Don't forget to read the first part if you haven't!
In the last part, our friend and helpful investigator Yuuka went missing after dragging our main character, Junya, to the eponymous nameless station. However, he suddenly wakes up in the hospital, having had a coma dream where a mysterious man retells the stories of his cases. Around him are the other people who helped us throughout the game, and after being discharged, all of them move to find the nameless station. After going through a tunnel, nearly being hit by a ghost train, and finding a mysterious corpse with a hole for a stomach (the corpse is important but there's not much we could do with it), they finally find the place we're looking for.
Within the station, there's a passageway that leads to an underground cemetery, where that corpse possibly resided, that leads to a facility deeper within. There, we encounter our boss together with the very same man who spoke to Junya in his coma dream. They reveal that they've manipulated the dragon vein (which I forgot to put a link to its FOAF entry in the previous post, sorry), rigging it to cause the facility to collapse in an hour. However, Yuuka still hasn't been found, and now, we'll continue the search for her.
That's a lot of happenings in a very short amount of time. Truth be told, this is probably the shortest chapter in the game. Especially since we've already reached an ending. But, anyway, let's begin, shall we?
Around 5 minutes have elapsed since uniting with my brother, and I can hear a sound akin to footsteps coming from in front of us.
"Sir, could these footsteps be the little lady's...?"
"Yeah, let's run after them!"
We called Ms. Yuuka's name as we tracked her footsteps.
However, something was wrong. The footsteps drifted away as if avoiding us. Why run away...?
The sound of someone banging on a door was heard in the distance.
"Kyah!"
At the same time, a female shriek resounded.
We looked at each other, confirming our intentions, and rushed to the room we heard the scream from.
It's no use. The door's locked.
"Ms. Yuuka! Ms. Yuuka! Are you in there!? Reply if you are!"
"...Junya-kun?" [slow] It was her voice.
"That's right, it's me! Open the door!"
"...Are you really him?" Ms. Yuuka's voice lacked her usual cheerfulness, instead being filled with wariness.
"Mamiya-kun, it's me, Kirisaki. Open this door quickly, please."
"Professor Kirisaki!?"
This time, her voice was charged with surprise. Then, like the Celestial Rock Gate, the door slowly opened.
"...It really is you, Junya-kun. So you're safe."
Ms. Yuuka's expression was clearly fatigued. But she tried to hide that by showing the best smile she could.
Thankfully, she was safe. I felt all my anxiety from up until now be dispelled. Although exhausted, she was neither hurt nor sick.
"Thank goodness... I see you're safe, too, Ms. Yuuka."
"...Yeah. In case something like this were to happen, I brought plenty of snacks..."
Lowering my eyes to the floor, I saw discarded wrapping papers for chocolate and empty potato chip bags.
"Are you really alright? You don't need to put on a brave front. If anyone stayed four days in a place like this, they'd naturally be exhausted."
It's as Ms. Hitomi said. She must have been in a terrible state being trapped in this basement, and yet, she didn't blame me for leaving her behind.
If anything, she's been diligently trying to make a smile to reassure everybody.
"Mamiya-kun, I understand that keeping yourself safe was the top priority, but why did you shut yourself in here for so long?"
I wanted to know why as well. So did everyone else too it seems, as we all leaned in to hear her next words.
"That's because... that..." As soon as Ms. Yuuka's face suddenly began to darken, an odd sound barged in from behind.
A noise like a light impact, it went "ck-reak, ck-reak". It was close to the sound a wooden board makes when it expands and cracks.
Mixed in, I felt I could also hear a human voice like low whispers, even though there was no one else in the room other than us.
"Oh no...! I forgot to lock the door...!" A look of self-condemnation and regret emerged on her face.
"Rapping noises... Mamiya-kun, were you afraid of this?" In response to my brother's question, Ms. Yuuka nodded several times.
"S-sir, for some reason, my back can't stop shudder...ing...!?" Mr. Kogure's eyes opened wide.
Reflected in his pupils was an ordinary bucket. It was dirtied with dust, which seemed to be everywhere...
Reflected in his pupils was an ordinary bucket. It was dirtied with dust, which seemed to be everywhere...
