answers to questions from the other Sinners or me.
Dante	<Could it be...>
Dante	<You can't access the Gesellschaft?>
Faust	... May I ask your basis for that inference?
Dante	<'Cause you're acting a lot like you did back on the WARP Train.>
Faust	... It appears there remain occasions on which you are still capable of surprising Faust, Dante.
Dante	<So I was right? You really are cut off from the Gesellschaft?!>
Faust	That was not intended as a confirmation of your conjecture.
Maybe she's saying that while she can technically access the Gesellschaft... it may as well be that she can't?
I wish I could ask more and get to the bottom of it, but the way she was sidestepping the subject told me that prying wouldn't give me any further insight.
Dante	<... Right. I won't press you if you don't wanna talk about it.>
Faust	... Your reserve is appreciated.
Dante	<Shall we move on?>
Faust	Yes. Your consultation is the next agenda.
Faust	After cross-referencing the records pertaining to the recent events in the House of Spiders, it would appear that memories concerning the individuals designated as "Sora" and "Ren"... currently remain only with you, Dante.
Faust	As such, should the influence of Ryōshū and her sword lead to further omissions in the official records, the Manager will be responsible for supplementing the necessary information.
Dante	<... Yeah. Not the first time I was the only one left with intact memories, huh.>
That's right. Despite K Corp.'s Memory Wipe Procedure, Catherine's "erasure" by the Golden Bough's power, and Arayashiki severing people from existence...
I was the only one who remembered what had transpired.
But ironically enough, the memories I had prior to swapping my head with this clock still showed no sign of returning.
Dante	<Why won't my old memories come back, though? Is it because of this "Clockhead"?>
Faust	Speculation based on your experience with the Bus Team thus far will not meaningfully contribute to the recovery of your former memories, Manager.
Faust	Inductive reasoning conducted from memories with gaps, after all, is bound to have structural limitations. Bongy would serve as an adequate analogy.
Dante	<Bongy....?!>
Faust	Yes, Bongy. Receiving feed and increasing in body mass alone would provide it with no meaningful basis for identifying the purpose of its rearing. Even at the terminal stage, when exposed to kitchen instruments and the heat of the stove, its limited experience would prove inadequate to constitute an understanding of its ultimate fate and purpose.
Faust	... Likewise, the ultimate answer to your doubts can only be obtained from the whole of the experience that you will have accumulated at the terminus of your entire journey—that is, your allotted mission.
Dante	<... Because treasure awaits at the end of the road. At the end of hell.>
Dante	<And that treasure will give me back my memories and my head. Also...>
Faust	Indeed. At the end of the road, you will be able to engrave your Aspect.
I still have no idea exactly what "Aspect" means, or even whether it's an object, but if I know one thing...
Location: -1
It's that the "me" from before all of this began had wanted it badly. Obsessively, desperately.
It's more like an instinctive knowledge... But with my memories gone, that feeling, however strong it is, does not change the fact that it's just another word with no discernible mental image.
Location: Dante's Room
Dante	<... And you're not gonna tell me what it actually is, are you? The Aspect.>
Dante	<What it means... or why I wanted it so much.>
Faust	If it remains a piece of information that must be disclosed to you, then no,
Faust	I am unable to tell you.
Dante	<Hmm...?>
Faust	Pay it no mind. You are still following your Star acceptably. Please concentrate on the journey.
Faust	More importantly... Have you grown accustomed to that incomplete power? Current observation suggests you have yet to arrive at that level.
Dante	<Well, I've gotten pretty used to focusing on one place at a time... but keeping track of several places at once is still a bit rough.>
Outis's team is doing well in combat even without my direct supervision, and Rodya's team is shopping and not engaged in battle at the moment. Taking my mind off them would prove much easier...
But that wouldn't give me the much-needed practice, so I'm doing my best to keep an eye on every Sinner's status.
Faust	Sufficient familiarity should result in substantial tactical value. You would be able to cast a wider net when information-gathering and employ previously unavailable tactical patterns.
Dante	<Right. And I'd also be able to tell when it's a bad time to call someone in, too...>
Even as I continue talking with Faust, I make sure not to stop observing the places where each group is and what they're doing.
Yup, pulling Heathcliff to the rear was the right call. I don't see any injuries—his team's still doing pretty well even without my directions.
As for Rodya... Wait. Did she just stuff all of the pastries and bread she bought into her pockets? How did she manage that with a huge baguette...?
And Outis's group... Let's see. Ah, looks like they joined up with the LCD team without any issues.
LCD... Then that guy over there must be...
Hang on.
Dante	<Faust. There's a dude I've seen before, but... he seems a bit... uh, different from what I remember.>
Faust	... Could you specify the issue?
Dante	<I'm monitoring the situation right now. We should probably join up with them too.>
Dante	<Let's end the consultation here.>
Faust	This is rather precipitous, Dante. If the incident is of a serious nature, perhaps a request for support from the LCC—
Dante	<No, it's not an incident.>
... Though I wouldn't say it's not serious.

Episode: 2
Location: Butter Street, District 14
Ishmael	*sigh* This is going from bad to worse, really. Dante seems to be tied up helping the other groups...
Ishmael	Outis's command calls have been working out well enough, I'll give her that. We've managed to hold the line better than expected, but we're definitely starting to feel the strain...
Outis	...!
Ishmael	Why are you waving your hand all of a—ah. Arm-and-hand signals?
Sinclair	Huh?! W-what signals? What's swinging the arm sideways even supposed to mean?!
Outis	You don't know?!
Ishmael	It's "scatter," dammit! So scatter!!!
*crash*
Sinclair	Th-that was close. We almost got flattened...
Outis	Dammit... Even rookies with nothing but the most rudimentary of military training would've recognized a hand signal that basic—
Sinclair	Well, we're not all trained soldiers here, are we?!
Don Quixote	Verily, the flourish of a single hand doth indeed make boast of a chivalric elegance! Yet when thou suddenly wavest thine arm about, clenching and unclenching thy hand in that mystical fashion, only to suddenly turn tail... Forsooth, I am left bereft of understanding what thou meanest to say!
Outis	To think that of all the personnel in the team, only the swabbie has the discipline to interpret a basic field signal...
Ishmael	I only picked it up during my sailing days. And realistically speaking, did you really expect ordinary people like the others to understand professional military signals?
Outis	Tsk... This is unacceptable! After all the operations all of you have been deployed under my lead, you're all still ignorant when it comes to nonverbal signals!
Sinclair	I... I don't think even Dante would know those signals!
Ishmael	Yup, might as well be splitting hairs. Literally.
Yi Sang	Let us appease our agitated hearts and follow Miss Outis's instruction. We should disperse and withdraw—
Ezra	Megaton Landing!!!
*slam*
Ezra	Eyyy! Pretty cool, huh? Let's face it—I know how to make one heck of an entrance.
Sinclair	W-whoa! Aren't you supposed to be cleaning up the Distortions upstairs?
Ezra	Hmm? Oh, finito a million years ago.
Ezra	You guys were taking forever, so I figured I'd take a peek and lend a hand! You're welcome!
Yi Sang	Split by your thundering descent, the floor's form and shape are now crushed beyond mending, sunken deep enough to be likened to the incipience of a wellspring...
Ezra	Eh, don'tcha worry your head about it. That's all After Team's to take care of!
Ezra	Aaanyway... That should be all of 'em, right?
Meursault	Mm. The force of your landing neutralized the last of the Distortions outside of the building.
Ezra	Great! Can ya check on the Distorted peeps' faces and clothes?
Ishmael	Uh... Their faces are all... segmented. Makes my skin crawl—not a pleasant sight. As for their attire...
Don Quixote	Hmm... This one appeareth to be a Sweeper! And that one yonder bears the attire of an ordinary Fixer!
Ezra	And this Distortion I landed on... Probably a local resident, judging by the clothes!
Ezra	Did any of you happen to see anything nearby bursting with a big pop 'n flash?
Yi Sang	Nay, not once.
Ezra	Okie-dokie. You know what, then let's all head upstairs. This suppression request is kind of a pain—we'll need to put together a nice neat plan before we start poking it too hard.
Don Quixote	A plan, sayest thou...? How, how... Was this not a mere matter of slaying Distortions where they stand?
Ezra	Huh? Wait, did nobody brief you?
Yi Sang	This has oft been the structure of our assignments. We are given instructions, we perform them, and only afterward do we begin to perceive the nature and contour of the task to which we have committed our hands.
Ezra	Really? Hm... Well, guess every department has its own way of doing things~ No big deal. I'll explain everything once we're upstairs.
Ezra	Oh, by the way... you didn't get to meet the whole team last time, did you? Only our new girl. This time, that dude—I mean, Mister Bamboo-hatted Kim's also here, so...
Sinclair	Huh? H-he's okay now?
Ezra	Hm? Sure he is! You'll be surprised once you see just how okay he is now.
Sinclair	But last time you said he was still under treatment...
Yi Sang	Mm... To be precise, I believe Miss Aeng-du stated that his mind is yet to regain its former tranquility.
Ezra	Aha~ that?
Outis	...?
Ezra	*sigh* You'll get it once you see him. I feel like we'll just end up having the same conversation twice if I say anything about it now.
*crreeeak….*
Location: Distortion Contract Site - Condemned Building, District 14
Aeng-du	Ah, you have arrived.
Sinclair	Ugh... It's blinding...
Sinclair	It's so bright... The midday sun is pouring in like crazy.
Yi Sang	Mm. Yet the warm tickle of the sunbeam is rather agreeable.
Meursault	... No, this is not sunlight.
Meursault	Because unlike this, there is more to the sunshine than its warmth.
Ishmael	Then what exactly is this light?
Ezra	*sigh* Why is this thing on again? It's bright enough to fry my eyeballs.
Aeng-du	Apologies, Lady Ezra. I am yet to be accustomed to this machine. This is my first time laying a hand upon the complicated workings of such a contraption...
Aeng-du	It activated of its own accord, and I have yet to discover the method by which it may be silenced.
???	That's why I told you to leave it alone. Fiddling with things you don't understand usually ends with something—or you—broken. Nothing good comes of it, I tell you.
Aeng-du	But, Mentor... Lady Moses has instructed me that in every moment and event, clues are hidden under the veil of one's surroundings and must be examined with care.
???	Yes, and that only works if you're savvy about the knack...
Ishmael	Hang on. Did you just say "Mentor?"
Aeng-du	Ah, I had not yet been afforded a proper opportunity to introduce him to you. This here is the esteemed leader of the Blade Lineage, who is all but a master under whom I have apprenticed...
???	Do you really have to dress it up like that...? I told you I only took on the role because there wasn't anyone else around to take the job.
Ezra	Switch, switch, where's the switch... Aha! Gotcha.
*click*
Outis	...?
Yi Sang	Goodness...
Aeng-du	... known as Bamboo-hatted Kim.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Uh... Yes, that's me. Guess I should say pleased to meet you...? Folks?

