Charles Eyler/Dialogue

* Ep 1
* Ep 3 Prologue
* Ep 3 Childhood's End
* Endings
* Heaven's Gate
* Diary

## HC1

*In the maze*

* Hello there.
* Isn't it dangerous for a little girl to wander around here all alone?
* Is that so.
* Well, it's a pity they won't make it back before you meet your death in ten minutes.
* Is that all there is to it?
* Well, well, aren't you a nice child.
* I'm afraid he'll die shortly after.
* There is one way to save your friend, however.

*The masked man whispers something to Charlotte.*

* Is that okay?
* Even though you disagree with my methods?

*The man pets Charlotte's head.*

* Don't blame yourself for a single thing, child.
* Well then...

*In Charlotte's body*

* Aah...the human body is such a fragile thing.
* I can't just apologize if I accidentally break it, can I?
* ...Well then, what do we have here?
* Hmm~ All this junk is no good.
* Scissors? Not bad, but not the best option either.
* Such a shame I'll get this pretty dress dirty.

*To White Freya*

* ...That's right. Let's play a game.
* Boredom's the worst, isn't it?
* Ha, ha.
* Open your eyes, here come the scissors!

### Opening Monologue

*This is implied to be Charles' speaking*

* come gather, both the young and the old!
* come enjoy the show!
* a show
* of lies and gods,
* of twists and turns and imperfection
* of sterile whiteness and ink-black vomit
* blending into splendid gray
* of paranoia and psychosis
* and the brilliance of a human mind

### 681 Days Until The Trial

*Thinking as the girl is bullied*

* This world is swarming with parasites.
* Tiny. Invisible.

 Tenacious.
* Once they outwit your immune system, they eat you from the inside.
* Use you as an incubator for their offspring.
* Control your mind and alter your personality.
* They keep reproducing, and reproducing, and reproducing, endlessly reproducing...
* Until every single person is consumed by the disease.

*Her hair is cut*

* A lock of hair falls down.
* And another one.
* And another, and another.
* I want to do something, anything.
* **But all I do is avert my eyes.**
* And think,  **Thank god it's not me.**
* Because I am--

*Anri tells him to focus*

* Anri's voice is a harsh whisper.
* ...Ah.
* Sorry, I got distracted.
* The girl acting all conspiratory is Henrietta Warhol. Anri, she insists.
* Her nails dig into my sleeves. Nervous.

 She doesn't really want to be here.
* What are we doing here in the first place?
* Ah. That's right.
* We're collecting blackmail on these girls using Anri's phone for a chance to frame them later.
* Wasn't my idea.
* Collecting receipts on people she'll go shopping with the very next day. Classic Anri.
* Getting a hold on these kinds of things makes her feel safer, she says.
* Just like carrying a box cutter that she'll never use to save her life.
* And she'll never show this footage to the teachers.
* Well of course, she has an image to maintain.
* Never a single hair strand out of place, her attire perfectly ironed and manicure neatly done. Fake.
* I snap an another photo and hand the phone back to Anri. It's time to leave.

*Looking back on the bullied girl*

* The bullied one is squirming, crying pitifully. Crying for help.
* Anri catches my sleeve on the ladder two floors above.
* The lessons have long since ended.
* I... doubt anyone's around.
* I take her hand in mine. It's our ritual for comforting each other.
* We are no heroes.
* I've been a class ghost ever since elementary.
* Anri was bullied in middle school.

*Memory of Anri*

* We started talking after I found her locked in the boys' changing room. Half-dressed, crying pitifully in a corner.
* I gave her my track pants and she, not knowing how to deal with this display of compassion,
* Made sure to call me names and write insults on the class blackboard until the end of the year.
* I can't remember when we actually started to get along.
* It must've begun somewhere around the time she accidentally discovered my drawings.

*Running away*

* And right now...
* There's nothing we can do.
* We're terrified.
* That's why we take the emergency stairs and run, run, run.
* Until we're out of breath.
* Until we've reached Anri's home.
* Until we're locked in our private boxes called houses.
* Still, the image of the beaten up, humiliated girl surrounded by monstrosities won't go away.
* One wrong step, and it could've been us. Sprawled on the concrete floor.

 Defenseless.
* The parasites would keep
Laughing, laughing, laughing,
Contagious slime dripping from their mouths.

### 681 Days Until the Trial

*Interacting with the photo*

* An old photo of me and my pet. He died a while ago.
* It's all her fault.

*Interacting with the top drawer*

* Stationary and receipts inside. Not a single paper out of place.
* My medical card is here, too.
* "Prone to intrusive thoughts", "suspected Asperger's syndrome"...
* Psychotic episodes are the only thing I was prescribed medication for.

*Interacting with the middle drawer*

* There are multiple drawings of Charlotte.
* "A perfect girl". "A perfect protagonist".

*Interacting with the bottom drawer*

* Inside is a wallet with Father's money.
* It's our only stable source of income.

*Interacting with the computer*

* Ah.
* (Uh-oh. She's angry.)
* (Let's write something.)

*Messaging Anri*

* [18:51] charlotte: hey, you do the same
* [18:53] charlotte: charlotte: ;; no bullying
* [18:56] charlotte: do you know how many people would kill for having matching icons with C himself
* [18:59] charlotte: can't today, busy
* [19:10] charlotte: Hey the mc is not technically a self-insert
* [19:10] charlotte: ........i still have the right to be offended
* [19:18] charlotte: says a guro enthusiast
* [19:10] charlotte: jokes on you, I have 900 kudos
* [19:30] charlotte: that's fair, alright
* [19:35] charlotte: nah
* [19:45] charlotte: you just want free food
* [19:46] charlotte: and I have a surge of inspiration
* [19:46] charlotte: what will win?
* [19:39] charlotte: i'm locking the door

*Talking to C*

* [19:50] charlotte: evening
* [19:50] charlotte: i've read the article you sent the other day
* [19:51] charlotte: also
* [19:51] charlotte: http://n.co/3925x7cn
* [19:51] charlotte: philsophy discussion time?
* [19:53] charlotte: aw
* [19:53] charlotte: doing god's work
* [19:53] charlotte: good luck with your script!! i'm sure it'll be divine <3<3
* [20:03] charlotte: aw! stop it
* [20:04] charlotte: it's the least I can do for you
* [20:04] charlotte: your writing is amazing
* [20:09] charlotte: heheh, thanks

*Scarlett appears*

* I feel my stomach turn.
* ...Ugh.
* Scarlett Eyler.
* My unborn sister.
* The perfect girl soaked in womb blood.
* The one whom Father told Mom to kill.
* The one whose death caused her mental breakdown.
* The reason for all my misfortunes.
* Of course I do.
* Scarlett Eyler has been punishing me for my existence ever since I was born.
* "You didn't wash your hands well enough. Scrub them for 10 minutes straight."
* "You failed to get a perfect score on the test. Bang your head on the wall until it bleeds."
* "You didn't follow the schedule. Hurt yourself with a cardboard knife."
* "You didn't clean your room. Feed your pet junk food."
* "You ate too much. Starve yourself for three days."
* "I'm trying this hard for you, but you're never trying hard enough."
* "You won't pass the Trial like this."
* ...is what she always says, giving me a stern look behind my back.
* The Trial is all she ever talks about.
* According to Scarlett Eyler, the day of the Trial will be the day I die.
* I keep her away by drinking pills.
* I swallow 10 tablets, and Scarlett Eyler disappears.

*Interacting with the PC again*

* I turn the PC off.
* I should check on Mother.

*Talking to Mother*

* Hello, Mom.
* Slept well?
* Why don't we have a fancy dinner tomorrow?
* I can make your favorite dish.
* I saved up some money from freelance work, so you don't have to worry about the cost of the ingredients.
* It's okay.
* I'll bring it to your room and we'll eat together, okay?
* ...
* Right, Mother.

*Thinking of Mother*

* She's looking right at me, but all she sees is Scarlett Eyler.
* **The child that never was.**

### 646 Days Until the Trial

*Messaging Anri*

* [14:31] charlotte: hey I bought tickets to that new thriller
* [14:35] charlotte: gross
* [14:39] charlotte: that's better
* [14:41] charlotte: yeah it should be hilarious
* [14:41] charlotte: roasting central time
* [14:47] charlotte: right? <3<3
* [14:51] charlotte: ew, photos
* [14:51] charlotte: got it

*After watching the movie*

* Pfft! I can't believe you liked THAT.
* It was a trainwreck at best.
* You just liked the romance subplot, didn't you?
* Bingo!
* Sure. Anywhere you'd like.
* (You're doing it so that you'd brag about it to your friends later, aren't you?)