Huh? Just now, the bucket appeared to have moved...
"S-s-si-sir...! The bucket, by itself...!" Ms. Kogure, without so much as trying to hide it, entered into a panic.
[woah, no way]
"Yes, Professor... I heard a rumor that this facility performed research to {artificially manipulate} the {souls of the dead}..."
"W-what in the world is that poltergeist thing...!?" Mr. Kogure, having lost his patience, inquired.
"Poltergeists are bizarre phenomena that cause objects to move by themselves, sounds to be made despite nobody being there, and at times, voices to be heard, they are thought to be the doing of an {evil spirit}."
"The word was coined by the Protestant Reformist Martin Luther by joining together the German words for "noisy (poltern)" and "ghost (geist)"."
"The sounds of unknown cause, the whispers, and the moving of objects we've just experienced match the poltergeist phenomenon as stipulated by the English Society for Psychical Research."
"That's enough, Kirisaki-kun. The majority of poltergeist cases have been {pranks} done by those involved, and you should know that at least."
"In many cases, the culprit was a child, but there are also cases where the culprit was an adult harboring psychological insecurities. For example, as an expression of an attention-seeking heart, or due to ill will born from feelings of jealousy."
"But, in this case, there are only trustworthy fellows involved, not a single person here would play such a stupid prank in this emergency."
"This was staged to frighten us and inflict mental damage. It's probably a {contrivance} formulated to clear away any bad actors who'd try to sneak into this institute."
As if to refute Ms. Hitomi's hypothesis, a cacophony of glass breaking, walls being pounded, and various other noises shrouded the room, all jumbled together.
It's like a child throwing a temper tantrum, completely out of control. For the time being, we need to leave this room.
The dragon vein affair that man talked about weighed on my mind. Whatever this poltergeist's true identity may be, now that we've found Ms. Yuuka, our best plan would be to promptly depart from this underground world.
"Let's flee, quickly!" I grab the fatigued Ms. Yuuka by the hand and head for the outside world.
Her hand was cold and trembled faintly...
[The screen grows dark and the next 3 quotes flash on-screen for a few seconds.]
"Sir! Faster! It's chasing us from behind!"
"We're at a disadvantage inside this facility! In any case, head for the station!"
"Everyone, hurry! The dragon vein will activate soon!"
"Huff, huff...! Junya-kun...! My... legs can't...!"
I ended up losing sight of my brother and the others. I have to protect Ms. Yuuka...!
"Hang on, Ms. Yuuka! Here, cling to my shoulder!"
"It's coming! It'll catch up to us at this rate! Let's hide in that room!"
We opened a nearby door and hid ourselves. I could feel a nasty sweat trickling down my back. Ms. Yuuka gripped me tightly by the sleeves of my clothes.
She spent four days in such a place. It must have been unimaginably terrifying and nerve-wracking.
"Phew... Looks like it's gone."
"I'm sorry, Junya-kun... I just had to invite you to this place..."
"It's okay. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you..."
"That's not true. That day, you gave me an opportunity to escape."
"Eh? Is that so?"
"Yeah. You don't remember? You chose to serve as the decoy for the poltergeist to let me go."
So that's how it was. I didn't leave her behind and ran away by myself. I felt a little relieved.
"I can't remember much after we got off at the unnamed station. Today, I suddenly found myself in a hospital bed."
"What? Where are you hurt?" Ms. Yuuka was worriedly feeling around my body.
"N-no, I'm fine! Apparently I collapsed in front of the hospital Ms. Hitomi works at, but I wasn't hurt."
"Are you really okay? You're not overexerting yourself, are you?"
"Yeah, I'm OK. You don't need to worry, Ms. Yuuka."
"Is that so...? Then, that's fine."
"...Just, I can't help but wonder who was it that brought you to the hospital?"
"I wonder about that, too. It's a mystery. I don't think the poltergeist could have carried me there..."
"It's come back... At this rate, it'll find this place sooner or later..." Besides, if the dragon vein story is true, the basement will collapse soon.
Some way or another, we need to find a way to go through that poltergeist...