Episode: 3
Location: Distortion Site - Condemned Building, District 14
Dante	<Okay. So...>
More often than not, first impressions are prone to change.
The Bamboo-hatted Kim I remember was a man who'd drowned in his own fathoms, blaming himself for his powerlessness with a listless, heavy voice...
That, however, had been while he was Distorted and sunken into himself, so I figured his original personality might be somewhat different.
But this is not just "somewhat."
Dante	<His personality isn't even in the same ballpark as my expectations...>
Dante	<You're telling me, this guy here is Bamboo-hatted Kim?>
Sinclair	Yup. We double-checked with Ezra, and she said he really is the same guy.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Whoa, that fire on your head's not hot at all? Fascinating stuff...
Dante	<Can you... Okay, can we check again? Just in case...?>
Dante	<I really can't wrap my head around the fact that this is the sullen, serious man whom we'd fought! Just look at what he's doing. He's... He's rubbing my face all over like he's checking out some kind of mantelpiece ornament!>
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Lotsa ticking and tocking going on...! That's supposed to sound like them talking to you folks, huh?
Faust	... Further confirmation would be redundant, Dante. This individual is conclusively identical to the one designated as Bamboo-hatted Kim.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I've got no idea what you folks are so suspicious about...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Aeng-du, just what exactly have you been telling people out there about me? They're all staring like they've seen a ghost.
Aeng-du	I told them you are a gallant and formidable warrior, Mentor.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Uh... But they don't look like they've heard the most flattering things about me.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	There, don't you hear it? The faint undercurrent of disappointment in the ticking.
Dante	<*sigh*>
Aeng-du	I also told them that you are a man of few words, but with much affection for the followers under your command.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Aeng-du.
Aeng-du	Yes, Mentor?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	That's a complete and utter lie. "Man of few words" is definitely not something you can say about a guy who's as talkative as me, don't you think?
Aeng-du	Yet I spoke no falsehood. Although your conduct is rather shallow and perhaps less refined for a leader of an organization, you are much more reserved and taciturn when conversing with those unfamiliar to you, are you not?
Aeng-du	No matter who one may be, one is bound to inspire either approval or disapproval from those around him, so... I refrained from mentioning any truths that might invite the latter. To even hint at anything that might tarnish the reputation of my master would not be unlike spitting on his name—and mine, by extension.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I simply had no reason to put on airs in front of my own folks. In any case... Oho, so you can't see anything if I block this part, hmm? Do tell—how many fingers am I holding up?
Dante	<Those are not my "eyes," you know...>
Outis	"Your own folks," huh. Then you have already acknowledged and accepted that you now belong to Limbus Company.
Don Quixote	Why didst thou not pay a visit to the LCE? Verily, when one's mind is plagued by the absence of tranquility, venturing forth into the open air and touchable field of grass cleareth the storm of the heart!
Outis	An asset of the company is expected to act in the company's interest. Yet, for whatever reason, I didn't see you fighting on the field of battle during Operation Spider Pyre.
Outis	You will have to account for your absence in the mission.
Outis addressed Kim as though she were conducting a formal investigation, every word flat and hard. It was obvious she was not about to let her guard down anytime soon.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	What mission...? Oh, oh. That one...
Kim finally seemed inclined to assume a more serious disposition. He stopped peering into my face and turned toward Outis...
... although his hand was still on my head.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	All right. Clearly, there's some disconnect in expectations here...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Listen here, you...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I'm really not all that about hard, bothersome work... get what I mean?
... The real disconnect was between his stoic expression and the words coming out of his mouth.
Outis	Wha...?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	So let's talk about the kind of fellow I am. Meet the resident layabout, who's forced to do his job—with a frown, too, I might add—only when he's got absolutely no other choice. I'm really not some big shot Aeng-du's apparently been promoting me as, folks.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	And I'd very much like to stop getting roped into stuff that keeps putting my life on the line....
Ishmael	Fine, then why did you join the LCD in the first place if you'd rather be unemployed...? No, never mind. They probably forced you to stay.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	You catch on quick. First they spout this nonsense about Distortions and all, and then force-hired me, calling me a "company-owned resource" or whatever.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	And the other day, they were again on about, uh, whatsitsname, Golden Bough...? Yes, they invited me on a tour to another department to listen in on some important presentation...
Aeng-du	And I accepted. I thought it would be a fine opportunity to broaden my perspective.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Aeng-du, dear, there are times when your commitment to duties shines brighter than the sun. I find that attitude so dazzling that I have to squint when I'm looking at you.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Who knows, maybe that's why I'm wearing this bamboo hat. To shade my eyes from your utter brilliance.
Aeng-du	Do you mean to say that you are in need of a shield to protect your eyes?
Aeng-du	Lady Ezra, might I submit a request for a pair of sunglasses for my Mentor? Only if it's not too much of an imposition on the budget, that is...
Ezra	That. That right there. That's what I keep tellin' ya not to do! You can't just say yes to every silly thing he says and turn it into a supply request. Small expenses add up to a lot, y'know? You gotta save up everything you can in the piggy bank while you still can—or you'll end up broke.
Aeng-du	Is there truly no room for reconsideration...?
Ezra	No means no.
Aeng-du	Then pray make the purchase for me. I shall cover the cost myself.
Ezra	No can d—wait, what?
Aeng-du	My poor mentor is in a state of great discomfort, yet I possess neither the wisdom nor the knowledge to navigate the silver tongue of merchants and the maze of stalls to locate the very best item... so I must beg this favor of you.
Ezra	... You're giving me a frickin' headache, girl.
Aeng-du	I am aware that you and yours are no strangers to such dealings. There is no one else I can trust to complete such a procurement with the swiftness of the wind...
Ezra	*sigh* You know what, never mind what I said. I'll just get you what you want...
Aeng-du	You heard the gentle lady, Mentor. Your suffering shall soon be alleviated.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... R-right.
Aeng-du	My apologies for interrupting you amid conversation. Pray, continue.
Aeng-du	You had reached the part where they invited you to tour another department.
... No sooner Aeng-du's words left her lips than her eyes glinted with something I couldn't really put my finger on—but it was a strange intensity that sent a chill down my spine.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Uhh... Yeah. So that day, I was just gonna relax here and watch some TV. Hm...
Sinclair	Well... Good on you for showing up to work today, I guess?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Let's say there's a debt to be repaid.
Aeng-du	... At least you understand that we are indeed indebted to the company.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Uhh... Yeah. I suppose I do.
Kim's gaze lingered on Aeng-du's prosthetic arms as he answered.
Sinclair	Oh, Miss Aeng-du, your arms...
Only after following Kim's gaze did Sinclair seem to notice Aeng-du's brand-new prosthetic arms.
The last time we saw her, Aeng-du had lost both her arms... and I remember Ezra asking her to sit tight and choose what type of prosthesis she wanted. Those arms are probably it.
Ishmael	It's not just the arms. Even her clothes are different now. And that sword...
Aeng-du	Mm. I had these arms fitted anew as soon as the operation was concluded. The gracious hosts in one of the LCD's teams had prepared them in advance.
With evident satisfaction, Aeng-du held up her dark metallic wrists as if to showcase them.
The components fixed along her arm clicked and rattled, unfolding for a moment before neatly folding back into place.
Don Quixote	Oho!! Such graceful smoothness, wed to machine articulation! 'Tis as though I am beholding the marvelous prosthesis of the illustrious Siegfried himself!
... Yup. The showcase would've gone lackluster without that trademark reaction.
Sinclair	Those are strikingly similar to Schwarz Industries's N7 lineup... But I thought that model was discontinued...
Ezra	Nah, not theirs. It's one of the prototypes developed by LCD's Phenomena Deciphering Team, and they put 'em on her for trial!
Ezra	Doubt you'll find another like them. They're based on technology spun from Distortions.
Sinclair	Oh! I...
Sinclair	I see...
For a brief moment, Sinclair's eyes lit up as if he had glimpsed something that brought him back to a memory... Then just as quickly, he fell silent, whatever he'd wanted to say next catching in his chest.
Aeng-du	Does something trouble you, Master Sinclair?
It wasn't hard to understand what struck the tender memory for Sinclair. And why it cast a shadow over his face.
But...
Sinclair	... Sorry. Just reminded me of something from a long time ago.
Sinclair	My dad used to work with prosthetics before he passed away—I thought this was the exact same model I saw back then.
Aeng-du	... It appears I lacked tact. These arms have stirred a painful memory within you. For that, I apologize.
Sinclair	Haha... It's all right. I'm fine now.
Sinclair's voice still carried a faint tremor, but beneath it, there was a firmness that had not been there before.
He really had grown a great deal.
Ezra	You can thank yours truly for picking the sword! I was there with her.
Aeng-du	I did inform Lady Ezra that any blade that could serve as a weapon would suffice, but she insisted on browsing the goods. I daresay I was given the opportunity to lay my eyes on every type of sword I could ever hope to see in this life, walking through the Workshop street that day.
Ezra	Oh, please. Girl, we walked for just 4 hours. That's nothing.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	......
While everyone was distracted taking in Aeng-du's new outfit and equipment, Kim had quietly slipped away from the crowd and crouched down in a corner.
He was rummaging through things scattered on the floor, picking them up... Is he pocketing them?
Dante	<Anyway... What is this place supposed to be? What are all these things?>
Ishmael	It's basically a wreck now, but... there are strobes and that cloth backdrop over there. Maybe it used to be a photo studio?
Location: Abandoned Photo Lab, District 14
Dante	<Oh. That could explain why there are so many photos stuck around the place.>
Sinclair	Uh... Probably? This thing definitely looks like a camera, at least...
Sinclair picked up a small cylindrical object and turned it over in his hands, studying it with curiosity.
Sinclair	What do you suppose this is? A battery, maybe...
Sinclair	Ah! There's some kind of strip inside. Lemme just pull it out—
Outis	No, that's...
Meursault	...!
Outis shouted a sharp warning at Sinclair as if she had realized something...
But Meursault's hand shot out before she could even finish, clasping over Sinclair's wrist before the strip could be pulled out.
Sinclair	W-what? What did I do?!
Meursault	Exposure to sunlight damages these objects.
Sinclair	I... I already pulled a little bit out, though...!
Meursault	It can be rewound. Carefully rotate the ridged section on the cylinder.
Meursault	I am currently blocking the sunlight from reaching the exposed section. Damage is of no concern.
Sinclair	Oh, okay... You mean this one, right? This is the part that rotates? Yup, it went back in.
Meursault	Mm.
With a quiet nod, Meursault took the object from Sinclair's hand.
Outis	It seems to be... a film roll.
Outis	There is something written on the outside... "Experiment #4"?
Meursault	It appears to be a compact roll for a film camera.
Outis	You seem to have handled one before.
Meursault	Yes.
Meursault's answer came without any further explanation, but the way he adjusted the camera on the table certainly didn't look like that of a first-timer.
Outis	Hmm. I once received a report containing photographs taken on film cameras during the war.
Outis	Film rolls used by N Corp. are particularly difficult to falsify—they were often used to collect intelligence during secret operations. The film fixes light directly onto the medium, from what I've heard.
Ezra	.......
A peculiar expression flashed across Ezra's face as she regarded Outis. Perhaps it was the mention of "war" that caught her attention...
Ezra	Anyway, we've managed to regroup in one piece! Let's come up with a plan to deal with these Distortions, guys! Hmm. Where should we begin?
... then, in the next breath, she returned to her usual bubbly self and steered the conversation away from the subject.
Location: An Office Building, Past
Moses	Both Ezra and I, we're... we are both still trying to be free of the misconception we inflicted on ourselves.
Location: Abandoned Photo Lab, District 14
For all her unfailingly perky disposition, Ezra, too, may be carrying traumatic memories every bit as devastating as Gregor's...
Yi Sang	Hmm...? Does there yet remain aught deserving illumination?
Dante	<Huh? Yeah, wait... you're right. Haven't we cleaned up the Distortion already?>
I couldn't feel any more traces of Distortions nearby... and it didn't seem like any of the other Sinner teams elsewhere were actively engaged in battle at the moment either.
Faust	Dante is asking whether the Distortion suppression has not, in fact, already been concluded.
Ezra	Oh, not yet. These people we fought just now? They only got caught up in the Distortion—they didn't actually Distort themselves. We haven't even gotten close to the Distortion's "Inflection Point" yet.
Dante	<"Inflection Point"...?>
Ezra	Uh... Anyhoo, finding an "Inflection Point" without the Team Leader around's gonna take some time... Maybe it won't be too bad with your help...
Ezra swept her eyes around the room with a look of frustration as though she had just been handed a puzzle box with half the pieces missing.
Outis	By "Inflection Point," are you referring to the point on a graph in which the directionality of its curvature changes?
Yi Sang	Mm... Calling to mind the present context, it may less be a mathematical term and more a specialized polyseme referring to the point at which Distortion occurs—the motive, intent, or, indeed, the point in which "inflection" of the mind occurs.
Ezra	Yup, that's about right. That's the kind of "Inflection Point" I was talkin' about. So in our department, we use that term to mean the "source" of a Distortion, the "Inflector" or "cause" behind it... stuff like that.
Ezra	Y'know, Distortion's hard to treat if ya don't know the core cause~ Treat the symptoms you see on the surface all you like, but if ya never find the root cause, the Distortion's never gettin' solved.
Ezra	Though I guess you guys never really had to look for that kinda stuff, huh? Your Boss Clock opens a door into their fathoms or whatever, right?
Outis	... You mean Dungeon of the Fathoms?
Ezra	Yup, that! That's the one.
Ezra	From where we're standing, Distortions are really high-maintenance, time-consuming headaches. It's one thing to somehow manage to locate the Inflection Point, but curing it is another thing.
Ezra	But you guys can just march straight into someone's heart, knock the snot out of everything in there, and then, ta-da~! Patient ready for discharge! That's how it works, right? Ugh... Not gonna lie, I was so jealous when I heard about it, I almost bit my sleeve off.
Don Quixote	Verily, I had thought your team would set about resolving Distortions once the foe was vanquished, as we are wont to do... Was that not so?
Ezra	Course not! Why would anyone come to us with a Distortion suppression request if it were that simple in the first place?
Ezra	But yeah, most of the time, peeps try brute-force approaches to it first, and when things go south, they send requests to the company or to our Detective's office.
Sinclair	That means the client this time must've been...
Ezra	Bingo. Apparently, the residents of Butter Street had all chipped in to commission all kinds of agencies like the Zwei and the combat-specialized Fixer Offices... but none of them could actually do things right, and the job got passed on to us.
Outis	Meaning... the Distortion phenomenon related to this kind of photograph is still occurring unchecked somewhere on the streets.
Ezra	Exactly. That's why... we gotta find something. Anything that might count as a clue...
Ezra gazed down at the people lying on the floor with a complicated expression.
Neat ash-gray suits, and the logo on the collar of their uniform and briefcases...
Dante	<Hey, Isn't that N Corp.'s logo?>
Come to think of it, wasn't Meursault...
Location: Calw - Town Square, Past
Meursault	... I was once employed by N Corp.
Gregor	Wha…? You used to work with those people?
Location: Abandoned Photo Lab, District 14
Yeah, he did mention that he used to work at N Corp. Maybe he can offer us some insight...
Dante	<Do you know who these guys are, Meursault?>
Meursault	Yes, Manager.
Meursault	These are N Corp. Class 2 Staff members. Given the camera briefcases in their possession, they are likely members of the Pinframe Team of Service des Clous.
Meursault recited the information as though he were pulling it from a file he had already sorted and placed in the back of the shelf in his mind.
Dante	<Okay, "Pinframe Team," huh. Anything you can tell us about them?>
Meursault	Yes.
Meursault	It is one of N Corp.'s many field departments related to information gathering and processing. Their primary duties include the handling of N Corp.'s internal information, analysis of N Corp.'s internal intelligence, the sorting and arranging of N Corp.'s internal information, and inter-sector—
Dante	<Th-that'd be enough...>
Meursault	.......
Ezra	Whoa~ Is he a talking encyclopedia or something? Yeah, another thing to be jealous of... You think it'll be okay if we borrow him sometimes?
Ishmael	Might be an issue for us if you just went and borrowed our team's encyclopedia...
Looks like everyone agrees that he's an encyclopedia...
Ezra	Anyway, your encyclopedia's right. They're from N Corp.'s Pinframe Team. Seen them a few times before in N Corp.'s Nest.
Ezra	But why would people already busy enough dealing with Nest affairs come all the way out to a shabby Backstreet like this? Hm... Got any guesses?
Meursault	.......
Meursault	I am unable to determine that.
Ezra	Eh?
Meursault	The possible range of connection between the two pieces of information is exceedingly broad. Listing every relevant reason as to why they may have come here would require a considerable amount of time.
Meursault	Therefore, I will not present a determinative answer to that question.
Ezra	...?
Ezra, staring holes into me with an unspoken "Is this dude always like this?" wouldn't pull any answers from me, you know...
Because aside from combat situations, I've still got no way to figure out what's going on in his head.
Okay, then...
Dante	<Okay, then, Meursault, maybe this'll be easier to answer? From an objective point of view—>
And that was when I noticed something I'd never imagined would happen.
Meursault's eyes widened, his gaze fixing me with such force that I could almost feel the faint tremor in it.
A leveling stare that came with...
Meursault	There is no such thing as an objective point of view,
Meursault	Manager.
... a clipped tone and a look almost bordering on rebuke.
Dante	<Uh...>
Meursault	A given judgment may seem infinitely close to objectivity, but ultimately, all things are subjective, without exception.
I fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
Part of it was because Meursault's reaction had caught me off guard, but I also wondered whether this response might be connected to why he would always refuse to make judgments for himself.
And if this has something to do with his turn, which I know is just around the corner...
Dante	<Got it. Then tell me three subjective reasons you think are most likely for why these people had to come all the way into the Backstreets.>
... I need to understand who he actually is as much as I can.
Because I'll never know when I'll get another chance to really get to know him if I brush this off with a simple "Oh. I see, my bad." as usual.
Meursault	Yes, Manager.
Meursault	I would presume that their mission was one or all of the following: retrieval of a video recording or recordings in violation of N Corp.'s Taboo; prompt elimination of the violator; contact with an informant in the Backstreets collaborating with N Corp.'s Nest; or identification and arrest of a wanted individual or individuals designated by the Nest.
Sinclair	Taboo...? You mean these people could be Taboo Hunters?
Ezra	Nah, no way. They don't send out Taboo Hunters for every single violation, y'know~
Ezra	Like, Wings usually leave minor Taboo violations to be handled by subcontracted Fixer Offices or employees of the department in charge. I'd say these guys here are N Corp.'s staff!
Aeng-du	......
Sinclair	Um, Miss Aeng-du? What are you looking for in their pockets...?
Aeng-du	I am looking through their belongings, for enlightening clues yet be hidden in the sleeve or the fold of their garments. Lady Moses has been gifted with the art of discerning the truth from what lies before her with but a single glance, yet my eyes are foreign to such a feat.
Ezra	Lemme take a look too! Hmm, this is an employee card, and... okay, this one's a wallet, so let's put that back. We don't wanna be robbers...
Ezra	Aha! This might be it. It's an order missive!
Ezra pulled a sheet of paper out from an N Corp. staff's coat and read its contents aloud.
Ezra	"Work Details: Elimination of the individual of a Category 3 Taboo Violation. Address: Butter Street..."
Ezra	... This is the place!
Dante	<Which means...>
Ishmael	Which means all of this might be pointing to something. Whoever used to work in this studio and the Distortion phenomenon might be connected.
Ezra	Yeah. Now that you mention it, when that whole pop-and-change thing happened, it did kinda feel like a camera flash...
Ezra	All right, let's start by combing through this place. Lemme know if you find anything suspicious!
Don Quixote	Oho...! At long last, hath the hour arrived for my debut as a detective, forsooth!
Don Quixote must've been miffed for not getting to play detective back in T Corp.—no idea where she'd been keeping them, but she immediately pulled out the detective props that'd been given to Rodya, Ryōshū, and Hong Lu back then...
Don Quixote	Verily, I had foreseen that the day would come!
... Fortunately, Outis wasted no time putting an end to Don Quixote's badly-timed shenanigan. A sharp dressing-down from her was enough to make our dejected chivalric adventurer stuff the costume away.
Okay, then... We should get moving, too...

Episode: 4
Location: Abandoned Photo Lab, District 14
We spent a long while rifling through the photo studio with the LCD team, but no one found any decisive evidence.
Dante	<There sure are a lot of photos around... but almost all of them are just pictures of buildings, nothing much to tell from that.>
Outis	Aside from the canister containing the film roll Sinclair picked up... There are no remaining items here that can count as a proper clue, Executive Manager. I've confirmed that the rest are all empty plastic containers.
Dante	<Then it's probably best to check the contents of the film roll directly.>
Outis	Yes, Executive Manager. I will find a way to develop the film.
Ezra	Did you guys find any sort of photo development room or equipment nearby...? Let's search a little more before we see what's in that film roll.
Aeng-du	Mentor, what do you make of this object?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	For the eighth time, Aeng-du, I have no idea.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	If I had wits bright enough to understand all that lies before me with a single glance like that Team Leader, I would have passed the Royal Examinations long ago and secured myself a lucrative position as a court official.
Aeng-du	... But Mentor, hadn't you already passed the Royal—
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Once swung, a sword does not retrace its arc, Aeng-du. So it is with life. There is no undoing what has already been cut.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Thus, it is unnecessary to dwell on what can no longer be undone. There is no "after" for what has been slashed away.
Aeng-du	... Not for you, Mentor. Ought you not dwell on what can no longer be undone?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	.......
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I misspoke... I did not mean it that way, Aeng-du.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I merely meant to say that I do not wish to recall my past...
Aeng-du	... I am aware. You have told me as much since long ago, whenever you were placed in a position to retrace the past.
Aeng-du	Mostly at the eateries where you filled your belly on unpaid tabs... and each time you brought down the stone wall before our house by your own erring hand.
Dante	<Those are exactly the kinds of things you should never forget...>
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Hrrk...?! Oww...! My belly, I feel a stabbing pain in my belly!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	This spot... Oh, the very wound you once gave me afflicts me yet! The one from when you thought you were only poking me with a scabbard, yet by some cruel turn, it was your sword that ran me through!
Aeng-du	Mentor... You said it was completely healed and that I need not concern myself with it. Those very same words have been repeated at least 80 times.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	But it still aches every now and then... Chiefly when I hear your sharp, cutting words that I really don't wanna hear!
Aeng-du	... Ah. Is that so?
... Aeng-du suddenly pulled out a sheet of paper and began furiously writing something down.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	What's this...?
Aeng-du	I have written down the words that I have just said.
Aeng-du	If hearing my sharp, cutting words afflicts you so, perhaps reading them instead would cause no suffering.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	.......
Kim's face began to contort like a wet dishtowel being wrung dry.
I really can't believe this is the same Mentor Aeng-du follows so devotedly. Where's all that dignity and forbearance Aeng-du said he had?
Don Quixote	Um... Young Aeng-du...
Don Quixote	There is a matter I would ask thee...
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who felt that way about him.
Aeng-du	Pray, speak freely.
Don Quixote	This... may perhaps be a discourteous inquiry, but... ahem...
Don Quixote	Um, uh.. er, I, too, when speaking to the others of those whom I serve, often ornament my words with a laudation of an acceptable degree, and yet...
Aeng-du	Ah. I understand your concern, Lady Don Quixote.
Aeng-du	I suppose this is your first time seeing Mentor with his shoulders so unbraced and his bearing so loose... In truth, when I first beheld him, I also wondered whether such a man could truly be a leader worth placing my faith in.
Aeng-du	However, upon my honor I assure you that I have never once uttered a falsehood when I spoke of him to you.
Aeng-du	My respect toward the blades of my own and foes alike, my determination to safeguard what must be protected, even should my arms be torn apart—all of these are, undoubtedly, the teachings that my mentor has imparted unto me.
Don Quixote	Truly...?
Aeng-du	Why, if fortune should grant the opportunity, you may witness Mentor's true self yourselves someday.
Aeng-du	That is to say, if we let ourselves be carried by the currents of the river... to arrive at such a chance.
Aeng-du gave her prosthetic arm a casual sweep, smiling sincerely as though she truly believed every word she said.
Then, leaning closer to Don Quixote, she whispered:
Aeng-du	... Besides, unless I speak with this feigned, stern ignorance, there will be no end to his digging in his heels. I would ask for your trust, for all is aimed at his benefit.
Don Quixote	F-forsooth, thou too hast been burdened with the trials of serving your superior!
... So that's what it was. I get it now.
*slam*
Just as I witnessed the budding of this peculiar bond of commiseration and camaraderie between our chivalric friends, the door leading outside was flung open with a loud slam.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	... We have arrived at the target location. It appears that the advance party has already been defeated.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Wait, who are these people?
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Didn't they say there was only a single violator?
Ezra	Oh, crap...
Ishmael	Looks like it's too late to talk our way out of this, whatever excuses we come up with.
Ezra	*sigh* Oh boy, this is not gonna go well...
Ezra	The same thing happened last time. When I saw the N Corp. employees, I thought we had the wrong intel! And all of a sudden—
*POP!*
A sudden flash blinded my vision white,
as though I had stared straight into a burst of searing light—so intense and bright that it made my head swim.
Ezra	Yeah, there was this same pop, and... Ah.
With my vision blinded, the only thing I could make out was Ezra's soft murmur...
... until even that came to a stop as her breathing hushed.
Location: ???, District 14
Dante	<Oh...>
It didn't take long for me to realize what was happening.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Seeing it again doesn't exactly warm the heart, wouldn't you say, Aeng-du?
Aeng-du	Though S Corp. may indeed be passing through hard times... this alley was not quite so wretched in form, was it, Mentor?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Hm... Is that right? Looks much the same to me.
Yi Sang	... Ah. This place...
Dante	<... Did we just get teleported to S Corp.?>
Faust	No, Dante. Though it generates a considerable sense of verisimilitude, this is...
Dante	<I think... I know what this is.>
This is a presence. I haven't been able to detect it until just now—but somehow, it was now surrounding us, saturating every corner of the space where we stood.
The dreary stone walls, trees bent and coiled in grotesque forms, the sheen of the light, and even the air we breathe... all of them point toward a single phenomenon.
This...
Location: Distorted Butter Street, District 14
Dante	<This... is the depth of the Fathoms. Fathoms made entirely out of Distortion.>
Outis	There are completely different Distortions where the N Corp. employees were just a moment ago, Executive Manager. It's...
Ezra	This is exactly it! This is what I was tryna explain!
Ch'unokkun?	.......
Where Ezra pointed, the people in smart, neat suits had vanished, and in their place, figures clad in blood-stained dopo robes were approaching us with dragging, uneasy steps.
Ezra	Right... Let's fight first and talk later. Ready, Aeng-du?
Aeng-du	My blade is poised to strike, Lady Ezra.
Ezra	And... Wait, where's the Bamboo-hatted Dude?
Aeng-du	... I am afraid he has already taken his leave. He said he had no desire to cross blades with the Ch'unokkuns of S Corp. twice.
Ezra	C'mon, man...! Not again!
... He's a repeat offender, that's for certain.
Outis	... Executive Manager.
Wherever Kim's gone off to, this definitely isn't the time to be asking trivial questions.
Dante	<... Right. Let's do what Ezra says and get ready for battle.>
Outis	On your orders, Executive Manager. Men! Prepare for battle!

