A/N: A big apology again for disappearing and posting this so late. I wish I could give some excuse, but the truth is just that a combination of writer's block, real life obligations, and me overall just not being completely satisfied with my writing had me take a long time with this chapter. It's not enough to make up for it, but this chapter is quite a bit longer than my previous chapters, so I hope you will enjoy it! More exposition in the closing A/N.
"So...uhm, this means…"
After a couple seconds of mutual, shocked silence, Ren was the first to pipe up and ask what was on everyone's minds.
"...Err, what does it mean, exactly?"
"Well...that Kasumi's sister has a Palace, perhaps?" Morgana offered.
"Okay, thank you for your contribution, detective," Ren said exasperatedly. "I'm talking about the implications of that."
"..."
Morgana fell silent for a couple of seconds, thinking about how to respond.
"...Beats me," he finally settled on. "The cognitive world, and by extension, Palaces, are places that manifest people's distorted desires and emotions. In other words, it has to be an emotion that they are feeling in the real world. But Yoshizawa-san's sister…"
Kasumi swallowed, following that line of logic one step further.
"So basically, you're saying...Sumire's alive?"
"Uhm…" Morgana was unsure of how to respond.
"That would seem like the most logical answer...I guess?"
"Morgana!" Ren sternly chided, for bringing up that possibility so tactlessly.
"Ah - well...don't take my word for it," Morgana quickly added after, trying to backtrack. "That conclusion is impossible, anyway…"
"But…" Kasumi trailed off, before finishing her sentence.
Or, rather, she didn't know what to say.
How...how was she supposed to react to this?
This world really did have poor taste in jokes, didn't it? First, the monster donning Sumire's likeness, and now, this…it was almost like the universe itself was toying with Kasumi's tiny, glimmering hope that Sumire was still alive in some way.
Maybe it should've made her happy that there was still hope at all. But still though, it couldn't help but feel a little...cruel.
Out of the corner of Kasumi's eye, she could see Ren run a hand through his bangs.
"Hey, Kasumi?" he said worriedly. "You feeling okay? This must be a lot to process..."
The redhead looked up, and saw that Ren clearly had concern reflected in his eyes. Morgana, too, looked like he regretted even bringing up the possibility that Sumire was alive.
Well, that was to be expected, of course. Given the circumstances, both of them were probably treading on eggshells out of concern for her feelings. They didn't want to push on this subject any harder than they had to.
...Which meant only one thing, then. She had to suck it up.
After all, this was what she was looking for. There was finally some progress, in the sea of uncertainty and unease that she had been seemingly swimming in for who knows how long.
She had to be the one to drive the matter at hand. As difficult as it was to process all of the foreign emotions she was feeling right now, she had to bottle them up. At least...for now.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she looked back at her worried companions.
"...Thanks for your concern," Kasumi said, "but I'm fine. Rather, I'm moreso concerned about this Palace. ...I'd like to get to the bottom of this, if possible."
Ren nodded in agreement, if not a little apprehensively.
"...Right, okay. I'm also curious about this as well. If it's really like Morgana says…"
"Mmm...this situation is just too unconventional, so I don't really have any information to base this on," Morgana replied. "I said it was the most logical answer, but really, nothing about this situation has been logical thus far - so I suppose it's too early to make any conclusions."
"Then - the only solution is to keep on moving forward, right?"
Kasumi looked at the other two, resolute, and continued.
"...Can we travel to Sumire's Palace - to the cognitive world?"
Morgana sat up on the table and folded his paws.
"Well, we would need the keywords-"
"No, I don't think we need those this time. Look," Ren quickly interjected, pointing to his phone. "The Nav has a travel button. That means we can already go there. I'm guessing it's like that white Palace we were at yesterday? We didn't need any keywords to go there either."
"Ah, great, more situations to make my existing knowledge obsolete," Morgana grumbled.
One person, however, didn't seem to be bothered by this development.
"Great!" Kasumi said excitedly. "Then, quick, let's get going, and-"
...But she was quickly shut down, however, by a light karate chop to her forehead.
"Eh?"
She looked up to see Ren's hand on her head, which was followed by a swift shake of the head from him.
"Have you forgotten we still have class in the afternoon?"
"Ah-"
"And besides," Ren continued.
*Ding! Ding!*
As if right on cue, the lunch bells rang throughout the school, signalling the start of afternoon classes.
"...Lunch break is over, anyway," he finished.
"Oh, that's right, lunch…"
At the mention of that word, Kasumi's stomach growled in protest.
She looked down at the table with her multiple bento boxes, not having even finished one.
"...AHH! I didn't get time to eat lunch!"
...
"You're late, Ren-senpai!"
One Kasumi Yoshizawa stood outside the gates of Shujin Academy, waving down a familiar face amidst the flow of students heading home now that school had ended for the day.
"...Look here, Kasumi," Ren protested, as he walked up to the redhead who looked to be full of anticipation, "School literally just ended. I couldn't be any more on time if I tried."
"Well clearly, you need to try a little harder. After all, aren't I on the third floor, and you on the second?" Kasumi smirked a little.
"Ooh, she's got you there! Using your own words against ya!"
Morgana, seemingly out of nowhere, popped his head out of Ren's school bag, taunting him ever so slightly.
"I'd be more impressed if she came up with an original joke," Ren huffed. He beckoned for Kasumi to follow her out of the school grounds, and started walking towards the train station.
"Whatever," Kasumi rolled her eyes playfully, as she quickly caught up to match his pace. "You're just mad that you couldn't even see it coming."
And before Ren could retort, she quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, what's the plan now? I'm not entirely sure how going to the cognitive world works, so you're going to have to guide me."
"Oh, it's not that difficult. I use the navigation app on my phone - the one I showed you earlier - and it transports us into the cognitive world after we have a successful route to it."
"Wow, that's awfully...convenient," Kasumi said with the slightest skepticism in her voice. "How does it work?"
"I'm not quite sure, to be honest," Ren admitted. "I just know that it does."
"Ehhh?" Kasumi's eyebrows visibly knitted in concern at that less than reassuring response. "Are you sure we can trust something so...dubious?"
"It's probably fine - it was a gift from the long-nose man, after all."
"...Long-nose man?"
"Oh, nothing," Ren chuckled. "Just a little nickname. More importantly though, we're here."
Ren gestured to his right, and turned into a side street, away from the crowd moving towards the subway line. Kasumi quickly followed his lead, slipping out into a neighborhood she'd never bothered to explore.
"Where exactly are we going?" Kasumi asked.
"Doesn't really matter," Ren called back. "As long as it's private and isolated enough so that we don't drag any bystanders in."
"So in other words, it does matter."
"Haah...you know what I mean," Ren deflated. "...You know, Kasumi, for someone younger than me, you're quite cheeky, aren't you?"
"Be happy, Ren-senpai," Kasumi said, giggling a little behind him, "you're probably the only one who I talk to like this!"
"You mean I'm the only one you talk to, period?"
"Wha- Hey!"
She ran up to protest, but Ren quickly sped up and turned the corner into an alley, a small smirk on his lips.
"Sorry- kidding, kidding," he laughed, before looking around the street, reaffirming that they were the only ones there. "In any case - this alley should do. It's far enough from the main crowd, and there's no-one around the vicinity."
