()||9<黑屏1>0,10BGM_Empty: ()||9GF_xGS2_16:We enter the foyer once again. +I've already grown more or less used to the darkness. Henrietta leads me on step by step. ()Commander||:Come to think of it, have you ever thought about what your Vita is like? Henrietta(4)Henrietta||:I did think about going in...but I've always backed out at the last second. ()Commander||:Why? Henrietta(4)Henrietta||:Vita is meant to be a world of happiness, but who can even define happiness? +Even if we do attain happiness in a virtual world, there comes a day when we must leave the world behind. +When we wake up from a happy dream and realize it is all just a lie, doesn't that make it more painful? ()Commander||:That doesn't sound like you at all. Henrietta(2)Henrietta||:I have been thinking a lot in the 170,000 hours when you weren't here, Signore Giuseppe. ()Commander||:You don't want to feel disappointed? Henrietta(4)Henrietta||:Nobody likes to be disappointed; though most people would choose to delude themselves to make things more bearable. +But I don't want to lie to myself, nor do I want to regret my own choices, so I'd rather keep waiting. ()Commander||:Keep waiting, you say...? Henrietta(2)Henrietta||:And you came back, Signore Giuseppe! +All that waiting has paid off! +Ah, we're here. This is Claes' Vita... ()Commander||:I hope things aren't too complicated in there. ()||<黑屏1>BGM_Empty:... ()||<黑屏2>82GF_xGS2_07:The familiar darkness comes crashing in, but I think I've grown used to traversing it. ()||:This time there isn't any blinding light. My eyes soon adjust to the new environment. ()||:I find myself in a room of average size. ()Commander||:I'm...sitting at a desk? ()Henrietta's Voice||:This Vita kind of rings a bell... +Oh right... It seems to be a Handler's dormitory at the Agency. ()Commander||:At the Agency, huh... +I suppose I shouldn't be surprised no matter where I show up. ()Henrietta's Voice||:Surely you must know your way around the Agency dormitories, Signore Giuseppe? ()Commander||:Haha...I think so. +So, the owner of this Vita is called Claes, right? ()Henrietta's Voice||:That's right. ()Commander||:What's she like? ()Henrietta's Voice||:You really...don't remember Claes either. ()Commander||:Well...I have forgotten...quite a bit... ()Henrietta's Voice||:Sheesh, Signore Giuseppe. +She's a very quiet Cyborg. Since she doesn't have a Handler, she doesn't go on missions with us too often. Instead, she spends most of her time alone at the Agency. ()Henrietta's Voice||:But I still like her a lot. Sometimes I help her with her gardening. ()Commander||:No Handler? ()Henrietta's Voice||:That's right... I think he died in some kind of accident. +But for some reason, none of us can remember that man. I think even Claes herself has no memory of him. ()||:I access the file on this Cyborg named Claes. Compared to the other girls, her profile is significantly shorter. +Other than a few brief sentences, there is no mention of her Handler. ()Commander||:So this Handler called Raballo shouldn't appear before her? ()Henrietta's Voice||:This is a Vita, Signore Giuseppe. Anything is possible. ()||:That's true – as long as there's enough computational capacity to support the simulation. +But I keep this thought to myself. +Can a deceased Handler form a new bond with his Cyborg? +I only managed to retrieve the other girls from their respective Vitas because of their profound connections with the original users of these login accounts. +Without the aid of this bond, will I be able to find the way and bring them home? ()||:I take in my surroundings as I try to think of a solution. It seems to be an old room that hasn't been inhabited for a while. +The furnishing is plain and orderly. The wall is lined with metal shelves filled with all sorts of strange books. +I open the curtains and look out the window. Both the lawn and the path outside are covered in rampant weeds that are almost waist-high. This place must have been out of maintenance for years. +I look down – the window sill and the desk are covered in a fine layer of dust, but the room doesn't smell of mold. +A well-maintained machine gun rests on a wooden rack beneath the bed. +In a stark contrast to the derelict sight outside, someone has been keeping this room in good order. ()||:Still, the objects here aren't giving me much to work with. +I stuff my hands into my pockets and sigh. +Everything is quiet around us except for the occasional birdsong. +I scratch my head. To test the waters in this Vita, I walk up to the door and twist the handle tentatively. ()||<黑屏1>:The door opens. Unlike some of the other Vitas, my movement isn't restricted at all. ()||<黑屏2>239:I walk out of the worn building, which looks like it could topple any second under all those weeds and creepers. ()Commander||:So this is the Agency? ()||:... +No response. ()Commander||:Henrietta? ()||:Silence from both within and without the Vita. +Henrietta has run off to god-knows-where...or has