Episode: 5
Location: Distorted Butter Street, District 14
Aeng-du	... Hm. That should be all of them.
Surveying the area with measured alert, Aeng-du cast the blood from her sword with a few sharp flicks before sliding it back to its sheath.
Ezra	Huh, they're not changing back... Doesn't look like beatin' up the Distorted ones reverts them immediately this time around.
Aeng-du	Perhaps a fortunate turn of events, in a way. Let us search for clues while time allows us.
Ezra	Right, right... You take that side, Aeng-du. I'll search here.
Ezra and Aeng-du moved about as though they were used to this kind of situation. Without even taking a moment to catch their breath after the battle, they began searching the space.
Don Quixote	P-prithee...!
Don Quixote was the first one to voice her doubt in the surreal, unfamiliar situation we found ourselves in.
Don Quixote	We battled Distortions upon our arrival hither, yet never before have I beheld our surroundings changed with so sudden a flash!
Don Quixote	Prithee, I cannot make sense of this situation. Couldst thou render a detailed account of this Distortion phenomenon?
Aeng-du	Ah... Apologies. It would appear I overlooked the briefing due to the urgency of this predicament.
Aeng-du	This is, according to the definition presented by Lady Moses, a "Location-type Distortion."
Ezra	It's basically when a whole space Distorts. And since places and buildings can't move on their own, the Distortion gets fixed in a certain space.
Ezra	As for this one... Looks like the Distortion's already progressed pretty far along. Middle stage, probably? They don't usually get this big, but this one here's covering almost an entire street.
Yi Sang	Then those people...
Ezra	They entered this space and got caught up in it. And our job right now is to get to the bottom of the phenomenon—what exactly gets people caught up, and what happens to them once they're in.
Ezra	Of course, we can't really rule out the possibility of a powerful Distortion that's encroaching upon its environment... Oh, by that I mean when a Distortion bleeds into the space around it and warps it.
Ezra	... Oh, man, I'm actually talking like our team leader. Rubbed off on me, I guess. Hehe.
Ezra continued with a sheepish giggle.
Ezra	In any case, we won't be able to suppress or cure the Distortion even if we whoop these guys' asses a hundred times.
Ezra	We need more clues to help us locate the Inflection Point... Maybe we should examine these people over here, too?
With a call, Ezra directed our attention to rows of collapsed people all around, all of them clad in dopo robes.
Don Quixote	And these are...
Yi Sang	The glyph emblazoned upon their headbands—"Chu (推)", bespeaks propulsion and pursuit. It marks them as Ch'unokkuns, functionaries charged with scouring and hunting runaway Nobis.
Aeng-du	You hail from the Homeland as we do. I am unsurprised that you know of them.
Yi Sang	... I could hardly fail to know, for I, too, was once enumerated among their quarry. Scientists and technicians were daily being dispossessed of their stations in S Corp., after all...
Aeng-du	So it was no idle tale... Scientists who ply their craft without fattening S Corp.'s coffers are seized forthwith and made Nobis of the Corporation.
Yi Sang	Indeed. I count myself fortunate to have absconded with my friends afore the Brand of Nobi could be impressed upon us; otherwise...
Aeng-du	"Nobi"... the wretched appellation conferred upon the people for the convenience of those in power. A vile practice and an excuse of their powermongering—nothing more.
Yi Sang	... The so-called "Taboo Hunters" of S Corp. operate by much the same anatomy. Does the breaching of Taboo summon the hunter, or does the hunter first seize his prey, to thereafter frame the captured with invented transgression?
Aeng-du	If the powerful so desire to chase a man down, to take possession of his very being and keep him caged, then they need only decree that he should bear the lot of a Nobi. Such is what S Corp. has become today.
Aeng-du	My mentor, too, is one of the victims of that accursed practice...
Ishmael	Then could these people have been sent out to capture your mentor or Yi Sang?
Aeng-du	Or me, perhaps. Or none of us.
Faust	You mean to state that they may be conceptual forms of Ch'unokkuns generated by Distortion. That is a plausible conjecture.
Outis	We are getting nowhere with this clue-hunting.
With a heavy sigh, Outis pressed her fingers against her brow as if her head were starting to pound in frustration.
Faust	To delve further into the matter, it is necessary to determine why the S Corp. and its Ch'unokkuns have appeared as the motif of this phenomenon.
Aeng-du	... Considering the course of events we have seen so far, would it not stand to reason that the Distortion stains all nearby things with memories most foul?
Faust	... The presence of Ch'unokkuns suggests a possible correspondence to Yi Sang's memories. Conversely, however, the absence of T Corp.'s Time Collectors weakens that hypothesis.
Faust	In which case, the most plausible theory is that this particular Distortion could have stemmed from Bamboo-hatted Kim or Aeng-du's memories.
Aeng-du	.......
Aeng-du furrowed her brow and fell into thought, as though she couldn't grasp the full picture of the problem.
Ezra	I've seen a few Distortions that show trauma or affect their surroundings...
Ezra	But this one? I'm not getting that pop! of inspiration. Can't even guess at what this Distortion wants, either.
*POP!*
Location: Abandoned Photo Lab, District 14
The white flash of light suddenly drowned my vision again as Ezra clutched her head and cried out with annoyance.
Ezra	Ugh! If only the Team Leader was here... Cracking this would've been a piece of cake!
Ishmael	And... we're back. So this is why you kept asking whether we'd seen anything bursting with a pop...
Sinclair	The N Corp. employees must have it rough, too... getting dragged into the Distortion like this.
Ishmael	I mean, what else were we supposed to do? It was self-defense. They were about to attack us.
Sinclair	I suppose finding the root cause and taking care of it would be the fastest way forward.
Ezra	Let's just do what we can for now...
Ezra	Okay, first, we need to develop the film we found here. We'll head to the nearest darkroom, and...
Ezra	Nah, actually—let's first drag that slippery, hat-wearing colt back here and get him talking about the Ch'unokkuns. That's probably our best bet.
Ezra	Ughhh! Every time we take a job, that slacker just slips off without telling anyone!!!
As one part of me watched Ezra stamp her feet in frustration...
... I was also carefully following Heathcliff's team through the other part of my vision.
Dante	<... Oh, I think I can help with that.>
Faust	... Have you located him?
Ezra	... Huh? What? Boss Clock found something?
Dante	<Yep. I found where Bamboo-hatted Kim is right now.>

Episode: 6
Meanwhile, Heathcliff's team...
Location: Distorted Butter Street, District 14
Heathcliff	Bloody hell... What's up with these gits? They're showing up out of nowhere!
Gregor	How should I know? But judging by their getup, they seem like S Corp. fellas.
Gregor	And things were going so well... We could've talked it out with those fedora guys who were rummaging around the place earlier, you know.
Gregor	But no, you just had to go barking at them first. Would've saved us a whole lot of trouble if you hadn't, right?
Heathcliff	Oh, so it's my fault?
Heathcliff	Those bastards looked like they were nickin' stuff! This is our contract area, ain't it? If they walked off with something important, we'd be the ones catching hell!
Gregor	Listen, bud. Not everyone's itching to swipe hair coupons into their pockets the second they get the chance.
Heathcliff	Oh, for—how many bloody months are you lot gonna milk that?!
Hong Lu	Um, excuse me~
Heathcliff	What, you got a problem too, mate?!
Hong Lu	Ahaha... No, not at all.
Hong Lu	Just wondering whether that gentleman over there... is also one of our enemies.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Hm? Is that the end of your troupe performance?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Shame. I was really enjoying watching you folks dance! Might've mistaken this place for the Peach Blossom Land of legends had there been a cup of fine <ruby=rice wine>makgeolli</ruby> to go with it.
Heathcliff	... Yeah, that's an enemy all right.
Hong Lu	Hmm... He has a name tag, though. I think it says, um... "LCD."
Heathcliff	LCD or whatever, who gives a toss?! Am I supposed to put up with every bastard havin' a dig at me?!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Oh, dear!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Such— bold— swings! Didn't know there was an encore to that performance! Hah!
Heathcliff	You slippery little rat...!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Well, I do find this amusing enough, but if you intend to play with me... You ought to be more aware of your surroundings!
Gregor	Hey! Behind you! There's...!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	...!
Heathcliff	*gasp*
Hong Lu	Wow~ He took out all those dopo-wearing people with just a single strike!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I'd say that about covers the price of admittance for your troupe circus. Wouldn't you?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Well, then... I leave the rest to you folks. Wandering blades in murim tales never linger on the stage for long, after all!
Heathcliff	Oi! Where the hell do you think you're going? Ah, damn it—

Episode: 7
Location: ???, District 14
Ezra	... So let me get this straight. Dude was here just a minute ago, and now nobody knows where he wandered off to?
Heathcliff	Yeah. Bloke just turned up outta nowhere, flapped his gums, then did a runner before anyone could grab him.
Ezra	*sigh*
Ezra let out a long, listless sigh, as though she was getting sick and tired of even complaining about Kim.
Aeng-du	Lady Ezra... I cannot say your frustration is misplaced. Yet I trust you are also aware that, more often than not, Mentor's actions have carried a profound design.
Aeng-du	He has never left his post without purpose so far...
Ezra	No, I get it, okay? But c'mon... Would it kill him to give us a heads-up before he goes zoomin' off on his own again?
Ezra	It's not like we'd stop him! What are we gonna do, tie him up? Lock him up in a closet? We don't do that in our team, right?
Ezra	Remember last time? We all thought he was being a good patient and sleeping it off in the recovery ward, but nope! When the LCE got infiltrated, he snuck out without telling anyone and came back like nothing happened. And the team leader didn't even chew him out for that...
Aeng-du	...! Lady Ezra, that's...!
Ezra	Oopsie. Wasn't supposed to mention that... was I?
Outis	... Then the reason he failed to participate in the operation was...
Outis	... simply because the LCD was lax in supervising its personnel. Is that what you're suggesting?
Aeng-du	... Lady Moses bade us hold our tongues for this very reason. She knew full well Mentor's intentions would be misunderstood in precisely such a manner...
Outis	What part of this have I misunderstood? Did you not just disclose that the man deserted his post without authorization?
Ezra	That's the thing! He wasn't just wandering around. He was outside, all alone, taking down the Ring Automanikins who'd locked down the elevator that leads into the LCE Department.
Ezra	Yeah, it's not like he was dealing with the strongest enemy out there. But the recovery ward didn't have an emergency alarm, and nobody from the department was there to warn him either. He somehow just... caught on and did the job himself...
Outis	Huh...
Ezra	Heard it's all thanks to him that the facilities team managed to get the comms back up and contact that LCE Chief dude way faster—and that helped the LCA to actually deploy. They would've been delayed for another hour or two if he hadn't stepped in, apparently.
Ezra	And he went fighting even though he still wasn't fully recovered, so he came back looking like he'd been processed through a meat grinder. So yeah, he did end up staying in bed like a good patient... in a lot of pain.
Outis	Ahem. Then the soldier is not entirely deserving of reproach.
Ezra	Nope. He's a "less talking, more doing" type, I guess.
Ezra	Anyway, we were all stuck inside the building back then during the incident, so fine, I suppose there was no helping it. Today, though—never mind. It's always like this with him! He always slips away and pops back in, saying, "It's done."
Ezra	My point is... what happens if one day, one of those solo missions doesn't go his way and he just drops dead in the street somewhere? How are we supposed to help him then?
Aeng-du	.......
Ezra	Actually, how does he even know what's supposed to be done in the first place when nobody gave him any instructions?
Heathcliff	Hmm... Bloke's got to be relyin' on his gut feelin', innit?
Ezra	Gut feeling...?
Heathcliff	Look, I only saw the bloke for a bit, so I can't say I've got him all figured out.
Heathcliff	He's an annoying bastard, but he didn't strike me as some clueless sod who doesn't know where he's steppin'.
Heathcliff scratched at his chin, then kept talking as though he were stating an obvious fact.
Heathcliff	Today's proof enough. He's not one of us, so Clockhead couldn't have reached him from that far and sent him to back us up... And there's no way he just happened to run into us just when we were about to get into battle, innit?
Yi Sang	Then...
Heathcliff	Well, could be bloke's got some stupidly sharp head on him and pieced things together. Could be that.
Heathcliff	But I've got these moments when I get a flash of that gut feelin', however you want to call it. My bossman, Matthew, said he could "hear" that kinda shite, too. Said "I can hear them gears turnin'," or "I think I hear rats scurryin' about..."
Heathcliff	He'd do things you couldn't make heads or tails of. Listen, there was this one time when we were expectin' a life-and-death fight. Matthew says he can "hear them gears turnin'," walks into a random pub, starts throwin' back drinks like he'd lost his bloody mind...
Ishmael	Uh-huh. That does sound like someone who's lost his bloody mind...
Ishmael	Back when I was on the ship, some sailors used to drink the barrel dry before battling Whales to blunt their fear... only to stumble around on the deck and fall overboard.
Heathcliff	Yeah, and Boss could knock it back like a Whale. Still, the point is, gettin' plastered right before a turf war's not what most sane people would call a good idea. Had us all cross, so we went stompin' after him...
Heathcliff	And guess what, turns out that pub was the secret hideout where the opposing Syndicate was holed up. They were crowdin' around the gaffer, running their mouths about how they'll kill him and put an end to the Dead Rabbits. That's when we came storming in and had them surrounded instead.
Heathcliff	Not a single one of 'em got away. We beat them bloody, every last bastard... and Boss knew it'd play out that way.
Ishmael	Sorry, but this really sounds like barstool bragging to me... You sure that wasn't just a coincidence?
Aeng-du	I should think... it was no mere chance.
Aeng-du	If you are saying as much... then surely this was but one among many such "coincidences." Is that not so?
Heathcliff	Yeah. Every time Matthew pulled one of those stunts, our lot ended up growin' bigger. Wouldn't have kept working so neatly if it were just a coincidence.
Faust	... It is likely what is often referred to as, indeed, an "instinctive sense," or "experience-based precognition." More accurately, an unconscious process by which information accumulated in the subconscious is sorted and converted into sensible conclusions.
Faust	There have been some extremely rare cases in which Heathcliff has demonstrated the ability to arrive at coherent conclusions that surprise even Faust. On further analysis, it would appear that he was employing a mechanism similar to a "sixth sense," as some people call it.
Heathcliff	Is that a compliment, or are you takin' the piss out of me?
Aeng-du	Though my mentor does not see fit to explain each step he takes...
Aeng-du	When all has passed, I often find that no footfall of his was taken in vain.
Aeng-du	I would ask of you, grant him but a little time and wait. Keep waiting, and the shape of his intent may yet become clear.
Aeng-du	Though I confess, I have also been concerned about him of late. His recent silence is far heavier than what I have noticed in the past.
Don Quixote	To wait...
Don Quixote began, hesitated, then stopped herself from saying more. She only gave a quiet nod.
Ezra	Yeah, okay... I suppose our team leader has her own reasons for letting him be...
Ezra	That said, doesn't mean I'm happy about it. *sigh*
Aeng-du	Let us return to the task at hand and do what we can for now.
Ezra	Fine, fine~
As the others quieted down, I finally had room to notice the place we found ourselves in.
There wasn't a single ray of light—just a deep red hue pressing in from every side.
Gregor	I can't believe we've been chatting away in the dark this whole time, fellas. And the red lights aren't helping at all... Especially with my aging eyes.
Sinclair	Oh, are you looking for the light switch? It's right here—
And right then...
Meursault	Don't turn on the light.
... I heard Meursault's clipped warning, his voice coming from a corner I didn't expect to find.
Sinclair	M-Meursault? Where are you?
Dante	<Ah... There he is. That corner. Is he... washing something...?>
Meursault	I am developing the film roll, Manager. Exposure to light might ruin the entire roll. Please exercise caution.
So he'd been doing his own thing... That explains why he was quiet all along.
Gregor	Huh. Didn't think you'd know how to print photographs, pal.
Meursault	Mm.
Dante	<What's that for, anyway?>
Meursault	You expressed the wish to have the film developed, Manager. I am carrying out that instruction.
Dante	<I... I see.>
Location: Darkroom, District 14
Yi Sang	A photo studio first, and now a darkroom... This may be no more than a conjecture, but it would not be unreasonable to suppose that the axis of this Distortion rests upon a photographer.
Meursault	The film's serial numbers either match those found in the photo studio or deviate by only a single digit. It is certain that this darkroom is connected to the studio in some way.
Aeng-du	Hm... The images bear a striking resemblance to these photographs. I also believe this building and that photo studio share a strong connection.
Gregor	Oh? Where did you get these photos?
Aeng-du	I brought some from the photo studio. I cannot name the locations in the picture with certainty, yet they all appear to have been taken at various places in N Corp.'s District. Buildings, mostly.
Ezra	Hey, wait! I know what these are. People take pictures like these when supplying stuff to that department store.
Meursault	Correct. The photos must have been taken by a Docugrapher.
... Meursault chimed in, holding up an odd cylindrical container in his hand this time.
He gave the container a shake every now and then with a measured rhythm. Whatever he was doing seemed to be part of the process of developing the film.
Meursault	Film rolls are hardly affordable for the average resident in N Corp.
Meursault	In most cases, taking photographs is done as part of professional duties.
Meursault	There are approximately 21 occupations in District 14 that utilize photography. However, only a single profession involves routinely photographing specific buildings, adhering to fixed standards that can be observed in these pictures.
Dante	<And these "Docugraphers" you mentioned... are the people entrusted with that job?>
Meursault	Yes. They photograph the information to be poured into Canned Experience.
Aeng-du	A Docugrapher... How could a person of such a decently lucrative profession fall into Distortion?
Ezra	Decent job, maybe. But how do we know if they're a decent person?
Ezra replied with a clear-cut answer after only a brief pause.
Hong Lu	What makes you say that?
Ezra	The photo studio we were at didn't have any darkrooms, right?
Ishmael	No, it didn't...
Ezra	My team leader said there are other ways of processing film rolls, but in N Corp., you have to go to a darkroom to develop and print them.
Meursault	Correct. Film rolls are usually immersed in developer solution to be processed.
Ezra	Mmhmm! Which is why photo studios have these darkrooms equipped with red safelights right next to them.
Ezra	But this place? It's pretty far from that photo studio.
Heathcliff	... Huh. Yeah, now that you mention it...
Ezra	Check out these windows. They're only covered by newspapers, all messy-like. If you consider how sensitive film rolls are to light, it's really super suspicious that this darkroom doesn't have any proper blackout panels!
Ezra	And you know films can cost a fortune in some places in the City, right? Who in their right mind would print photos in a room patched up with yesterday's newspaper?
Ishmael	Oh...
Ezra	This probably isn't even a legit darkroom. Someone just hauled in the bare minimum tools needed to develop film and threw them together in a hurry...
Ezra	Someone who didn't wanna be seen printing photos. And people don't usually avoid scrutiny unless they're doing something... not so decent.
Ishmael	If that's the case... then I can see why they might have Distorted.
Ezra	Right?
Meursault	... Manager.
Meursault came to my side quietly,
still giving the strange cylinder the occasional shake.
Meursault	I have a request regarding your instruction to develop this film roll.
Dante	<What is it?>
Meursault	Please ensure that the light in this room is not turned on until development is complete.
Dante	<Uh... Aren't we already doing that?>
Meursault	Yes. However, engaging in battle opens the door to uncontrollable variables. This is why I have judged it necessary to make a separate request.
Battle?
Meursault	There is no need for concern. I am capable of participating in combat while maintaining the development process.
Dante	<W-wait... Can you slow down?>
Aeng-du	A battle, you say. Surely there must be cause for you to believe so.
Meursault	At the photo studio, reinforcements arrived exactly 11 minutes and 34 seconds after N Corp.'s Pinframe Team staff were defeated.
Meursault	Deductions based on the events thus far make it clear that the photo studio and this darkroom share some kind of connection.
Meursault	Furthermore, Sinner Heathcliff, Sinner Hong Lu, and Sinner Gregor have battled N Corp.'s Pinframe Team in this very location.
... I hear footsteps rushing up the staircases, approaching closer and closer.
I have a feeling I know what Meursault is getting at, but I ask anyway.
Dante	<... Meaning?>
Meursault	The initial rinse is finished. The process is now halfway to the completion of the second agitation. This indicates that 11 minutes and 30 seconds have elapsed since the start of development.
Meursault	A battle is imminent. Please withdraw to a safe position, Manager.
Meursault, you...
*crash*
Dante	<You should've warned us way earlier!!!>
Meursault	Understood, Manager. I will follow that instruction going forward.

