Nice to meet you, Shuta Aoi.
I am 0th, and I have returned to set the 24th Ward right.
So you're 0th, Ran's mentor?
OCTOBER 19, 2021
Are you Carneades?
No, I am not. Though, I am an acquaintance.
That makes things easy. Let me meet Carneades.
I don't think you would be granted an audience.
It may have nothing to do with you, but for the past six months,
Carneades has totally been toying with me.
Besides,
it has something to do with my childhood friend who's supposed to be dead.
A strange tale.
Fair enough.
Carneades is currently at the highest floor of the Cornucopia.
Why in such a...
Is he going to make us choose another future?
A storm is approaching.
What's your relationship with Carneades?
You should head over quickly, or you may miss your chance.
Damn it.
Whoa, whoa.
That's right, can you tell me your contact information?
You can ask Ran later.
And Ran isn't answering the phone right now because the SARG is after him.
Oh, fine. It's only contact info.
It's pouring.
Where did Shuta go?
Who knows?
Sheesh, he bailed on cleanup. What the heck is he doing?
- Shu! - Shuta!
Mari, take this.
Whoa!
You're too fast.
Just like Tsuzuragawa said,
the smart city concept created by Mother was the basic theory for the KANAE System.
Additionally, this theory was scrapped by Mother herself.
Asumi.
Shu, you don't want to answer your phone?
ASUMI
From Asumi?
This means that...
Yeah.
Asumi. Carneades.
My head is getting all jumbled up.
At the top of the Cornucopia...
control will be lost from cranes after a lightning strike and will collapse.
The fall of tower cranes will create many casualties.
The only person who can stop this is the one person atop the tower.
However, right after connecting the cables,
that person will be struck by lightning and die.
If you warn that person of the lightning strike with a direct call from the command room,
that person's life will be spared.
Will you let the cranes fall and sacrifice many people,
or will you sacrifice the one person on top of the tower?
Guide the future.
Sh-Shu?
Wasn't it Carneades who was giving out the trolley dilemmas?
Shu? What's wrong? Was the phone call really from Asumi?
Why am I seeing a future where he becomes the victim?
I don't get it.
- Like I would get any of this! - Shu!
I'll just ask him in person. That should solve everything.
Sheesh. Now of all times...
But now, I can...
Instructor.
OCTOBER 17, 2021
So it really was you who instigated the Graffiti War.
You've become good at drawing art that sends messages.
Why'd you do that to Mr. Kaba's art?
Those really were some of my masterpieces.
Because it was a masterpiece with so much emotion packed in, it was worth overwriting.
Its value rises because it's now gone, and the agitative effect increases.
But that piece—
Do you have the right to get angry?
Indeed, I used the fame of Carneades to overwrite graffiti and stirred people's anger.
I hired internet media to instigate conflict with the "Graffiti War" article.
And they have no idea that trouble is created by the one who resolves it.
DoRed has more enemies now, but gained many more followers.
Donations coming in now are beyond comparison to before.
You used Carneades for your own activities as well. Am I mistaken?
And when the artist Carneades fades out,
we can head into the referendum while the topic is really hot.
Listen up. The KANAE System is a double-edged sword.
It's highly convenient, but also filled with danger.
The KANAE System is something that can destroy the humanity that makes humans human.
There will no longer be a place for the weak? The story is on a completely different level.
That system is technology that steps into a realm that should not be trespassed as humans.
What are the laurels they rest upon?
Ran, you said that "your powers are enhanced" when Asumi calls you.
That technology is an adaptation of military tech at the foundation of the KANAE System.
It's called "cipher."
Cipher?
It shares its technological roots with Kunai's Di-VA and Drug D.
We don't have time left before the referendum. Art simply won't be enough.
We need to caress the physical body of the 24th Ward simultaneously with its heart.
I have one favor to ask. It's something only you can do.
What are you going to make me do?
I want you to hack into the KANAE System database.
OCTOBER 19, 2021
You say that like it's really easy.
I'm nothing more than an ally of the weak.
That should be what Asumin wished for, too.
Tsuzuragawa, get away from there immediately.
Listen up. We'll lose control of tower cranes from a lightning strike and they'll fall down.
I see.
H-Hey.
Tsuzuragawa!
I'm back.
Welcome back.
Oh, our poster girl has come home.
There's been rumors that you married the guy next door.
That's right. I haven't seen you at all so this old man has been sad.
Huh? What's with that?
Small communities are so scary.
So how is it between you and Shu, anyway?
No ifs, ands, or buts.
Shu is such...
an idiot.
Postpone it! We're postponing any further work.
Are there any direct phone lines to the top?
Lightning warning?
Ran?
You were here.
Look at this.
Carneades.
Probably the real one.
I have no idea what kind of contraption this is,
but if he'll stop the crane from getting out of control, I have no complaints.
Stop it.
You might be thinking that heroes save everyone,
but you really need to start choosing, Shu.
I'll choose the future where the crane doesn't topple over.
Of course, I'm going to evacuate people too.
I won't choose a future that's already decided.
I'll save Carneades as well.
And I'll ask why he's doing this, even if I have to punch him.
I wouldn't be satisfied otherwise.
Answer. Come on, pick up the phone. Hurry up.
Why?
Why!
The Vision showed us that a direct phone call would switch the rails of the trolley.
But why isn't he answering the phone?
No, I'll worry about that later.
I have my own job to fulfill.
Koki. You too?
You want to say choose the future, and save more people, right?