After Kasumi entered the alleyway as well, Morgana took the time to jump out of Ren's bag and provide them with a precautionary warning.
"Alright guys, it's time to get serious here. Yoshizawa-san, this will be your first time exploring a new Palace, so just follow our lead. Worst case, we'll have to fight Shadows, so just let Ren and I fight them off, with you supporting when necessary."
"Shadows - so that's what those monsters are called, then?" Kasumi inquired, thinking back to her encounter with the yellow monster at that white lab. What exactly are they?"
"They're a manifestation of the resistances that people put up in their mind," Morgana explained. "Much like how we can manifest our rebel's outfits and Personas to rebel against the ruler's desires, Palace owners too can unconsciously manifest shadows to keep others out."
"Just know that if they're hostile to people exploring their desires and minds, they'll unconsciously create bodyguards to keep us out," Ren offered.
"Then either way, we'll have to fight them," Kasumi concluded. "...Which means…"
'...Which means, there's a chance for injury,' she finished in her head, grimacing ever so slightly.
Kasumi had been eager to move forward in search of answers, but all of a sudden...it all came crashing down. That one, small thought grounded her to the reality of the situation at blinding speed.
Inside of her mind, a small part of her started to doubt if this was really okay.
She had always took it upon herself to be independent and self-sufficient. It wasn't a matter of pride, or anything silly like that - rather, she didn't want to burden the people close to her with her own, personal problems. Arguably, that was a silly concept in and of itself, and Kasumi partially knew that too - but living with busy parents and a baby sister did that to you.
And now, she was faced with a problem that sat larger than she could reasonably handle. An issue that she couldn't resolve alone, where she could use as much help as she could get.
...But did that make it okay?
She looked at the other two, who were discussing battle formations, and how best to protect Kasumi in the back.
'Then - the only solution is to keep on moving forward.'
That's what she had said to them - and she so desperately wanted to, as well. But perhaps it was naive of her to say so. After all...things weren't that easy. And there was no telling what risks they would face inside the Palace.
In spite of all that, could she still ask these two to risk their life for her own troubles anyway?
"...Hey, Ren-senpai, Morgana-san?" Kasumi piped up.
"Hm?" Ren responded, pausing his discussion with his feline friend. "What's up?"
"Maybe...maybe we shouldn't do this, after all."
...How could she possibly do that?
There was only one answer here. And that answer was "no - she couldn't".
"Eh? What're you talking about?" Ren asked, slightly puzzled. "You don't wanna go to the cognitive world?"
Kasumi gave a brief nod.
"It's too risky, I think. We should probably call it off."
"That's why we're discussing it now, right?" Morgana responded. "So that we can figure out how to best protect you and-"
"No, not me!" Kasumi interjected. "Not...for me. I'm saying that it's too risky for you two. I can't ask you to take on that risk for such a personal reason."
Ren turned his body to face her, looking her straight in the eyes.
"...Even if we want to?" he asked.
"E-even then," Kasumi affirmed, faltering a little. "If there's even a small chance that you guys could get hurt, then I don't want you to involve yourself in this situation. Asking you to do so would be selfish of me."
"Then…"
Ren took a deep breath, and then exhaled.
"...Then, wouldn't you say that making us sit and watch you agonize would be just as selfish of you?" he countered, dead serious.
"Eh? What do you…"
Ren swept his bangs to the right, and Kasumi got the feeling that there was a lot he wanted to say.
"Kasumi...your life does belong to you, and we respect that. If you really, really, feel that way, then we'll oblige."
He looked to Morgana, who gave an apprehensive nod.
"But at the same time," he said, looking back at her, "understand that a part of you lives inside of us, as well. You're our friend now - we don't want you to suffer in this situation. We want to help. We'll gladly take on that risk if it means we can get to the bottom of this, which I know you want to find out so much."
"But…"
"Think of it this way - forcing a burden on someone else is selfish. But you're not forcing it on us. Asking a friend to share that burden with you, on the other hand - there's nothing wrong with that. And if they decide, of their own will, that they want to help, then the least you could do is accept that generosity with sincerity."
He gave a small smirk before adding in a small remark at the end.
"And fortunately for you, you have two dumb friends who are willing to do what it takes to get you to that happiness again."
"Hmph. Speak for yourself," Morgana objected. "I'd prefer 'chivalrous' over 'dumb', thank you very much."
"..."
"Pfft...aha...haha!"
Violet, despite herself and the situation, couldn't help but slightly giggle at their words.
"W-what?" Ren asked, slightly taken aback. "Did I say something funny?"
"Eh? Oh, no, no," Violet laughed.
"It's just...you're a weird guy, you know? I mean we haven't even known each other for that long, and here you are insisting that you'll risk your life for me and my problems. Personally, I could never..."
She looked at the other two, unsure of how she was able to stumble upon such genuine and loyal friends. How were they able to sincerely reach out to her like this? As someone who had always intentionally kept their distance from such emotional connections, it felt rather...foreign.
She was still unsure about this whole situation. It didn't feel right asking for help, when it was such a personal matter. She would rather try to do things by herself, so as not to trouble or burden those around her. That had always just been how she did things.
But perhaps...Ren had a point.
Perhaps keeping everyone at arms' length, the people close to her especially so, was somewhat selfish of her. Not talking about her issues - her concerns, her doubts - and maintaining that bubbly attitude to make everyone feel at ease...it might have been doing more harm than good than she realized.
'On that day, it might've even been why Sumire…'
Kasumi exhaled slightly. She hadn't really thought about it that much, but…
'I really am the biggest idiot ever, huh?' she thought.
...All the more reason then, to do the right thing this time.
She turned towards the other two, who were looking at her with full confidence.
"...Then, I'll be relying on you both, Ren-senpai, Morgana-san," she bowed slightly. "Sorry for roping you into my personal matters. ...And thank you."
"That's all you needed to say," Ren smiled.
"Yeah! You can count on us!" Morgana added.
Without skipping a beat, Ren pulled out his phone, and showed it to Kasumi. On it, the words, "Sumire Yoshizawa" and "Navigate" were on it.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
And this time, Kasumi knew what the right answer was this time.
"Ready when you are, Ren-senpai!"
...
"...You know, I still don't understand why I'm in a leotard."
Kasumi - now known as Violet, as the other two had decided she needed a codename (whatever that means), complained in earnest about her attire to the other two, who were standing next to her as they all gathered their bearings on where they were.
"Why're you complaining to us?" Mona remarked. He did a small hop, as if to emphasize the fact that he was now two-legged instead of four. "After all, you only have yourself to blame for that."
"On this side, once you awaken your Persona, the outfit you don is a manifestation of how you would see yourself as a 'thief', or as a rebel," Ren, now known as Joker, explained. "I guess a part of you must think that outfit is cool, huh?"
"Ehh? There's no way..." Violet objected, looking at how bare her legs were. To prove her point, she touched the bottom of the leotard, which just barely went up to her upper thigh. "I feel like I would've imagined something more...spy-like. I think your dumb cognitive world mixed me up with someone else."
"I mean, what's the harm in it?" Joker said lightheartedly. "You do love gymnastics, after all. I feel like the outfit that you've manifested is in line with that theme."
