Title: Producer's Report
Author: WallofIllusion
Fandom: The World Ends With You
Characters: Hanekoma, Joshua, Kitaniji
Misc. Notes: Mentions of suicide. We're gonna play it safe and say this spoils everything. Obviously, this is meant to mimic the style of the Secret Reports, so kindly pretend that all bolded text is actually red. Originally this was going to be an epilogue for a longer idea I had, but it was way too plotty for me to actually write so this is all that will ever exist.

Before I settle into my duties as Producer, I would like to first chronicle the events leading up to my obtaining that position, and to the instatement of Shibuya's new Composer. There is little point in concealing the fact that I deliberately manipulated these events. As such, I wish to explain my motives for doing so, that they may not be mistaken.

I have high hopes for the new Composer. After all, he managed to defeat the previous Composer—that is, me—while still a human, proving his strength; however, he also spared me from erasure, proving a potential for compassion. When I first met Yoshiya Kiryu last December, of course, I had no way to be certain of either of these qualities. At the time, my interest fell on him simply because of his super-planar sight.

He has been capable of perceiving the UG from the RG for some time now. He is uncertain of when or how he gained this ability, though he claims to have had it for at least several years. I believe it may be the result of a glitch that was by accident permanently integrated into his Soul code.

Of course, it is not uncommon for humans from the RG to have momentary glimpses of the UG due to minor, harmless glitches in existence. Normally, humans blame these sights on their own imagination and quickly forget about them. If such a glitch occurs at a point of major transformation in the human's life, however, the glitch can become permanently coded into the human's Soul, resulting in prolonged supernatural sight. Contrary to what one might expect, such an experience is rarely beneficial to those humans. Even once they have dispelled concerns about their own sanity, they must still deal with being able to see the unseen. This frequently results in a sense of isolation from their peers.

Kiryu, when I first caught him watching a Game from the RG last December, was in danger of falling prey to this attitude. Though still living with his father, he was somewhat estranged from both his parents, and he had no close friends at the time. I judged that it would be beneficial to him if he had someone with whom he could talk about the UG, so I engaged him in conversation and invited him to visit the café I maintain. He was very interested in the UG, and talking about it enabled him to open up somewhat, not only to me but also in other aspects of his life.

Originally, his interest in the Game was not in the details but in the whys and hows of participation. I was fittingly vague in answering his questions. However, it did not surprise me when he took to spying on Players and even Reapers to obtain those answers for himself. I did not seriously reprimand him for this.

You see, I suspected even then that his interest in the Game would lead to his eventual suicide in order to participate, and I admit to consciously provoking such an action.

Though appalling from a human perspective (and indeed, the Composer himself seems to be slightly perturbed by the idea), in the grand scheme of things this is little more than guiding him through a step towards advancement. Considering his inability to relate to others on the RG plane, this is clearly a serious improvement over his former state.

It was only natural, once he began eavesdropping on the Reapers, that he would hear the term Composer. He learned enough to deduce that the Composer was some sort of leader before he approached me for details. I, of course, was not overly forthcoming with information. However, I told him enough to pique his curiosity. You see, by that time I had decided that he would be my successor. My reasons for this were several:

1: My Conductor, Mamoru Kuroda, had shown signs of desiring to overthrow me. I suspected that Kuroda would be more likely to erase me entirely than someone I had befriended would.

2: Kiryu's interest stemmed not from a malicious desire for power, but from simple boredom and curiosity.

3: Though Kiryu's ability to connect to others in the RG was not strong, his intelligence and understanding of the world indicated that this was primarily a problem with his environment, not Kiryu himself. I trusted his potential to become a fair and beneficial Composer for Shibuya once he entered the UG.

Under my watchful eye, Kiryu's interest in the UG grew.