*At Mademoiselle Cafe*

* Then we'll gladly take up on one.
* Are you going to eat at all?
* I'm digging in.
* Ow.
* Aren't couples supposed to be affectionate?
* Yeah, yeah, right.
* Anri's just using me to maintain her social status.
* I briefly wonder how is it not obvious to her that nobody really cares.
* Yet, I enjoy our time together.
* Even though I know our play-pretend relationship will shatter as soon as high school ends.
* Then we'll throw away each other like used napkins.

*Booting up the PC*

* Oh, crap. No more pills left.
* (sigh)
* It's not a fanfic and it isn't not worthless, Scarlett.
* Hey, don't insult my daughter.
* There's no concept of free will in this story to begin with.
* All the characters are controlled by the parasite.
* Argh, you're so annoying for a tulpa.
* Listen. Even C complimented me.
* ...Yes. Yes, I do.
* Fine, fine. I know.
* ...
* Oh. A message from C.
* He's been acting weird lately, so...
* Give me five minutes, will you?

*Messaging C*

* I feel my blood go cold.
* [18:15] charlotte: are you sure?
* ...
* [18:16] charlotte: i see.
* [18:17] charlotte: i'm sorry
* [18:17] charlotte: i can't find the words to say
* [18:18] charlotte: are you scared? if you are, i will be there for you. i'm your number one fan, remember?
* Hold it. It's urgent.
* [18:18] charlotte: i will, trust me
* [18:19] charlotte: it'll be the first and the last time we meet in person, huh
* [18:19] charlotte: don't be. pat pat.
* [18:21] charlotte: don't mention it
* [18:21] charlotte: have a good night's sleep, ethereal prince

*Scarlett turns off the PC*

* wai--
* Wha- HEY!
* This isn't the time for it!
* C, he, he's going to...
* Oh god.
* He's going to die.
* You wouldn't dare.
* Shut up.
* I'm not listening to you anymore.

*Being held out of the window*

* If I fall now, I won't be able to see him.
* I have to see him. I have to follow the schedule.
* I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I won't do this again!
* Please let me meet him.
* Her words are an array of meaningless letters.
* I slide down the wall, breathing heavily.
* (Haa...haa...)
* That evening I couldn't study at all.

*After studying*

* I need to check up on Mother.

*Talking to Mother*

* Mother?
* The weather is good today.
* Feel like going for a walk?
* It's okay. You don't have to force yourself.
* Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?
* Is there a specific reason for it?
* I see. Shouldn't the pills help?
* ...
* Wish it came sooner, right?
* It's okay, Mother.
* I'll study hard and become a doctor.
* Then, you won't have to worry about anything.
* Mm.

### 625 Days Until the Trial

*At the rooftop. Note: Much of this dialogue is internal narration by Charles, which has been italicized by me.*

* *10:30 AM. It's a sunny day outside.*
* *I greet C with a small handwave and let out a sigh of relief.*
* *Thank god. His face isn't distorted.* (actually italicized in game)
* *He flinches and his whole body becomes tense, but as soon as he realizes it's me, he loosens up a little.*
* Are you alright?
* *God, what am I even saying? Of course he isn't.*
* ...Don't mention it.
* *C is shorter than me.*
* *For some reason I always thought he'd be the taller one out of us two.*
* *It's a flight of stairs, but he's completely out of breath.*
* Looks like PE isn't your best subject.
* *"No, you don't look like a Lovecraftian nightmare to me", I don't say.*
* Gods! Look at you!
* The only difference there is between you and your icon are those deep eyebags.
* And, well, you're a midget. That counts too.
* It's you who should be disappointed in me, mr C.
* That is the sad reality of online chats.
* Charlotte turned out to be Charles, whoops.
* Bet you wanted to see the girl of your dreams.
* ...
* If you say so.
* *Too bad you don't know Scarlett Eyler.*
* By the way...may I ask for your real name? Like, not an online handle?
* I see.
* Likewise.
* I'm glad I got to meet you in person before you...
* Ah.
* *An awkward pause falls between us.*
* *I wait for an explanation, a crack in his defenses, a breakdown.*
* *But none comes. There's only the deafening silence.*
* *I have to say something. Anything.*
* May I ask...how did you come up with this?
* The whole...universe birth theory.
* So it's like...a world that consists entirely of you?
* So it's entirely possible that our world is just someone's mind taking shape.
* *Then the cruel gods up above would definitely laugh at us both.*
* That would be just the worst, don't you think?
* *I'd cleanse this disease-stricken world of all contamination.*
* I...
* I don't think I'm cut out for that.
* Gods are creators.
* Even when I tried to write my own story, all I did was taking your setting and twist it to my liking.
* I'm not original at all.
* And my writing has too many plot holes and pandering.
* My story's protagonist is a little girl, too. Everyone and their dog has done it already.
* Even when writing villains, I end up falling into cliches like demons and contracts and such.
* Says C himself, a web celebrity--
* *I take off my glove and reach out.*

*Holding hands*

* *It's the only way of comfort I know.*
* *In a corner of my eye, I see him blinking vigorously. Oh.*
* *I want to take him away from this awful place, somewhere, anywhere-- but stop myself.*
* *It's not my decision to make.*
* *I don't know what he went through, or what his living circumstances are like.*
* *Scarlett Eyler was right.*
* ***I know nothing about Vincent.***
* *All I've ever seen was his blinding icon on the screen.*
* *I don't know him at all.*
* *Vincent smiles at me. I know what death feels like.*
* *White is truly a cruel color.*

* Ah. Uh. Well.
* See you in the Heavenly Kingdom?
* *Hey, Vince? You don't have to do this.*
* *Why become a god of some unknown place when you're the god of my world already?*
* *Don't you know that space is empty?*
* *Don't you know that nothing exists beyond this world?*
* *Then, it occurs to me.*
* *That maybe, he doesn't believe in anything.*
* *That maybe, he made up that story just to convince himself it's going to be okay.*
* *That maybe, all he wanted was to--*
* *Vincent lets go of my hand.*
* Vi--
* *Too late.*
* *I lose my balance and lean forward a little.*
* *Fear overwhelms me.*

*Jumping away from the edge*

* *I feel weak in my knees and stagger back, falling on the concrete floor, panting heavily.*
* *In the end, I let go of his hand. I couldn't follow him anywhere.*
* *I live for Mother. That's how it should always be.*
* *I can't leave this world before she does. That's what I decided for myself a long time ago.*
* *Scarlett Eyler's sighing behind my back.*
* *She's muttering something along the lines of, "Good riddance", "Get back here", and "You Idiot".*
* *Didn't I take the pills?*

*Vincent is dead*

* *Vincent fell. I called the ambulance and ran, ran, ran away.*
* *All ended well.*
* *There was nothing to be sad about.*

*Home after the suicide*

* Can't you leave me alone already?
* ...
* *It's getting harder to breathe all over again.*
* *I desperately gasp for air, trying to stay conscious. Trying to stay sane.*
* *All I see before me is Vincent's body -- human, real -- mangled on the ground.*
* *He's gone. Gone gone gone gone gone gone gone*
* It's you whom I need protection from, you monster.
* Say..Why won't you disappear?
* *Scarlett Eyler obstructs my line of vision and cups my face in her hands. They're as cold as ice.*
* *I cover my ears and try not to scream.*

### 531 Days Until the Trial

*Anri staying at his house* *Note: Narration will be italicized as Charles speaks in his head during a lot of this segment.*

* Oh my god, this really blew up...
* What is it?
* Oh.
* Is it far from here?
* ...I see.
* *So you're leaving too, huh.*
* *This means the end of our play-pretend relationship*
* *Tired, tired, tired.*
* *That's all you ever say.*
* *How "the world's unfair".*
* *How "everyone's unfair".*
* *"It's not my fault!" Boo hoo!*
* *I'm sick and tired of your complaining.*
* *I've never met your shut-in brother to begin with.*
* *He could be a corpse for all I know.*
* Anri.
* I know!
* Why don't we run away together?
* Yeah. I'm serious.
* Mhm. Let's skip school tomorrow, alright?
* *Thus, we set out on a journey.*

### At the Hotel

*Interacting with his wardrobe*

* There's only my coat inside.

*Interacting with his nightstand*

* There's a small chocolate bar inside. I don't like sweet things, so I'd better give it to Anri.

*Interacting with Anri's luggage*

* Anri's luggage. Makes you wonder how she snuck outunnoticed with all these things.