"Mmm...nah...I don't think that would be the reason," Violet said simply, looking away.
"? Why not?"
"It's true that I like doing gymnastics, but it's not like I'm crazy for it. Sumire was always the one who was really into it and giving it her all. For me, it was just a way for…"
"...?" Joker tilted his head slightly.
But Violet didn't finish her thought, instead just shaking her head.
"Sorry - unimportant. Anyways…" she pivoted. "We should probably figure out what we're gonna do about that."
"Ugh, I was hoping you weren't gonna bring that up," Mona complained, on the ground. "I swear, the one time I get two legs to walk on, and then this happens…"
"Well...one thing's for sure at least. It's certainly impressive…" Joker complimented.
All three of them turned to face the building in question, with a mix of dread, awe, and wonder.
Currently, they were standing at the edge of a town square in the dead of night, the square itself barren of everything.
Well, almost, everything.
In the middle, there stood an impressive looking and almost downright imposing clock tower. Judging by the height, it must've been at least 30 stories high. And it was pretty clear to all of them that it must've been the Palace, because there was nothing else really in sight. Lit up with lights all around the walls, it almost stood as a beacon to the surrounding darkness.
"So...I'm guessing the treasure must be at the top, huh?" Joker noted.
"Haah, just looking at it makes me depressed...you think they have an elevator to the top?" Mona asked.
"There's probably a 0% chance of that happening."
"Yeah, figures…"
But while Joker and Mona's minds were on trekking the building itself, Violet's mind was on something else entirely.
Palace owners see a place in the real world as something else in their mind based on their distorted desires and emotions - that was what Mona had taught her.
'So Sumire sees some location as a clock tower as a result of some desire?' she thought to herself. 'But what…? And why?'
Before she could mull on it some more, though, Joker said something that pulled her back to reality.
"Hey, I just noticed something - look at the minute hand on the clock tower."
"Hm?"
Violet quickly looked up to the face of the tower, which currently displayed the time (did the cognitive world have a time?). It read: 5:28.
"Err...what about it?" Violet asked.
"Just wait. You'll see it in a sec."
"...?"
Uncertain about what Joker was talking about, but curious all the same, Violet kept on watching for a couple of seconds.
"!"
And then, she saw it.
"The minute hand…"
The clock now read 5:27.
"It's going backwards," Violet noted.
To her side, Joker nodded.
"Yeah. Not quite sure what that means, or if it's even an important detail, but…"
"Hmm…"
"Well, just thinking about it won't help us out," Mona piped up. He did another hop to around Violet's waist level to catch the other two's attention.
"In any case, we should get a move on. Time should still be passing normally in the cognitive world, regardless of how the Palace owner sees it. And judging by how big that clock tower is, we might need a couple of hours to reach the top."
Joker nodded in agreement.
"Good point - let's get going. Violet, you all ready?"
"Eh?" Violet let out, still deep in thought. "O-oh, yeah. I'm all good. Let's get going."
"Good - we'll need to get closer to scope it out. Going in through the front door is usually not the most inconspicuous way to infiltrate a building, so we'll need to see if there's any alternative routes."
Joker and Mona began making their way towards the clock tower, leaving one redhead behind as she thought about what he just said.
"R-right...scope out...and infiltrate…" Violet repeated.
Perhaps it was out of character for her, but for some reason, even if it was the cognitive world, she still felt a guilty pang - as if she was doing something she wasn't supposed to do.
Morals were dumb, apparently.
...
"Wow…"
Violet stood before the ornate double-door entrance to the clock tower, which housed complex patterns and was clearly exquisitely designed. To anyone who stood before it, it almost gave off an aristocratic air and the sense that they were treading into hallowed ground.
"Well, it's certainly in line with the rest of the exterior, I guess. Not something you would expect from a clock tower."
Joker, walking up next to Violet in front of the door, echoed her reaction as he marveled at the meticulously designed door to the clock tower.
"Hmph - gawk all you want, but that just makes our lives harder," Mona said as he, too, caught up to them. "We scoped out the entire perimeter of the tower, but there's no other entrances whatsoever besides the front door. No windows, no nothing."
"Yeah, well I suppose clock towers don't really have a need for that," Violet commented. "Think it'll be pitch black in there, then?"
"Let's hope not," Joker said, as he stepped forward to open the door, beckoning the other two to follow.
"C'mon - no point in sitting around if this is our only way forward. We'll just have to fight any Shadows that we encounter along the way."
Stopping at the door entrance, and looking back at her and Mona with a nod, he slowly pushed the door open, inviting them into the lair as they all stepped inside.
The first thing that Violet noticed was that it was, in fact, not pitch black.
However, it might as well have been. Save for some scattered lanterns here and there, which vaguely illuminated a path, there was no other consistent lightsource.
The other thing that she noticed was how plain the inside was.
Well, it wasn't that plain - the tiles were still painted a light shade of red, and the inside wasn't completely devoid of items and the like - but when compared to the outside, the contrast made it stick out that much more.
But even despite this, Violet couldn't help but feel like the entire setting - the impressive exterior, and the plain interior - felt oddly...familiar.
"Hmm - not as extravagant as I would've imagined," Joker commented.
The immediate room that they walked in essentially constituted the entire building, length wise. Gears were scattered across the walls, turning in sync with each other as they all kept the entire process going. Nothing particularly interesting or out of the ordinary.
To her right, a set of stairs leading up hugged the wall, circling the inner perimeter. Dimly lit lanterns also lighted the way up, creating a sort of spiral of lights upward. Upon looking up, Violet could vaguely make out a ceiling in the darkness - it seemed like there were ceilings that created 'rooms' in this tower, or at the very least, some dividers that created sections.
"Guess there really is no elevator after all," Mona eventually sighed, upon inspecting the entire bottom floor.
"Told you it wouldn't be that easy," Joker responded. "Guess we'll just have to make our way up slowly but steadily."
He made his way towards the stairs, and Violet and Mona followed albeit a little begrudgingly.
When everyone nodded that they were ready, they all took their first step up, of many.
The climb up quickly became repetitive and monotonous. Perhaps that was to be expected, but Violet couldn't help but complain about it nevertheless. She swore that she would make an earnest complaint to Sumire the next time she saw her.
As she trudged her way up the stairs that spiraled along the wall, Violet took the time to look up at the ceiling again.
Lanterns were lit along the wall next to the stairs, so that you could see how far up you had to climb. Judging by where the lanterns ended, presumably where the 'ceiling' was, they had about ten floors to go before reaching the first section. A long way up just to the first area, indeed. For the first couple of floors, all that could be heard was their trodden steps upward.
It wasn't long, though, before Joker interrupted the monotonous sounds with a question.
"Hey, Violet - I have a question," he said, from about three steps in front of her, when they had trekked about five floors. "Do you mind?"
"Eh? Sure - what is it?"
"What was your sister...what was Sumire like?"
"What was Sumire like?" Violet repeated, a little confused by the sudden question.
"Yeah. I guess, since we're in her mind, so to speak, I wanted to get to know a little more about what she's like."
"Ah…"
What was Sumire like...huh?
She never really thought about it, to be honest. After all, Sumire was just...Sumire.
An image of her beloved sister popped up in her mind. Her sensitive, yet surprisingly resolute baby sister. The endearing, the annoying...and everything in between.
