Wonder Game - outbreak 1

[bakemonoremy]

Location: Secret Room

- 30 Minutes Later -

Natsume: Ḅ͇̘̗ṳ͔̰r͔̘͕ͅn̞̩̰̱̰,͉̳̙͚̖͇̘̕ ͠b̬̙u̴̗̪r̞͔͚̣͓̻̞n͚͎̹̻͇̠,̙̱͈̥̗̘ ̧̦̘̩̘̗o̮ ͔͇͉͎̫f̫̟͎͚̜̺l̬͕͜a̯̹̹̫̩͢ͅm̖͖͞ẹ̺̦̫̙,̠̗̰̝͔̖͡ ̱̜̥b҉̗̼u͏̲͈̙ͅr̸̲̺̯͉̞̝̰n̺̻͖̤̰̞̗͞ ͖̮͉͇͢ͅb͝r̤̝i̶g̨̩͉͇h̵͈̬ͅt̰̦̲͙̥̰̞l͉̼̞͎͓̫̜y̙͇̟.̭̦ ̳̯͎̞̮̞O p̧̜͈͕̣u̸̞̘̜̺̘̹r̨̭͓̱̜̬i̡͍̺̦̩f̸͇ͅy͉̹̦̱͙͈̯i͉̭̞̜͎͔n͓̬̺̦̥̠g͈̻̫ ͍͓̮̭̩͎̻͟b͎̥̤̜̮ļ̙̳͙̟̤͇a̰̙̭z̡̝̙̭̱̙͖̖e͕̣̘͖̖͈,̲̜̳̙ ̸m͈̻͙̞̖a͞y̙̩̟ͅ ̹͝y̜̘o͔̦͎̘͙̗u̪̯ b͏͍͖̣̺u͏͎̩̳̳̟r̛̮͙̭̭͔n̴͔͔̼̲ ̮̠t̨̻̼͍h̝͘i̙͎͎̦̺s̴ ̷̰̣̻͔̥e̳̞͙͇̲̫̱v͖ͅi̟̪̜̬͝l̙̭d͏̖̹ó̪̭͉̥̣͍e̻̺̥̫͇r's͝ ͚̦ş̯̩̠͙ͅi̤̜̥̰̟̹n̙s̬͡ ͙̩t̗̥̤̘o̟̖͇͉ͅ ̮̩͈̺̻͘ͅas̡h͜e͙̫͍̹ș̷͍.̸

̜̥

͉̼͙̙̰À̜͇̳s̶͓͎̳̙̼h̦̺̜̦̹͠ẹ̢͇̻̠͈s͚ ̨̮t̗̜̺̮͞o͈̖͇͉͞ ͖̹̼̟̦̺à̙͎s͖he̠̱̱s̷̰͚͖̙̩͚,͍̖̻̹̮̗ ͡d͔͙̟u҉͕̤s̟t̥͠ ̳̝t͈͙̟̲̦̣͝o̳̥͚̱̝͖ ̞̜͓̫̞̻̗͞d͈̠̳͕̥͝ͅu̺͓̠͇̪̠͘s̱t̟̺͕̩͈͠.̰̱̯͘ ҉̱̳E̺͓͇͚̮͖l̛̟͉̦͕͍̜o̸̰̖̜̖͙ͅh̭͈̩̻i̱̺͜m̸̭̟̩̙̭͙,̠̹̱ ͈͍E̳̪̲̫͖ss̷̼͇̠̤̺̪a͚i̘͈̺͇͜m̫͉̠.̱͡*̢͔͔͈͈

̩

Tsumugi: ………

...Umm. Have you settled down now, Natsume-kun?

Your stress relief this time was on an incredible scale~, who would’ve thought you’d really set up a witch trial-like stake burning ritual ♪

Natsume: It seems like it didn’t work one bIT. If you don’t show proper remorSE, I’ll use real fire next tiME.

Tsumugi: But I’ll die if you really do set me on fire…

Since you put on a stage trick made of paper and lights instead of the real thing this time, I got away with just being tickled a little and blinded by the lights.