*Talking to Anri*

* Hey, don't jump on it too much.
* Oh, I took care of that.
* Just a moment.
* *I bring out the pack of pills and hand it to Anri.*
* Here. There's enough for two.
* *Anri throws the pack into my face.*
* *She's in front of me in a second, hitting me relentlessly with her small fists, making me take a step backward with every hit.*
* Wait--
* Miss Warhol?
* *She doesn't back down, landing a punch after another.*
* *We tumble down to the floor.*

*On the floor*

* Ow-ow-ow...
* What are you talking about?
* Aren't you the one who--
* *Her tears fall down freely, staining my sweater.*
* Anri, I--
* What do you know?
* *I didn't plan to live longer than Mother will to begin with", I don't say.*
* All Mother cares about is Scarlett!
* It's her who should've been born instead of me!
* *Anri slaps my face.*

*It's not my fault*

* *Ah.*
* *The puzzles pieces start to fall into place.*
* *Anri coloring her hair to match mine. The constant messaging. The fake relationship.*
* *Anri is a liar.*
* *Anri is here.*
* *Anri cares.*
* *It's getting harder to breathe. Anri's crying. My eyes are dry.*
* ..Why would I lie to myself?
* It's...not my fault. Satisfied?
* It's not...my fault.
* It's not my fault.
* It's not my fault.
* *Anri kisses me.*
* *I feel like vomiting.*
* *It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault.*
* *We keep repeating it like a mantra, over and over.*
* *Surprisingly, I feel myself calm down a little.*
* *Then, a thought occurs to me.*
* *Maybe this is how Anri calms herself down all the time.*
* *It's just that she would never tell anyone.*
* *We lie on the floor for a long time.*
* *I briefly wonder if it's been properly vacuumed.*

*Tired*

* ...I want to talk to him again.
* He never finished Aether Almanac, you know?
* The main character was reborn multiple times trying to save the White Queen, but something always went wrong.
* So he had to let her go.
* Will I ever be able to let go?
* Oh?
* You're contradicting yourself, miss Warhol.
* Like Charlotte?
* But she's the cutest!
* Mm.
* Anri's such a bully!
* *I hug her tightly. It might as well be the last hug we share.*
* Thank you.
* I mean it.
* *I'm sorry I couldn't accept your feelings.*

*Going home*

* *We packed our things and returned home the next morning.*
* *The next month Anri's family moved to another town, like they initially planned.*
* *A year and a half after, we stopped talking to each other.*
* *All ended well.*
* *There was nothing to be sad about.*

### Breakdown

*The last time*

* Mom.
* Mother.
* It's morning already.
* Mother?
* Are you--
* ...!
* ...No way...not...you too...
* ...
* ...urk...
* *It's be easier if my mom was a workaholic who was never home.*
* *It'd be easier if we hated each other.*
* *It'd be easier if I didn't remember the days when she was still full of energy.*
* *Who would want to admit their parent giving up on life and slowly rotting in the bedroom?*
* *Who would admit to thinking of their only parent* ***as a parastic existence?***
* *After that day, nothing was the same anymore.*

*At school* *Note: Narration will no longer be italicized*

* ...urk...
* I rush out of the class, straight to the bathroom stall. The voices of my classmates follow me.
* ...Haa...haa...
* Gh!!
* I vomit into the toilet, the morning's breakfast spilling down the drain.
* Gross.
* ...That moment I realized
* I could never touch a human being ever again.

*Thinking of Vincent*

* Only your face remained unchanged.
* White. Clean. Sterile.
* Free of contagious parasites.
* Vincent.
* I want to become clean, too.
* I want to ascend and become **white** like you.
* What in the world should I do **to wash this filth off?**
* Ah.
* You knew it all along, didn't you?
* **It was this simple.**

### 0 Days Until the Trial

*In the ocean*

* ...
* Would an entire ocean really be enough to wash all the ink off me, I wonder?
* In the end...
* I couldn't replace Scarlett.
* Couldn't help the bullied one.
* Couldn't choose Anri.
* Couldn't bring Mother back.
* In the end, I achieved nothing and didn't amount to anything.
* I failed the Trial.
* If there is afterlife, **I don't want to be the protagonist.**
* Someone like Charlotte would be more fitting for the spotlight.
* In the end, my story wasn't about overcoming hardships.
* **It was a story of giving up.**
* I hear Scarlett Eyler growl behind my back.
* I cover my ears.
* Shut up, you monster.
* You're not even my sister.
* All you are is but an ugly reflection of my own self.
* A cancerous tumour on my mind.
* Her voice is so loud, so loud.
* But the deeper I sink, the quieter it gets.
* So I sank, and choked, and gasped for air, and felt my lungs explode.
* There was nothing to be sad about.
* All ended well, **didn't it?**

### Charles' Room

*Reviving Q84*

* ...Q84...
* Charlotte Unit Q84, how are you feeling?
* ...
* Welcome back.
* It's been a while.
* I don't really understand it myself, but your soul data didn't get deleted.
* It might have something to do with your **wish.**
* ...it's not. It's...a defective Charlotte vessel.
* Please try to calm down.
* Miss Wiltshire, a body is but a mere vessel--
* ...
* I understand.
* I'll put you to rest as soon as this is over.
* However, for now...
* Please. I need you to come with me.
* You'll understand as soon as we get there.
* I...I can't. I already did what I could.
* ...
* Might as well be.
* Ha-ha. I suppose I really am.
* We're on 11F.
* The room we need to visit is just a few steps away.
* I'm perfectly capable of carrying you, miss Wiltshire.

*Leaving the room*

* Ah...well. I left him alone for a while and came back to a corpse.
* Yeah. That's what they always do.
* Even though I went through the trouble of implementing a no self-harm rule... talk about wasted effort.
* Mm.

### Father's Room

*Entering the room*

* ...This is the place.
* Alright. Here goes.

*After Scarlett becomes Charlotte, while not confirmed to be Charles saying this, it is implied to be him or Umbrella Man*

* As for what happened next...**you already know all of it, don't you?**

*Recounting the story*

* Scarlett Eyler became Charlotte Wiltshire.
* She used to be cold and calculating, but ended up becoming absentminded and clueless as her mind crumbled under the influence of Mother.
* I carefully observed her from afar, and gave her a yellow ribbon to differentiate her from the other Charlottes.
* I helped her when she was trapped in the TV world.
* **"I'll help you kill Wiltshire again",** I told her.
* That phrase seemed to trigger he memories.
* She...remembered who she really was, and it horrified her.
* She understood that she failed to prove V19 wrong.
* Which, in turn, made her suicidal.
* Scarlett Eyler's story should have ended after she wished to save the Oracle.
* It **should** have ended.
* But the Oracle intervened.
* They created...
* It became a world made of Scarlett Eyler's soul data.
* You are familiar with the concept by now, aren't you?
* Scarlett Eyler couldn't believe that the tenants were real, so imaginary they became.
* She was obsessed with the Trial, so it manifested in her world.
* I wanted to see for myself what her inner world is like.
* Ahem. Still, my journey was rather fruitful.
* I was afraid of facing her for so long, but when we finally met again...she didn't have the memories of the past anymore.
* Even though I tried to trigger them so many times, she had no recollection of the past events.
* She didn't even recognize the excerpt from one of my stories that she used to criticize.
* She was...kind. Lost. Clumsy. Easily fooled. Delusional.
* "I can hurt her this time around", I thought.
* But...
* When I fell, she helped me get back to my feet.
* **Scarlett Eyler would've kicked me until I lost consciousness.**
* When I got hurt, she tended to my wounds.
* **Scarlett Eyler would've hurt me even more.**
* When I cried, she tried to reach out to wipe away my tears.
* **Scarlett Eyler would've shouted at me.**
* She's...changed.
* So I couldn't hurt her. Nor could I help her.
* Ironically, she couldn't pass the Trial herself.
* That's--

*Father arrives*

* It's impossible. There's only Mother in the House.
* !
* Miss Wiltshire, be careful.
* If this person is the cognitive version of my Father, then he's even more powerful than Mother is.
* Right, because you never cared about me.
* You bastard. Was killing her in Mother's womb not enough?
* ...It was a big deal for Mother.
* That's all that matters.
* Miss Wiltshire.
* We have to help her.
* She's not the same.
* She sacrificed herself for me.
* I forgave her, miss Wiltshire.
* Hey, imposter. Can't we transfer her soul data to a new vessel?
* Then...what could we...
* I'm...not sure if that would be the right choice.
* We don't know what the other channel will be like.
* And it's not like the current channel will disappear, either.
* Wouldn't switching the channel be just an attempt to make us feel better?

### HAPPY E&%NdD: Chihdj78UJlhood's E8&nd

* ...Alright...

*A new channel*

* Um...What is she doing?
* All the time?
* So it's a channel where she doesn't even have a story?
* Stop it, miss Wiltshire. It's not funny.
* ...
* ...She seems happy.
* Blissful, even.