No way. I'm going to be a hero who'll never give up on anything.
I promised that with Asumi.
Koki?
Fire alert. This is a fire alert.
Everyone inside the Inner Section, please immediately evacuate to the Outer Section.
All security guards, please move to the Outer Section immediately after guiding everyone else.
I repeat, this is a fire alert.
No system is left without holes, but Cornucopia's system is close to perfect.
If there's any moment I can dive in, it would be now.
It's at this moment, while my abilities are boosted.
Ran, we're good to go anytime.
We'll proceed with the plan.
Yamamori, you secure shelter and transportation.
Lucky, you create a diversion with a fabricated fire.
I copy.
I'm gonna do a really sloppy job, so you'll have to clean up after me.
Oh no, that's so scary.
All right, I'll head over as backup.
Something happen?
Apparently there's a fire right in front of this building.
I'm going to go help guide the evacuees.
Got it.
Are you hesitating?
This is on a different level than just graffiti.
It's a crime I can't make excuses for.
Even if it's to save Shantytown...
I wonder if Asumin would forgive me.
That kindness is what killed Kunai.
I better make it in time.
The tower cranes have electronic controls to prevent accidents
but that's now malfunctioning from that lightning strike.
If things go exactly like that Vision, the cranes will topple unless we switch the cables.
Sheesh, one-way communication security is so freaking troublesome.
But if I've come this far, it's as good as mine now.
So, let's do this.
I'll show you what kind of determination little ol' me has.
Ms. Tsuzuragawa. Nothing less from her.
She does a good job at hiding the contents.
But...
Right now, little ol' me can even rewrite the laws of physics.
Records of various sensors, social media history...
It's a hodgepodge of all sorts of accumulated data.
Is this worth stealing at all?
So that's what this is about?
Yeah, if they want to win the referendum, this would be...
Carneades.
Run for it!
The lightning!
Hey, Carneades. Get a hold of yourself!
Carne...
Are you serious?
I'm sorry, Tsuzuragawa.
The KANAE System is in trouble.
I may not be able to protect Miss Asumi's secret.
You can't protect Asumi?
That means...
I will disclose it to you now.
The true identity of Carneades is me.
I'm more than slightly disturbed.
But that all makes sense now.
What is your objective?
The KANAE System has a critical bug.
I cannot allow Mr. Gori to find out about it.
That is why I played the role of Carneades.
I mislead him, saying that the bug was a result of Carneades's hacking.
Wait. Then perhaps those futures that were shown to us...
So you've all been shown futures.
I had speculated as such from the logs, but I'm reassured that they were correct.
I named those events "Visions."
"Vision." That's a good, straightforward name.
About those Visions...
Of course, they aren't limited to the two choices that Carneades created.
Those are the nightmares the KANAE System had suffered as a result.
Just as I thought. Then, Asumi is...
Yes. Miss Asumi's consciousness still remains in the KANAE System.
That means...
Asumi is still alive?
I don't know what conclusion to make.
However, Mr. Gori decided to donate Miss Asumi's physical body
as a part of the KANAE System because Miss Asumi was already deceased.
He felt overwhelming sorrow doing so.
If Mr. Gori ever finds about this fact, he may as well go insane.
I'm the one who pulled the trolley's lever.
Tsuzuragawa knows about the existence of the Visions.
Because of my careless phone call, she understood that she was riding atop the rails,
and decided to sacrifice herself.
I killed Tsuzuragawa.
This program...
I will share this with you just in case.
After all, I don't know when you will have your next Vision.
Tsuzuragawa, I will continue on with your wishes.
Choose your future.
My name is Carneades.
Information is more actively moving around.
Did Carneades show himself?
I have to hurry out of here or it'll get dangerous.
Give me a break. Hey!
Come on. Why? What's going on here?
I don't get it. I don't get it at all.
You can't just die like this.
I won't allow for such a half-baked ending.
The cable...
Impossible.
Tsuzuragawa risked her life to stop it from going out of control.
Did Shuta do something he didn't need to do?
I'm not done yet.
Don't give up. Don't give up, me!
Ms. Tsuzuragawa is still alive.
I'll... save... everything.
I... promised... Asumi that.
That's what a hero is.
That's who I really... want to become.
So this time for sure... I beg of you, God.
Ms. Tsuzuragawa!
What?
Brother?
Ran.
Shuta.
Crap. What the hell is this?
Help me.
Asumin?
The KANAE System.
An ambulance! Someone call for an ambulance!
OCTOBER 20, 2021
Thank you...
for saving Satchan.
I'm sorry for poking fun at all your hero work stuff.
I'm not a hero until Ms. Tsuzuragawa regains consciousness.
I see.
Damages to the KANAE System?
Fortunately, not much.
What about Tsuzuragawa?
She still hasn't come to.
We don't have any time left until the referendum.
I'm counting on you to lead the recovery efforts.
And about Carneades. I can't leave him running free.
I don't care how you do it. Capture him at any cost.
Mother at one point gave up plans for Cornucopia and strived to become an educator, right?
What about it?
Would Mother be happy about how the 24th Ward is now?
A foolish question.
Looks like things went well?
What are you going to use that data for?
I will use this data to hack into the 24th Ward
and destroy the KANAE System.
Instructor, you were in the same laboratory as Ms. Kanae, right?
If you know, can you tell me?
What's inside that thing?
What the hell is the KANAE System, anyway?
It's a demon...
that destroyed my world.