Sora: HaHa~♪ Sora was wondering what Shisho~ and Senpai were doing, but it was all just a trick like that? Sora thought it was some new kind of game~.

Tsumugi: Ah, so it didn’t look like “burning flames” to you, did it Sora-kun?

Sora: Not at all! Because it didn’t give off the “color” of heat!

Natsume: As if I’d set a fire indooRS… I was doing a test run of the special effects for our future live shows while simultaneously handing down punishment for SenpAI, since I am efficient by principLE.

HmM. It may look cheap from up cloSE, but maybe it’ll look like real flames when viewed from a distanCE?

Tsumugi: Fufu. If it looks too realistic, the audience might be taken aback, so I think it may not be too bad if it’s cheap-looking to an extent.

It’d be troubling if there was an uproar, like “There’s a fire!” and someone notified the authorities, right?

Natsume: I’m well aware of thAT, no need for Senpai of all people to point it out to mE.

Making people believe in dreams and illusions as if they’re the truth is magIC, tOO. But when they become too lifeliKE, the people watching it might get confusED.

Just like there was that incident where people heard the fake news that “Martians have invaded earth!” on the radIO, and went into a panic believing it was trUE.**

Tsumugi: Ahaha. That’s exactly like how during the witch-hunts in the Middle Ages, the majority of the people who were putting others on trial actually believed them to be witches.

Natsume: People easily believe what they want to believe IN. And human history is made of people who maliciously exploit this disposition in otheRS.

Those are not cowardly tricKS, but entirely respectable measurES.

That’s exactly why the important thing is how one makes use of these skilLS.

Just like how children admire idols because of the idol industry they see reflected on televisiON, where “good men and women live together in happineSS”--

In other worDS, a utopIA.

Everyone wants to live in a world like thAT. That’s why religions which insist that “Those who believe shall be saved”, and that they’ll reach paradise one dAY, never go undER.

But reality is differeNT. Because it exists in this flawed worLD, the entertainment industry is swirling with corruption and ill wiLL.

If they just thought about it for a momeNT, anyone could come to that conclusiON. And yET, even grown-up adults nowadays believe in such daydreaMS.

The frantic public image make-over of the entertainment industry is probably the result of them trying to sweep the tragedy of “that Akehoshi” under the rug and make the public masses forget all about IT.

Even though a real utopia doesn’t exist anywheRE, and anyone who believes in its existence merely fell for an illusiON.

There’s no sin in thAT, but I feel pity for anyone who gets tricked by that deception and aims for that utopIA.

Tsumugi: You talk like this doesn't concern you, yet I vividly remember how in the past, "Natsume-chan" seemed to believe that wholeheartedly.

Saying "I want to become an idol" with sparkling eyes--

Natsume: How many times do I have to tell you to forget about the Me from the paST, Moja-Q?

Tsumugi: Moja-Q!? Please don’t give me a name like I’m some new flavor of candy! 

Natsume: HmPH. If you want those kinds of courtesies from someone elSE, demonstrate them yourself firST. It is unpleasant to be randomly reminded of that and called “-chAN”.

Sora: (Hmm~m, they’re talking about complicated stuff~. But since Senpai is still tied up and crucified the whole time, the atmosphere just doesn’t feel serious at all.)

(Or rather, it feels like they’re both forcing themselves to “make the atmosphere return to normal”... But, it seems like it’s not going well?)

(They’re acting awkward, and the mood is all fuzzy~…?)

Ibara: Knock knock! This is Saegusa Ibara of Eden, requesting permission to enter!

Natsume: ….!? Eden?

Ibara: Yes! I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but I came here for a briefing session regarding “Wonder Game”~!

Sora: (“Wonder Game”... That name again. Because Sora hasn’t gotten a detailed explanation of it, he doesn’t really get it~, just what is it?)

(Is it the reason why Shisho~ and Senpai have a different “color” than usual? Sora doesn’t get it, but he somehow has a bad feeling about this~...?)

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* Elohim, Essaim is a magic spell from The Grand Grimoire, used to summon a spirit that will do your bidding.

** Natsume refers to The War of the Worlds being read on the radio in 1938.