*Q84 won't stop changing the channel*

* Miss Wiltshire, stop it!
* ...I know. I know, okay?
* We're both frustrated.
* But there's really nothing we can do.
* Not all problems can be solved.
* Not all things can be fixed.
* It's something we have to live with, no matter how much it frustrates us.
* I never asked to be born.
* It always should have been **her**.
* Yet Father chose me.
* Him and Mother were already apart at that time, yet he still chose to let me live.
* So I lived constantly trying to make up for everything Mother has lost.
* For every breakdown she had.
* For every time we called the ambulance.
* For ever time she cried.
* Nothing else mattered.
* And now...look at this world.
* Repetitive. Meaningless. Futile.
* It's almost laughable how unoriginal my stories are.
* None of you deserved this.
* And I can't even die here.
* Trust me, I've tried.
* ...Are you sure we--
* You...want to make Pythias out of them?
* That's true. Like I said, no matter what we do, there will be no right answer.
* The House is essentially self-destructive.
* Wait a minute.
* Didn't you want me to put you to rest?
* ...
* I...

### True End: Goodbye, Charlotte

*Deciding to free Charlotte*

* I...
* Miss Wiltshire, you don't have to--
* ...

* ...Alright. I'll come back soon.

*Burying Vincent*

* Ha-ha. Not even I know.
* No matter how many corpses I drop here, it never gets filled up.
* ...Yeah. I really messed up.
* In the end, all I did was postpone the inevitable.
* No matter what, there's no way I could've helped him.
* There was no awy of "fixing" him, either.
* I knew that somewhere on a subconscious level, didn't I?
* That's why the House is the way it is.
* Were I convinced that I could change him, or anyone...
* They would've ended up being the brainwashed, unnaturally happy versions of themselves.
* Never once have I wished for that.
* However, the images of people I knew still became distorted in this place.
* Especially Vincent's.
* I was so fascinated with the idea of him that I failed to see him as a real person.
* That's why in the House, he's all but an empty shell. An imaginary construct.
* This place is no Heavenly Kingdom, after all.
* Now then.
* ...
* He really is gone, isn't he.
* Goodbye, Vincent.

*Vincent is gone*

* Miss Wiltshire?
* There's one more place I'd like to visit, if you don't mind.
* Oh, this? It's mr Honikker's invention.

*Killing Mother*

* You know, miss Wiltshire?
* Unit V19 believed this world to be made purely for entertainment, but I don't feel like that's the case with the House.
* During my lifetime in the True Realm, I always wanted to be liked by others.
* Yet somehow, it never seemed to work out.
* No matter what I did, I was either a ghost or a burden.
* A kid no one wants to sit with, no matter how good my grades got.
* Never expressing my opinion aloud, always going along with the flow.
* Constantly shape-shifting. Adapting my personality traits to match others.
* Saying what others want to hear just so that they would want to be around me.
* Wanting to connect with others, yet pushing them away as soon as we got close.
* Repulsed by physical closeness, I drifted away from human contact further and further.
* Yet, somehow, through art and writing.
* I was able to connect with others in a way that didn't feel repulsive.
* Miss Warhol, Vincent...
* I would've never been able to open up to them if it wasn't for my work, however small and insignificant it was.
* After all, all my life I defined myself with things I could put on paper.
* So even here, this world subconsciously ended up relying on it.
* "Without fiction, without an appealing protagonist, no one would bother staying in the House."
* That's how I must've felt.
* I can only hope that the Puppeteers observing us will forgive this weakness of mine.
* If it was you, miss Wiltshire, you surely would've made the ending spectacular, wouldn't you?
* But with me, the msot I can do is come in terms with the loss of my loved ones.
* Losing Scarlett to Father's decision. Losing Mother to mental illness. Losing Vincent to delusions.
* There doesn't seem to be an end to my regrets is there?
* Now then, back to the purpose of our visit to this room.
* ...
* Hello, Mother.
* I'm here.
* I know.
* You already did the best you could.
* You gave birth to so many wonderful children.
* Just like you wanted, right?
* Everything's okay.
* You can rest now.
* You'll be the last of your kind, Q84.
* There'll be no more stories.
* No more dreams.
* No more control.
* At last, we will be free of everything.
* No more restrictions! No more fate! No more endings! Wonderful, isn't it?
* Mother...will no longer...
* ...
* ...
* ...

*Afterword*

* Ah. Um, hello. This is a bit sudden, isn't it?
* Especially since we haven't talked directly before.
* You got to spend time with all the other parts of me, but I, the core part, always ended up being a side character.
* But...you have reached the ending of this story, and there's no one else left to say the final word.
* So, please bear with me for a moment.
* ...So, here we are.
* Everyone's gone.
* The House has crumbled.
* A fitting end for a self-destructive world.
* In the end, it was no place for all of us to stay.
* Now that there's no Mother, the walls of the House can no longer confine me.
* However, before I leave, I wanted to thank you in person.
* I'm fairly sure this ending wasn't what you wanted, or what you were here for.

*Speaking through the others*

* After all, in the end, I couldn't become "Charlotte Wiltshire".
* Or "Scarlett Eyler".
* Or a proper "Vincent Wordsworth".
* By the way, "Wordsworth" is a surname I made up. It has nothing to do with the real Vincent.
* Even technically this game doesn't pack much fun gameplay.
* All there is...is FRUSTRATION!
* Endless screaming into the void with pent up anger.
* A disappointing world of a disappointing person.
* A game with no winners.
* Yet another world where your choices didn't matter.

*Charles again*

* But...
* You still stayed until the end.
* Through allusions and metaphors, fairytales and delusions, we were able to have a conversation.
* And, after letting it all out, getting it out there, I was able to let go of my regrets.
* Just because you listened.
* That's why...thank you for paying a visit to the House.
* I hope you enjoyed your stay. Even a little bit.
* Ah, but...I might be not the one you want to hear a "thank you" from.
* Let's try it again.

## Heaven's Gate

### #1 Vincent Fennell

* Vincent Fennell is watching a small trail of ants go by, his gaze remaining disinterested.
* I approach him out of curiosity.
* Oh. Winged ants. That's rare.
* That's good. Bugs are yucky.
* Stop it! Let it go!
* ...just because we are bigger, that doesn't mean we should hurt them.
* ...
* Mom says even the smallest lives matter.
* ...
* If you d-don't stop, I'll tell the nurses.
* What's up with him...
* From that day on, I decide that I don't like Vincent Fennell at all.

### #2 Tazos

* Ah...no. Mom says chips are bad for health.
* Ugh
* What's so special about him?
* All he has is a pack of tazos.
* Lost in thought, I trip and drop the box with the classroom turtle that I was carrying.
* The nurses yell at me and make me stand in a corner for half an hour.
* I blame it on Vincent, too.

### #3 Mother

* When I'm five, we move into a flat swarming with cockroaches and pigeons living on the balcony.
* "Why is this place so dirty, Mom?" I ask.
* "I want to go back home," I tell her, "Why did we have to leave?"
* The surrounding dirt makes my skin crawl.
* Later I overhear our neighbors talking and learn that the former owner was a drug addict.
* Died of overdose, they say.
* When I raise my voice, Mother tells me to keep quiet.
* When I walk around the house, Mother says that my footsteps are too loud.
* When I become excited, Mother reprimands me for misbehaving.
* One evening, she has a breakdown over unsorted clothes in the drawers.
* We're talking normally, then the next moment the house is filled with shouting and sounds of my clothes being violently thrown on the floor.
* There must be something else she's angry at, but I'm too young to understand.
* I apologize over and over, promising I won't do that ever again, as if I committed a grave sin.
* *I'm sorry Mother.*
* I'll make everything right.
* I won't become a burden.

### #4 Concert

* We're having a concert to celebrate Autumn.
* Our nurses are wearing dresses with paper maple leaves sewn onto them.
* I recite a poem aloud, trying not to mess it up halfway.
* It has four lines.
* I'm so nervous that my voice comes out too quietly, even though I recite it perfectly.
* Vincent got six lines.
* It must be because the nurses think he's the smartest in the group.
* Hell, he even goes to chess club.
* Vincent recites the poem in a monotonous voice like he doesn't give a care.
* Vincen't almost always the last to be picked up by his parents.
* Sometimes nobody comes, and he just goes home alone.
* I tell Mom about that, and she totally freaks out.
* I don't know what to say to that.

### #5 Valentines Day

* I get sick and throw up onto my festive shirt.
* I didn't like it much, anyway. Mom did, though.
* Vincent is at the nurse's office, too.
* He tripped and scraped his knee.
* The nurse is drawing a net on it with green antiseptic.
* The scrape seems bad, but he's not even wincing, his stare staying blank.
* Doesn't he feel any pain?
* Maybe he's actually a robot?
* I want to ask him that, but my headache is too strong, so I ignore him.
* All I want is to go home and watch cartoons in bed.
* Thankfully, Mom's quick to come to my rescue.
* Afterwards, I stay home for a whole week.