she dematerialized because of the subroutine? ()||:I head back into the room, but Henrietta doesn't seem to have returned. +Feeling a little helpless, I decide to follow the unkempt cobbled path, which soon leads me to a similarly run-down administrative building, behind which is a shooting range. +This sight reminds me of my own training at Griffin. I almost never have to wield a firearm myself these days, but for some reason, this place makes me feel strangely at home. ()||<黑屏1>:I instinctively go around the office building that looks almost haunted and head towards the shooting range. ()||<黑屏2>262:Quite surprisingly, there is a flourishing garden that's completely out of season, sandwiched in the desolate space between the building and the shooting range. +Upon careful observation, vegetables and tomatoes are planted neatly next to a myriad of flowers. This isn't just a garden, it's almost a farm. +It's clear that this deserted place isn't so deserted after all. Claes(2)???0,150||:Who are you? ()||:I turn around and see a plainly-dressed girl standing on the other end of the garden. +Her face contorts with rage the moment she sees me. Claes(2)???0,150||:I told you to leave me alone! ()Commander||:Claes? Claes(2)Claes0,150||:You know everything will come to an end eventually! +Why do you insist on doing such unnecessary things like her?! ()Commander||:I don't understand what you're talking about... Claes(2)Claes0,150||:Tsk... Thanks to you... +They'll be coming again soon. ()||RunStep:With that, she runs off without glancing back. SAT8(0)???||:Uh, Claes? Where are you going? ()||:Then a familiar figure comes out of the office building with some gardening tools. ()Commander||:S.A.T.8? SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Commander? What are you doing here? ()Commander||:You recognize me? SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:What's that supposed to mean? +You're the Commander, duh... ()Commander||:Great, that'll save me a lot of explaining... SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:I thought those shouts were Claes looking for me... +Turns out you scared her off, huh? ()Commander||:I just ran into her. She said some stuff that confused the hell out of me and ran off. SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Oh... She might have thought you were me. ()Commander||:I look nothing like you though... SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:She just won't talk to me properly, so I've switched my appearance several times, but it doesn't really help... ()Commander||:... +You seem to be living quite a leisurely life in here... SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:I mean, she's a lovely kid, so I want to make friends with her. ()Commander||:Right... Anyway. +You must have been here for a while. Can you give me a brief report about the situation? SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Hmm... How should I explain this? +The others and I were suddenly absorbed into this space. When I regained consciousness, I found myself among these old buildings, then I met this girl called Claes. +Since I had no idea how I got here either, she took me in and set me up in her own room. We got along pretty well at first. +But after a while, I suddenly started hearing a voice. +This voice told me that what Claes really wanted was to live a solitary life. She said she could build a world that Claes desired if I could lend her my power. +The girl sounded really unhappy, so I agreed to help, then I realized I have the ability to alter this space with my neural cloud. ()Commander||:So you're in control... +Which means this Vita isn't restricted by the subroutines? SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Subroutines? ()Commander||:I suppose it makes sense; Claes doesn't have a Handler, after all. +What happened next? SAT8(0)SAT8||:Claes said she wanted to live here alone, so I made everyone else disappear. +She was very taken aback at first, but when I told her it was my doing, she became really cold and distant. ()Commander||:But she didn't ask you to undo everything? SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:She did say I was being a busybody, but no, she didn't ask me to change things back so I gather she's okay with it. +She told me what I did simply prolonged everyone's suffering, but she gradually warmed up to me again, and I've been staying with her ever since. ()Commander||:You never even thought about leaving? +We've all been very worried about you. SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Well... I did want to go, but I couldn't just leave her behind and I really want to make her happy. +Besides, I knew you'd be coming for us. ()Commander||:Even so... SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Oh right, how are the other Dolls? ()Commander||:They're alright... You're the only one still trapped. SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Looks like