To do this, we must know what the poltergeist's true identity is. Once we know what they are, we can find a way to avoid them.
Is it the work of an evil spirit, as my brother said? Or is it an artificial mechanism that causes poltergeist-like phenomena, as Ms. Hitomi hypothesized?
The Bizarre Phenomena's Identity
First of all, I need to confirm my feelings... I believe in---
>Science, to the bitter end.
>The reality in front of me.
Realistic route first, as always.
>Science, to the bitter end
However, can science even explain the poltergeist phenomenon?
>I believe it can.
>Even if it can't, I believe in it.
We're gonna be loyal till the end.
>I believe it can.
So, how do we explain the phenomenon at hand scientifically?
>Science, after all, can't explain it.
>It's some kind of human contrivance.
We're not gonna give up so easily.
>It's some kind of human contrivance.
The poltergeist phenomenon is created by humans. Do I have any misgivings about this thought...?
>I have no regrets. (Conclusion)
>No, let's think again.
Oh yeah, let's go.
>I have no regrets.
"Ms. Yuuka, couldn't that poltergeist be a man-made contraption?" I told her honestly what I thought.
"What if this research facility was a place to develop a device to artificially generate poltergeist phenomena...?"
"...Yeah. I think that's possible." I thought that Ms. Yuuka, who loves the occult, would deny it, but surprisingly, she accepted it openly.
"For example, if you could produce a high-frequency space throughout this facility, it would create an electrical field that could cause seemingly paranormal phenomena."
"I think it could also be because of ultrasonic waves. Usually, the human ear can only hear sound waves in the 50 to 15,000 hertz range."
"If you use very low-frequency sound waves that don't fall into that category, or ultrasonic waves above 20,000 hertz, you might be able to manipulate objects with the sonic flow."
"That or magnetism. As evidenced by the linear motor train, a magnetic force can be used to control objects of considerable size."
"Wow..." I couldn't help but let out how impressed I was.
"I thought you specialized in the occult, but you can do proper scientific analysis too."
"Naturally. In order to prove the existence of the occult, I can't just make up unrealistic theories, then I'd be just a weirdo. Nobody would believe that."
"I think it's the responsibility of researchers to prove any kind of strange or supernatural phenomenon based on scientific evidence."
I strongly nodded. And re-evaluated my opinion of her. It's not easy to do that when there are so many people who blindly accept their beliefs.
"Okay, so all we have to do is destroy the device that is creating the poltergeist, right?"
"That's what I'm thinking." The question is, what and where is this device...
We stealthily opened the door and entered the hallway.
"Junya-kun, look at that. The cables that are leaving the other rooms are connecting into a single one. If we follow it..."
"Yeah, definitely. Let's go, Ms. Yuuka."
It's not so frightening when you consider that the true nature of the apparition is electricity. It becomes simple and easy to understand.
"Hey, Junya-kun, that sound now, did you hear it?"
My ears did hear barefooted steps from behind, but I didn't want to acknowledge them...
I heard them again. Someone is following us from behind. "Hey, Junya-kun, why don't we turn around on the count of three?"
If I could, I would have refused, but that wasn't an option. "Alright. We turn around on the three, right?"
Ms. Yuuka breathes in and clenches her fist. "One, two, three...!"
And then, we saw it. Something that should never have to grace a person's eyes...
It slowly but steadily approached us.
It's trying to invite us. To a place where the living should never step in...
"JUNYA-KUN, RUN!" If it had not been for Yuuka's voice, I might have been pulled straight into Hell.
It's just as she said. We have to run, so we lost ourselves in the escape.
The apparition, hot on our heels, seemed indifferent to our single-minded rush.
But, as I ran, the number of footsteps I heard behind me gradually increased.
What the hell is going on behind me!? What was that thing there!?
Perhaps it was my fear that was messing with my head, but I couldn't help but feel the urge to turn around.
"Don't look back! Only run forward!" Ms. Yuuka warned as she ran.
I know that...! But still, I feel an irresistible urge akin to a bewitching temptation...
I---
>Give in and turn around.
⬢ >Manage to suppress the urge.