### #6 New Stage

* Time passes fast.
* My kindergarten graduation album is filled with pictures of other kids running around and a macro photograph of myself in some kind of medieval clothing from the photoshoot.
* It's my favorite one, but I'll never admit htat.
* I can barely contain my excitement for the first day of school.
* Vincent goes to a different one, but it doesn't matter.
* I didn't like him much anyway.

### #7 Friends

* Elementary school is boring.
* I solve all the problems in my math workbook in one evening, and as a consequence, end up dying of boredom at actual lessons.
* As the school days pass, I get so excited about my intellectual abilities that I point out others' mistakes every time I notice them.
* The girl sitting next to me seems to enjoy my company - mainly because she gets to copy my answers during tests.
* In the meantime, I find a new way to make friends.
* All you have to do is buy them food or share yours.
* Then everyone will gather around you, excited to get sweets for free.
* I spend all my pocket money on snacks, and still end up being chosen last at P.E. lessons.
* It takes me some time and an afterschool beating to learn not to poke my nose into others' business.
* It's not my fault people cheat on tests.
* I'm just doing what's right.
* At least, that's what I think.
* Apparently, people don't like snitches.
* Nor do they like being responsible, or proper.
* While I'm doing everything not to be a burden, they're giving their all to cause trouble.
* I feel like this will take some time to sink in.
* Over the years, I learn to keep my mouth shut.
* From a moderately talkative kid I turn into a complete class ghost.
* By the end of fourth year, everyone still calls me by my last name.

### #8 Reunion

* In middle school, we see each other again.
* Vincent looks more frail than I remember him being.
* Maybe it's just that I've gotten taller.
* When he sees me, he smiles.
* In fact, he smiles to everyone.
* The usual unchanging blank expression that he had in kindergarten is gone from his face, replaced with a mask.
* It's unsettling.
* I don't smile back.
* Somehow, we end up doing a class project together.
* By the time I gathered the courage to ask someone to invite me, everyone else had already found a partner.
* But there was an open spot in his group.
* The other two kids just want easy marks, so only the two of us actually end up working.
* Vincent is...surprisingly nice to work with.
* He's a good team player, very considerate and giving his all to complete the task.
* A complete contrast to most of the kids.
* For the first time in a while, I have fun working in a group.

*Texting Vincent*

* here, I'm sending over the presentation files
* ...

*Wow!*

* *He's.. he's thankful for my effort!*
* this must be the first time in five years of school.
* I'm so moved that I put his name first on the project's title slide.
* It's the project presentations day.
* Vincent, who was chosen as our group's representative, has a clear, powerful voice.
* Unlike me, who gets so anxious that I stumbe on every word, earning giggles from classmates.
* I hate myself for it.
* Regardless, our group gets the highest marks.
* "Maybe teamwork isn't half bad," I catch myself thinking.

### #9 Weakling

* Vincent loses consciousness during one of our P.E. lessons.
* I've never really noticed it before, but he really has the worst stamina in class.
* While I fail all the speed tests, I can endure running long distances just fine.
* He, however, looks completely exhausted after just a few laps.
* After overhearing one of the conversations between teachers, I learn that Vincent has health complications.
* ...
* Vincent? *Dying?*
* The possiblity has never occurred to me before.
* Maybe children don't think too deeply about life and death in general.
* I look at him sitting on a bench near the teacher, watching us run.
* We never really talk.
* But, I've been watching him for a while.
* So to me, it feels like we share a connection.

### #10 Henrietta Warhol

* I often volunteer to stay behind on class duty.
* Henrietta Warhol gets bullied into it.
* The other girls call her "smelly" and "cowtits" and make her do things instead of them.
* So right now, she's unenthusiastically scrubbing a dirty desk with a wet rag.
* You should use detergent to scrub this off.
* I like cleaning.
* Or more like, I can't trust anyone with it.
* Everyone's too sloppy and lazyt o properly clean all the dust.
* Just thinking of sitting behind a dirty desk makes my skin crawl.
* You can go home, I planned to stay after lessons anyway.
* I have piano class coming up in two hours.
* Just enough time to clean and do homework.
* Damn, that's complicated.
* ...okay.
* We clean in silence.
* I don't really know what to talk about with her.
* Henrietta doesn't seem like she's up for discussing homework, either.
* Henrietta?
* Give me your hand.
* I place a candy in it.
* Here. Good work today.
* Carrying snacks around still remains as a habit of mine.
* Might as well try to win Warhol's goodwill with it.
* Henrietta stays weirdly silent.
* Unless you don't like barberry flavor.
* You're welcome.
* Henrietta awkwardly stumbles out of the classroom without saying so much as a goodbye.
* Weeks later, we start talking during lunch breaks sometimes.
* The other girls mock and tease her for it, but Henrietta learns to talk back.
* Maybe she's more confident about herself when she feels less alone.

*Texting Anri*

* but mom!

### #11 Past

* Mother never tells me anything about her past, or Father, and I never ask.
* It's something we never talk about.
* All I can do is listen to her occasionally cry at night and keep quiet about it in the morning.
* She's holding up well, but I can't help but worry that one day she might trip and fall, and never get up.
* The thought makes my hands itch, and I spend ten minutes in the bathroom trying to wash it off.
* I want to grow up and become someone she can depend on.

### #13 School Trip

* During the first year of high school, we go on a school trip.
* I don't have anyone to make promises about sitting together with, so right now, I'm left with three choices.
* A:Sitting with the teacher.
* B:Sitting with one of the class bullies.
* C: Approaching mr. Fennell, who happesn to have a seat open near him.
* I decide that the latter is the lesser evil.
* Mind if I sit here?
* Thanks.
* Oh. Now that I think of it, it's the front seat.
* I shouldn't be taking it.
* Sucks to be you.
* Vincent laughs dryly. His laughter doesn't reach his eyes.
* I just messed up my second informal conversation with him.
* By the time I gather myself again, Vincent's long since asleep.
* His head is bumping against the bus window in small intervals.
* I bring out my MP3 player, but minutes later everyone decides to watch an action movie.
* The loud sound doesn't seem to bother Vincent, who's sleeping with earplugs.
* I should've brought some too.
* In the end, I settle on watching the movie, and lose the track of time.
* By the time we arrive at the hotel, it's past midnight.
* I get a room with three guys who don't mind me ditching them during the night. Success.
* At best they'll get drunk and play cards in someone else's room until sunrise and at worst one of them brought drugs. Maybe both.
* We get up the stairs and unlock our room.
* It has a bed and a shower, so it's perfect.
* My classmates leave the room as soon as they finish unpacking.
* As expected, they don't bother inviting me anywhere.
* Glad they know I hate having fun.
* I spend half of the night sketching ideas for comics I might draw someday.
* All of them feel like I've seen them before.

*In the morning*

* In the morning, I emit the light of freshness.
* I like being up early.
* The hotel dining room is dead silent, like a cemetery.
* Out of my classmates, only some girls and Vincent are present.
* I decide to drop into the seat near him.

*Talking to Vincent*

* Morning.
* Was getting my beauty sleep.
* Did you party with everyone?
* Have to admit, I have a hard time imagining you drinking.
* Augh, don't remind me.
* I woke up to sounds of someone puking in the toilet next door.
* My face says it all.
* Still, the image of Vincent downing alcohol like a glass of juice seems really funny to me, so I can't help but laugh out loud.
* Vincent gives me a questioning look, so I quickly try to change the topic before he asks anything.
* When I drink, I just become sleepy.
* Boring, right?
* Nah...if anything, I shut up for good.
* Then fall asleep.
* I think I'm the type people would call an ambulance for because they'd drunkedly think I died of lethal ethanol intake.
* Well...

*Anri goes missing*

* The trip itself is nothing special.
* Art museums never interested me much.
* During one of the excursions, Henrietta gets lost, and I volunteer to look for her.
* Thankfully, I spot her at the statue near the museum with a dead phone.
* Henrietta doesn't let go of my shirt until we get back to the group.

