Saru (After) - Bro, We're Still Kids In High School
Sometimes, there are some things we must do no matter what.
And right now... well, it's one of those times.
So I[1] have this friend, Nini[2] -- maybe it's because he was born in space or something, but he has a special power that lets him see things[5]. And because of that, we made an absolutely outrageous discovery recently.
That is, a Kegai den[6]. I was shocked beyond words. I mean, shit! Those monsters are right here, in this town!
Naturally, I ran to the police, but they didn't seem to care. Maybe it was because I'm a high school kid, or because the town had always been perfectly safe from attacks so far.
I tried to convince them until my voice gave out, but they just wouldn't believe me.
In the end, neither the police nor anyone else did anything. That was the first time I felt like I was talking to a brick wall, really.
At this rate, my homeland will be destroyed!
So what now?
Well, after spending a whole night wide awake with worry, I go to school, and Nini approaches me with a plan.
The look on his face sends a shiver down my spine. This guy -- he's totally ready to fight.
And in my head, I'm like, Starman, why are you taking it upon yourself to defend this town? You weren't even born here. If anything, I should be the one doing this. How the hell are you so much more determined than I am?
Besides, you're weaker than me -- hell, you're the weakest guy in the whole damn school year!
I feel a weird heat rising deep in my nose -- and an urge to let my body tremble. It's like I've caught something way worse than the flu.
So I lean forward and ask him,
"Do you even know what you're doing? You're so damn weak -- what can you even do?"
"I don't know. But after thinking about it for a bit... I figured that if no one does anything, we'll all die."
The answer is exactly what I expected. What I didn't expect, though, is his tone -- he's calm beyond belief.
At this point, I'm just being salty. Deep down, I know what my response to this is, but I still feel like I have to talk back against him.
"Bro, we're still kids in high school, remember. You're in way over your head."
"I'll leave behind a note. If I somehow don't come back, well, I'll be officially considered a missing person."
Holy shit, he's even planning for the worst-case scenario. If he dies, the authorities might take action...
"Listen, bro... I would do what you're gonna do. Just didn't cross my mind before, that's all. But why are you doing this? You don't owe this town anything."
I catch a glimpse of shining golden letters[7] engraved in Nini's eyes. Those golden letters... somehow, I feel like they've always appeared whenever the world was in danger.
"You see..." he answers, "...there are people here who call me their friend."
"Alright, fine! I'll die with you if I have to. Just gimme a minute -- I'm bringing something to fight with."
I do carry around a baseball bat, but it's the one thing I don't want to use as a weapon. I'm a member of the baseball club, after all.
Bats are meant for hitting balls. Nothing else.
So I go to the gardening club and take one of their stake-driving mallets. I don't know if it'll work against the Kegai, but... well, Nini will probably figure something out.
As Nini and I walk across the schoolyard, our morale at an all-time high, we see that blockheaded girl[3] sitting on one of the iron pull-up bars. What's her name, again?
"Charged up and ready to blast off! Making her grand entrance with the blessings of a goddess! The tragic beauty, Machina!"
Well, she introduces herself like that every single time anyway, so there's really no need to remember her name or anything.
Both Nini and I ignore her. Now's not the time to stay and joke around.
Then the blockhead chases us and starts getting all pissy.
"C'mon!! You really gotta be like that!?"
"The hell you want from us? We're dealing with serious stuff here. You could at least not get in our way."
Machina narrows her eyes -- that look quite clearly mechanical, but the rest of her body moves so naturally that she could pass for a human.
"If you're gonna fight the Kegai, you'll want someone experienced. Trust me."
Now that is what gets us to stop walking.
"How'd you know what we're gonna do?"
"I dunno. Lucky guess, I guess?"
"...Let's just go, bro."
"Okay, okay, I'll talk! Just wait for me! It's a prediction my high-tech logic device made!!"
"Still pretending you're a robot, huh?"
"I am a robot, though."
"Nah, you're not fooling anyone. A robot's supposed to be way more clunky than you are."
"What can I say? That's just how awesome the one who lent me their power is. Anyway..."
Machina swerves past me and charges toward Nini. And she gets real close to him.
"...Mind if I tag along, Ninirino? I can summon guns -- and they never run out of bullets! I got the idea to implement this from the shooting games in those arcade cabinets!"
"Damn it, you blockhead! We've got no time to joke around!"
"I'm not joking around!! How about you shut up and listen, huh!?"
Shocked speechless for a moment, Nini then says,
"Alright. I appreciate your help. You should know that this will be very dangerous, though."
"It's fine. I'm way tougher than humans, and if my memory isn't damaged -- and if Father[4] can spare his monetary resources, all my parts can be replaced."
"Shouldn't you be more worried about your father, then?"
"I am at least a bit worried about him -- I'm a good girl, after all."
"...Cool."
I have no idea what's going on in their heads, but it looks like a few sentences' worth of conversation is all it takes for Nini to accept Machina's help.
"Bro, you sure about this?"
"I'm not even sure if we'll come back in one piece."
"Well, shit."
"That's why I figured we could at least have strength in numbers."
"That's right, Ninirino! It's amazing how calm and rational you are -- like a machine![8]"
Hearing that, Nini cracks a dry smile for the first time ever. She's right, though -- he's incredibly composed for someone about to go into battle.
===
Chapter 21 Character Profiles
↩[1] Saru (Kunihiko Sawada)
Member of the baseball club. Quite good at looking after others.
When he was in elementary school, he was called "Saru" or "Saruta" because of his tree-climbing skills. Sometimes he is still called by those nicknames.
He is not keen on studying because he wants to find a job to ease the burdens of his widowed mother.
First-person pronoun used: Ore
↩[2] Nini (Novus Nemo/Taichiro Oyama)
The game's protagonist.
Born on the Hope International Space Station as Novus Nemo, and raised outside of the Japanese linguistic sphere despite his ancestry.
Due to the unique location of his birth, some people treat him as effectively an alien.
His nickname, "Nini," is short for "nobody" or "new" in the International Space Station's standard language.
Being Teruko's grandson, he goes by Taichiro Oyama, his Japanese name, when he comes down to Earth. No records of his father and grandfather exist in Japan.
First-person pronoun used: Boku
↩[3] Machina (Hazuchi-Machina Rothborden)
A comically clumsy character. Often claims to be a refined young lady at home.
First-person pronoun used: Watashi
↩[4] Max (Baldur Max)
Science and mathematics teacher.
He's German, despite his English surname.
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Chapter 21 Footnotes
↩[5] "A special power that lets him see things"
Refers to the Demon Sight.
In-game, it's used to view other people's mental states. Activated by pressing the L/R buttons.
↩[6] "Kegai den"
Refers to Yomotsu Hirasaka, the boundary between the realms of the living and the dead.
This is where you will battle against the Kegai.
↩[7] "Shining golden letters"
A sign that an individual is under the control of the OVERS System.
↩[8] "Like a machine!"
Since Machina is a robot, she means it as a compliment.
===
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