Two months later...
I swept the brush against the wall, trying not to let those fish under my feet distract me. This painting would be my best yet; it was so great to have my artistic talent back after going a week without it. The Dead God's Pad desperately needed upgrading. I silently thanked Kitaniji (gotta get in the habit of using his last name) for convincing the other Angels to let me keep my memory of them. All he asked in return was that I leave the built-in aquarium. I think I might be the first Conductor to ever know about the Producer and not be forced to forget.
I have to say, being Conductor is nicer than I thought it would be. Sure, there's more paperwork and stuff, and I have to answer to Josh's every command, but I get to spend so much more time here in Shibuya, and I don't have to worry about being a Fallen Angel anymore. It's like a huge weight has been lifted right off my shoulders. Obviously, I can't communicate with the other Angels, but from what I've heard from Kitaniji, they're willing to give me this chance to prove myself, even if things didn't exactly go as they planned.
Rising through the Reapers' ranks had been ridiculously easy. Since Kitaniji ascended before I even made it to Officer, there was no Conductor during one of the Games. Josh had to fill in for both of them, so I think he was a little biased when it came to promoting me. I can't complain, though - it cut my time as a Harrier short. Uzuki was insanely jealous when she found out that I was moving up to Officer after just three Games. (Another record broken.) Of course, my own stellar Imagination and extensive knowledge of pin-crafting certainly didn't hurt, both as a Reaper and a Player.
Speaking of being a Player, no, my partner had not been Sho. It was someone you wouldn't know, someone that I'd been watching for a while (from the Higher Plane, of course), who showed promise. When I saw her looking for a partner, it was like a dream come true. I think she was a little nervous about making a pact with an older Player, but it all worked out pretty well. She could use almost all the pins, not to mention quite a few of the ones I still had on me that I'd made before I entered the Game. (That was particularly impressive - most of the psychs were designed for Reaper or Angel use.)
In the end, my old partner chose reincarnation, which is fine by me. I hope she meets up with Phones and the gang someday; the two seem like they would get along. As for Sho...well...both Kitaniji and I had been much more cautious with promoting him. He's got to prove that he can cooperate, even just a little - especially after he betrayed me at the trial - before he can get out of that red hoodie.
With the outlines complete, I switched back to spray-paint. I wanted this particular mural to be as detailed as possible, so I was using a brush for thinner lines, but old habits die hard. At least I had plenty of room to walk around, now that the Foosball table was out of the way. I was about to check back at my sketchbook when the door leading to the Room of Reckoning flickered into visibility for a bit, letting the Producer himself through.
"How goes, boss?" I asked lightheartedly, continuing to paint.
Kitaniji chuckled. "It pains me to see you...personalizing this place. I have to keep reminding myself that it isn't mine anymore." He looked over at the spot where the water used to pour gently down the wall.
"Heh, yeah, well. Things change, right? Gotta live in the moment."
"Of course," he said with a warm smile before continuing to the Shibuya River. He added, "Good luck, Sanae," and walked out the door. I finished shading the part of the mural I was working on and stepped back to look it over. So far, I had the main CAT logo (the star-eyed black cat) holding Pyrokinesis and Thunderbolt pins - my personal favorites out of the starter deck. It was looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. I planned to leave some empty space around the edges, even after I finished it up, so I could add more later if something big happened that I wanted to use in the symbols.
The door to the Shibuya River opened again, and Kariya poked his head through cautiously. "I just saw Mr. Kitaniji walk out, so-" He stopped quickly when he realized I was in here. He looked from me to the mural to the can of spray-paint in my hand, and made the connection instantly. "So it's true, then."
"What, me being CAT or me taking the Conductor's job?" I chuckled.
"What's Megs up to, if you replaced him?" Kariya asked with a brow raised.
"Can't tell ya that, boss." I should consider myself lucky that I know the answer.
He rolled his eyes slightly, but didn't press for more. "So you were the one who called me here? If this is about a promotion, you can shove it up your-"
"Hear me out, alright?" I interjected. "If you still say no, that's fine by me. I want you guys t' be happy."
Kariya sighed. "Fine."
"What if you went straight to GM by proxy? I'll worry about the paperwork and all that, and you issue the missions and torment the Players. Give it a shot. If you hate it, go back to harrying. No big deal."
He leaned up against the doorway and thought about it. "...Noise form and everything?" he asked tentatively.
"Definitely."
"And I get to be in the field the whole time?"
"I'll take care of everything else, promise." After everything I've been through, I think I can take a little extra work. I hoped that he would like the authority/control aspect and stick around as a full-time Officer.
"...I'd have to battle the surviving Players on the last day, right?"
Shoot. I was hoping he wouldn't think about that part too hard. Harrying is safe in that there's no direct fighting, but as Game Master, there's a chance he could be erased. It's not that big of a deal to me; as Producer, I saw quite a few promising candidates, across many districts, erased at the hands of the Players. It happens. I'm used to it. Kariya, on the other hand, had a perfectly good reason to be worried.
I sighed dejectedly. "Yeah."
"What about Uzuki?" Kariya asked, brow furrowed.
I shrugged in reply. "What about her? No offense boss, but she's not exactly Officer material."
Kariya closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I'll give you this one chance. I'll be Game Master by proxy for the next Game."
"Wow, really?" I asked, truly surprised. I thought for sure he'd disagree.
"Hurry up and do whatever you want to do before I change my mind," Kariya grumbled.
I smirked and held up a hand. "Let's get this started, then." The Noise floating around us bent to my will, degrading and focusing into pure energy and collecting about my fingers. I directed its core to match Kariya's Soul, and the energy faded to a bright orange color. "Heh heh...you might feel a slight pinch." All at once, the Noise energy assaulted him, surrounding the Reaper in a dull glow and burying itself into every inch of his body.
Kariya cried out in pain. His eyes widened as much as they could. Orange fur and black fox tails flickered briefly into existance. His black wings glowed dimly, then all the lights faded and Kariya collapsed to his knees, exhausted. He was panting heavily.
"I'll see ya bright 'n' early on day 1," I said. I offered him a hand, which he took, and I helped him to his feet.
"I'll...be there," Kariya replied between breaths. "Thanks." He jogged out, and I was alone again. I picked up the brush and started outlining a few intricate lines swirling around a feather or two when my phone rang. I sighed and laughed a bit to myself - was I ever going to get some free time today? Of course, when I saw the caller ID, it made me feel better, since Phones saved me the trouble of calling him later. I flipped open the black cell and hit the call button.
"What's up?" I asked cheerily.
"Please tell me that what Joshua just told me isn't true," Neku said.
"You're gonna have to elaborate a bit, boss."
"Are you really Conductor now?" He sounded pretty troubled. This would go over better in person.
"...Listen, why don't we meet over at WildKat? I'll tell you the whole story."
He sighed exasperatedly. "Fine, fine." Neku hung up, and I shoved my phone in my pocket.
I put all my brushes and cans back on the shelves I installed where the jukebox used to be, scribbled a quick note that warned of the wet paint, and taped it to the wall on a blank spot. I'm coming too, came Joshua's telepathic reply.
Fair enough, I answered. Since we're still good friends, Josh doesn't care for formalities as much as he did with Kitaniji, but I still added a quick Sir, just to humor him.
The World Ends With You belongs to Square-Enix.