"Well...where do I start?" Violet reminisced.
"...A big crybaby. You throw one jab at her, and she'd instantly start to cry. I learned early on that I couldn't make jokes at her expense, because she'd take them way too personally. And I could never get any 'older sister privileges', because she'd cry to our parents that the treatment was unfair."
"...Violet, could it be that you're actually a big bully?"
"What? No, of course not!" Violet objected to that conclusion, as they continued climbing. "One time in elementary school, my parents bought me ice cream because I did well on a test. Sumire cried so much that she didn't get one either, so I had to hand her mine. See? If anything, I was the one that was bullied out of my ice cream."
"Uh...right…"
"Well - that was just how she was, I guess. Always the sensitive and vulnerable one. But because of that, endlessly gentle and kind. Empathetic to a fault, and always trying to lend a hand to people in need to the point where I had to watch out for her to make sure she wasn't getting taken advantage of."
Joker chuckled a little at that remark. "You had to play quite the big sister role, huh?"
"You're telling me," Violet replied. "I really had to grow up to be the independent one to take care of her. I swear, if I was around to look after her, she'd be a mess.
"But there would also be times where she would become super determined, when she would get super serious - to the point where you could almost see the fire in her eyes. And when that happened - nothing could stop her. Gymnastics was one such example. Whenever we talked about gymnastics, it was like she became a different person. I'm normally the energetic one, and honestly, sometimes her fervor for it surprised even me. I was always the one dragging her around...but in those rare cases, she would be the one who would be pushing me forward."
Violet couldn't help but smile a little bit as memories of her little sister emerged to the surface.
"...You really love your sister, don't you?" Joker said from in front of her, not turning around.
"E-eh? Where'd that come from, all of a sudden?"
"The tone of your voice just sounds different than usual, I guess? I don't know how to describe it, but your voice sounds so much...happier. Like it's fuller, or rich with emotion."
Violet could feel her cheeks flush a little from embarrassment. Was it really that obvious from her voice alone?
"Ah, well...yeah," Violet admitted softly. "...I do."
"All the more reason to get her back, then."
"...Yeah."
Behind her, Mona, who had been quiet this entire time, piped up suddenly.
"Oi guys, I hate to butt in to your conversation, but we're about to reach the ceiling."
Upon hearing this, Violet looked up. He was right - they were almost to the tenth floor. She had spent all that time talking that she didn't even realize how many steps they had climbed.
"Time to see what's waiting for us, I guess," Joker said. "We haven't encountered any Shadows yet, but there could be one waiting for us here. Be prepared."
Violet nodded, steeling herself for a potential battle.
...
...When she ascended onto the first 'floor', however, there were no Shadows to be found.
Instead, it was just another room similar to the one on the bottom; save for the gears on the walls and the new staircase ascending upwards in the back right corner, there wasn't much else noteworthy.
"Uhm...it's empty?" Violet asked. She slowly relaxed her posture, letting go of the rapier on her hip now that it looked like the coast was clear.
"No, not quite - look over there, on the left," Joker replied, pointing at something.
"?"
Violet followed his hand, and over on the left side, all the way against a wall, there was a small table that blended in with the gears next to it - that must've been why she glossed over it at first. And sitting on top of it was…
"Is that...a projector?"
"I think so," Mona nodded. "We should check it out. There might be some clues on it."
Joker walked over to the table cautiously, fumbling with and inspecting it on all sides.
"Hmm...oh, here. There's a button that says 'play'.
As soon as he pressed it, the lanterns in the room all extinguished, and the machine projected a view onto the wall on the other side of the building.
...
"Kasumi, you don't get how I feel."
...The scene that the projector displayed was one that Violet knew all too well.
In a first person perspective, someone was running down the streets of Shibuya on a rainy day, frantically weaving in between other passerby and pedestrians.
And then, Violet heard another voice.
"Hey, wait up!"
The person doesn't slow down though, wading through the crowd that was forming at the intersection. The scene became blurry for bits at a time - an indication that they were holding back tears.
"Hey, are you listening!? The light's red!"
But they continued to move forward, in frustration, onto the street, to get away from the voice that chased after them. In an effort to run faster, they collapsed their umbrella, ignoring the pouring rain that was now soaking their gymnastics tracksuit. They brushed aside the wet, red hair that was getting stuck on their face. Faster, the person walked, blocking out everything else, ignoring all senses and sensations.
"Sumire, stop! SUMIRE!"
"?!"
But then, all of a sudden, the person hears a deafening truck horn blaring on their right; and before they get a chance to even turn to look at it, there is a sudden force on their back, pushing them forward. They just barely turn around in time to see someone's horrified face illuminated by the truck's headlights, desperately trying to shove them out of harm's reach.
Time seemed to slow down as the entire detail of the scene popped out. The light refracting off of the rain droplets; the truck in the background braking for the inevitable collision. And the final face of someone near and dear that would leave a scar on their heart.
It was a face that Violet recognized all too well.
After all - it was her own.
And then, as the truck was just about to strike the one known as Kasumi Yoshizawa, the person hit the pavement, and the scene cut to black.
...
As if to signal the end of the projection, the lights in the lanterns reignited, bringing what little light the tower originally had back, and the projector turned itself off automatically.
"..."
"..."
Tension filled the air in the clock tower after the recording ended - as if all of the air was sucked out of the room.
"...Kasumi, was that…" Joker said finally, after a long pause. In his shock, he forgot to use Violet's codename, it seemed.
Violet, in turn, anxiously swallowed before responding.
"...Yeah, most likely. It was from the accident."
"Mmm…" Joker ran a hand through his bangs. "Given the perspective that we're shown here...can we assume that these are Sumire's memories?"
"That would make the most sense," Mona responded, crossing his forearms in thought. "But then, that wouldn't really add up. Violet, that was you in the video, wasn't it? But Ren and I definitely saw you get pushed out of the way, and that it was in fact Sumire-san that got hit by the truck…"
"...They're consistent with my memories, though," Violet piped up. "I remember this scene. Well, more like...there's no way I could forget it. Sumire was definitely the one that ran out onto the street. And on that day...I was the one that got hit by the truck."
"And yet, the world itself has dictated otherwise. Hmm…" Joker thought out loud, trying to piece everything together.
"If this really is Sumire's memory, then that would mean that Kasumi and Sumire share the same memory from this event. That fact lends these memories some credibility," he concluded. "The issue, however, is that since the events that actually transpired are reversed, then it would be physically impossible for Sumire to have those memories."
"Not to mention having a Palace in the first place," Mona mentioned.
"..."
...Violet struggled to find a reasonable response to that.
She knew it was absurd. She knew it didn't make any sense. But at the same time, this was the one thing she couldn't let go.
At first, she was willing to chalk it up to misremembering things, as well. Or a bad dream. It was an easier pill to swallow. But then she fell off that cliff, came back to life, and even seemingly traveled back in time.
There was something to it all, she just knew it.
"...I know it seems impossible," Violet said, "but it really happened. I swear."
Joker looked at her struggling face, and gave her a small smile.
"Don't worry - we believe you," Joker responded softly. "It just means there's a piece of the puzzle we're still missing."