Episode: 8
After the battle...
Location: Distorted Butter Street, District 14
Aeng-du	... Something sits ill with me.
Amid the sprawl of S Corp.'s Backstreets Distorted with the flash, Aeng-du had her gaze fixed somewhere high overhead.
And at the end of her gaze...
Dante	<Are those... photographs?>
... a long line stretched across the open air, photographs hanging from it like laundry clipped to a clothesline.
Aeng-du	I mistook it for a <ruby=warding rope>kŭmjul</ruby> at first and gave it little attention...
Aeng-du	Yet upon closer look, I saw those pictures hanging from the line. Perhaps they had been strung within the darkroom and remained thus when the Distortion took hold.
Faust	Bizarre. Observation of unaffected elements in the space occupied by a Location-type Distortion is most irregular.
Aeng-du	Indeed. The items we bore from the studio have already changed into images of various sights of S Corp., yet these alone remain as they were.
Dante	<Hmm... Let's take them down and check them ourselves.>
Just as I was wondering if the line was perhaps too high for me to reach, Meursault stepped forward and plucked a few photos off it. And the instant he brought them to me...
Location: Darkroom, District 14
We heard another "pop," and again, a bright white flash blinded my vision for a moment.
Gregor	Good grief. This Distortion likes to change its mind, huh? It keeps switching between S Corp. and N Corp.
Outis	This feels like getting caught in a flashbang detonation. My whole body tenses up, then goes slack right after...
The other Sinners were busy grumbling about the Distortion and its sudden jumps, except for Meursault, who stood right in front of me with the photos still held out in his hand.
Dante	<Oh. You didn't drop them.>
Meursault	No.
He gave his usual short answer, then returned his attention to the cylinder he had been shaking. He took the film out of the container and flicked the liquid off it with clean, controlled motions.
Is the processing finally done?
Dante	<Wait... We're back here with the lights on now. Is it okay to take the film out?>
Meursault	Yes. Exposure to light will not damage the film once development is complete and the image is fixed. There is no cause for concern.
Dante	<That's a relief...>
I couldn't say I followed all the technical details, but "no cause for concern" was all I needed to hear. Sighing in relief, I held up the photographs so I could take a proper look.
Gregor	So... See anything odd in there, Manager Bud?
Dante	<Uh... There are people in them...>
The people in the photographs all looked different from one another.
If I had to pick one similarity between them, though... They all looked cold and indifferent.
Gregor	Yeah, that's the City, all right. Ordinary folks you'd see anywhere.
Dante	<These aren't like the photos we picked up at the studio earlier.>
Dante	<Are these the kind of photographs they use to make Canned Experiences?>
...? What was that...? The scenery around us seemed to ripple just now...
I was about to ask Faust if she'd also felt the strange sensation... but it faded away soon enough. Perhaps it's nothing serious...
... Maybe it was just a spell of random vertigo? Is it even possible to get dizzy when I've got a clock for a head?
Meursault	No.
Meursault must have noticed that I was out of sorts for a moment, because he seemed to pause on purpose before answering my question.
Dante	<No? I thought you said Docugraphers take these photos to put into Canned Experiences...>
Meursault	Raw ingredients for Canned Experience are handled exclusively by the Grand Magasin Sisyphe. There is no known method for external parties to access them.
Dante	<Sisyphe... what?>
Ishmael	Oh, I think I've heard of it. Canned Experiences, right? They're in high demand in other Districts too, but the only brand stamped on them is "Grand Magasin Sisyphe". Same name every time.
Sinclair	I remember some of my classmates bragging about trying them whenever exam weeks came around. Never had one myself, though. I can't really explain it, but something about them just feels kind of... wrong.
Dante	<It's that popular, huh...>
Meursault	The unprocessed base content of Canned Experience, known as "Experience Batter," is supplied to reprocessing factories, where Docugraphers fine-tune the experience's details. Photographs are primarily used for that purpose.
Gregor	They can fine-tune experience?
Meursault	An easier example for understanding would be to consider why Docugraphers take pictures of subjects such as buildings.
Meursault	A purchaser may wish to experience living in a luxurious building that they could never afford. Another may wish to vent out impulses of violence by experiencing the burning of an expensive property.
Meursault	Demand for haute-couture Canned Experience is increasing by day.
Dante	<So that's why the photos from earlier were all fancy buildings...>
Meursault	Yes, Manager. Conversely, information concerning ordinary experience that can be easily encountered in reality is in low demand.
Outis	Then why photograph these residents at all?
Yi Sang	Perhaps these were not images harvested for their commodity value, but pure photography in and of itself.
Yi Sang	Mayhap they have been captured for a desire to seize a vanishing instant through a lens.
Outis	There are people who take photographs, knowing that it would cost an exorbitant sum. I have seen some before.
Outis	A staggering amount of money... just to take a single photo. That is, if they could even manage to find a photographer who'd take the risk and help take the picture.
Outis	I'm not so crass as to put a price on sentiment and nostalgia, but spending this much money on film rolls... What could have made this investment worth it?
Dante	<I'd say...>
Dante	<... maybe this isn't just a matter of sentiments. Or memories, even.>
Leafing through the photographs, I quietly expressed my thoughts.
Outis	Executive Manager?
Dante	<I'm not exactly an authority on Distortions, but I know they manifest through desires or emotions that become warped in bizarre ways.>
Dante	<But everything the Distortion has shown us so far points back to S Corp.—that is, the S Corp. from the past that only Kim and Aeng-du would've seen and remembered. These photos, though? They're completely untouched by the Distortion. Doesn't that feel off?>
There must be a strong fixation at play here. Strong enough to slip past even a Distortion...
And if that obsession is something that refuses to let these memories be influenced...
Dante	<... I think our next step should be to look for the people in these photos.>
... These photographs are the only un-Distorted, unaltered clues we have.
Faust	Dante says it would be advisable to locate the people shown in these photographs.
Ezra	Ooh~ Good idea! Team Leader did say that we should accept input from the LCB with open arms.
Ezra	Hey, Aeng-du! Can you get me the Office catalog? We'll probably need to commission an Office affiliated with Seven Association. Let's look for one that can take the request right away...
Dante	<... Can someone tell Ezra we're fine? I think I know where to find those people.>
Faust	Dante says one of the people shown in the photos has already been found.
Ezra	What? When? How?!
Dante	<Well, guess I'm just having a lucky day.>
I pulled the radio from my waist and switched it on without answering Ezra's question.
Ryoshu	D.W.R.C.?
Sinclair	I think she said "Do we regroup, Clock?"
Dante	<... That one was especially hard to understand, Ryōshū.>
Ryoshu	Heh.
Dante	<Rodya's with you, right? Can you put her on?>
Ryoshu	Okay.
Dante	<Rodya, you there?>
Rodion	Eh, what? Dante wants to talk?
Rodion	One sec, one sec... I kinda went overboard with the bread and pastries. My hands are completely full over here.
Ezra	Pastries? What kind?
Rodion	J-just one of everything.
Ezra	Neat! Can you grab extra brioche and baguettes for me, too? Love the ones from that street, they're so good.
Rodion	Hold on, I gotta readjust the pile if I wanna—
Ryoshu	Just throw them on T.F. They're packaged.
Rodion	Ryōshū! You can't treat food like that, 'kay? Bread has—I mean, bakers have feelings, too, ya know. How do you think the baker would feel if they knew someone was treating their precious babies like trash?
Ryoshu	... This scabbard is rattling again for no reason.
Rodion	A-anyways, Dante, can ya gimme a sec if ya need me to fight? Just need to cram these into my pockets real quick...!
Dante	<No, no, it's not a fight.>
Rodion	<Huh? Then what's this about?>
I took a closer look at the words written on the wicker basket in the first photograph Meursault had brought me.
Dante	<Where's that bakery you're at?>

Episode: 9
Location: Pastry Shop, District 14
Bakery Owner	Ah... I know who you're looking for.
The owner of the bakery was a woman holding the same wicker basket as the one in the photograph. She took one glance at the picture I held up for her and gave a quick nod.
Bakery Owner	This man... he works in Cannery-17 right next. He's a regular.
Bakery Owner	He used to drop by every morning to buy sandwiches to share with his coworkers. Haven't seen him around lately, though.
Outis	And those coworkers, I assume they were wearing the same uniform?
Asking the question on my behalf, Outis showed the baker another photograph.
Bakery Owner	Probably? He was always wearing one, too. I'd guess it's the Cannery uniform.
Outis	This confirms our lead, Executive Manager. A few inquiries at that Cannery should bring us to the information we need.
Dante	<Yeah, you're right. But...>
Dante	<... It's just that she doesn't seem very concerned at all. She's one of the people in the photos that weren't affected by the Distortion, right? Thought she'd be a close acquaintance...>
Outis	Allow me to verify, Executive Manager.
Outis	Do you know the name of this regular you spoke of?
Bakery Owner	His name? Am I supposed to know that?
Though I wasn't expecting her to actually know his name, the apathy evident in her voice gave me pause.
Outis	He took a photo of you. Wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that you're well-acquainted with him?
Bakery Owner	Oh, that.
The baker's demeanor changed when Outis pressed the point. She gave a strange, unsettling smile before pulling something from her apron pocket.
A thin and round... can-like object.
Bakery Owner	He said he'd give me five of these Canned Experiences for free if I let him take my picture. Even said he'd throw in the Docugraph of the building of my choice!
Bakery Owner	He Docugraphs buildings, right? I hear he even takes work trips to the Nest every now and then. So I asked him to get me a Docugraph of this lovely mansion I saw by the Nest suburbs.
Bakery Owner	I know I'll never get to afford a beautiful place like that... But this way, I could at least experience what it's like. And gosh, it was... everything I'd ever hoped for... Hehe...
I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was a distinct eeriness to that dreamy, blissful smile on the baker's face that sent a chill down my spine.
Outis	Ahem...
Don Quixote	Uhm... Young Meursault...
Don Quixote	Are these Canned Experiences truly possessed of such marvels? To pluck all semblance of reason from one's countenance...?
Meursault	They maintain high demand across the City. District 14 is only one of several markets.
Don Quixote	Dost thou mean... that those who indulge in Canned Experiences may experience venturing on an expedition to the Great Lake and bungee jumping off the summit of that skyscraper yonder as they remain seated where they are?
Meursault	They may. However...
Don Quixote	Oho...! A magicked can, allowing one to pursue any dream the heart may conceive! Verily, I confess mine own soul... is much tempted...
Meursault	... it differs from pursuing a dream.
Don Quixote	Hmm?
Meursault	Mass-produced Canned Experiences are made from base Experience Batter mixed with various modified information. The resulting end product enables intense stimulation through altered memory. Therefore, it is unlike the "dream" as expressed by Don Quixote.
Meursault	A piece of memory refined along the numerous processing stages of the Canneries' production lines is not equivalent to genuine experience. Meaning, the usage of "experience" in her previous statement must also be amended.
Ishmael	Memories altered for intense simulation... That does sound quite shady.
Don Quixote	Hmm... How doth this cast a shade upon the boons granted by the can? Adventures and tales are, forsooth, inclined toward a little grandeur!
Meursault	It is because the memories provided by Canned Experiences are extremely vivid.
Meursault	Statistics have shown that users of cans interpret them as authentic experiences and become dependent on them.
Meursault	A possible cause of the formation of dependence patterns is that Canned Experiences allow one to feel as if one has achieved a dream that is, in reality, impossible.
Don Quixote	Art thou implying... that the users are made content with devouring forged dreams stored in instant-use cans?
Yi Sang	Worse still, the user may no longer strive to chase dreams in the waking world,
Yi Sang	for the sweeter and more splendidly a dream is embellished, the more impossible it will appear to be grasped with one's own hands.
Don Quixote	... To become a cause for surrender, instead of inciting one to march forth...! Verily, doth it not annul the significance of dreaming itself, if the resultant dream rouseth not the spirit to gallop toward it?!
Meursault	Whether that annuls its significance, I cannot know.
Meursault	But they sell well.
Don Quixote	.......
Bakery Owner	So? How much will you be buying?
Ishmael	Buy what?
Bakery Owner	You came barging in with all these questions, and I was patient enough to answer them politely, wasn't I? Don't you think you owe me a sale or two?
Bakery Owner	You're not about to leave without buying a single loaf after crowding up my bakery and scaring off my customers, are you...?
... Her case was on point, actually. With our whole group gathered around, the passersby gave us a wide berth and hurried on, whispering among themselves. Nobody was about to come in and buy bread like that.
Rodion	C'mon, lady! I practically cleared your shelf already, didn't I?
Heathcliff	... You did? Where the hell are you keepin' all that, then?
Rodion	Do ya even gotta ask? 'Course I had some already! And the rest is safely tucked in my coat pockets so we can all share later~
Dante	<So you already ate some...>
Dante	<Let's buy a little more. It's true we scared off the other customers.>
Faust	... Understood. Given that the expense is made to facilitate this operation, the lack of prior budgeting should not pose a problem.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Oh, nice! Sesame rice bun for me, please.
Dante	<?!>
... It was Kim. He really did have a knack for making an entrance at the least expected moments.
Ezra	Hey, Mister! Where have ya been this whole time?!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Wait, wait.
Ezra	...?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Be cross with me all you like, but just give me a moment.
Ezra paused, waiting in puzzled anticipation...
... only for Kim to take a sesame rice bun from the baker's hands and chomp into it.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... All right. I'm ready.
Ezra	Frickin' waste of bread!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Gah...!
Ezra's angry fist drove straight into Kim's solar plexus, folding him to the ground like a crumpled sack of potatoes as he rolled away.
... At this rate, the owner might start charging us for the whole bakery next, roof and all. Best get away from here.
Location: Butter Street, District 14
Meursault	Manager.
Meursault approached me as we walked down the street, with Ezra and Kim still squabbling behind us.
He was holding a roll of something brown and tightly coiled.
Dante	<Hmm...?>
Meursault	I have completed development of the film, per your instruction.
Dante	<Oh, so this is the film in that canister you were shaking. Uh... Do I just unroll it?>
Meursault	Hold it up against the sun or other sources of light. As it is a reversal film, the images should be visible as they were photographed.
... I had no idea what a "reversal film" meant, but I did as he said and unrolled the film.
Dante	<Okay... I can see it. Huh, That's pretty cool!>
Ishmael	Oh, is it showing? Can I see, too...?
Gregor	Move it over a bit. Let me have a look, too.
It was hard to make out the details because the images were too small, but I could still tell the strip was packed with almost identical pictures.
Sinclair	Hmm...? Is this the same person in every shot? In the same pose in all of them?
Gregor	Huh, you're right... No, wait a second...
Gregor	See the arm here? The further along the strip you go, the lower it gets...
Ishmael	Yeah... and the head looks like it's turning to the right.
Sinclair	... Huh?
We were all squinting up at the tiny frames on the film when Sinclair suddenly flinched and went stiff like he'd seen something he shouldn't have.
A second later, all color drained out of his face.
Dante	<... Sinclair? What's the matter?>
Sinclair	This reminds me of... something I learned in school.
Sinclair	You draw a picture in the corner of a stack of notes or a thick book. In the exact same spot on every page.
Sinclair	You start with the arms down. Then you make one small change on each page... nudge the arms up higher and higher... until they're raised all the way up.
Sinclair	And when you flip the pages fast enough, the drawings stop looking like separate images. The still figure starts moving.
Sinclair	That class was called... "Introduction to Motion Pictures."
Sinclair	I remember the teacher saying... that video footage we watch are all made the same... way...
Dante	<Are you saying that this is...>
Outis	It's a continuous sequence of still images...
Meursault	The arrangement of the frames suggests that this film strip is highly likely to constitute footage—a violation of N Corp.'s Taboo.

