3

“Thus, with a kiss – I die!”

Utena humbly nods with the very last line recorded for Elena. The voice director and all of the staff applaud. The studio recording room feels humid with the effort involved. Sadly, as Utena isn’t part of the voice actor’s union, she isn’t able to get credited for the work (yet), but word passes fast of a new, unexpected talent.

It’s a funny feeling, the first time Utena’s voice will be part of a widely-released game. Would people talk about Elena and wonder about the woman behind the curtains? Whatever the case, she’s proud of herself for her efforts.

Souji isn’t enthused – he wants Utena to suddenly disappear from her job and hop on a train directly to Tokyo. Even after these years of web browsing and information addiction, he’s never picked up on sociality. And he just comes off as plain demanding, badgering her phone with messages to start her mission.

It’s the company’s celebratory party. The CEO Miyazaki wraps his arm around Utena for a nice photo, and they’re popping off sake. But even two cups doesn’t quell the uncertain trembling of Utena’s heart, as she glances out the window – beyond the cityscape lights, to the night, and beyond. The same constellations she used to gaze at with Anthy, they still exist..

“If it’s alright with you,” Utena goes, “I’d like to take a week off, just to recover.”

Miyazaki’s eyes gleam at her, behind his square frames. He’s reserved, and then he says thoughtfully, “Your diligence shall be rewarded.”

When Utena stumbles out of the building, she answers Souji’s call over Discord.

“Yes yes, Souji, you have to have patience for those things. Now I’ve got a week off and a full paycheck to spare.”

“I was worried your heart’s not entirely in this.”

“I have a life!” Utena retorts, almost tasting the alcohol from her breath. “Unlike you.” Then she giggles, realising the absurdity of talking with an artificial consciousness – on her phone! “The only thing is Ohtori isn’t anywhere even near Tokyo! What are we going there for?”

“You are not the first I’ve contacted,” Souji goes. “I have researchers and hobbyists who have constructed for me a bio-neural interface, piecemeal fashion. Unfortunately, we are running out of time.”

“Whaa?”

“We will be together, our minds linked – one, yet separate as to not enroach your autonomy.”

Utena has been walking down into an alley, off the street, as to be able to hear Souji better. Some clotheslines hang between old apartments; it’s surprisingly peaceful, besides that it reeks of cheap restaurant cooking oil, but Utena begins to feel apprehensive over Souji’s words.

She finds some backalley stairs to sit upon.

“So I’m tipsy, but you’re basically going to put yourself in my mind? So you could pry into my deepest thoughts? Nuh-uh. No. That’s an ultimate violation of privacy!”

“We have to. By the time we reach old Ohtori.. there won’t be any internet or cell signals, and by yourself, you will be hopelessly lost amidst decaying memories.”

Utena hears her phone buzz. Her colleagues have wished her a good time off, along with Flipboard news, and a sent image from an unknown number.

The image is a CGI-rendering of Ohtori, and though Utena recalls the duelling arena and dorms, she could hardly distinguish the buildings as it’s worn, battered and dilapitated over age. It’s Ohtori Academy, but it’s a dark nightmare, of strange and illogical proportions; like some architect has tried to revamp the place, given up halfway through due to despair, and ended up making twisted sculptures from what once was. And what are those distant wisps – phantasms?

“My God,” utters Utena. “What the hell happened to Ohtori?”

“From what data I could extrapolate from, Ohtori was dissolved back in 2001, by Akio. It has since been dismantled into a national park. But in actuality, he has placed a backup copy, out of phase with our known reality. What you’ve seen is Ohtori in its raw form, and it is there you have a hope of finding Anthy again.”

Utena takes a big breath. Then she hears a car pull over, a screech of the tires. She looks up from her phone, and finds men in white suits, approaching her in the alley. The limo headlights are blinding, the smoke from the gutters rising up.

“Damn!” Souji goes. “They’ve arrived – I don’t know how they found you this fast. But you should run.”

Utena stands up.

“Hello there,” the lead man says. “Utena Tenjou, right? I have something you need to hear.”

“If you’re selling me Wish-Bones, I don’t have a dog,” Utena goes.

“Oh, it’s not dog treats. You’ve been in contact with the notorious cyber-criminal Infiltrator. A man most wanted by international police for bank extortions, racketeering, coercing people to do dirty deeds for him under false pretenses. The signal leads to your phone here. All we want--”

He pulls out a badge. Utena doesn’t know if it’s really legit, but it’s the badge of Japan Federal Investigations. Without realising it, she’s freezing up like one of those idiots she’s seen on LiveLeak, a hostage to authority.

“Utena,” Souji says, “if you can hear me, these suits don’t have your well-being in mind. RUN!”

“Where to?” she whispers.

“Put your phone up so I can look.”

So Utena gets her phone out, as if willing to cooperate with the suits, and Souji glances out the camera. Assessing that they’re armed, but still operating under the “Shoot if she’s doing something lethal” mentality, Souji says, “They have tasers. They’re coming within effective range to use it on you -”

A nearby door opens behind Utena, it’s the chef, out for his smoke break, and that’s Utena’s signal to make a dash for the restaurant’s back door.

It’s always been Utena’s wont to be a tomboy, and it goes down too for her attire. That’s how she is able to run continuously, out the Maki restaurant door, and rounding sidewalk corners as the Men in White chase her down. No high heels, but her pair of Doc Martens with pink laces and woven leather roses. They’re over 100,000 yen, and well worth every penny.

In her panicked run, Utena tosses her phone into a mailbox, sorry Souji.. and ends up in a shopping mall. She looks like hell, sweating, hair ruffled, and though she’s sure she’s lost the men for now, she has to come up with something.