I've been spending too much time playing in here. ()Commander||:While you're busy having fun, I've been working double-time to investigate your abduction. What leads do you have? SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:It's pretty straightforward, really. Someone is harvesting the computational capability of our neural clouds. +I've had my fair share of this kind of virtual reality in my previous workplace, but this is the oldest one I've ever seen. +The system itself is just barely operational, and I must stay in order to sustain this world that contains nothing but Claes. ()Commander||:Out of all the Dolls that got involved, you're the only one who's staying willingly... SAT8(0)SAT8||:Well, even if I want to stay, happy times don't last forever. +Claes keeps telling me I'm doing something pointless, and even I can tell it's almost time. +She doesn't have to say anything - I know full well that this place won't hold much longer. ()Commander||:Why? SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:There are too many informational errors in this space. My computational capability is struggling to correct all these errors and smooth out all the paradoxes generated by altering this space. ()Commander||:So you're at your limit... SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Whenever I erase someone who should exist, it adds onto the computational load of maintaining this Vita. And when someone who doesn't belong here suddenly appears, the load increases exponentially. +Even though I've been keeping this world sane for a while, these logical loopholes show up more and more often, and they always lead to malicious attacks. It's the system's way of compensating for things that should've happened but didn't. +I gather you've also encountered random enemies that appeared out of nowhere, haven't you? ()Commander||:...So that's what they're all about. SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:The loopholes have been cropping up again just now. The voice who told me about Claes' wish has been trying to mend them, but it would appear that she failed. ()Commander||:Was it...a young girl's voice? SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:She sounded like a really cute girl. ()Commander||:Someone like that also appeared in Rico's Vita... SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Claes said the owner of that voice, like me, was just prolonging everyone's suffering. She believes all things should come to their natural end. ()Commander||:... ()||:S.A.T.8 puts down her gardening tools and gazes at the far end of the garden. SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:I really like it here. I can tend to the plants in peace, cook nice food, and spend time with a sweet girl. +Every now and then, she'd even take me fishing at the lake in Piedmont when she isn't too cross with me. +I can feel that she wants to be left alone because she's trying to relive the memory of being at peace by the lake. +She brings me along just to have some company. Unfortunately, I'm not the person who should've been there with her. I'm just a shoddy replacement. ()Commander||:The person she wishes was there must've meant a lot to her. SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Who knows. Perhaps. +I know she's a good girl. +That's why before Armageddon happens in here, while I can still do something, I want to make her wish come true. ()Commander||:I understand. I'll give it a try. SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Huh? Try what? ()||RunStep:I am just about to reply, but our conversation is interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps. +The girl who ran off not long ago is now panting heavily in front of us, wearing a different set of clothes and holding a machine gun that looks slightly familiar. Claes(0)Claes||:S.A.T.8! +More Five Republics forces have appeared! +A lot of them! SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:This is the first time I've seen you wielding a weapon, Claes. Claes(0)Claes||:It's not like I want to... There are simply too many enemies this time. SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:Gosh... +There really is no stopping it now. Claes(0)Claes||:And you're still wasting your time and energy on such a stupid trick?! SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:You mean him? +He isn't part of my simulation. Claes(0)Claes||:What...? ()Commander||:The enemies are approaching; we need to get ready. +There are only three of us, but if we're careful with our timing, we'll be able to take them by surprise. +Knowing when to shoot is more important than knowing how to, isn't that right, Claes? Claes(0)Claes||:...! ()Commander||:You too, S.A.T.8; be prepared. There really seem to be a lot of them. SAT8(0)S.A.T.8||:No problem, I'll keep you all safe! Claes(0)Claes||:Excuse me, Signore. Claes(0)Claes||<黑点1>:When we're done with these enemies, I need to talk to you.