Episode: 10
Location: Butter Street, District 14
Dante	<Oh, crap...!>
As soon as I registered Meursault's words, my hand reflexively threw the film to the ground.
Dante	<A-are we gonna be okay...? We might've just broken a Taboo...!>
My mind began to race, rapidly traveling back through our journey—specifically to the time when Don Quixote had smashed that window at K Corp. and caused the Wing to wipe out our team multiple times over. I felt faint.
At least we had Vergilius with us then, and it ended up being not that big of a deal at the end of the day since I could revive the Sinners, but...
Dante	<Some Nest Taboos can get us in serious trouble just for carrying anything that has to do with them, can't they...?!>
I hurriedly turned toward the Sinners, many of whom looked every bit as troubled as I felt.
Still, a few of them expressed a casual lack of concern, citing all the crazy things we've gone through so far...
Sinclair	M-M-Miss F-Faust...! W-what'll happen to us if this gets the Manager killed...?
Faust	…….
Okay... So this is it, huh?
Ezra	Stop freakin' out, guys. They're not dying, and we'll be fine. N Corp.'s not gonna kill you on the spot just for possessing a film roll.
Sinclair	R-really?
Ezra	Well, it might be a problem if the film roll does contain genuine recorded footage, but... it's not like you guys had a hand in filming it, right?
Ezra	When N Corp. dudes get here to pick it up, just comply with their commands, thank them for their service, and nicely hand it over to the authorities! And everything should be a-ok.
Meursault	There is a possibility that everything will not be okay.
Ezra	... Eh?
Meursault	Because I have developed the contents of that film roll in that darkroom.
Ezra	Oh...
Meursault	The court will take the lack of intentionality into consideration. However, it is very likely that my actions will be deemed as "aiding" the primary violator of the Taboo.
Sinclair	R-really?
Ezra	B-but, but...
Ezra	Team Leader said that N Corp. has their own regulatory standards regarding image quality, which they use to determine the severity of Taboo violation.
Ezra	If the footage's image quality or framerate is within regulations, N Corp. won't be siccing their Fixers on our butts right away. And that could buy us time or give our company some leverage to make a deal, however small it might be.
Ezra	'Cuz what they're really sniffing around for is how close to reality the video is... Or how close of an experience it provides to real life.
Ezra	So, even if we're really, really unlucky, and they actually come after us... it's going to be fine as long as the footage is low fidelity. Probably.
Meursault	Mm.
Outis	So, what exactly does "framerate within regulations" entail?
Ezra	Uh... It means that the interval between each frame shouldn't be, like, super brief.
Ezra	Think about photo slideshows. They only show you one image every few seconds, so it doesn't feel "real," or "vivid," right? You can technically call them motion pictures, but there's no "vividness" required to violate their Taboo.
Outis	Then... let us analyze this film roll and see how "vivid" it really is.
Outis	Meursault, I trust that you are knowledgeable in subjects concerning N Corp., yes? Cooperate.
Outis	Could this film roll be considered a violation of the Taboo?
Outis picked up the film from the ground and showed it to Meursault.
Meursault	That cannot be determined.
Meursault	Unless each frame is thoroughly analyzed and compared with adjacent—
Without waiting for Meursault to finish, Outis unrolled the film roll and raised it against the sky.
Outis	The rest of you, get over here. We must analyze these frames.
Outis	The film canister was labeled "experiment," so I assume the culprit had created this as a test run of sorts.
Outis	An experiment to see how close they could get to violating a Taboo... and testing the limits of the law. It may even be a mere collection of similar photographs that are pretending to be recorded footage.
The Sinners all gather around Outis and look up toward the unrolled film in unison.
Outis	Here—the flower pot moves between frames, doesn't it?
Outis	The Docugrapher couldn't possibly have moved the pot while also holding down the shutter button.
Sinclair	Uhm... I-I don't see any difference...
Yi Sang	Hm... See here, the expression risen on the subject's visage appears rather stiff.
Heathcliff	Maybe they're just a gloomy sort.
Yi Sang	Perhaps, yet observe closer—the stiffness arises not from gloom, but from strain to maintain it.
Hong Lu	Ooh~ If that's the case, maybe the subject really is trying to fake an actual footage by moving very, very slowly!
Ishmael	That's a pretty convincing theory, but I'm not sure if that's enough to conclude that we're in the clear just yet...
That's when Bamboo-hatted Kim, who had been sprawled on the ground ever since Ezra punched him, stepped into the conversation.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Let's see...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Look at the shadow cast on the window sill.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	See how it noticeably shifts between each frame?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Whoever made this knows their craft for sure. But I can't imagine a Backstreets dweller would have any way to mess with the sun's trajectory.
Outis	Then the likely scenario must be that the creator of this film roll deliberately made its subject move very slowly from frame to frame, creating a series of disconnected photos that, when played sequentially, would look like footage that violates the Taboo...
Outis	In which case, this film roll does not violate the Nest's Taboo. Correct?
Meursault	Mm. That is highly probable.
Outis	... So he says, Executive Manager. We should be in the clear for now, at least in regards to aiding the violation of a Wing's Taboo.
Dante	<Phew...>
Outis	But if he was willing to go through this much trouble just to test N Corp.'s patience, it's hard to believe that he'd have stopped here.
Outis	Based on all available evidence, Executive Manager, it seems reasonable to conclude that the Inflection Point of this case is a Taboo violator on the run.
Gregor	Huh... But what motive would they have to do that?
Gregor	Sure, working for a Wing subsidiary has nothing on being an actual Wing employee, but it's still pretty up there when it comes to careers available in the Backstreets.
Gregor	Work for a subsidiary long enough, and you might even get transferred to a factory job in a Nest. That gives you a pretty okay chance at a better life, so...
Ishmael	... Maybe he was just tired of living that kind of life.
Ishmael	Everyone has one of those days, don't they? The sudden feeling that you could be doing more than live the rest of your life in 9-to-5 hell. The drive to do something that takes you away from the pressure of trying to make a life.
Something about what Ishmael said must've tickled Bamboo-hatted Kim, because he suddenly whipped around toward her and shook his head.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Maybe. But how many of those people do you think are capable of throwing away everything they've built on a whim?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	From what I've seen... Maybe our culprit just likes to play with fire.
Ezra	Play with fire?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Yeah. Must've started by doing something that technically doesn't count as Taboo—and inched on and on until he brushed thrillingly close to one.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	One thrilling shot through this camera, and another with the next...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Until eventually, he ended up recording actual "footage."
Ezra	Cool, then that leaves the question of "what the heck was he tryna do with it?"
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Might've been trying to screen it using a projector for all of this part of the Backstreets to see.
Sinclair	Whaaat? B-but wouldn't that make everyone here, even those who unwittingly came across the projection...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Right on. It'd have made those folks violators of the Taboo.
Dante	<But why would anyone...>
Ezra	So, would ya care to explain how you know that, Mister Bread-brain?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I asked around on the opposite street, and apparently, some guy's been going around asking the Workshops if they could make him a projector.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Seemed like most of them turned him down, but they also said that he stopped showing up after a certain point. Fair to guess that he got his hands on a projector somehow.
Don Quixote	Alas, is it not a Taboo of N Corp. to view recorded videos? Pray tell, why would any in sane mind...
Heathcliff	Well... it ain't Taboo if you only made a projector, innit? Backstreets blokes're down for anything 'long as there's coin.
Dante	<Huh... So how do we track this guy down...?>
Meursault	Multiple individuals in the same garb as the Pinframe Team have just been identified in the vicinity. They are all carrying the same briefcase.
Rodion	Oho~ Well, isn't that convenient? Maybe we can play this like a festival or a convention and just tail people who look like they're involved with what we're looking for, so they'll lead us to wherever we need to go?
Yi Sang	Indeed. At architecture conventions, there would be those in formal plaid shirts and suspenders milling about, and I could always trust them to lead me to the convention venue.
Gregor	... Uh-huh. And was it common for those plaid-shirt fellas to look around like they're scanning the area?
Gregor	... Did they also... go around checking people against photographs?
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	...r. Collec... vidence. Please advise for...
Gregor	They also radioed each other? Glaring at people like they're glaring at... Huh?
Yi Sang	... Perhaps you could answer that series of queries yourself.
... Nope. This crowd sure don't look like they're gonna let us follow them.

Episode: 11
Location: Butter Street, District 14
Ryoshu	Hardly a challenge. What a W.O.T...
Gregor	Whew... Well, at least they're not much of a fighter one-on-one...
Meursault	Service des Clous is not a combat-specialized department. While they have all undergone basic combat training for exigent circumstances, they are not prepared for head-on conflicts such as this.
Gregor	Yeah, I noticed. They kept taking pictures of us with their briefcases—I'm guessing that's their primary job description...?
Heathcliff	*huff* *huff* What are they snappin' away for, then? Whisperin' behind our backs like a load of creeps...
Ishmael	Collecting photos to include in the report for their higher-ups, I'd wager.
Ishmael	Hm, I can kinda see how they could think we're involved in this somehow. Every time they followed a lead, they ended up encountering us. It's hardly a surprising rationale.
Meursault	.......
Meursault stood a footstep away from the rest of the Sinners and watched in silence as they tried to come up with an explanation.
What is he thinking? What is it that he wishes to say? Or... is he simply contemplating, observing without any preconceived notions in his mind?
His silence shouldn't have been any different from his usual reticence, but as though by some chance or whim...
Dante	<Hey, Meursault?>
... I was struck by this sense of brief yet distinct strangeness, and was compelled to speak with him.
Meursault	Yes, Manager.
Dante	<Don't hesitate to let me know if there's something you wanna say... but aren't sure if you're supposed to say it.>
Meursault	Yes, Manager. I will do as you ordered should one such circumstance occur.
... As always, his reply was as deflatingly concise and direct,
as though he had some rule of his own that told him this was the specific response for situations like these.
Dante	<Um... Okay, but I'm talking about right now, actually. Do you have anything to say, right now?>
Meursault	No, I do not.
It did not appear to me that he was trying to hide anything or choosing his words in response to my question. His reply was simply that: an answer, nothing more.
Yes, a prepared answer written down in a list of responses—that's what it felt like to me. As though this particular answer had always been the only one he had available for situations like this.
Clearly, prodding him for answers wasn't going to get me anywhere, so...
... with a curt "sure, if you say so," I turned away from him and took off to join the other Sinners.
As I did so, a few words lingered at the tip of my proverbial tongue, asking to be let out... So I did.
Dante	<Would've been nice to know what you were looking at...>
Meursault	... Of that,
He spoke.
Meursault	I cannot form a judgment.
Dante	<What?>
Meursault	That is because the precise definition and nature of the subject of my gaze are just as unknown to me as to you.
Meursault	Should you point to an object or an enemy, I can provide a verbal explanation based on my current knowledge. If you require such information, please rephrase your question accordingly.
Had I asked him again then, had I tried to get to the bottom of that line of questioning, could I have found myself the smallest peek into Meursault's psyche, which had remained entirely shrouded in mystery even after an entire year of traveling together?
... I suppose that's not up for me to judge as well.
Meursault	Manager.
Dante	<Uh... Yeah?>
Meursault	Another battle is imminent. As you have previously instructed, I have informed you of an imminent battle.
Ezra	Yo! Boss Clock! Are ya just gonna sit there all day while we do all the fighting? They're pouring out of that building over there!
Outis	So they must've been on their way to that building... Our path ahead seems clear, Executive Manager! Let us neutralize those foes and head up there.
Dante	<Agh, g-gotcha! Be right there!>
The brief lull of battle came to a close...
... and battling enemies who arrived precisely at the time Meursault had predicted, we made our way into the building.
Location: ???, District 14
Heathcliff	Bloody hell, them blokes we fought downstairs must've been the weaker ones of the bunch...!
Rodion	How does N Corp. have so many guys on their payroll...?! There's no end to them!
Hong Lu	Haha... It is a Wing, after all.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Are these the Taboo violators...? I thought the culprit worked alone?
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	No, I'm quite certain they're the ones from the subsequent reports...
The N Corp. Fixers appeared just as confused as we were.
It was clear to me that they were expecting to find the Taboo violator here, not a big group of a dozen or so people...
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	What were they thinking, sending fodder like us to deal with an organized Taboo violation? They should've sent Taboo Hunters here instead...
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Why do you think they told us to consume Canned Experience containing mass-melee combat? They must've thought our current manpower would suffice to deal with this.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	I don't know about that...
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Wait, wasn't there an extra report? That one of them's a—
All of a sudden...
With a click, the room began to buzz with the metallic whir of some kind of machinery.
And immediately, I could tell what it was.
Dante	<... Distortion.>
Standing in the middle of the shabby room was a device I wasn't sure if I had seen before.
Its exterior was plastered with strange shapes that looked similar to what we saw on the Ch'unokkun's faces in our earlier battles, making it difficult to grasp its full shape.
The round object affixed to it began to rotate slowly, with the dull, worn-out groan of a thing past its prime...
Outis	Men!
Outis & Ezra	Shield your eyes!!!
The moment it began to emit a faint ray of light, Outis thundered in a commanding voice.
Sinclair	Gah...!
I quickly turned away as well, making sure not to catch even a glimpse of it.
Location: Projection Room, District 14
Outis	... The device could be playing a recorded video, Executive Manager.
Outis	Even a brief look at it could constitute a Taboo violation.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	S-shit...!
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	I-I saw that. I'm so finished...
Just as panic began creeping into the voices of several unlucky individuals...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Oh man, oh man... Folks, this is starting to get a little embarrassing.
... a sleepy voice breaks through the darkness past my (metaphorically speaking) shut eyes.
Aeng-du	Mentor?!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Eyes open, Aeng-du. What's wrong with everyone? Got dust in your eyes?
Ishmael	The hell's wrong with you?! Don't you know that anyone who watches even a split second of a recorded video in N Corp. gets—
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Of course I know. But I watched it anyway.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Open your eyes, esteemed fellows. This motion picture isn't "recorded."
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	... Hang on, he's right. That video's not a recording.
Possibly emboldened by Kim's comment, or perhaps believing that seeing the video could be excused as incidental exposure incurred while subduing violators, the N Corp. employees also opened their eyes and began to mutter amongst themselves.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Is that thing... talking to us?
I finally allowed myself a good look at the machine, which was firing a conical beam of light against a side of the wall.
And this was its message, delivered via white words on a black background:
<color=#ffffff>"So you've tracked me down this far."</color>
<color=#ffffff>"After what I went through to take refuge in here... They still ended up finding this place..."</color>
<color=#ffffff>"All of you blindly consuming fake experience after fake experience, without even a care about the real thing..."</color>
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Case number TC3224. You are under suspicion of a Category 3 violation.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Reveal yourself now and forfeit your illegal recordings. Should you comply, we will—
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... What is foolery but witless buffoonery in the absence of fools?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	The hollowed vessel, bereft of all but lingering delusions, grants not even a brool of echo to the dogged excoriation of tools.
Gregor	What's this fella on about?
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	If you mean to obstruct our official duties, we won't hesitate to use force—!
Clang!
Without even so much as turning around, Bamboo-hatted Kim raised his sword and parried away the N Corp. employee's nail-shaped weapon.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I'm only speaking as my whim guides me, my dear fellows. No need to get so huffy.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I only aim to say that this abomination... has no consciousness.
<color=#ffffff>"After what I went through to take refuge in here... They still ended up finding this place..."</color>
<color=#ffffff>"All of you blindly consuming fake experience after fake experience, without even a care about the real thing..."</color>
Outis	It's repeating the same sentences over and over...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Now that does make me wonder. Was I just as far gone when I Distorted? Past all words and reason?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I mean, if anyone has an answer to that question... it'd be you folks, right?
Kim said nothing more. He turned a piercing look on us, all the while effortlessly swatting away the N Corp. employees' attacks...
... as though he was goading us into telling him the truth.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Well... Don't suppose there's any point in asking.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... I am no different from this abomination. Just as it wields that contraption, I must have wielded the only thing I have really known—the blade, transforming into a mindless fiend consumed by a mere tool, cleaving through both friend and foe, unrestrained.
Aeng-du	.......
Ezra	... Hey, Junior. Are you still on about that?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I tried to avert my eyes, I truly did. But such disregard is easier said than done.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	How can I, when that Distorted being has no qualms showing me the— *sigh*
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Doesn't he know how rude the unsolicited reflecting of the fathoms of one's heart is? That's got to be illegal or something. Illegal, I say!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Turning a customer into a thug on a protection racket run, a mere ant before a car in motion into a swerving driver...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... conjuring dead followers before the eyes of their mentor—simply unconscionable. Rude as hell, as some might say. My poor heart almost burst out of my chest, courtesy of you.
<color=#ffffff>"All of you blindly consuming fake experience after fake experience, without even a care about the real thing..."</color>
Meursault	.......
In that split second, I think I saw Meursault's eyebrows twitch.
Meursault	A battle is imminent, Manager.
... Just a natural response to sensing an imminent battle, perhaps?
*POP!*
Location: Distorted Butter Street, District 14
A blinding flash, followed by an explosive bang. My vision immediately went white and decided to take its damn time coming back.
And when it did...
The first thing that came into view was a particularly unsettling landscape of S Corp., followed by Bamboo-hatted Kim surrounded by a small army of Ch'unokkun.
Aeng-du	MENTOR!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Keep that up and you'll shout me deaf, Aeng-du.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Isn't it about time we both grew accustomed to such sights?
Aeng-du	Mentor, still do I wake from these dreams drenched in cold sweat...
Aeng-du	That they might bind and drag you away...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Eh, this isn't so bad, is it? It's just these folks so far. Unlike earlier, when—
Another flash.
Location: Projection Room, District 14
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	What... what was that? Everything went dark...
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	I don't understand what's happening, but first things first: We have to neutralize everyone here and get our mission back on track—
<color=#ffffff>[Adjusting Projection…]</color>
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... *sigh* I've been straying far and wandering all day for this exact reason, and...
Faust	... So that was its mechanism.
Dante	<Faust?>
The words began to shift rapidly before I had the chance to ask Faust what she had meant.
<color=#ffffff>"To the one who finds comfort settling in lies: I give you what most deserved your gaze."</color>
*POP!*
Location: Distorted Butter Street, District 14
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	…….
Heathcliff	Bollocks, I'll be blind before today's over at this rate.
Dante	<... It changed.>
Heathcliff	... It did?
Meursault	Unlike the earlier instance, one of the Distortions is different from the others.
As Meursault identified, there was something different about the group of Ch'unokkun this time—they were accompanied by someone else.
A warrior in impressive armor, wielding a sword that was just as tall.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	That armor... and a great hwando of the Sal Circle...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... To be reunited in such a manner...
Aeng-du	…!
???	.......
The warrior drew a bow that hung from the waistguard, and nocked an arrow...
???	... Arrow.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I suppose this is how it would've gone down, had you been the one to grab me.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Military Commissioner Im Gyeong-eop. How do you fare, friend?
Im Gyeong-eop	At the signal arrow's loosing! Seize the accused!
The warrior loosened the nocked arrow, which soared into the sky with a piercing whistle...
... and with that air-splitting sound as their cue, the Ch'unokkun began to swarm us.