*The 2nd night of the trip*

* The night at the hotel on our way back doesn't go as smoothly as the first one.
* This time I have to share a room with a guy who doesn't mind other people seeing him make out with his girlfriend right in the room.
* I do, so I grab my jacket and make my escape.
* It's already past curfew.
* Probably not the best idea to spend the night on the hotel stairs, but whatever.
* Just as I start to doze off, someone shakes my shoulder.
* ...?
* It's Vincent.
* Ah. Thanks.
* I didn't mean to fall asleep.
* Why are you out at this hour?
* We're not allowed to leave the rooms at night, you know?
* Uh.
* I guess I'm not a fan of voyeurism?
* No, that sounded bad. Forget it.
* Yeah, that's a pleasant way to put it.
* ...
* I don't know what to say to that, so I just pick at my skin.
* No, that's...
* Fine? Pitiful? Awful? ...None of these seem to fit.
* I'm not someone who should comment.
* We sit in silence for some time.
* Nah. I'll wait it out a bit more.
* Night. Thanks for keeping me company.
* Half an hour later I return to my room, only to find my classmate sleeping soundly.
* This asshole.
* I fall asleep thinking that it would be nice to go somewhere with my class again.

### #14 Passwords

*Texting Vincent*

* sure, just gonna grab something to eat
* is it the usual place?

*Going to eat*

* Vincent likes to eat outside.
* "It's more quiet here," he says.
* After the class trip, we've started hanging out more often.
* Sometimes he invites me for lunch - like today.
* Don't you think the education system is flawed?
* Hmm...
* I'm rather thinking about the things we learn.
* Take today's test, for example.
* Do you actually know what the entropy of isolated system never decreases means? Can you explain that?
* See?
* You only learned the answer the teacher wanted to see.
* Not only will you forget this knowledge, but you'll have no clue what you were writing about.
* We're only learning keywords that we don't know the meaning of, and don't gain any practical knowledge.
* Right.
* I just wanted you to hear me out on this.
* If given the opportunity, I'd like to change something myself.
* It'd be ridiculous to tell others how to do their work.
* Then, mass media is just entirely made out of them.
* It's just template phrases that are guaranteed to cause a reaction...
* Yeah. Like articles bashing local art exhibitions are actually written to promote them.
* Oh, crap. I think the break will end soon.
* You still haven't finished your food.
* We hurriedly finish our modest lunch and run to class.

### #15 Puberty

*Thinking and talking to Anri*

* The older we get, the more disturbed and obnoxious everyone becomes.
* They're trying to connect, clumsily, erratically.
* Which I understand to some degree, but I've always been fine in my own company.
* Also Vincent's, but he can be tiring, too.
* Sometimes he starts ranting on subjects I don't understand, which gets tedious.
* Like hell do I give a damn about politics.
* Go back to your containment board for god's sake.
* Henrietta isn't a saint, either.
* Am I actually masochistic for enjoying being badmouthed by her?
* At least she has the same horrible taste in anime.
* Miss Warhol, you absolutely have to consult me on dating sims.
* We could make a fortune off this.
* It's your fault for trying to seem something you're not~
* So, how about it? You and me, a doujin circle?
* Just copy the popular troupes.
* Everyone only wants things they're used to.
* Talking to miss Warhol always lifts up my mood.

*Texting Vincent*

* what's up with the emergence of the web cults lately?
* eh— What?! Really?
* the text you wrote was awfully convincing, though
* why heaven's gate though?
* yeah, sounds pretentious as fuck
* so an empty promise of virtue, huh
* still, isn't it uh. kind of dangerous?
* people might believe you guys for real.

### #17 Trust

* Vincent peeks over my shoulder, startling me with his voice.
* Ah...haha...This barely counts as as writing.
* Fennell steps over the bench, now facing me directly.
* No, not exactly. Not more than usual. It's just...
* I don't know how to communicate my thoughts to others.
* The whole plot looks too contrived. I'd stop reading after the first page.
* No!
* If anything, it's my own fault that I'm a clumsy writer, not theirs.
* ...I don't. I mean, I really want to.
* But I'd be lying if I said I did.
* Vincent leans closer into my personal space, making me recoil a bit.
* His prescence suddenly overbearing, Vincent looms over me.
* My breathing hitches.
* I feel small.
* Wouldn't I be making a fool out of myself if I admit my weaknesses?
* You...
* With those words, Vincent leaves my personal bubble and drops on a bench beside me.
* Haa...I suppose that's one way to go about it.
* If it were me, I'd rather have the work exist separately from its author.
* If anything, I'd prefer working as anonymously as possible.
* Haha...the way you put it sounds like selling your mind to others.
* *Mr Fennell, you're intense.*
* That's...a lot of knowledge for someone as young as you, mr. Fennell.
* *Oh, I didn't know.*
* *Is he writing something too?*
* Yeah. Thanks. I owe you one.
* Actually, would you like to read what I've written so far?
* I think I could use some feedback.
* Bring it on.
* I'll fetch you my notebook next week, then.
* There's a lot written, so you can take your time with it—

*Student council*

* During our final high school year, Vincent joins the student council, and invites me to do the same.
* I think it's not about good ideas, but rather the ability to convince others.
* Which is something you have.
* *Argh, so persistent.*
* Okay, fine. I'll tag along.
* Huh...Wait! That's the opposite of words of encouragement!
* It's past 6pm. We're ones of the last students leaving school.
* I stretch and allow myself to let out a prolonged yawn.
* Today's meeting was so tiring...I need a no-people day soon.
* Says Vincent who talked during the whole meeting.
* How do you even have energy for all that arguing?
* More like uncivilized discourse.
* Everyone was basically trying to shout louder than the others.
* I can't believe you.
* Well, the weather's not bad.
* I was planning to invite you for a walk anyway.
* Good plan.
* I let my vision lose focus, and feel the world around me slow down.
* We part ways after an hour of strolling around the park.
* Feeling re-energized, I spend the whole evening leisurely studying subjects ahead of the program.

### #18 Social Media

* We're waiting for the next class to start.
* Henrietta sits near me on the windowsill, dozing off with a chem textbook in her hands.
* I'm so tired of social media.
* Everyone's talking so much, but no one's talking about things that really matter.
* And I feel bad for contributing.
* Henrietta yawns and stretches, then pinches my nose.
* Shut it. I know. I'm just saying how I feel.
* And I feel tired.
* Way to trivialize him!
* He's like...a god.
* Okay, good point.
* Just because he has the human decency to make effort to be kind to others.
* He's hardworking, reliable and after talking to him I always feel like I've ascended to some new level of human consciousness.
* Also, he appreciates the concept of personal space. Unlike some.
* Now you're just being jealous.
* See?
* No human decency.
* Vincent would be like, 'Would you kindly back off'.
* Hahaha. Might as well be.
* I wonder if he's ever gotten angry at someone.
* Mean Anri is the best Anri.
* Actually, any Anri is great.
* I can't exactly tell you not to worry about it, though.
* But, I like you the way you are.

### #19 Possessions

* Vincent comes over to do a research project for school.
* I welcome him into my room with rubber gloves still on my hands.
* Of course.
* Cleaning, done!
* Clothes, ironed!
* I can focus on schoolwork in peace.
* I just can't seem to focus when there's something out of place.
* I end up thinking about a single sheet of paper lying around unsorted instead of doing something useful.
* Oh, but that's not the worst of it.
* Don't like stuff piling up?
* I briefly wonder if that's really the only reason, but decide not to press on.
* (*Let's change the topic...*)
* That being said, remember when we were all about collecting stickers and stuff?
* I still have my collection.
* I can't bring myself to throw away my cat toys, too.
* It's kind of embarrassing.
* Well...yeah. When you put it like that...
* What about you?
* Didn't you have your favorite stuff?
* ...Oh. I see. And then?
* At the moment, Vincent's gaze seemed...empty.
* His face didn't convey any particular emotion, even though he was smiling - which felt horribly out of place.
* For a second, it felt like we weren't talking about bootleg Digimon stickers, but something else entirely.
* Well, uh. Yeah. I see.
* You must have no interest in material possessions. That's admirable.
* His words sound hollow.

### #20 Uncertainty

* The sun is about to rise. Henry's fallen asleep on a bean bag with a joystick in his hands.
* Anri comes to hang out on weekends.
* Sometimes she brings her brother, whom she's bregrudgingly babysitting.
* We play video games and eat snacks.
* When Anri's not in a school environment, she's far less stressed out.
* Even her voice sounds lower than usual.
* Crap, your brother is good at rhythm games.
* Aren't you being a little harsh?
* Maybe his mind just works differently from the rest?
* Your parents don't have to buy all of that, you know.
* Sheesh.
* Yes?
* What?
* *Aren't all of these just things a decent person would do, miss Warhol...*
* I fail to see your point.
* Aren't you the one who's always like...
* Ahhh, I wish someone would call me princess and take me on cute dates~~
* We'd buy matching clothes and cuddle on a sofa*—*
* Anri nudges me with her elbow. Violently.
* Does it need a specific term?
* If you're talking about becoming each other's possession, then I'm against it.
* No one ever belongs to anyone.
* Yet for some reason everyone thinks a meaningless string of letters can bind people to them.
* It rubs me the wrong way.
* That would mean treating others as commodities.
* Which, in turn, contributes to a mindset intrinsic to a capitalist society.
* Sorry.
* I just don't know yet.
* Anri leans in and kisses me.
* Hm...
* It was supposed to be this amazingly good thing that every story leads up to...
* But it didn't really feel like anything out of the ordinary.
* Um, I think it'd be the same.
* You know I'm not too comfortable with physical stuff.
* Is there something wrong with me, after all?
* ...
* Sorry. I just feel like I'm constantly letting people down.
* Vincent's always surrounded by people, though.
* He only started isolating himself just recently.
* Maybe he was just bored around you?
* Hahaha! Where did that come from?
* If I cloned myself or had my personality divided into parts, it'd end in a mass suicide.
* ...
* I'm sorry.
* You're right.
* Thank you, Anri.

