2:21 P.M.

2:21 P.M.

 

Wham! Once again, the Moon Temple shook, like someone was hitting it with a giant hammer.

I glared at the King of Distortion, who’d taken Saotome Masami’s form.

“I’m starting to figure this out,” I said.

“Figure out what, Niitoki-san?” it asked.

“Who you are, King of Distortion.”

“Oh? And what am I?”

“At first, I thought this was another dimension you’d made, or at least some illusion you’d thrown me into. But if that was true, there’d be no way to contact the outside, and no way for Boogiepop to come into the illusion to help me. This isn’t your illusion. You aren’t pulling me into it.”

“………”

“You’re the one being pulled into it, King of Distortion. This is inside of me.”

“Inside you?”

“To be blunt, I think you’re my other personality. Suema-san said our personalities are far more multi-faceted than people think. And that’s what you are. You’re someone inside of me, someone normally locked away inside a box—and the King of Distortion is an invader borrowing that shape. You can’t do anything yourself. All you can do is maintain your shape within the narrow confines of what already lies within us. You’re a sad creature, with no will of your own.”

The King of Distortion grinned.

“So what exactly is the King of Distortion?” it asked. Confidently.

This didn’t dissuade me. “A parasite. That’s the only explanation,” I said.

I didn’t know if it was a space invader or a psychic creature or just a ghost of some kind, but I knew one thing for sure.

I wasn’t gonna let it win.

“So harsh. I suppose you did face the Manticore head on, Niitoki Kei.”

“But, because this is your nature, you’re bound by the limits of human potential. These shockwaves—those aren’t your doing, are they? This is the power of someone else you’ve attached yourself to—something hidden you’ve accidentally unearthed.”

That was the only thing that made sense. I’d felt those tremors before getting pulled back in here.

“………”

The smile faded from the King of Distortion’s face.

“And it’s on a rampage, and threatening you as well. Right?” I demanded.

It shrugged. “Its name is Zoragi. A monster dozens of meters tall. So massive its existence is separating from the host. Its power will soon destroy the Moon Temple. But it doesn’t seem to have any real goal in mind, so it isn’t attacking all that aggressively. Still,” he spread his hands, as if helpless. “If it really wants to, it could turn this building to dust in seconds.”

“Then stop what you’re doing this instant!” I yelled. “If you stop doing this to everyone, it’ll disappear! Just like you pulled away when Boogiepop showed up!”

“But if I do that, will the Saotome Masami-kun within you disappear as well, President?”

There was a sharpness to his tone, like the words were stabbing into me.

“Th-that hardly matters now…”

“It does. At the least, if your ‘alternate personality’ theory is correct, it can never leave you. The Teratsuki Kyoichiro inside Hashizaka Shizuka, the Suzuki Hinako inside Michimoto Sakiko…none of them will vanish.”

“Argh…”

“It makes sense. I am inside of you. That’s why I know what you know. Remember what else Suema Kazuko said? ‘Multiple personality disorder is fake.’ The distorted desire to make what they did into something they didn’t.”

“B-but that’s…”

“So if I am your alternate personality, you must become conscious of the ‘desire’ that created me. Why am I here? You must find the answer. No matter how hard that is, no matter how much you wish to turn your back on it.”

“………”

“Until that pain turns into gold.”

“………”

Even as he spoke, the shocks of Zoragi’s attacks grew stronger. “Wh-what about you? Do you really have time to waste on me?”

There was a hint of panic in my voice. But the King of Distortion just smiled.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. It looks like he’s going to take care of things. I’ve no idea what he intends to do…but I plan to enjoy the show.”