Mona nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, agreed - there must be something that we're not seeing yet. The shared memories between Yoshizawa-san and Sumire-san, the fact that it's different from what physically happened, and the fact that Sumire-san has a Palace - there must be something that ties it all together."
Violet nodded apprehensively, and as she did so, the staircase in the right corner caught her eye. On reflex, she looked up at the spiraling staircase above her.
"...I suppose our answer lies up there, then."
The group looked at each other, and nodded in agreement. The only way forward was up.
Finding their resolve, they began their long trek up the stairs once again.
...
When they had made it up another three flights of stairs, Joker made an offhand remark.
"You know, it's kinda weird that we haven't encountered any Shadows yet."
"Now that you mention it...yeah," Violet agreed. "Not that I'm complaining though. Fighting Shadows on these narrow stairways would not be fun."
"Maybe it means that Sumire-san doesn't feel the need to resist against us," Mona chimed in. "That, or she doesn't care if other people know about her hidden desire."
"Hmm, I wonder…" Joker said.
"? Something on your mind?" Violet asked.
"Well...kinda."
"What's up?"
"I was just thinking about that recording just now, and Sumire's mentality at the time. Do you mind if I ask, on that day...what were you and Sumire arguing about?"
"Oh…"
Even though it happened so long ago, Violet could still vividly hear the words from the conversation on that day.
"Even though we practice the same amount, you always end up being better than me. I can't catch up to you at all…"
"Ah, sorry, that was a little insensitive of me to ask," Joker quickly added, after interpreting her silence as unease. "Forget I said anything."
"No, it's fine. It doesn't bother me that much. It's just...
"...It was my fault," Violet finished in a melancholy tone.
"What do you mean?"
"I can never say the most important things that need to be said - I think I've always been like this. I thought I was protecting her from worrying; but instead, I think I was only burdening her."
She gave a light sigh before continuing.
"...Joker, do you think I'm an emotional person?"
"Eh? Uhm…"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Joker paused to think about the question.
"I would say you're a very energetic person who wears their emotions on their sleeve," he replied. "Does that count?"
Violet gave an affirmative nod in response.
"Yeah - that's usually what people say about me," Violet agreed. "That I'm a bubbly person who's very friendly and easy to get to know. The thing is though...I feel like that description fits Sumire more than it does me."
"Really? I would say you're a friendly and open person, though," Mona commented.
Violet just gave a brief shake of her head.
"No...not like her. Sumire had a way of connecting and empathizing with others that I couldn't. I think at first glance, most people would say I was the more sociable type, compared to her. Given our personalities, that was perhaps the obvious answer, as I would like to talk to friends while she would prefer to stick her nose in a book. Still, though - I was never really close to any of them. They were always just people to hang out with, or to eat lunch together with. I don't think I ever really...let them into my heart. Or, rather, I would avoid putting myself into those situations where I would have to open myself up. ...I would intentionally keep my distance.
"Sumire was different, though. She may not have been as sociable as I was, but she could really open up to them, and have a bond that went beyond the superficial. At times...I was a little jealous of her ability to connect with others so easily."
"But you were close to her at least, right?" Joker asked.
"Oh yeah, of course," Violet smiled softly. "We were inseparable. Might just be a thing for twins, but we did everything together, told each other everything. We even shared the same dream of reaching the top of the gymnastics world, together."
Her gentle smile quickly faded as she continued, however.
"...But that was exactly why there were some things that I could never tell her."
"..."
The other two kept silent as they waited for her to explain. For a brief moment, the only thing that could be heard was their taps on the ground as they ascended the clock tower.
"...Believe it or not, I don't actually care for gymnastics that much," Violet admitted, a resigned expression appearing on her face. "Or, rather, I like it, but I don't love it to the point that I would consider doing it competitively."
"Really?" Joker asked surprisingly. "Then, why…?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Violet let out a small laugh. "It was because of Sumire.
"I may not have loved it as much, but it was a different case for her. From the start, she had an absolute love and passion for it that I had never seen in her before. And I loved seeing that side of her. When I did it with her and saw how happy she was, I wanted to continue doing it too.
"It was great, at first, when we were just starting out and doing it for fun. We would look up moves online, discuss how to do it, and then try it out together. I was more than content just watching her do it, but she insisted that I do it with her as well."
"But then something changed?"
Violet just gave a slight nod, even though Joker couldn't see it.
"Eventually, my lack of enthusiasm for the sport started to show. I started to get sloppy and not fully practice the moves all the way through. I didn't pay attention to all the nuances and the details like Sumire would, because I just didn't care as much. And one day...I paid the price. I missed the crossbar while doing a routine, and broke my leg.
"I think that incident really changed Sumire's outlook on gymnastics. She was also extremely worried for me - she and I had gotten minor injuries before, but nothing to this extent. I think it really gave her a reality check of how dangerous gymnastics was, and she told me that we probably shouldn't be doing this anymore.
"I felt really guilty about the entire thing; I didn't want her to quit over concerns about me, especially because she had found something she was so passionate about. And more than that…I wanted to continue to see that passion in her eyes. So I adamantly told her we should give it another try, and convinced her that I'd be more careful from then on.
"The thing is though, I told myself that I couldn't let anything like that happen ever again - so after my leg healed, I started to do more training in secret in addition to our normal training. If she knew that I had to put in that extra time, she definitely would have insisted we quit, and I wasn't going to let that happen. 'I'm not going to be a burden on her' - that's what I told myself. And...it worked."
"Aww, that's cute!" Morgana commented. "The fact that you did it all for your sister."
"Yeah...but...perhaps it worked a little too well," Violet said glumly. "...Life's cruel sometimes, isn't it? Turns out, I had a knack for gymnastics even more than Sumire did. I realized that after I started taking it seriously, even though Sumire was the one that was always the one that cared much more about it. What's more, I hit my growth spurt early, giving me an advantage. And in seventh grade, I won first place at a regional junior olympics competition.
"Sumire was ecstatic for me. She was so happy, saying that I had potential and that we should aim for the top of the gymnastics world together. It was the first time since the beginning that I had seen her so happy about the sport. For me, I also really wanted to achieve that dream too, because I wanted to do it together with her. So I continued to practice in secret so that I wouldn't fall behind, and so that I could match her expectations.
"The results definitely showed. I started to win more and more tournaments. I picked up new moves and concepts faster than ever before. People even went so far as to start calling me a natural talent. I started to get the spotlight - and Sumire, while also placing very high, was always just one or two steps behind. On the outside, she still seemed to enjoy herself. But on the day of the accident, I realized...a part of her must've resented me for the entire thing."
"Oh…" Joker let out.
"For me, gymnastics was never about getting first place at the competitions, or anything like that," Violet explained. "It was about doing something with my beloved sister. But Sumire, even though she never said anything, probably resented the fact that I always outperformed her. Even though she never knew that I put in extra training. ...Heh. Ironic, isn't it? That, in the end, what I did in secret to try to make her happy ended up making her despise me."
"But you didn't know, Violet," Joker insisted. "It's not your fault."
"No, but it is," Violet said, shaking her head again. "It's always like this. Keeping people at arms' length; not letting them into my life. If I had just been open with her, this never would've happened."
"But that's not…Sumire didn't die because of you. You don't have to feel guilty about that..."