### #21 Paralysis

* I wake up with a headache and stumble into the bathroom to brush my teeth.
* I look into the mirror and notice that I only blink with one eye.
* Weird.
* But whatever.
* School proceeds as normal, until I start feeling extremely fatigued during the 5th period.
* *Something's not right.*
* I end up calling Mom.
* She always knows what to do.
* Great. Out of all the rare illnesses, my body decided to get this one.
* Missing a month of school before exams sounds like the worst case scenario.
* It's just half of my face staying unresponsive, yet my whole body feels numb.
* I can barely focus on the phone screen as I type a message back to Anri, who was curious enough to investigate my sudden disappearance from class.

*Texting Anri*

* got hospitalized with face paralysis
* "The fuck is that," indeed.
* One of my eyes can't blink and my mouth is stuck in a convulted grimace.
* Thank god no one will come to visit.
* I close my eyes (one manually) and hope that the numbness will go away in the morning.
* It doesn't.
* Hospital food is tasteless.
* That doesn't really matter, since I'm going to be discharged today.
* No one stays at hospitals for more than two days unless you're fatally injured.
* Mother asked her acquaintances to give me a ride home.
* What followed were two weeks of pills and 24-hour sleep, and two more weeks of staring at the ceiling because my mind couldn't focus on anything else.
* Bless her.
* Among the stuff Anri brought, I find a notebook with Vincent's name on it.
* I'm mortified.
* I ended up being a burden to them both.
* I try to shake the feeling off and be sincerely grateful, but end up being choked by guilt.
* I have to catch up.
* Become better.
* More capable.
* If I'm not ahead of others, then my self-worth is no better than zero.
* I-
* I need to thank people who care about me soon.
* When I was finally able to come outside after what felt like forever, dandelions were in full bloom.

### #22 Care

* Vincent has his nose buried into a notebook lately.
* He's definitely writing something, but I never pry.
* Hmm...Playing god or making a fool out of myself...tough choice indeed...
* The latter sounds like less pressure, so I'd take that one.
* That way, every reader can become a co-creator, even if they get laughs at my expense.
* Besides, if something's considered ideal, you can only make copies of it without creating anything new.
* That doesn't sound too creative to me.
* More importantly, what'd be your choice?
* How are your grades coming along, by the way?
* Wow. You're amazing.
* Nah. I totally blew my chem and math grades.
* Took me a bit of time to come to terms with the fact that I'm not that smart.
* Wish I didn't grow up thinking that doing well in academics would guarantee me a secure future, though.
* Or anything really.
* Right now I just want to sleep my life away.
* She's...okay. Surprisingly enough.
* I'm doing my best to help her, too.
* Even if it means working in retail.
* She used to be far more violent before.
* Never laid a hand on me, though.
* It was always something else.
* Utensils, clothes, books.
* The only thing I regret is that as a kid, I tried to make her less aggressive by saying I'll kill myself.
* That was extremely selfish of me.
* Still, it's so weird.
* Out of all solutions my 4-year-old mind always jumped to suicide.
* I guess I just wanted to guilt trip her into caring.
* What do you mean?
* Sounds fishy.
* But, as long as you don't want to talk about it, I'll bug off.

### #23 Visit

* Who could it be?
* Maybe I should pretend we're not home...
* ...!
* Anri?!
* What happened?
* Shit, okay, don't talk.
* Mom, call the ambulance.
* Anri, I'll help you lie down, okay?
* Don't worry about it.
* It's going to be alright.
* If her lung isn't punctured, that is.
* Here.
* Sorry for the makeshift scarf pillow. I'll get you a real one in a bit.
* I'll try to stop the bleeding now.
* But, uh, I only have theoretical knowledge about it. Forgive me if it hurts.
* Mom will google the right way to do it, so trust us.
* She must be in shock.
* I help her take off her shirt and look at the wound, trying not to focus on the blood oozing out.
* It's most definitely a knife wound.
* Okay, this should do it.
* I throw the bloodstained shirt into cold water and let out a sigh.
* The ambulance arrives quickly.
* I follow her to the hospital, hoping that it's nothing serious.
* When I see Anri again, she has the same absent-minded look on her face.
* What did they say?
* That's good.
* ...
* I'm scared, too.
* Ever since we moved into that place, I've been paranoid of every sound.
* We got rid of the cockroaches, but the neighbours stayed.
* Want me to get you some pepper spray? I have some in my bag.
* But they are ordinary.
* My mom got stalked by some psycho for over a year.
* I got smacked with a broken bottle on the street some time ago.
* Our neighbour's dog got mauled by a pack of strays.
* Life's full of misfortunes like that.
* It is.
* But there's nothing we can do about it, can we?
* ...
* Miss Warhol.
* I didn't get to ask, but what exactly happened back then?

### #25 Love

* We're strolling in the park after school again.
* The weather isn't particularly good, but I have an umbrella with me.
* Vincent doesn't mind the rain, but I do, so I follow him like the butler of a rich household.
* His throat is bandaged.
* Vincent doesn't bring it up, and I don't ask.
* We stop at a small bridge.
* No way! Is it a love confession, mr. Fennell?
* Oh. What's it called?
* Sounds fancy.
* Of course. I mean, you can't write badly.
* It's the first time I've heard him use "love" in regard to something.
* "I should read it soon," I thought, yet ended up postponing it until the very last minute.
* One's writing is the mirror of one's soul.
* I was afraid of my imaginary construct of Vincent shattering upon looking into it.

### #26 Interlude: Aether Almanac

* I dream of falling into a pit of identical corpses, and wake up in a cold sweat.

### #27 Different

* Anri's idly browsing her phone as I struggle to finish a mission in a shooter I was playing.
* Oh.
* Stop it, I'm not a blind follower.
* I read his writing the other day.
* It's good. Like, really good.
* But...
* I didn't like it.
* Well...the overarching theme of his stories is that only you can save yourself.
* It's like...other people don't exist, or can't be of any help even if they're around.
* His characters either choose solitude or end up in circumstances where they are surrounded by their own selves.
* Don't you think it's close-minded to think that way?
* What do you mean?
* Anri rubs her temples and gives me a reprimanding stare.

*Vincent stays away from school for a long time*

* Vincent skips school for three weeks.
* When I see him again, there's a mask plastered to his face.
* Vincent Fennell is...
* *Smiling.*

### #29 Exams

* Exams are stressful, but they're nothing I'm unprepared for.
* After all, I've always been a diligent student.
* I get paired with Anri during the language exam, and we pass with flying colors.
* Vincent, however, remains as distant as ever.
* For the past month we haven't gotten to talk at all.
* I wonder what he is thinking.
* *No, no. Vincent's not that petty.*
* *The truth is yours, imaginary mr. Fennell.*
* "I understood that the way I use words impacts people around me, so I decided to distance myself from people who are easily influenced."
* *...More plausible.*
* But doesn't that mean he thinks very little of me?
* Argh.
* There's no guarantee that we'll keep in touch after graduating, either.
* I can't shake off the feeling of frustration welling up, and end up losing sleep at night.
* I'm so anxious that I decide to discuss it with Anri.
* She likes food, so I lure her in by inviting her to a cafe.