Episode: 12
Location: Projection Room, District 14
Ezra	*pant* Just a lil' more, and I think we might be able to smash that dang thing to smithereens, but...
Ishmael	Yeah, but it's really hard to focus on one thing with that huge warrior zapping in and out of reality as soon as we make ourselves an opening...
Ishmael	*sigh* It'd make our lives a whole lot easier if we could get rid of just one of them.
The battle seemed to be taking a toll on the Sinners, more so than usual.
It wasn't that we were up against an insurmountable foe—not even close. Not to mention how Ezra and Aeng-du were here to help us out.
But...
Heathcliff	Shite! Haven't they had enough? About time they gave up, innit?!
Heathcliff	Oi, don't you go leggin' it again...!
Gregor	That big sword-carrying fella sure is kicking our butts, but... I don't know if they're the key to solving this Distortion...!
Heathcliff	We ain't exactly flush with options, are we? Our exit's blocked, and it ain't like we can stop mid-fight to strategize...
Location: Distorted Butter Street, District 14
With the battlefield constantly shifting and flashing between N Corp. and S Corp., we simply did not have the breathing room to focus on either the projector or Im Gyeong-eop, who was swinging that greatblade with frightening force.
Location: Projection Room, District 14
Besides...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Hnh!
Ezra	Aeng-du! Go cover his back, too!
Aeng-du	It shall be done!
... N Corp. was sending far too many people against us.
There weren't that many at first, but it seemed that the sudden spike in employee casualties in an area so close to the Nest had alerted N Corp. to our location.
... How do we get out of this?
Dante	<... Faust, Outis? Help me out here.>
I decided to stop racking my brain trying to navigate a situation I know so little about, and instead rely on the Sinners with possibly more experience in the field.
Dante	<First, I need to know if there's any way we can deal with the endless reinforcements N Corp. is sending after us.>
Dante	<And second... Will defeating Im Gyeong-eop or destroying that projector bring an end to this Distortion phenomenon?>
Outis	If I may speak freely, Executive Manager... It is unlikely that our present force will be sufficient to overcome the current rate of enemy reinforcements.
Outis	Not only is this battlefield situated in close proximity to the enemy stronghold, but there is an unpredictable variable in that strange machine that makes neutralizing even a single wave of enemies difficult.
Outis	... I regret to be the bearer of bad news, but we are trapped in a battlefield with but a single exit, which the enemies have already blocked; without reinforcements of our own, there is little hope of prevailing through this current predicament.
Dante	<... Yeah. Seems that way to me, too.>
Dante	<But maybe if we can neutralize the Distortion phenomenon, at the very least...>
Faust	... Faust...
Faust	... recommends entering the Dungeon of the Fathoms as our exit.
Dante	<Dungeon of the Fathoms...? But how can I enter if we can't even talk to the Distortion—>
Dante	<... Wait, maybe...>
During the LCB Regular Check-up back at the LCE...
Location: LCE Research Team Lab. Sector, Past
Alyssa	He says that all you have to do is read what's on that note in front of his Distortion. Apparently it's some kind of... a code.
Location: Projection Room, District 14
Dante	<Right... Keywords!>
This one seems to be a Location-type Distortion... which means that regardless of where the bright flashes take us, N Corp. or the twisted caricature of S Corp., we're still within its range.
In other words... as long as I have the right keywords, I can summon an entrance to its Dungeon of the Fathoms from anywhere within it.
Dante	<O-okay, so what are the keywords for this Distortion, then?>
Hohenheim had provided us the necessary keywords for his Distortion back then, but this time... we had to figure it out on our own.
Dante	<First things first, one of them has to be "photograph." It's obviously been present throughout the entire phenomenon.>
Yi Sang	If I may... Perhaps "Experience" may be one of them.
Yi Sang put his two cents in, having briefly retreated from battle to the backlines.
Yi Sang	There is an undercurrent of obsession with experiences staining his every trail; it must have aught in relation to what has caused his Distortion.
Faust	Experience... The concept alone lacks... substance.
Faust	It must be something more grounded... Something that is at once synonymous with "experience," while maintaining a throughline to N Corp.'s technology that was the core of his obsession.
Dante	<Canned Experience?>
Faust	... Most likely, thinks Faust.
Dante	<Alright, then... Photograph, Canned Experience...?>
Yi Sang	... Naught seems to transpire as of yet.
... It didn't, but I could feel it.
Location: Darkroom, District 14, Past
Dante	<Are these the kind of photographs they use to make Canned Experience?>
Dante	<So that's what that strange sensation was... Mentioning that word shook the Distortion and caused that rippling effect.>
But it was clearly not enough to force open the Dungeon of the Fathoms... How many other keywords could there be?
Location: Projection Room, District 14
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Scraps.
Sinclair	Sorry?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Oh, I thought we were all taking turns sharing what might've caused him to Distort.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	And going by the way you folks were saying your piece one after another, I thought this was to be some sort of a zen riddle.
Sinclair	Uh... Not a zen riddle, no... But where'd "scraps" come from?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	See, when enjoying the benefits of slacking off at work, all kinds of mundanities come to possess far more interesting qualities, sometimes even revealing secrets invisible to eyes focused elsewhere.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Take our person of interest, to wit: he has been poking around this area of town with an eye-wateringly expensive camera in tow, so conspicuously that every store owner I'd lightly prodded for information had tales to tell about him.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Each tale added another facet to the long saga of a once-driven man: a man with a can-do attitude, an uncanny ability to pull himself up by his own bootstraps, and a clear path toward Nest residence, who became so bewitched by photography that he eventually squandered his fortune on what was, in the end, nothing more than a pastime.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	And that went on until he found himself reduced to a pauper barely making rent on a scrap heap of an apartment.
Yi Sang	In pursuit of his ideality, the man has lost grip of fortune and reality.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I sought out his apartment and found a few scraps of his writing.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	When cold rain drips through the roof, when mold and tepid humidity together encroach from the earth, the mind begins to wander, lost.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Eventually, madness is evoked in a form indistinguishable from drunkenness. The pauper loses himself.
A shadow darker than any I had seen on Kim's face crept beneath the shade of his eyes.
No—I had seen that look once, in the past...
... Though it would be more accurate to say that I had heard it in his voice that echoed in his fathoms, distorted by guilt and regret.
Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised by the fact that this Distortion has, among the countless people here, taken a particular interest in Bamboo-hatted Kim.
Dante	<Photograph, Canned Experience, and... Scraps.>
Like inserting a final piece of the puzzle, the space before us momentarily warped and flashed...
... opening a pathway to the Distortion's fathoms.
Dante	<Well, then...>
Outis	We will be right behind you, Executive Manager.
Aeng-du	Miss Ezra, this is what I had seen then: the gateway to one's Fathoms.
Ezra	Hyah... This is it, huh? Neat stuff.
Ezra	But, uh...
Before she could finish, Ezra had to redirect her focus from our discussion back to the battle.
Most of the Sinners were caught in the same predicament. Some managed to disengage from the battle and prepare to enter the Dungeon of the Fathoms, but Hong Lu, Gregor, and several others were still busy holding off the N Corp. employees.
Gregor	Ngh... They're gonna follow us right in there if we run now, right?
Hong Lu	Haha... Probably?
Hong Lu	Even those who aren't chained to Dante like we are can travel through the pathway once it's open, so...
Gregor	Yeah... Let's not drive ourselves into an even narrower corner.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... I'll keep them at bay.
Hearing that, Bamboo-hatted Kim stepped up.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	My sword-arm's not what it once was, but it should be enough for this.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Besides, I have little wish to set foot in some ill-omened place and be tangled in such a... bizarre mess. *sigh*
... Is that really what he thinks?
There was something in his eyes that led me to believe this was about more than just staying behind to protect our rear. He was...
Ryoshu	W.T.F.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Eh?
Ryoshu	What a Terrible Front.
Ryoshu	At least try to pretend to be sincere and make it easy for us to believe you. Did you think that terrible excuse was going to fly?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	…….
Ryoshu	What are you trying to avoid, sword-swinger? You're not some kid trying to get out of doing his homework.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I remember hearing that entering a Dungeon of the Fathoms... will bring one to the spiritual Fathoms the Distortion is gazing into.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Then what lies within must be my very own, for that is what the abomination is gazing into.
Heathcliff	It's decided, then. You're comin' with us.
Heathcliff	We ain't about to walk in blind to a place we know shite about, mate. Guide us in there, yeah?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Oh, that's...
Ryoshu	He keeps it simple. You try that, too.
Ryoshu	Learned the hard way that "homework" like summer reading doesn't go away just because you don't look at it. It's still there, even as the summer break comes to an end—ruining the last day of your vacation into an all-nighter.
Arayashiki's scabbard vibrated cheerfully in agreement.
Ryoshu	Stop procrastinating. Go do your "summer reading."
Ryoshu	What was it you said? Face the homework, save the G.P.A.?
Faust	... "Face the sin, save the E.G.O."
Faust	It is, after all, the attitude the company expects of its employees.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	.......
Ezra	... Go, Junior.
Ezra	You guys too, LCB. I can handle them all on my own.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... You will make a lone stand?
Ezra	Hey, who the heck do ya think I am? Heh, I'll show ya why Team Leader Moses felt safe sending me out alone with you guys.
Ezra	This was basically a monster-of-the-week situation for Team Leader and me back in our duo days~ I can handle 'em on my own no problemo.
Ezra	I wanted to see how you guys handle the Inflection Point, but I guess ya can never really have it all.
Ezra	Ah well~ Guess I'll just have to trust our two OSIR Team newbies to handle that!
Ezra	Now that I think about it, I think I'm setting a pretty solid example as your team senior, aren't I? Hehe.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... I don't like this, but...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... it seems that I have no choice in the matter as long as this employee card hangs from my chest...
With a sigh, Kim shook his head and joined us, dragging his feet all the while.
Aeng-du	I shall take the vanguard.
Aeng-du	Ah, Mentor—be warned that the entrance is floating. Take a tall step over, or you may trip.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I can clearly see that, Aeng-du. Bring me a ladder if you're really that worried, why don't you?
Aeng-du	... Have you need of one?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... A-a mere jest, you needn't worry.

Episode: 13
<color=#ffffff>"If that's how everyone's been living, then my life... my photographs too..."</color>
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Dante	<So this is S corp., too... right?>
Yi Sang	It is... reminiscent of my homeland, but the sights are much too hideous compared to what rests in my memories.
"Hideous" was apt. When we emerged from the entrance of the Dungeon into S Corp.'s streets, what greeted us was a distorted and eerie scenery I wouldn't be surprised to find in an S Corp.-themed haunted mansion.
Don Quixote	'Tis a place hardly fit for human habitation, far more dilapidated than once expected. Thou sayest that people inhabit these lands, for truth?
Ryoshu	Really? I think it has a cool vibe.
Rodion	Vibes my foot, I don't think I'll be able to get a wink of sleep in here.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	The lives of the downtrodden were beset by a thousand woes and tenfold more struggles. And the streets they inhabit reflect that reality.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Many times I had contemplated in consternation how the folk here had even the will to live on.
... The shadow that had begun to haunt Kim's face still lingered there as he looked around.
If the Distortion reveals the fathoms of those it gazes into, as Kim had said...
Perhaps this is how S Corp. is reflected in Kim's eyes.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	On the days when the skies were spotless blue, and without orders from the Councilor, I would scale to the roof of that <ruby=thatch-roofed house>choga</ruby> and feel it rustle beneath my back as I lay upon it.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... I thought it to be a respite solely mine, yet in this mirrored world, another has walked here before my arrival.
I join him in looking up at the thatched roof of the choga.
Beneath it...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	A wicked tunnel have I passed... And now I witness myself before the one who shall strike the head from my torso.
There was a figure standing tall next to the building, staring defiantly up toward the man on the straw roof.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Im Gyeong-eop.
Location: Backstreets of S Corp., Past
Im Gyeong-eop	... Are you home?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	.......
Im Gyeong-eop	Are you home, I asked.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... What a strange visitor I have.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Why not call at the front gate if you've come seeking the master of the house? Be not like a dog barking up the wrong tree—it's unbecoming.
Im Gyeong-eop	A dog...? Really now...
Im Gyeong-eop	I can see you up there, lounging on the roof. I'm not going to speak to the door like I'm blind.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Has a spell of some sort befallen the day?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	To have such an odd occurrence transpire twice successive... The work of a bewitching spirit, I say.
Im Gyeong-eop	What's so "bewitching" about checking in on someone?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Isn't it odd? That a high-and-noble Military Commissioner of our esteemed corporation would come in person to simply "check in" on how a lowly mercenary fares?
Im Gyeong-eop	... You know me?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Heh heh... She certainly knows her jests!
Bamboo-hatted Kim	She marches forth, vested in Warstrider Armor, yet expects no violence... She wields a two-handed greatblade like a demonic yaksha, yet harbors no hostile intent...
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Why, who else might she be but Military Commissioner Gyeong-eop the Principled, of the famed Im family!
Im Gyeong-eop	You are certainly in the habit of speaking in hyperbole. I am not so noble that I deserve to be complimented with an epithet so grand as "the Principled"—
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Ah ah, not a compliment. You see, Commissioner, this is a rhetorical technique known as a "backhanded compliment," in which I damn you with praise, for you are so bound by your precious principles that you would rather be unreasonable than betray them.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Does an officer ranked Second Ordinant have no wit to engage in such banter?
Im Gyeong-eop	.......
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Why, am I "out of line," as they say?
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Ishmael	... You two are friends, right?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	This was our first meeting. So no, not at that precise moment.
Ishmael	I know, I'm just saying that if I were her, I wouldn't ever let myself become friends with you after such a bad first impression.
Ishmael	Can't imagine becoming friends with someone who keeps pushing my buttons...
Hong Lu	Hehe, maybe. But people do find friendship in such personalities if they have a taste for prickliness!
Hong Lu	You've got a friend in us, don't you?
Ishmael	... *cough* Uh... fine, you have a point. I guess I do have a habit of pushing people's buttons, too...
Ishmael	But still! I hope you're not seriously comparing the way I talk to his sassy, gotcha-digging, pun-riddled—
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Well... The world we live in is a vast and diverse one. Consider yourself lucky that you're surrounded by so many quirky characters.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	It's because of that same luck that she took the joke well rather than respond by trying to cut off my head.
Location: Backstreets of S Corp., Past
Im Gyeong-eop	You are out of line, yes... But I knew you would be, so I won't take issue with it. Though I must admit, the rumors of your sharp tongue do you no justice.
Im Gyeong-eop	The streets speak of a man they call Kim <ruby=bamboo rain hat>Lib</ruby>. A man who once had intended to pursue the path of the Brush, only to realize the sins of his forefathers and exiled himself to the Backstreets.
Im Gyeong-eop	Yet with the sheer power of will, gritted teeth, and scarred heart, did he find in the path of Sword another way into the Nest. As the Right State Councilor's sworn guard, at that.
Im Gyeong-eop	That's you, isn't it?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	All those superlatives, yet the reality is that I've merely found the path of man-butchery as a viable way of life.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Direct any compliments you have toward the Right State Councilor, if you will. I am but a butchering blade that happened to fall into the right hands.
Im Gyeong-eop	Ah, ah. Not a compliment. Just the word on the street.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Ha... You're a quick learner.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	And spare me the fancy reading of my name. Watching you pretend that pompous posturing comes naturally is painful enough already. Keep it simple and spell it out as "Bamboo-hatted Kim," thank you.
Im Gyeong-eop	Ha ha... And does he continue to veer away from the line.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I'd rather be a corpse cold and dead than stay in line. Have a shred of mercy on me, O mighty one.
Im Gyeong-eop	If I'd come all the way here just to punish you for every little misdeed and ill manners, I would have laid you out and split you in two, three ways before this riveting dialogue brought us this far.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Hm!
Im Gyeong-eop	So, feel safe to continue traipsing outside the line. But in return, would you answer a few of my questions?
Im Gyeong-eop	I've been watching you from a distance for a while now, and...
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Really? Stalking someone's not very principled of you.
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Heathcliff	... You sure she didn't give you a good wallop after that?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	No. Truly a mystery, isn't it?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Besides, she did give me free rein to "continue traipsing outside the line." I couldn't in good conscience turn down such offers of kindness. Not that I ever do.
Gregor	You sure have a way with words... A way of finding your way under the listener's skin, huh?
Yi Sang	Perhaps, yet are such japes not to be expected among fellowships of close mutual bond?
Ishmael	They don't look like friends yet, though...
Ishmael	So, care to tell us why she's been watching you?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Ah... I was engaged in the age-old pastime of throwing rocks.
Yi Sang	Oh, you speak of the game of <ruby=rock tossing>Sukjeon?</ruby>
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Save them for the festivities of Dano. I was throwing rocks at the passers-by.
Don Quixote	Fie on thee! That is a wrong deed, good sir!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I suppose it is...? People of <ruby=bone>Ppeyo</ruby> and <ruby=flesh>Sal</ruby> in particular found it to be distasteful. And they did not let their discontent be hidden.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	But the <ruby=blood>Pi</ruby> and the downtrodden cheered me on, to a degree. They found it cathartic.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Hoh, curious. Then is it a right deed or a deed not right?
Don Quixote	Hmm...? Ppyeo...? Sal...? Whatever is it that thou'rt describing?
Aeng-du	It is a well-known truth that S Corp. is also known by its other name, Salpippyeo Agroindustries.
Aeng-du	A Wing specializing in the general agriculture and livestock industry of the City, the vastness and the depth of its responsibilities have necessitated such divisions of labor.
Aeng-du	Thus, District 19 is split into three Court Circles responsible for different aspects of the industry: Sal, Pi, and Ppyeo, each meaning flesh, blood, and bone, respectively.
Yi Sang	Sal, responsible for the cultivation of rice and other grains; Ppyeo, responsible for meat and livestock...
Yi Sang	... and Pi, in charge of the technological aspects of both.
Aeng-du	As a scientist and a researcher who once toiled at S Corp., you must have felt the persecution the Pi faced firsthand.
Aeng-du	It is believed that the trinity was designed for balance, that they would provide assistance when requested and keep one another in check when needed. It was once a promise of cultivating a fair and sustainable S Corp.
Aeng-du	Alas, the noble intentions of yesteryear now lie sullied, the trinity now degraded to three quarreling bands of profiteers blinded by avarice, relying not on honor but betrayal and perfidy to claim the top of the triangle.
Aeng-du	An adherent of the flesh claims the position of the Chief State Councilor and monopolizes rice as the commonfolk starve;
Yi Sang	An adherent of the bone, once a Right State Councilor, toadies to Sal and rises to the seat of the Left State Councilor;
Aeng-du	When such shameless conspiracy permits not the commonfolk to even till the land as they please, anguished cries of suffering flood the streets.
Yi Sang	Thus, the commonfolk are reduced to livestock bleeding out, hanging from a hook, while bone and flesh collude like that of the emaciated dead.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Who shall claim the severance of flesh and bone and force them both to yield?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... An oft-heard poem when walking the streets of S Corp.
Don Quixote	Hoh... Oho...
Don Quixote	Then the people whom thou have targeted with thy rocks were...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	They weren't people. Rats.
Don Quixote	Rats...?
Location: Backstreets of S Corp., Past
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Oh yes, the Councilor finds rats detestable. Much better to stop them from a distance if you want to crush them.
Im Gyeong-eop	By any chance, do these rats... have a habit of sneaking into the Royal Court to better pilfer what the commonfolk rightfully deserve?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... They certainly suffer from a severe case of kleptomania.
Im Gyeong-eop	So you purposefully threw a rock at his feet to trip him to the ground, knowing that he was a kleptocrat?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Well, I simply could not help but react as such in the presence of scurrying rats.
Im Gyeong-eop	... Pffft.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Is there aught you find funny? Speak if you do, I could use a good laugh about now.
Im Gyeong-eop	Just heartily expressing my gratitude, that is all.
Im Gyeong-eop	Those whose corruption is revealed ought to readily receive their scarlet Ohra bonds. The gall to scamper away with their expensive prosthetics... My men were having some trouble apprehending them... until now.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Well, if that is your intent, you are invited to leave a token of gratitude somewhere in the vicinity. Perhaps I'll happen to pick it up... Wouldn't want to get thrown in the dungeons teeming with real vermin.
Im Gyeong-eop	Oh, I was going to do just that.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	...?
Im Gyeong-eop	So, when'll you stop being a sword and be human again?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	What?
Im Gyeong-eop	When do you clock out?
Im Gyeong-eop	The way I see it, you're not the kind of person who'll ever let a drop of liquor get to his tongue while on duty for the Right State Councilor.
Im Gyeong-eop	Return to this choga when you're human again. I'll buy you a drink as thanks.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... Hah!
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	She's a funny one, hmm?
Aeng-du	Mentor, then this "fellow" you had often mentioned fondly was—
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Correct. Haven't I mentioned her a few times as a drinking fellow I had left behind in S Corp.?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I must say, I myself found that relationship most intriguing—that a Military Commissioner of the "Sal" faction would fraternize with a bodyguard of the Right State Councilor, who was of the "Pi" faction.
Aeng-du	S-still, I knew not that the "fellow" was none other than a Military Commissioner of S Corp....!
Aeng-du's eyes had gone wide in shock, her voice rising unconsciously.
Aeng-du	It is news to me that you have had ties to a Second Ordinant official, a military officer with command over high-ranking employees of the Wing at that...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Well, I was in the service of the Right State Councilor, who's a First Ordinant, you know.
Aeng-du	W-well, that might be true, yet...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Yet you would like to know why I, with such a powerful friend by my side, have ended up an exile from S Corp.?
Aeng-du	... Yes. Your silence over matters of such great import is why I have come to introduce you to others as a reticent one, Mentor.
Aeng-du	We had made the Blade Lineage our home, for S Corp. availed no home for us but the Lineage. But you, Mentor...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... I would rather show than tell. Let us proceed, shall we?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	This enchanted place seems intent on unearthing all of my past, both savory and unsavory. All shall be revealed in due time.
Kim looked around, a twinge of loneliness in his eyes, before moving on.
... We followed without a word.