Joker trailed off, unsure of how to express his thoughts on the matter. Violet for her part, smiled a bit behind her mask.
"...It's okay, Ren-senpai," she tried. "...I know what you're trying to say. But regardless of whether I'm solely responsible or not, it doesn't change the fact that I drove Sumire over the edge. So it just means that I have to accept the consequences of it all."
"...You're wrong," Joker simply said.
"Eh?"
"Agh...how do I say this?" In front of Violet, Joker struggled to put his thoughts into words.
"...I may be presumptuous in saying so, but what you did - you don't have to feel like you need to beat yourself over it. Sumire - I'm sure that's not what she intended for either. You did it because you cared deeply for your sister - you should take pride in that. ...I know you don't think that's the case, but earlier, you did ask me to help you share the burden - so I'm going to try my best to help you realize that."
"..."
"...Pfft!"
For the second time, Violet couldn't help suppress a little laugh at the words that were coming out of Joker's mouth.
"You know, for someone who's so snarky, you sure say the cheesiest things sometimes," Violet teased.
"I mean, I already told you that once. Why is it still so funny?"
"I know, I know, but still. ...It's nice hearing you reaffirm it, I guess. Words are cheap, as they say."
She smiled softly at Joker's attempt to cheer her up.
"...It's kinda weird, now that I think about it," she said behind him. "I didn't even let my own sister into my inner thoughts. But in this situation, it seems so natural."
"Sorry that I'm weird."
"Hah! That you are, Joker-senpai. But...thank you."
With that, nothing more was said, and they continued their climb up to the second section in silence.
...
"...Well, at least there's no Shadows."
"I guess? But a little creativity would go a long way here, don't you think?"
Mona made an earnest complaint as he jumped up on an empty table, inspecting the rest of the room.
"I mean, I get that it's a clock tower and all, but they could've at least made the floors a little different. It looks exactly the same as the first section we were at."
Mona did have a point, though. Making a sweeping gesture with her eyes, Violet surveyed the second section of the clock tower that they had now climbed to. If it weren't for the extra fatigue in her legs, Violet would've thought that this was still the first section - everything was near identical.
Which meant that there might be…
"Hey, there's a projector here, too," Joker suddenly called out.
Violet turned to her left, and Joker was standing over a plain coffee table that had a projector on top. Most likely another memory of Sumire's then.
"Should I play it?"
He said that while looking directly at Violet, a little apprehensiveness present in his voice.
There was no telling what was going to display, after all.
But Violet still nodded. If it was a chance to learn more about Sumire - she'd do it.
"Yeah. Do it," she said, steeling herself.
Joker nodded in response, and pressed down on the projector.
Like last time, the dim lights lighting the room extinguished, leaving them in the darkness. Before long though, a video was projected onto the far wall on the opposite side.
...
The scene that appeared, like last time, was all too familiar.
"...So that she may rest in peace. Amen."
A priest giving a sermon for someone's late departure, in a church too ornate for its own good. Family members, dressed in black, reflecting in silence. And a casket far in the back of the room, where people would eventually go to pay respects.
It was a funeral. Well, to be more precise...it was her funeral.
The person whose perspective they were following looked down at their hands, which were folded in a praying gesture. They were slightly shaking.
Perhaps in an attempt to get their mind off of things, they looked out one of the large church windows.
Stars, as far as the eyes could see, filled that small window with glistening lights. For a while...they just stared at the stars.
"Sumire, are you okay? You look a little pale."
But then suddenly, a voice pipes up from their right, and they look away from the stars to their right to face them. Violet instantly recognized that voice and face as her dad's.
"Oh...yeah. I'm fine. I'm fine."
So, like last time, this was told from Sumire's perspective. Made sense, given that this was her memory, after all.
Her dad then put a hand on her shoulder, as if to console her.
"We're going to go pay our respects to Kasumi now. If you aren't comfortable with it, you don't have to come with us."
"N-no! I'll go...I have to. I have to say goodbye…"
Her dad simply gave a slight nod, and then led her to the front of the line forming in front of the casket.
First, Violet's mom went to the casket to say some parting words. It took a long time. Evidently, she had a lot to say.
Afterwards, as she was leaving, she deposited something in the casket. From her perspective, Sumire couldn't see what it was, though. But as her mom left the stage, there were very clearly tears in her eyes.
Next, Violet's dad went up. Unlike her mom, he didn't take as long. Before she knew it, he had already finished and started down the stage.
'...That's so like him,' Violet thought to herself, the faintest of smiles on her lips.
A stoic person in public and a man of little words; that was who he was. But Violet knew, deep down, that he cared just as much as everyone else. There was almost no doubt in her mind that he would weep in private later, and be the one who would regularly clean her tombstone in the future. But right now, for the sake of the rest of the family - he had to remain the one that they could lean on.
And finally...it was Sumire's turn.
Her footing was uneven and erratic as she walked up to the stage - it was clear from the way that the video was shaking.
After what felt like an eternity, she got up to the stage and stood over the casket, which was open just wide enough to see Kasumi's resting face.
Even though Violet knew it was just a video, she still squirmed a little uncomfortably in place watching it. Seeing her own face in a casket...she hoped this would be the last time she witnessed something so bizarre.
But then all of a sudden, something caught Violet's eye. Apparently, it caught Sumire's eye too, because her gaze soon shifted from Kasumi's face to a gold item that was lying next to her in the casket.
Violet recognized it almost instantly - it was the medal from the very first gymnastics championship she won.
'So that must've been what Mom put in…' Violet thought.
And no sooner did Violet have that thought, did the video start getting really blurry.
Sumire tried her best to wipe away the tears with her hands, but the more she tried, the more the tears flowed out. It was as if seeing that medal destroyed what little restraint she had left.
And then, as if no longer able to carry that burden, her knees buckled, and she collapsed next to the casket.
"Kasumi...I'm so sorry," Sumire managed to get out in between her hiccups.
...That was the only thing she was able to say before her dad came back to help her up and off the stage.
All of a sudden, the video grew a little fuzzy, and the scene shifted. They were no longer in the church for the funeral procession anymore - instead, it was a dark room. Presently, the perspective was looking downward. Violet could barely make out Sumire's tucked legs, and a pillow on top. It seemed like she was sitting curled up on her bed.
The pillow had two damp circles on it - a sign that Sumire had been crying into it.
"I'm the stupidest person ever," she said out loud, to no-one in particular. "Because of me, Kasumi…"
She stuffed her face into the pillow again as she began to weep again.
...After what felt like an eternity, she lifted her face, and looked at the closet mirror that was right next to her bed.
Even Violet could see that it was bad. Sumire never cared about her appearance as much as she did, but her hair was clearly disheveled and overall a mess, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying so much.
And as if something overcame her, Sumire started laughing. It was clear, though, that the laugh wasn't because something was funny. Perhaps she was laughing at how pathetic she looked - or perhaps she was just so messed up at that point that she didn't know how to react.
The laugh of desperation eventually turned into another sob. She looked down at her hands, and put them into her face in utter despair.
"I robbed Kasumi of her future...I did this." she cried. "It shouldn't have been this way. It should've…
"It should have been me."
And with the most serious tone that Violet had ever heard Sumire speak in, the projection ended, leaving Violet with a line that left a haunting impression on her.