*Talking to Anri*

* (Ah...Maybe telling her wasn't a good idea after all...)
* So what if he's a cult leader!
* I want to talk to him again.
* Besides, he only helped copywrite the texts.
* It's not like he involved himself in their activity.
* Listen, I'm sure he understands the weight of his actions.
* His current isolation must be just damage control.
* God, Anri. Are we talking about the same person here?
* He's the most tactful person I know. He wouldn't...
* You can't cry if you're dead, miss Warhol.
* But it is! Everyone has their own brains.
* If they decided to self-destruct after hearing they're in a video game, then they were already predisposed to it.
* They just saw the cult site and BAM! Confirmation bias activated.
* They wanted a motive, they got it.
* I would never end my life just because I stumbled on some creepypasta on the Internet.
* It would take more than that. Like...Mother's death.
* Or my own health deteriorating to the point where I start hurting others. Then, I...
* Ah. I'm sorry.
* I don't think I'm completely right, either.
* Circumstances are different in each individual's case. I know that.
* I'm just worried about him.
* Knowing Vincent, he'll never talk about himself.
* Which is okay with me, if that's what he wants.
* But if I keep ignoring this, what if he...what if...
* I think of running on the field. Children are laughing, illuminated by sun.
* ...
* I walk Anri home and wave her goodbye.
* When I see Vincent next time, what should I tell him?
* No matter what I'll say, I find myself afraid of hearing his answer.

### #30 Graduation

*Anri looks nice*

* The graduation day finally comes. Time sure flies.
* Who...?
* I think you just aged by nine years —
* OW! Okay, okay, seven—
* Please stop kicking me, miss Warhol.
* I look like my father.
* I don't know anymore.
* All that matters is that Mother is doing better.
* Thanks. You too.

*Leaving Anri*

* I look for Vincent in the crowd.
* He's talking to one of our teachers, all smiles, as usual.
* I join in as his shadow.
* You look tired.
* She's participating in a photoshoot with other girls.
* I ran away as soon as I saw the camera.
* And, it's too stuffy in this suit.
* Yeah. I just want it to be over soon.

*Going to the conference hall*

* By the time we get to the rented conference hall, it's already evening.
* The banquet doesn't interest me, but I already paid for it, so I stuff myself full with random appetizers.
* Vincent's dissecting a steamed carrot with a precision of a surgeon at a nearby table.
* He seems bored.
* The moment I decide to approach him, he's engaging in a conversation with someone else.
* Too bad.
* I decide to look for Anri, and find her surrounded by girls on a floor below.
* She looks like she's having fun, so I leave her to it.
* It dawns at me that out of all the people in class, I only managed to become somewhat friendly with two.
* With the rest, I don't really have anything to talk about.
* Unless it's homework.
* Maybe it's for the best if we forget each other's names after we all go separate ways.
* In a corner of my eye, I see Vincent leaving the hall.
* You're leaving?
* Oh. Alright.
* It doesn't look like he's going to come back.
* See you later, then.
* *Crap, his coat is still here.*

*Chasing after Vincent*

* When I run out of the building, Vincent is nowhere to be seen.
* I jog a bit to the main road until I spot the familiar silhouette.
* Fennell! Wait. Your coat...
* ...
* It didn't seem like it.
* ...
* Mind if I walk with you for a bit?
* We walk in silence.
* There's too much on my mind, but I can't put any of it into words.
* Somehow we ditched the prom night without planning to.
* I don't think anybody's going to look for me today, anyway.

*On the hill* *Note: Narration will be italicized for this portion*

* I'm not fond of high places.
* *It feels all too familiar for some reason. I feel sick.*
* ...no.
* I feel like I could fall down any second.
* *I crouch down, my head spinning.*
* *I'm not alright.*
* *It's like we've been here before.*
* *Yet, it's not the same.*
* ...
* You...
* You never talk about anything that really matters, do you?
* Always all smiles and big talk.
* Talking, talking, talking, yet nothing you say has real weight to it.
* I'm sick of your smiling face.
* *Ack.* (actually italicized in game, and is narration)
* My personality has nothing to do with this.
* *That's because of how my Mother is.* (actually italicized in game, and is narration)
* That's because I don't want to be a burden!
* But for you, it's all about your image.
* At very least I'd listen to what you have to say.
* You just don't trust me enough.
* You don't trust *anyone.*
* *Needles and knives.*
* *His words pierce through, but I don't falter.*
* ...I know.
* Yet, I want to understand you.
* It's not your fault that I don't.
* You're someone I've always looked up to.
* You could do things I couldn't and find the right words to influence others.
* It always felt like your opinion mattered.
* *I crouch down and face the ground, suddenly flustered.*
* I...
* I thought I wouldn't mind losing my individuality if it'd mean getting influenced by yours.
* *I remember Vincent in the kindergarten.*
* *Emotionally dead kid gathering crowds around him with useless trinkets from popular shows.*
* *The only time he ever showed emotion was when he tore off wings from those ants, claiming to be in control.*
* *Control.*
* *Is that what it's all about?*
* You...claim that you don't mean things you say.
* That your personality is fabricated.
* I don't think you're being entirely honest.
* *Argh, he's insufferable.* (actually italicized in game, and is narration)
* You —
* *However, Vincent isn't looking at me.*
* *His mind is elsewhere.*
* ...
* Still...
* You've been trying your best, haven't you?
* All this talk about "a quiet place", those bruises...
* I think it's pretty obvious at this point that whoever you live with, they've been...
* *I stumble on my own words.*
* ...They haven't been treating you well.
* The Vincent I remember was an empty husk of a person.
* It's like you were never physically there at all.
* Yet, with time, you were able to regain control over your life.
* It's not like you became someone whom others look up to overnight.
* You worked hard for it.
* Because you care.
* Would you rather dissociate for the rest of your life?
* ...!
* *Huh...?* (actually italicized in game, and is narration)
* *My eyes begins to sting, but no tears come out.*
* I...
* I may be insignificant and frankly boring...
* But I'm going to do my best to become someone you can consider your equal.
* *So that you won't feel so alone.* (actually italicized in game, and is narration)
* I'll keep doing my best, so...
* So you...so I...
* *In a corner of my eye I see Vincent crouching down near me. Putting a hand on my shoulder.*
* *"Don't push yourself," he says, his gaze remaining frozen. "You're already doing enough."*
* *Empty words and template phrases.*
* *Neither of us can find comfort in each other's words.*
* *Neither of us know what to do.*
* *"I want you to live," I croak out, not to a corpse, not to an imaginary construct, not to a vacant shell, but to Vincent Fennell himself.*
* *History repeats.*
* *I can't see his face.*
* *No tears, no surprises.*
* *That's how Vincent Fennell is.*
* *Yet, his words sounded almost thankful.*
* *Vincent gets up and extends his hand to me.*
* *I reach out, and accept his hand.*
* *The future remains uncertain.* (actually italicized in game, and is narration)
* *Yet, I feel like I'll be able to fall asleep tonight.* (actually italicized in game, and is narration)
* *The sun rises.*
* *A new day has come.*

### — 7 —

* "What? Ah. Sorry. What were you talking about?"
* "I couldn't hear you well in this noise."
* "..."
* "Okay."
* "I mean, why not? If you want to. Listen, I—"

### — 9 —

* What would they do? Stuff me with pills?"
* "They didn't help Mother."
* "..."
* "If I say anything, she'll throw my pet cat out of the window. Or worse."

### — 14 —

* "You only get insulted when you view something as insulting, C says," he elaborated. "So no, it doesn't."
* "What, you wanted to console me, miss Warhol?"
* "Sorry."
* "Know what Stoics says? You're provoked by your own judgement of the situation."
* "And, we can't expect people to view us the way we perceive ourselves."
* "So don't worry about me."

### 5...

* C: You should leave him alone, Henrietta Warhol.
* C: So am I. Please stop writing us.
* C: You're a hindrance.
* C: If you continue pestering us, I'll make your personal information public.
* C: You have things to hide, don't you?

### 4...

* C: anri, hi
* C: I'm sorry for the last time
* C: feel free to block me
* C: more or less
* C: like usual. i'm trying to spend more time with her
* C: how are you holding up?
* C: Do you have plans for uni or?
* C: haha, yeah. only the job you're crazy about can get you a good income
* C: or just luck really
* C: higher education won't really promise you a good place in life
* C: i'll know in a month. I don't really remember the day of the exam
* C: kill myself i guess
* C: haha no jk
* C: I know. I'm being serious
* C: I have Mother to take care of, so don't worry.

### 3...

* C: anri, hi! how are you? <3
* C: of course it's me
* C: im okay! XXXXXX specifically asked not to talk about the remnants, though.

### 1...

* C: shit
* C: I'm so sorry
* C: if you're reading this, it's me
* C: I'm not okay
* C: I'm not sure if I'm myself anymore
* C: sometimes I just close my eyes and then find myself at an unfamiliar place several hours later
* C: I passed the exams, but I'm failing classes. hard.
* C: I feel like vomiting just looking at people
* C: they don't look human
* C: I'm afraid if we meet again you won't look human, too
* C: so please, don't try to find me
* C: Mother is not okay
* C: She's not responding anymore
* C: everything is distorted
* C: and I'm clearly bothering you
* C: I
* C: I need to put a stop to this