Episode: 14
<color=#ffffff>"... No. It can't be. My life is— The experiences, the memories I had recorded are different."</color>
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Alas.
Kim came to a stop with a grim look on his face.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Again, I am returned to this day...
His voice had dropped to the same, morose pitch we had heard before.
Aeng-du	Mentor.
Aeng-du	... I have been here before.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Ah, have you? Had a peek into my memories when I had Distorted, did you?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Haha... I must say, it's a bit embarrassing to have my deepest and darkest secrets revealed like that.
Kim grinned sheepishly as though to clear the air, but it was becoming rather clear to me what he was doing.
That his flippant demeanor and seemingly devil-may-care attitude were but a mask to hide the true darkness in his heart.
Aeng-du	Then this must be...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Indeed. The Right State Councilor's estate.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Someone whom I had once protected... thought was worth protecting.
Kim pushed open the main gates and made his way into the front yard.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Watch out, Aeng-du. Take a tall step over, or you might trip.
Aeng-du	…!
Sinclair	Agh...
There were bodies splayed about the yard, and I couldn't dare start counting them.
I felt faint watching the aftermath of the carnage: some were decapitated, some had their torsos split diagonally, and some of them were so mangled that I could hardly even tell which parts belonged to who.
Aeng-du	Are they not... retainers of the Royal Court?
Aeng-du	What were they doing at the Councilor's... No, were they killed by assassins?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Assassins did infiltrate the estate, yes.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... You're looking at what remains of them.
Dante	<...!>
Though I had but a moment to glimpse it, I clearly remembered what the S Corp. logo I saw in Kim's fathoms looked like.
The hats these corpses are—or were—wearing... are adorned with the same logo.
So why is Bamboo-hatted Kim calling them "assassins"?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	In this corrupt land, the Right State Councilor's life was always as precarious as a candlelight in a tempest.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Such is the fate of all those who have the guts to speak the truth in S Corp., where positions of influence are hoarded by corrupt sycophants whose chokehold on power is ironclad.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	The most prominent among them, the Left State Councilor, with the Chief State Councilor's blessing, sought to wield his own private army to silence forever the tongues of those who would advocate against the corrupt.
Aeng-du	Private army...?! But they are prohibited in our homeland...!
Ishmael	So they're kinda like how the Great Houses of H Corp. each had their own armies...?
Faust	That is similar to what is happening, but not exactly.
Faust	If S Corp.'s circumstances were to be explained in plainer terms, it would be akin to a situation in which a company, whose employees outwardly appear to be all working for the same side, is in fact fractured within, with certain departments pledging allegiance to a different individual than the chief executive.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	What assassins there had been in the past at least wore masks to hide their allegiance; I had thought this no different, though with assassins significantly less invested in maintaining their disguises.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Not realizing that I had just placed my stone inside the tiger's maw.
Location: Right State Councilor Estate, S Corp., Past
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Gah... *gasp*
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Looking around at the yard teeming with the assassins, I recall thinking it odd just how many of them they had sent.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Though the Left State Councilor's power had grown to loom over that of the King, I should have realized how ridiculous such a brazen attempt on the life of one of the triumvirate Councilors at the Royal Court would have been. Foolish.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I can't... I have failed you... Councilor...
Bamboo-hatted Kim	There were simply too many of them, as though they had decided that tonight was the night they would finally slay the Councilor, or die trying.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I was soon overwhelmed, and some of them eventually managed to get around me and reached the Councilor's bedchamber...
Bamboo-hatted Kim	The moment I heard them breach the door, all strength left me, and I fell to my knees.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I, Kim Lib, am a poor excuse of a bodyguard... and I have failed you.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	And I knew who the author of the foul scheme was: the Left State Councilor.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Let this be my final act of loyalty ere I depart this life—
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... Though I am too meager a person to carry on your will, Councilor... What I can do is plant the seeds of terror in the hearts of the unjust, if only to shackle their blackest hearts from committing greater misdeeds.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I shall go before the villain who contrived this betrayal and see that the favor is repaid with steel.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Only by such vengeance shall the Councilor at last close his eyes in his grave.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... Or so I had thought.
*creak*
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... What...?
???	Greetings, honored Bodyguard of the Right Councilor. I see that you've been hard at work.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Accursed parasite...! I ought to flay you alive and reveal the wretched soul underneath!
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Some gall you have to show your face here!
???	Oh, here? You mean the home of the honorable Right State Councilor who toils day and night in service of the Royal Court?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... I know the assassins were sent by the Left State Councilor.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Get out of my way.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I shall collect your head once my task here is over.
???	Alas, alas! This unsightly display of anger shames us all.
???	Are all those who live by the sword as uncouth as you? The cruelty of your damning words is an oppression upon decent men like myself.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Let's see how long you can—
???	Heed me, soldiers!
???	Arrest that mad butcher.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	?!
Bamboo-hatted Kim	W-what...?
???	The accused shall heed his crimes.
???	One moon ago, an anonymous letter, threatening to take the life of the revered Right State Councilor, arrived at the Royal Court.
???	This audacious, contumelious effrontery is an affront not only to the Royal Court, but to the heavens and men alike!
???	The revered Left State Councilor, who has long been in disagreement with the Right State Councilor on matters of the state, found this offense to be so heinous that...
???	... he has personally commanded his men to protect his political enemy on the day writ on the letter!
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... Huh?
???	Yet, a tragedy has struck!
???	All those lives sent to protect the noble Councilor are slain, the bravery and justice of their honorable hearts trampled upon the ground by this villain!
???	And now the villain promises death to yet another pillar of the Royal Court?!
???	Thus we are, perforce, to arrest the criminal and restore the rule of law!
Bamboo-hatted Kim	You spout senseless drivel! I saw your men make their way into the Councilor's bedchamber with their blades drawn...!
???	The Councilor? Might you be looking for the Right State Councilor here, alive and well?
???	.......
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... My lord...?
The vile wretch leaned down next to my ear, and whispered:
???	Perhaps you should've known where not to stick your nose.
???	Did you really think you could overcome the entire private army in the Left State Councilor's service?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	He sent so many of his men to their deaths... just to lure me into a trap? Why?
???	Now, don't take this as a compliment, as you're not even the Apex Blade of the Homeland, nor are you the <ruby=Cloudblade>Un'geom</ruby>. But you have been a rather egregious obstacle to the execution of my plans.
???	Couldn't get through with the first thing in my plan, with you constantly getting in my way. Let's keep you nicely locked up and out of trouble.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Th-this can't be...!
???	... For what it's worth, young man... I am sorry.
???	I've come to realize the error of my ways... The truth is, though S Corp. is indeed a pond of turbid water...
???	... it was those like us who had stirred the dirt from its bed and turned it cloudy.
???	Fearing the worst, we arrived to protect the revered Right State Councilor...!
???	A thousand curses upon the villain! In his quest for the Right State Councilor's life, the butcherous man has already watered the ground with S Corp.'s laborers, the very lifeblood that runs in the veins of this most serene Wing!
???	And that charcoal-hearted villain is none other than the Councilor's Sworn Guard, Kim Lib!
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Han...
???	Heed us, O villain!
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Han Ho-bae!!!!!
Han Ho-bae	And let the Ohra bonds take you!
Location: S Corp. Prison, Past
Im Gyeong-eop	You've fallen far, my friend. You who were once considered a candidate to the honor of Un'geom...
Im Gyeong-eop	And with that Brand of a Nobi sapping your strength...
Im Gyeong-eop	... even your mastery with the blade will only dull.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... Are you to be my executioner, Gyeong-eop?
Im Gyeong-eop	I hadn't received the orders to behead you, if that is what you're asking. Nor would it befit someone of my station to sully my hands with an executioner’s duty.
Im Gyeong-eop	How... will you live on, now?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... I don't know. The Councilor has abandoned me. There is no path forward.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	Salpippyeo Agroindustries is... more corrupt than I had thought. Rotten to the core. This is... where the game ends.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... Time to resign my stone.
Im Gyeong-eop	Indeed it is.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	...? Why... are you freeing me?
Im Gyeong-eop	Once a game has been lost, you start anew and test other gambits in the next round.
Im Gyeong-eop	Why don't you stop playing this unfair game where the opponent always starts with stones placed on all 9 star points on the board...
Im Gyeong-eop	... and find a place where you can begin anew in equal standing?
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... As soon as they realize it was you who freed me, they'll come after you.
Im Gyeong-eop	It's okay. Unlike someone who made a fool of himself and fled after passing the Royal Examinations, I have the Royal Court's backing as its Military Commissioner.
Im Gyeong-eop	My position in the Court isn't so fickle that they would cast me down right away just because I let go of someone like you. You're a Branded criminal... In the eyes of the Royal Court, you're as good as inconsequential. I'll report that even if you were to flee, you would still be nothing more than a plaything in the palm of their hands.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	I didn't think you were the kind to go against your honorable principles.
Im Gyeong-eop	Some things can't be done without bending a rule or two. And you are needed. S Corp.'s future is in need of those who are less bound by expectations... like yourself.
Im Gyeong-eop	Besides, it's not the rules I stand by, it's my own principles.
Im Gyeong-eop	I did say I owe you a token of gratitude, didn't I? Consider this a settlement of that.
Im Gyeong-eop	Gratitude and vengeance, after all, share a common quality. They are both debts to be repaid.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... Gyeong-eop.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... Come with me. There is no hope left for S Corp. You said it yourself, didn't you? We'll never win as long as we're playing their rigged game.
Im Gyeong-eop	Listen. They might have a 9 stone advantage over you, but to me, it's as small as 3.
Im Gyeong-eop	I'll manage and keep my finger on the pulse. Besides, change doesn't always have to come from the outside.
Im Gyeong-eop	The old wisdom says that to catch a tiger, you must enter its den. But... wouldn't it help to have an ally waiting in the tiger's den to back you up when the time comes?
Im Gyeong-eop	There, all done. Your bonds are severed.
Im Gyeong-eop	Go now.
Im Gyeong-eop	Go, and build your strength beyond the walls of S Corp. Yet beware of relying overmuch on foreign powers.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	... I don't have it in me to take up such a grand purpose. I'm done with S Corp.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	You know how I am. I just go with the flow...
Im Gyeong-eop	Yes, yes. Do as you will, go with the flow, be whatever you want to be.
Im Gyeong-eop	But I'm just hoping that the currents of the river will someday bring you back to S Corp., that's all.
Bamboo-hatted Kim	.......
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Though I had left the rigged game, my records afterward weren't stellar. The laying of the stones on my board was always full of holes and mistakes.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I joined the Blade Lineage, became their Mentor, dragged them into the Library... until eventually, I cut down those who had placed their faith in me. Self-defeating move after self-defeating move.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	When Gyeong-eop had let me go, I thought I had escaped the tiger's maw.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	But as I let the game progress with the flow, I soon came to the realization that my life was an endless sequence of connect-and-dies.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I was in a losing play from the start.
Shadows dancing by the distant humanoid form begin to grow like wildfire,
and those in the attire of the Blade Lineage one by one leap over the wall and approach us.
Like the projections of Kim's darkening fathoms...
Dante	<They're from his memories.>
Dante	<Films and photographs can sometimes remain undoctored, but...>
Dante	<... the impressions a person gets from viewing the photograph... is malleable.>
Yi Sang	... Then they must be after...
Dante	<Yeah. Kim believes that if the Blade Lineage were to come back to life, they would want to kill him.

Episode: 15
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Like a prey backed against the cliff's edge, I am left bereft of paths; my hand hesitates with no room to place the stone.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Misjudgments burgeon when contemplations harrow the mind, indeed.
Outis	Now, all that remains is to neutralize that one enemy combatant in the yard.
Outis	Tell me... Who's waiting for us in there? You should know—this place and its enemies are projections of your memories.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Not the hardest guess to make, is it?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I expect to find Im Gyeong-eop in there.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Gyeong-eop was a woman of loyalty and principles. Even as a Military Commissioner, she never stopped wanting to change the way the Royal Court was.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	But even she must have broken, in the end. I scoured the newspapers and TV for anything I could find on the current state of S Corp., but it was plain as day that nothing had changed there since my departure.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	.......
Aeng-du	Mentor... Is that not but a baseless speculation, your concerns grown uncontrollably?
Aeng-du	Never have you spoken to us about such a monstrous one in the past.
Aeng-du	Thus, what lies before you is but a figment of the Distortion reflecting upon your memories.
Aeng-du	Did this Im Gyeong-eop appear as that monster does, Mentor?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... No.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Gyeong-eop wasn't like that.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Gyeong-eop.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I still believe that Salpippyeo Agroindustries deserves to die.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	But destruction's not the point. The point is that I want it to be a place where I can cut away the avaricious corrupted, and...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... have it be a Wing that cares for its commonfolk.
Im Gyeong-eop	If I didn't know better, I would've thought you were seeking to supplant the current S Corp.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	You know that's not what I'm talking about.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I'm just... a wanderer, floating down the river's flow to where the currents take him.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	When the river bent and I hit a wall, someone picked me up and made a blade out of me; once abandoned, I returned to the flow and found myself a "Mentor" to those who afforded me the undeserved faith.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	And the river continues to wind, carrying me back to... Ah, S Corp., whence I had fled. Shall I let the blade sing my inner thoughts?
Im Gyeong-eop	You think I'm satisfied with the way S Corp. is?
Im Gyeong-eop	But your method, as it is now, goes against the principles.
Im Gyeong-eop	I expected better from someone of your wiles.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... If you enjoy those principles so much, then why ask me to leave the game?
Im Gyeong-eop	Because someone has to stay behind and try to bring change within the limits of their principles.
Im Gyeong-eop	I only hoped that one of those bends in that river of yours would... float you back to knock on the gates of S Corp. once it was primed for change.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Has that changed?
Im Gyeong-eop	Hm. What do you think?
Distorted Im Gyeong-eop	You, at least, seem to think that I have.
Im Gyeong-eop	Because you believe that I shall stand in your path.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Stand in my path...
Im Gyeong-eop	... and stem the flow of this river evermore.
Aeng-du	...!
Im Gyeong-eop	... Very well.
Im Gyeong-eop	The law states that denial of the will of the Royal Court is a crime deserving of death by beheading.
Im Gyeong-eop	I, Im Gyeong-eop, Second Ordinant of the Salpippyeo Agroindustries, Official of the Sword, and Military Commissioner to the Royal Court, shall uphold the command...
Im Gyeong-eop	... and sever the buds of rebellion before they propagate.