...
Like last time, the lights came back on, and once again the air was almost stifling with how silent it was.
It was clear at this point that this Sumire was living in a world where she had died - Violet was able to figure out that much. But even though it was consistent with her own memory of the accident, it still didn't explain anything.
Violet sighed a little internally as she looked up at the ascending stairway. ...How much more did she have to see? And how much more of Sumire's memory did she have to endure? Judging by the memory she just saw, Sumire didn't take her death as well as she took hers. And bearing witness to Sumire's spiral into despair...it was painful.
"...Let's keep on going."
But they had to keep moving forward. For the sake of getting to the bottom of this, Violet had no choice. So she said the only thing that they could do at that point.
Joker and Mona gave a concerned nod, but said nothing more. They started to make their way to the stairway leading up, and Violet followed.
The sooner they got to the top, the better.
...For everyone's sake.
…
The third section of the climb was mostly unceremonious and quiet.
Violet kinda preferred it this way, though. Any conversation at this point would've just been an obvious attempt at trying to take their mind off of things, and it would've felt a little fake.
But perhaps because of that, her mind kept on wandering back to the first two memories she saw on the floors down below.
'Kasumi, you don't understand how I feel.'
That line...she kept on going back to it. She should've noticed sooner. She should've said something. The inferiority complex that Sumire inevitably developed because of her - it should have been obvious.
But Violet didn't notice, and Sumire suffered because of it.
It must have made the survivor's guilt that much more crushing too, as she had just witnessed. She knew that Sumire was sensitive, but for her to be in that state...her death must've affected Sumire a lot.
If only she had told her...but Violet knew Sumire would never tell her something like that openly. In that situation, how could anyone say, 'I resent you for being more naturally gifted'? The only thing she could've done would be to bury those thoughts and hope they didn't overflow.
'But then again, I'm not much different…' Violet thought.
She hid things from Sumire because she was afraid that it would burden her. And Sumire, likewise, hid things from her likely because of the guilt she felt from having those thoughts in the first place.
They really were twins, huh?
But in the end, they were just two flawed individuals, who, because they cared about each other so much, struggled to say the most important things, and kept each other out of their hearts precisely so that they wouldn't hurt the other.
Acting like everything was alright on the outside, while harboring that darkness on the inside. It was almost like…
"!"
The other thing that she noticed was how plain the inside was - when compared to the outside, the contrast made it stick out that much more.
...Almost like this tower.
All of a sudden, it clicked in Violet's head why, when she first walked in the tower, it felt so familiar.
It all made sense. Why the outside looked so impressive and luminescent - but the inside was plain and dark. The lack of windows - not letting anyone close to those insecurities in your heart.
And these dim lanterns, lighting the way up...
These small bits of light, almost as if they were a guiding beacon in the darkness.
Almost like...they were guiding her to salvation.
In Sumire's time of darkness, in her time of despair - there was something that she clung onto. That must've been her hidden desire, and the reason that this Palace exists in the first place.
But what, exactly, was it…?
Violet looked upwards at the endless trail of lights upward that Sumire must've followed to find that something that would ease her despair. And whatever that was...it must've been at the top of this tower.
Out of sight from the others, she clenched her fists tightly.
That salvation - she would see it for herself.
She took another step upwards, with slightly more determination than before.
…
After the first two sections being pretty much the same, Violet pretty much expected the third to be the same as well.
She wasn't wrong.
After a thorough inspection of the third 'floor' to make sure that there weren't any Shadows, the trio collapsed in the middle of the room to take a break from all that walking.
"Can't...walk...a step further…" Mona complained in earnest, spread out on the floor.
"Clearly, you've been eating too much fatty tuna," Joker quipped. He was also sitting on the floor, giving his legs a break.
"Do I look fat to you?! This tower's just too damn high for its own good!"
"I do agree that this tower is very tall for no real reason."
"See?"
"But yes, you do look fat."
"Wha-!"
Mona made a move to try to scratch at Joker's face, but before he could get up, Violet quickly changed the subject.
"Oh, by the way, Mona...do you know how much farther it is to the top?"
"Mreow? Uhm…"
He scrunched up his eyebrows tight, as if he was concentrating all of his brain power.
"...We should be close. I sense the treasure room not that much farther up from where we are."
"Alright - great. We should try to get there as soon as we're done resting then," Joker suggested. "The only question is…"
He looked to his left, and Violet followed his gaze. More specifically, he was looking at a small table against the left wall, with a small projector on it.
He looked back at Violet, and she could see the small conflict in his eyes, even behind his mask.
"...We don't have to watch it, you know," he told her. "We can just keep on going up."
Violet knew where he was going with this. The pain of watching Sumire spiral into depression after her death...maybe it was better to not endure that kind of agony if it was avoidable.
But Violet just shook her head.
Even if it was painful...she still felt like it was the right thing to do.
"...Thanks, Joker-senpai. But I'll be fine. Let's watch the memory - maybe we'll learn something."
Joker still seemed a little uncertain, but after hesitating for a couple of seconds, he finally relented.
"...Okay. If you're sure."
He got up and walked to the projector, turning it on.
...
The scene that appeared when the lights extinguished was that of Sumire in a small, light colored room. She was sitting at a table, looking down at a bowl that had a bunch of assorted snacks in them.
"So, you're Sumire Yoshizawa, huh? Thank you for coming to see me. I'll be your counselor for today."
She looked up at the person who just addressed her. It was a lanky male with frizzy hair, wearing a lab coat and glasses.
'...? Wait - isn't that…' Violet thought.
But just as quickly as Sumire looked up, she averted her gaze, looking back down and choosing to affix her interest on the snack bowl in front of her.
"R-right...thank you for seeing me.
"Uhm, I'm sorry…" Sumire said, trailing off. "I'm not sure what to discuss. I only came here today because my parents wanted me to."
"That's fine," the man responded. "So, do you want to just chat until our time's up, then?"
"Chat, huh…"
"Of course," he said enthusiastically. "It's not really possible for us to talk about things you don't want to discuss, anyway. Let's see then, I'll start...I tried making lunch with apples yesterday. What do you think I made?"
"I, uhm...I have no clue."
"Shrimp in chili sauce - with apples! You know how sweet-and-sour pork can have pineapples in it? I was kinda going for that taste, but…"
"Sounds like it didn't really work out for you," Sumire lamented. "But, apples are a nutritious and versatile ingredient - they go with almost anything. You should try again sometime."
"You cook, Yoshizawa-san? I'm impressed that you care so much about your nutrition and diet."
"...I'm just active, that's all. ...I'm a gymnast."
"I see. You don't sound so happy about that. How's practice been going? Has it been rough lately?"
"It has been rough," Sumire admitted sadly. "It's nothing extraordinarily difficult, but...it's not going too well. I'm not even sure if I even want to do gymnastics anymore, to be honest."
"Why is that, do you know?" the man asked.
"Well, my older sister and I...we made a promise. We'd both compete and win the biggest gymnastics awards in the world. But she…"
She took a deep breath, as if it was taking a toll on her just recounting the story.
"...She passed away a month ago. She died, protecting me from a car…"
As soon as she said that though, Sumire shook her head.