I'm pretty sure giving into temptation never ends well, so let's not do that.
>Manage to suppress the urge.
I somehow succeed in suppressing the urge and kept running straight ahead.
I wonder how long we've run. But, one way or another, we pinned down the room serving as the starting point for all the cables.
"I-it's here!!"
"...Huff, huff. It looks like these are the controls for the electrical system. After all the people left, only power is being supplied, and maybe that's what's causing all these weird phenomena..."
Those strange phenomena were created by electricity... Is that really true? The thing I saw a while ago, that was...
"Junya-kun... Destroy it quickly!!"
"O-okay..."
I had my doubts about Ms. Yuuka's theory, but I picked up a nearby chair and swung it down with all my might.
[Crash]
"Junya-kun, hurry! I heard more footsteps!"
[Crash]
"Take that!!" With a shout, I swung down the chair again. With all my strength, I tried to forget the fear that is approaching.
[Crash, electrical sounds]
The machine short-circuited with a sizzling and screeching sound. Then, it belched out smoke, emitting a strange smell.
"Yes...! Now that it's broken, we should be fine...!"
As if to overturn my relief, the door is violently slammed from the outside.
Intense pounding, as if charged with hatred, hits the door... The lamentations of the dead echo from outside... [Groans can be heard]
"M-ms. Yuuka...! Is this caused by electricity, too...!?"
"No! This isn't even a poltergeist! Much less electricity...! It's too frightening, too repulsive...!"
"What should we do!?"
"I don't know! In any case, break that machine!!"
"How would breaking it solve anything!?"
"Why don't you ask that to the things outside!?"
Damn! We won't be able to solve anything if we keep being scared. I guess we have no choice but to cling to the hope in front of us.
I once again get hold of the chair and swing it down with great vigor.
"Go awaaaaayyy!!"
[Silence]
After receiving my coup de grace, the machine, after years of unceasing work, was completely silenced. As if to prove it, the lights went out in the facility.
"It's over...?" A tentative quiet has returned at least. However, I can't be careless.
"We're saved~... They were controlled by that machine after all." Ms. Yuuka let out a sigh of relief as if from the bottom of her heart.
"W-what...!?"
"It's an earthquake!"
No way... Has the dragon vein or whatever that man talked about begun its activity!?
"Junya-kun, we need to hurry outside!"
"Ah! Wait, Ms. Yuuka! There may still be...!"
Before I could stop her, Ms. Yuuka opened the door with assurance.
But my worries were unfounded. Nobody... not a single thing stood beyond the door.
Was the poltergeist phenomenon's true identity truly the creation of a machine...?
"Junya-kun, look! That's...!!"
[The lights flicker on and off for a bit, before staying on]
"T-the lights...!" Ms. Yuuka shouted with wonder and delight.
"How...!? The electricity should have been cut...!" Unable to grasp this turn of affairs, I could only fall into confusion.
"Perhaps... those poltergeists were just poor souls trapped in here for all this time..."
"Maybe they were released from a binding spell thanks to you destroying that machine? Then, as gratitude..."
Is that even possible? But, we've got an escape path laid out in front of us. This fact is undeniable...
"...Let's put off thinking for later. For now, we should escape." I shook off my hesitation, grabbed Ms. Yuuka's hand, and began running.
We devotedly followed the guiding lights as we ran. Even Ms. Yuuka, despite her limits, strenuously ran.
"The exit!" Ms. Yuuka raised her voice in delight.
In that instant--- The bedrock ceiling began to collapse, falling down upon our heads.
With no time to avoid it, we stood still as a great force pushed us from the side. Thanks to that, we barely evaded a direct hit.
The force's identity was Mr. Kogure. His large palms had sent us flying to safety.
"Mr. Kogure!!"
"Yessir! Are you alright!?" I'm not joking when I say that his smiling figure looked like that of a Buddha.
"What were you two doing? You're too late, I'm sick of waiting." My brother spoke bluntly.
"What are you saying? If I hadn't stopped you from putting yourself in danger, you'd have gone back in to help them, no questions asked."
"Who stopped who? It was you that..."
"...Er, Mister? Now is not the time for quarreling, let us please leave speedily..."