Now she’s the target of a federal investigation.. Utena goes to the ladies room, fixes her hair up, and sprays some perfume over her pulse points to cover up her body odour (as that’s how the French came up with widespread perfume.. the streets stank!).

She passes by a darkened kiosk.. it’s a cyber-cafe. People playing on the PCs, with private rooms dedicated for streamers.. perfect.

Utena goes by the counter and asks to use one of the PCs.

“We need your ID, or a passport.”

Well, her need to talk with Souji again outweighs the risk of using her identity, so she pulls out her purse and shows them her license. Then she pays for an hour’s use of a streamer’s room, just to keep all the noise away.

The streamer’s room, it’s soundproofed, and the setup with the microphone dangling in your face along with the webcam would have impressed her on another day. But currently, she unplugs the webcam from the computer, and logs on with her newfound account – to play Fortnite.

“Souji.. are you on?” she mumbles under her breath.

She doesn’t find him online in the game, so she shoots him an offline message, telling him that she really needs his help, she’s never been under the eye of the police before!

And suddenly, he’s online, and joins her lobby.

“You rang for me?” his voice, monotone.

“Why didn’t you tell me the feds are on your case?! Are you even telling me the whole truth?”

“I had to pull several strings to make it happen, to reach the stage where it’s viable to contact you in the first place. It means playing the stock market, obtaining the circuitry and research materials needed to prepare for your journey. Utena.. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry that you’re only showing your cards now, cause it calls for it? And just what is Anthy to you anyway.. you’re going to use me, just to get to her for your big, nefarious experiment?”

“Anthy Himemiya shares Dios’s heritage, like the mythical prince of fairytales, she is a witch, and I’m interested in her role as the future of humanity. Our goals don’t have to be contradictory, Utena.. you can have those lost years together with her – for her, and for the girl you once were. But as I said earlier, time ticks away always. The feds haven’t thought of looking for me through gaming networks, but that fact will likely change.”

Utena peers out the window, looking for any suspicious signs. All the women chatting away, all the young kids who are connected and jesting at each other makes for a strangely charged atmosphere. No men in white.

“I wanted you to ride to Tokyo,” Souji goes, “and now the federal investigators are onto you, that will prove unviabl-- it may be possible for me to forge a temporary identity for you in the systems. There, it’s done. You will pose as Tomoko, blood type A+. When your identity card is scanned, Tomoko will pop up and you should be good to go.” And Souji’s avatar does a wacky grin as if in mock celebration.

“Cool.. I get to be someone else for a day..”

“You still have the ring, don’t you?”

The rose ring. It’s been kept in a specially-crafted box, for the past 14 years. If anything, it’s her last attachment to Ohtori. It still fits her finger, oddly enough. Even putting on the ring, Utena feels an unignorable yearning, as if the ring’s raison d’etre would never be fulfilled ever again.

“It’s in my closet,” Utena goes.

“You’ll need it to reach the barrier to Ohtori. And a companion; someone who has known you well, as someone to tether you to the present.”

Utena’s mind flits over to Wakaba.. but she hasn’t been in contact with her for a long while. Would Wakaba still recognize her, much less care? Her heart sinks just thinking about it. Definitely not Kaneki; it’s too painful.

“Check,” Utena says.

“That’s good. And with your vestments, you shall at last resist Dios’s powerful allure.. now, what you gotta do to elude the investigators--”

The door swings open, pouring in the sounds of the cyberpub. It’s a girl streamer, dressed in a skimpy bunny outfit, with bunny ears and heavy makeup derived from Instagram trends. Her boyfriend is with her.

“Excuse me, this is my spot, bitch! I’ve been knocking on the window for the past minute, and I’m scheduled to be on in 5 minutes, you gotta go!”

“Yeah,” her boyfriend says (looks like a wimp).

Utena looks up. “Who are you calling a bitch? I paid for this spot. Go use another room, you entitled skank.”

The girl gasps. “I guess this is your first time here.. first rule is, let the pros have their way. Come on, I have an audience of 6,000 waiting for my gorgeous face!”

Utena scowls. She’s faced duels and put up with nonsense while this girl and her sorry excuse of a boyfriend were in their cribs (great, thinking of that, she’s really feeling old). She pulls off her headset, gets up -

The expression on the girl’s face is something to behold. First, it’s delight at making that clueless woman leave, then it’s total, total shock when Utena palms her face, sending her back out the doorway along with her boyfriend, like bowling pins.

Utena shuts the door after them. Fuckers.

When she picks up the headset, Souji is still patiently waiting. “I got caught up with something, sorry,” Utena goes.

“Ah, I was saying, you need.. let me think. I do know, you like a lot of action and thriller movies, you stream some for those late night weekends.”

“Hey, you’re prying! That’s why I’m dubious about having you in my head.”

“Yes, well, you need to pretend for now you’re the hero-- erm, heroine of a thriller story for now. Get yourself in the mindset of someone who will use anything to get from point A to point Z, and out of trouble. That’s 60% of the battle already. I can tap into cameras, anything that’s not closed-circuit, and fudge things in your favour..”

The door opens once more, and the streamer girl is back at it again, this time with staff, their faces stern as heck. That always happens: I’mma bring my big brother who’ll stand up for my ass!

“That’s her, she pushed me in the face!”

Utena takes off the headset, logs off the PC, and as she strides out, she shoots a quick glance at the girl. She’s like.. there are always Nanami’s in this world, who feel like the world ought to bend over to their whims.

“I’ll kick your ass if I see your face here again!” Utena hears from behind her shoulder, and she scoffs.