"N-no, that's not right...she died, because I aimlessly walked out onto the street. Because of my stupidity, she…"
Sumire put her hands in her face as she struggled to hold back her tears.
"I stole Kasumi's dream from her!" she cried. "I don't deserve to be here! I was always the worse one - if Kasumi was here, she would definitely make her dream come true. But I can't do it by myself! So why...why am I the one…"
She gave a depressing sigh, and tried to compose herself.
"...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose myself there."
The man just gave a reassuring shake of his head.
"There's no need for you to apologize. If there's something you need to get off your chest, please do so."
"R-right...I just can't help but feel...like I shouldn't be here. On that day, I should've been the one in the accident. Kasumi didn't deserve to die due to my carelessness. This massive guilt that's inside of me… it's eating me alive. And the horrified face that Kasumi was making as she pushed me out of the truck's path...I can't stop seeing it. Every waking moment of my life since then, I've been haunted by it. And I just want the pain to stop."
"...And do you know of a way to stop this pain?"
Sumire just shook her head in response.
"It's impossible. The past cannot be changed - and I will never get to correct my mistakes. I'll have to live the rest of my life, haunted by my guilt...forever."
The man in front of her, who had been awfully cheerful up until this point, dropped his smile and straightened his back. He was serious.
And in an equally serious manner, he asked Sumire a question.
"...Yoshizawa-san...do you believe in fate?"
...
The projection abruptly faded to black after, indicating the end of the memory recording, and the lanterns promptly relit themselves. Joker looked to Mona to discuss what they just saw.
"Uhm, so...that was Sumire, talking to someone else...presumably a therapist?" Joker asked.
"He introduced himself as a counselor," Mona corrected. "But yeah, basically."
"Hmm, I'm not sure if that memory gave us any extra clues...what do you think, Violet?"
But Violet didn't respond.
"Uhm...Violet?" Joker looked over to Violet, but she wasn't listening.
Instead, her mind was fixated on a certain phrase that Sumire had used earlier.
'No...it can't be.'
Inside of her, she couldn't shake this sinking feeling that was growing larger and larger by the second.
"Hello…? Earth to Violet?" Joker said a little louder, interrupting her train of thought.
"Eh? O-oh, sorry," she apologized. "...Mona, you said the treasure room was close, right?"
"Huh? Yeah, I think so," Mona confirmed. "Why?"
"The treasure room must be the main clock mechanism at the top - so we must be pretty close to the top," Violet surmised. She started to make her way towards the staircase at a brisk pace.
"Sorry, but I'm going to go check it out first! You guys can wait here if you want!"
"Ah- wait, Violet?!" Joker said in surprise. He looked at Mona in mutual confusion, then started to run to try to catch up to her, but she had a pretty quick headstart. Mona too, had to practically scramble from his position on all fours to make sure that he wasn't left behind. "What's the rush all of a sudden?"
"I just wanted to check something!" Violet called out behind her, as she started going up the stairs two steps at a time. "You don't have to come if you want to rest!"
"We'll come!" Joker replied hastily. "There might be Shadows up there- just slow down a little!"
To be honest, that thought hadn't even crossed Violet's mind, but she had no intention of slowing down. She had to see if her premonition was true or not.
She kept on climbing, and soon enough, a ceiling section came into view. That must've been the main clock room, or the treasure room.
She climbed the stairs leading into that room and confirmed that it was indeed the main clock room.
Now, to find what she was looking for…
In the middle of the room, floating about three feet in the air, was some gray, muddled cloud.
If Mona was correct, then that was the treasure, just not yet manifested.
...But that wasn't important right now.
She continued to scan for what she was looking for...and she found it in the back right corner of the room.
Another staircase, leading up to the very top of the building structure.
As she started making her way towards it, Joker and Mona finally made it up to the treasure room
"Hah...finally, we made it..." Joker said in relief.
"Yeah, and...wait, Violet, where're you going? The treasure's right here!"
"I know!" she said, calling back behind her. "I'll come back in a sec! Sorry, I just wanted to check the top real quick!"
"...?"
"She wasn't after the treasure room?"
The other two looked at each other in confusion, but started to follow her anyway.
The rest of the way up wasn't that much; before Violet had even climbed two full flights of stairs, she found herself up at the pinnacle of the tower.
The top had an open viewing deck, so that one could see the entire landscape in all directions given how high the tower was.
"Wow…"
...And what a sight it was. It was nighttime, but the night sky was dotted with countless stars. Here...she felt so close to the stars that she could nearly touch them.
Her mind vaguely circled back to that time when she was back at the mountain and saw the same sight. Those thoughts that she had about the stars and how they stretched out time forever…
"...Of course Sumire would think the same thing," Violet said out loud, regrettably. "Why do we have to be so alike in this regard…?"
And then, she looked at the landscape that surrounded the lone tower standing. The land stretched on for miles on end, with varying terrain in different directions. To the east, there appeared to be what looked like a desert. To the west, there was a vast mountain range. And to the north and south, Violet could make out a giant ocean and a lush rainforest, respectively. It was hard to tell when they were at the town square at the bottom, but they really were surrounded by what almost looked like the entire Earth.
Under normal circumstances, Violet would've been awed by such a sight.
...But here...it left her absolutely crestfallen.
Never in her entire life had she wanted to be more wrong.
"...Hey, Violet...what's going on? Why have you been in such a rush?"
Joker, who had finally caught up to her, came up and asked her a well deserved question at that point.
"Haah...haah...yeah, seriously...my small legs can only go so fast!" Mona complained, bringing up the back.
Violet took a deep breath, unsure of how to tell the other two.
"...I figured out the keywords," she simply said.
"The keywords?" Mona asked. "Oh, you mean for the Palace? Well, we didn't need them this time, but...I'm assuming 'clock tower' is the answer for 'distorted location'. The real question is, what place does she view as a clock tower?"
...She wanted to be wrong. But seeing everything on top like this, and knowing Sumire - there was almost no doubt.
"The answer is… 'the World'".
"'The World'?" Joker asked, furrowing his brow. "You mean, Sumire sees the entire world as a clock tower?"
Violet just gave a small nod in response.
"And...why is that?"
"It's going back in time. Not quite sure what that means, or if it's even an important detail, but…"
That's what Joker had said before they even had the slightest clue what was going on.
Violet could do nothing but sigh in resignation at how ironic it was. In the end, it seemed like that was the most important detail of it all.
"...It's simple really," she said dejectedly. "Because her warped desire was to turn back time. She made the world go back in time, so that on that day, I would live - and she would die in my place."
A/N: If you've made it to this point (what with my long chapters and long posting times), I just wanted to give a sincere thank you for still keeping with my story! It really does mean a lot.
To get into more explanation on the actual content of the chapter: I think this chapter I really wanted to highlight the mentality of Kasumi and how she approaches and views her sister. Human relationships are often a complicated, tangled web - and ones with your loved ones especially so. There's not often an easy answer for how to navigate through these correctly. Going forward, Kasumi needs to think about what it means to be a sister for Sumire - as well as what it means to be a friend to Ren and Morgana, a daughter to her parents, and so on.
Well, that's all for now. We're approaching the climax and ending soon, so I hope you are looking forward to that - please let me know what you thought about this chapter! Until next time.