[Light fills the screen]
As if it had estimated our escape, that cursed underground world collapsed.
The clouds of dust that soared up to the ephemeral heavens even seemed to be the once-trapped souls of the dead.
I only learned of this later, but that region was a no-entry area under government jurisdiction within the commuter belt, so no person was seriously injured.
"Hey, Junya, did you see something in that subterranean research facility...?"
"Yeah... I did..."
Ms. Yuuka and I told them of the events we experienced in the facility, from beginning to end.
[We're thrown into the Inference Logic segment without any Verification questions]
>1103 (The tunnel's corpse had an "1103" tattoo.)
>Cattle mutilation >Aliens >Souls of the dead
>Research (The tunnel's corpse was the target of research.)
>Contrivance (The poltergeists' true identity was of a man-made contrivance.)
>Souls of the dead >Evil spirit >Prank
>Artificial Manipulate (The poltergeists were artificially manipulated.)
>Meticulous investigation >Re-manipulate the dragon vein
>Devil's Experiments (The nameless station is a facility built for the devil's experiments.)
>Fantasy >Dissection Experiments >Organ trafficking >Underground cemetery
>Collapse the facility (The Inspector and the man on the phone aimed to collapse the facility.)
>Meticulous investigation >Investigate the truth >Re-manipulate the dragon vein
>Investigate the truth (Ms. Yuuka aimed to investigate the truth.)
>Fantasy >Meticulous investigation >Collapse the facility
[All correct]
"I see... That facility was probably a test site with the goal of artificially producing and controlling ghostly phenomena..."
---The The devil's experiments. I recalled the words of that man.
"But, Professor... The thing we saw... that surely was..."
[Brief flash of the ghost]
Ms. Yuuka broke off mid-sentence and became silent. Even she didn't have the will to speak of everything that occurred there.
At least, not yet...
"Mmh... That's too much for my head to comprehend." That's to be expected. I, too, wouldn't believe this story had I heard it from another person.
"Even now, I still don't plan on acknowledging such things as the occult or supernatural phenomena."
"However, it certainly seems like this case can't be completely refuted by current science..."
"Science isn't almighty... Again, the same thought as that time..." Ms. Hitomi murmured as she reminisced of long ago.
"Oh, Junya. Looks like you came back alive, didn't ya?" Perhaps having hidden somewhere, the Inspector suddenly pops up with an easygoing expression.
"You did a good job. Good work. Returning alive from there's almost unbelievable... I guess that old man's expectations were right, though..."
"Old man" probably referred to the man on the phone.
"Talking about that, where did he go...?" I asked what had been bothering me.
"Ah, that. He's already disappeared somewhere. He's always like that. Don't mind it." She told me not to mind it, but...
"It's not good to worry ‘bout every lil thing. Y'all are gonna have to deal with more cases where common sense doesn't apply in the future after all."
The Inspector is probably right. We are detectives of the Police History Archival Office. Chasing after the darkness that lurks in everyday life is our job.
[Fade to black]
So far, I have been involved in a number of bizarre cases, but in the end, none of them have been resolved to my satisfaction.
We were still unable to obtain any firm evidence this time, too, everything ended up fading into the dark, but this may have been a good thing.
Even if the identity of the devil's experiments had become clear, all we'd have gained would be despair. We're happier not knowing such things.
You could go to the extent of calling it an escape from reality, but I have a feeling that, sooner or later, the time will come when I must face the truth.
Until then, I think I'll surrender myself to the invisible hands of the gods.
What I can say for now is, the truth isn't necessarily a singular thing...
And, the truth is always near us.
In this world, there are many yet unknown truths to us.
Yes. Even right beside you---
[Credits roll]
Comprehensive Evaluation: S Class
Final Episode – Nameless Station - End
The end. Or not. As you can see, we have two more episodes unlocked. But before we do those, we have the other route's ending to go through, plus some bad endings. This episode was ridiculously dense and short, to the point the ending felt even a bit unsatisfying. However, the other route actually reveals more about the facility, including what may have happened there, so I'll talk more after the next ending.
Now then, see you next time!