Epilogue:

Walking down the steps, light faded into darkness.

Someone was waiting at the base. Rather, there were two others. One sitting down. Another leaning against the wall.

Pausing, no words were spoken.

No glances made.

An enveloping stillness.

Her steps continued.

And the two silently followed.

Taciturn Observer

[ SFX: *click-click-click* *tap-tap-tap* ]

Nunotaba Shinobu.

Age 17.

Average build. Unexpectedly flexible.

Charm point: Her eyes.

Into the evening, she typed away on a mechanical keyboard. The ghostly glow of a nearby monitor reflected off of her weary face.

The lab was desolate, with the girl being the only sign of life. And it should be pointed out, while the word "lab" could be used, the place was actually more of a refurnished apartment in the guise of a lab. There was a kitchen. There was a bathroom. But all other useable space housed tables, chairs, and strange-looking equipment.

And the pleasant hum of air conditioning layered itself on top of that.

Nunotaba Shinobu did not feel lonely. She did not feel lonely at all. After all, she had an influx of data to keep her company.

And it would keep her company into the threshold of tomorrow.

[ SFX: *click-click-click* *tap-tap-tap* ]

[ SFX: *click-click-click* *tap-tap-tap* ]

[ SFX: *Buzz* ]

A vibration.

A text.

A look.

A message.

[ 10 minutes. ]

Her expression did not change. Though, her eyes lingered on the words.

A moment.

A hesitation.

A blink.

A reply.

[ I figured you would take the night off. ]

A minute.

No response.

The girl's thumbs hovered briefly.

"…"

Another reply.

[ You did well. ]

And another.

[ Don't push yourself. ]

A breath.

A sigh.

A reluctance.

A submission.

Nunotaba Shinobu set her phone aside.

If she said anymore, it would be annoying. She certainly wasn't some clingy school girl that hopelessly reread text messages. And she certainly wasn't fishing for conversation. She wasn't lonely. But she was, in a way, relieved.

The need to slack off had arisen.

The Ringelmann effect was quite fearsome.

Leaning back, she stared at the ceiling.

On paper, not much had happened. But she could feel something shifting in the background.

It was impossible to ignore. The project was much more dangerous than what was originally conceived.

Monsters were creatures of absurdity. Being that they were so powerful, they were difficult to manage.

Naturally, gathering 7 of these things into a single room was a powder keg situation that needed careful tending.

But that was not the situation displayed in front of her.

There were no monsters here.

And it was…

"Terrifying."

Humans were terrifying.

Humans were troublesome.

Humans were complicated.

While you can judge a true monster on the surface, there was no telling what lies underneath the skin of a human.

Love. Hate. Pride. Sorrow.

Envy. Regret. Shame. Bliss.

There were too many emotions to count.

And that was what made these creatures so unpredictable.

With them, you could never tell what was going to happen next.

It was wonderful.

And yet so, so…

"Terrifying."

A moment.

A blink.

A breath.

Leaning back...

Leaning forward…

She continued on.

[ SFX: *click-click-click* *tap-tap-tap* ]

Punishment Game

Wandering the streets at night, a group of school girls laughed and giggled. Their shadows briefly shuttered and danced as they went from streetlight to streetlight.

"So it's true then? You finally dropped him? Just like that- Huuuuuuh~?"

Coupled with a mischievous grin, one girl had saturated her speech with malicious amusement.

"I neeeeeever thought you would be this cruel! Tell me, what did his face look like?"

Another girl answered. She placed a consoling hand on her shoulder.

"Now, now. I doubt that's how it really went. She's too kind for her own good to be like that. This is her first time, after all. But, you know, this is such a good experience! Building up a tolerance towards men is a necessity for growing girls! I'm so proud!"

Another chimed in from the back.

"Absolutely right. I agree. Men can be so annoying at times. Always clinging onto words. Always misunderstanding when it's convenient. It's like they can't understand even if you say it out loud. Being direct is the only way to go."

They didn't notice the lights start to flicker.

"Really, you don't need to feel bad if you do. It's his own fault for not realizing a joke in the first place. But I guess that how guys are, huh? They just don't get things!"

The lights were dimming.

"You may have been against it in the beginning. But looking on how it ended, wasn't it fun? You were treated so kindly, and now you don't have to give anything back! There's something satisfying about that, don't you think?"

The girls continued to walk unaware. They were too oblivious to realize how heavy the air was.

I'm not a fan of seeing someone bow their head unnecessarily. Truthfully, it's disgusting.

"By the way, what was so important that you wanted us to see right away?"

A sudden stop. The petit girl leading the pack halted her movement.

"Eiko-san...?"

The doll's strings were cut. She fell over abruptly.

"Huh?"

It seems like the lot of you have forgotten your place. That needs to be remedied.

"Eiko-san?-!"

One of the girls rushed over to see if she was okay.

The others began to see.

They had reached a dead end, away from the public eye.

And the only light source remaining was the one streetlamp they were currently under.

Don't look so scared. I'm on your side. Once they go too far, I'll be sure to stop them.

"Who's there?-!"

A subtle movement.

Within the darkness, someone was watching.

Eventually, the sound of steps closed in.

Truly.

Truly truly.

The women of Academy City were terrifying.


Timeline: 10, 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, x, 3, x, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, x, 5, 6, 7, x, 11