Episode: 16
Location: Mirror Dungeon of the Fathoms
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	She's not as powerful as I recall—yet weighed down by the Brand, I am not so far ahead or behind.
Ishmael	I don't know... I think you're doing pretty well.
Don Quixote	Verily, they appear evenly matched. Yet...
Ryoshu	*puff* He's wielding that sword like he's trying to get himself killed.
Ryoshu	That bladework is far beneath him... Seeking the end here, is he?
Im Gyeong-eop	Can you afford to look away in a duel?!
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	...!
Im Gyeong-eop	... What are you doing? You'd rather lock your sword with mine than parry it away?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Can't have a proper sword fight without a blade lock though, huh?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	The duel between the mentor of a Syndicate and a Military Commissioner of S Corp. is neck-to-neck—clash after clash, the two warriors eventually lock their blades in a contest of might before it comes to a close in a final, fatal bout... When the dust settles, the mentor lies in the sand, dead.
Im Gyeong-eop	... If that is what you want, I will grant it.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Good. Let's finish this...
Aeng-du	*sigh*
Just as Bamboo-hatted Kim and Im Gyeong-eop readied for their final bout, Aeng-du leaped in between them.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Agh...! Aeng-du?!
Aeng-du	Are you really so ashamed that you would choose death over life, Mentor?
Aeng-du	Are you so scared to live that you would rather die?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	......
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Yes, I am. I am scared. I am terrified of my own audacity to live my days as though I hadn't failed everything and everyone who had the misfortune of placing their faith in me—my mission, my honor, my fellows—as though my path isn't haunted by ghosts, as though I can stand shamelessly before the watching eyes of the heavens.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	What have I even done with the life that was given to me? Blind to the realities of my homeland, I served a master who chose politics over loyalty and justice. I cut down my very fellows who chose to trust a fool like me.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I walked my entire life as the flow carried me, and when I finally had the mind to look back, all I saw were blood-red traces everywhere I had gone. Isn't it about time I admitted that this game cannot be won, that—
Aeng-du	Mentor. The weakness in your strength has failed your mission.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	.......
Aeng-du	The weakness in your position has failed your honor. And the weakness in your heart had become the fiendish blade that cut down your fellows.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Aeng-du? I thought you were here to talk me into keep on living. Yet your words pain me so.
Aeng-du	What weakness of yours is it this time, that you would cast away your own creed and life?
Aeng-du	What other weakness will you use as an excuse today?
Aeng-du	Stop trying to bear responsibilities asked not of you. The Blade Lineage was never about responsibility, nor was it about you, Mentor. Or does your overbearing guilt help you overestimate your importance?
Aeng-du	What was that saying again, "fellow travelers in the same boat will aid one another"? Not a single soul demanded that of you.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	T-talk about kicking a man when he's down...
Aeng-du	And I have had enough of that flippant larking of yours! We all have! Do you truly believe that not a single one of us had picked up on the fact that all your levity was a means of relieving yourself of the burden you had cast upon your own shoulders?
Aeng-du	None of us ever demanded some impossible feat from you. What was it that you've always said to describe yourself?
Aeng-du	That you are "but a butchering blade that wields not itself, a tool wielded by willing hands."
Aeng-du	Why, Mentor, I know not what kind of shame or responsibilities a mere tool has, do you? Because I fail to see any.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	.......
Aeng-du	If the shame does not subside still...
Aeng-du	... then shroud your face with that bamboo hat of yours, and live on.
Aeng-du	Live on, so that you may repay your debts.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	.......
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... "Out of blades, out of arrows." (刀折矢盡)
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Even the heart that sought death lies defeated at your feet; there is no stone left for my next gambit.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	There is... nothing more.
Aeng-du	*sigh...*
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Indeed. Perhaps there was some merit in your words—that I must retreat from this silly game of stones and become a fiend of blades.
Aeng-du	Mentor...? That is... not what I said...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Interesting. Whence did you hear that poem?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Yes, when inverted, a bamboo hat is like an unladen ship.
Aeng-du and Im Gyeong-eop were knocked away from Bamboo-hatted Kim as though bounced off by an invisible force.
Kim raises his gaze to meet the empty air as though someone were there, a hollow laughter escaping his lips.
We know who he's talking to.
Dante	<It's the voice...>
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	But your last move was not a good one. Indeed, I did wish to become a blade—and what did you do? Forged me into an indiscriminate one that cleaves blindly into friend and foe both. It seems that, in your excitement, you have cornered yourself with that last move.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Well, as it seems that I have had an opportunity to retrace our past moves, allow me to try something different this time.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Ah, be not so vexed by this round—as you say, we never know what the next game shall bring.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I appreciate and will treasure the other bits of your advice.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	But... let us play by my rules for tonight's game.
Heathcliff	... Somethin's different this time, innit?
Heathcliff	He ain't Distorting. I think that's...
Yi Sang	... An efflorescence, perhaps.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Nothing is for certain, indeed... Yet I trust that the words of my last remaining follower have also reached your ears, hm?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I am but a tool wielded by willing hands. Nothing in my life has ever been certain.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I know not whether this move is what cements my defeat, but I desire it to be a victorious stone nonetheless.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	... Thank you. I will take what encouragement I can.
The strange, invisible pressure dissipates, and the armored woman, Im Gyeong-eop, readjusts her grip on the sword.
Kim turned around to look at her, and I saw that a weighty shadow seemed to have been lifted from his face, replaced by a mix of relief and determination.
Im Gyeong-eop	......
뉴김삿갓안광	... A bit embarrassing to change my stance now, but...
뉴김삿갓안광	... now, I fight to live.
뉴김삿갓안광	And I suppose you will be okay with that?
Im Gyeong-eop	... Of course.
Location: -1
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	To hide from heaven's gaze this hat I wore;
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	An empty boat, it bore my friends along.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	In bamboo veiled, we drift from shore to shore;
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	With wine, I don my hat to watch blooms throng,
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	In mirth, I doff that shroud to moon adore.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	So with this bamboo hat to veil my brow,
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Though winds and rain may rage, I shall not throe.
Im Gyeong-eop	.......
Im Gyeong-eop	Hie to me, bamboo-hatted one; speak your name, for I find your outfit dubious of character.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I am he who has mentored the lineage of blades to its premature end;
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	I am he who has sought to bring salvation to the downtrodden, to no avail.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	What to call a man who has failed to disburden himself of the world? How to name a man who has failed to bear the weight of the world? There is none...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	So call me... Bamboo-hatted Kim.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Bamboo-hatted Kim, the treasonous wretch.
The photographs rapidly fold away from reality,
Location: Distorted Butter Street, District 14
perhaps because Kim had successfully managed to face his own past.
When the photographs and memories that were overlaid upon the fathoms are pulled away, what remains is a man in dirty, ragged clothing.
The fathoms of S Corp. slowly lose grip on this world...
Location: Butter Street, Past
... and soon reveals the fathoms of the Distortion that was hidden beneath it.
I see residents of the Backstreets in their blissful highs from taking the Canned Experiences...
... and a man who's watching them with disapproval.
???	Why, why, why? Why is everyone running away from all this?
???	A baker, always surrounded by the smell of freshly-baked bread.
???	A florist who makes lovely bouquets for graduating youngsters.
???	A photographer who captures beautiful sights to remember.
???	They're your... our lives. Our experiences.
???	You wanna be a billionaire with an extravagant mansion in a Nest? A legendary Fixer who can make the Syndicates cower in fear just by going on a stroll?
???	What you get from those cans is not real!
???	Is everything in your lives... all of this...
???	... just empty means to an end, so that you can get high on fake, purchased experiences nailed into a can?!
???	If that's all your life is, then my life... and the photographs I've taken are... all...
???	No, it can't be.
???	My life...
???	Those experiences and memories I've photographed are... different.
???	You're all blindly consuming fake experience after fake experience, without a care about the real thing... That's why you're all floundering, grasping at illusions.
???	So... let me show you the things I've shot.
???	The memories...
???	The experiences...
???	The reality of your lives.
Location: Butter Street, District 14
Meursault	.......
It was only in passing, but I glimpsed an unmistakable grimace, a scowl on Meursault's face.
I reflected upon the events of today, and could at least begin to guess as to why that might be.
Dante	<You don't believe there's any "experience" in either the Canned Experience or that guy's photographs, do you, Meursault?>
Dante	<Because experiences and memories aren't the same thing.>
What really distinguishes them, I wasn't sure.
Meursault	Correct, Manager.
But what I knew was that the distinction was, for whatever reason, important to Meursault.
???	.......
???	Huh...?
A figure materializes into a humanoid form, swirling out of the projector.
He must be the Distortion's...
... And next to him... is another figure, stumbling out in a giant suit of armor.
Heathcliff	B-blimey, that thing's still alive?!
Faust	It is but an overlay of fathoms created within a Distorted space. The concept of life and death has little meaning for such a thing.
Yi Sang	Yet faint does she grow... It must be that the Distortion's power is waning.
Distorted Im Gyeong-eop	... Hark, accused one, for these are your crimes:
Distorted Im Gyeong-eop	The crime of fomenting chaos in a foreign Wing while impersonating Ch'unokkuns of Salpippyeo Agroindustries.
Distorted Im Gyeong-eop	The crime of exploiting the suffering of Salpippyeo Agroindustries' downtrodden as a mere veil for one's own fathoms.
Distorted Im Gyeong-eop	And...
Distorted Im Gyeong-eop	... though it be but a part of reenactment, impersonating a Military Commissioner of the kingdom without the Royal Decree.
Distorted Im Gyeong-eop	Pursuant to the law of the homeland, the accused is to be sentenced to death by beheading.
And before we even had the chance to step in or anything, the faint mirage-like warrior brought down her sword on the Docugrapher's neck, decapitating him.
Yi Sang	Can an entity of the fathoms... slay one outside it?
Faust	Such an instance has heretofore never been observed, but... as it is happening right now, right before our eyes... I can only say "yes."
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Gyeong-eop is a woman of principle.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	She would have done the same to the bitter end, had she truly been here.
As the headless body of the "Inflection Point" crumples to the floor, Im Gyeong-eop's shape slowly phases out of reality...
Location: Unlit Projection Room, District 14
... and we found ourselves back in the projection room.
And there...
Ezra	N-no way... Don't tell me that headless corpse is—
... we found a large group of injured N Corp. staff thrown pell-mell about the room, and Ezra, who was looking down at the headless body of the Docugrapher.

Episode: 17
Location: Butter Street, District 14
Ezra	... Yep. Right on. Gotcha, Team Leader.
Ezra	*sigh* And that's the initial report done. Good work, guys.
Tucking her radio back in, Ezra commended us in a relieved voice.
Yi Sang	The Distortion has perished in the mission... Will that not cause trouble?
Ezra	Um... Yeah, that kinda sucks, but it's not like ya guys could help it. Who would've thought that the Distortion would kill its own Inflection Point?
Ezra	If we knew that in advance, we probably would've prepared something to stop it, but... *sigh*
Ezra	Welp, that's for the LCD and Team Leader to investigate. All in all, this mission was still a success since we managed to eradicate that Distortion from N Corp., not to mention satisfying our client.
Ezra	Also...
Ezra looked toward Aeng-du and Kim with a lighthearted shrug, clearly less concerned than she had been earlier.
Ezra	... now I finally know why you've been disappearing on your own without letting us know. Glad you don't seem to have any more reason to, though, so it's all good.
Ezra	Hey, that's the real "win" of this mission in my book.
Ezra	Phew-ie! The point is, we did it! We did the thing, it's done! Gosh, I swear, I am never doing one of these without the Team Leader ever again. Seriously, I got this close to losing it more than a few times.
It seemed that the responsibility of looking after her LCD juniors had kept her stressed and high-strung throughout the mission.
I hadn't noticed it, but her brows had finally relaxed, bringing back the chipper Ezra I was more familiar with.
Aeng-du	... Thus, I shall not abide by more of your indolence—you will now join us on missions and tasks as you are expected to. Is that understood, Mentor?
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Aeng-du... Would you mind releasing the hems of my sleeve...? Oh, what I wouldn't give to lie down and pass out right about now...
The raw emotion in Kim's voice had likewise faded, and with Aeng-du's voice no longer as barbed as it had been in the fathoms, it seemed to me that the two were back to the more relaxed selves I knew.
Uh, can't exactly say "more relaxed" for Kim, though... 'Cause that's how he's always been, at least from what I've seen. In any case...
Aeng-du	Fine. You are released.
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Whew... You've given me a good—I mean, hard shake. I don't feel so good...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	Say, Aeng-du, I'm afraid they may have gone overboard with upgrading your arm—
Aeng-du	With your hem released, allow me to reiterate that...
Bamboo-Hatted Kim	S-stop...
... My heart finds peace as well as I watch them bicker.
Dante	<Is everyone doing okay?>
Outis	Yes, Executive Manager. Our forces have only suffered minor injuries that do not require you to go through the trouble of rewinding the clock.
Heathcliff	Uh, hang on, mate. I've got a dislocated shoulder.
Outis	I can pop that right back into place for you. Allow me, I've taken care of similar injuries in the field—
Heathcliff	Yeah, and guess what happened the last time I let you do that! You rotated my bloody arm the wrong way and turned the bones in my shoulder into little chips!!!
Dante	<... Don't sweat it, I can rewind that.>
By now, I've already grown used to the pain of rewinding the Sinner's injuries. A dislocated shoulder shouldn't be a big deal.
Don Quixote	Uh, I have aught to ask thee; a clarification, if thou wilt.
Dante	<Yeah?>
Don Quixote	Dost thou recall how, as we battled the N Corp.'s... uh, Pin... frame Team, the foes have taken photographs of us?
Ishmael	Uh-huh, and...?
Don Quixote	They are those who were sent to identify and capture the one who hath violated a Taboo, forsooth?
Don Quixote	As we stood in their path, 'tis no mystery why we had to come to blows. Yet I find this to be most perplexing: wherefore did they take so many photographs of us?
Ishmael	Hm, maybe they were taking photographs to report their locations?
Ishmael	Recording footage is Taboo in N Corp., meaning they can't install security cameras here. Their only option for keeping a consistent record when tracking down a case or a person is by photographs.
Don Quixote	Hm hm hm~ Thine words hold water, yet... Hmmh... Most puzzling, most puzzling, forsooth...
Don Quixote	For I recall with clarity that, from a certain point, they had begun photographing us with renewed obsession.
Dante	<... Oh! Hey, that sounds like a question for Meursault!>
Given how often I had to rely on the information Meursault had provided me in this mission, I think I've gotten enough practice on how to phrase my questions the right way and pull the answers I need from him.
I couldn't get him to tell us his own judgments on matters, but since he seems to have a near-photographic memory of what he's seen...
Dante	<Meursault, do you remember how many pictures of us the N Corp. staff took?>
Meursault	I do. 56 times.
Ishmael	That's a lot of pictures. You actually remember the exact number of times they shot us?
Meursault	I do.
Rodion	It's always so neat seeing his memory in action... So, didya get the chance to see which one of us got the most photographs taken?
Meursault	I did.
Rodion	Ooh! Who is it, who is it?! Fuhu... Is it me? I make for a fine model, if I do say so myself.
Meursault	No, it wasn't you.
Meursault	It was me.
Dante	<... Huh?>
Dante	<But why?>
Meursault	.......
Dante	<I-I mean, uh... "What's the most statistically likely reason that it was you?">
It was at that moment that I heard the sound of pebbles crunching under boots approaching us, louder and louder.
Ezra	W-what the heck?!
Aeng-du	N Corp....
Ezra	Oh, dangit. Are ya here because we beat up some of your guys?! L-listen here, we had to, because of the Distortion! See...?
Faust	It is as she says. The skirmish was an unfortunate consequence of combating the Distortion phenomenon.
Faust	Limbus Company provides a customer damage compensation program in case of such unforeseen events. Instead of engaging us in battle, please elect to contact the Emergency Response Team at our headquarters as your first...
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Yes, we fully understand the circumstances surrounding the battle, and we intend to submit an expeditious request for damage compensation as you have recommended.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	But we are here on different business, so if you would be so kind as to let us speak...
Dante	<Different business...?>
Meursault	They are here to arrest me, Manager.
Dante	<Hold on, Meursault. Let's hear them ou—>
Dante	<Wait, what?>
Meursault did not resist. He walked past us and joined the group of N Corp. employees.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Please confirm that you are Meursault, formerly One Who Nails, and a former member of the Maintenance and Management Team at the Grand Magasin Sisyphe headquarters.
Meursault	Confirmed.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	By the decree of "The Giants," you have been expelled from N Corp., with imprisonment as the penalty for noncompliance. Pursuant to Article 12 of the Eviction Regulations, you have also been informed that remaining in N Corp.'s District for more than 6 hours may subject you to immediate arrest.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Please confirm that your memory pertaining to the above incident has not been expunged, and you are of sound mind to recall it in entirety.
Meursault	Confirmed.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Very well. Then, in keeping with the regulations, I hereby notify you that you are now subject to arrest and transport. Place your hands behind your back, and please offer no resistance. I am required to inform you that resistance may incur further penalties.
Meursault	Mm.
Dante	<W-wait...! Stop!>
What the hell is going on?!
Wait, forget all that!
Dante	<Did you know this would happen, Meursault?!>
Meursault, who stood calmly with his arms behind his back as the N Corp. employees handcuffed him, nodded placidly in my direction.
Meursault	I did, Manager.
Dante	<Then why the heck didn't you warn—>
... It was less a question and more a reflex, but I didn't need to hear his reply to know why.
Dante	<Right... I never asked, did I?>
Meursault	You did not.
Dante	<I'd say, "You should've warned us way earlier," but you'd just reply, "I will follow those instructions going forward," right?>
Meursault	Yes, I would.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	Subject now in custody. From this moment onward, you are considered a suspect and will be transported to N Corp. headquarters for your trial.
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	As for the rest of you... Would you be the organization the suspect is a part of?
Heathcliff	Organize your arse, what in the bloody hell do you think you're...!
Faust	Heathcliff. You are about to antagonize N Corp., a Wing.
Faust	In the absence of a reasonably justifiable cause, such as a contract, engaging in battle with the City's corporate entities is strongly discouraged.
Heathcliff	Yeah?! And we're just supposed to twiddle our thumbs while they drag him away?!
Faust	... This must be another piece of information they "neglected" to tell me.
Faust	Yet another development that was set in stone.
Despite her calm and collected explanation, I could tell that this was not a pleasant situation for Faust, either, as she was sending an uncomfortable glance at the N Corp.'s employees.
Rodion	S-so where are ya taking him?
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	.......
Class 2 Pinframing Staff	A retrial will be scheduled for the execution of the exile's sentence.
They replied dispassionately as they took Meursault into custody.
We looked back at them, not knowing what to do or say.
The late afternoon sun pricked at us like a thousand hot needles.
Meursault, now in cuffs, gazed at us with an expression that would not have seemed out of place on any ordinary day.
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