Hi again! As expected, the post-game part has been the trickiest to write. Was originally going to be just one chapter, but the chapter just got longer and longer, until I decided that it was more practical to just split the chapter instead. Not quite an even split: this is a shorter chapter, and the next one will be longer. But it made the most sense story-wise to split it here.
Scale 4: Fangs of Ice
Everyone finally returned to reality, maybe. He still wasn't sure what happened, or even who he was. He and the others stuck close together as they tried to regain their senses and selves. He felt so…something. He didn't know what, and he was too dazed and scared to look deeply into the feeling. But the others…The others were here…and not here? Confusing. His heart hurt.
Finally memories started to seep back in, and Fret realized that Shibuya was normal, and they were still here. They had won? They had won! And Fret felt so light and happy and connected and hey, maybe that meant the sync was never going to end, even though they were now in the RG! That last sync attack…okay that last sync attack had been terrifying, but if it meant that the Wicked Twisters were permanently linked now…
But Fret was wrong. So, so wrong. In just a few minutes that rush of happiness and connection bled away like a slasher victim, leaving him feeling so tiny and tired. For the first time since that third day, when he'd been left alone at the restaurant for his own good, he could only sense himself. And he wasn't even sure about that, with so many parts of him feeling drained and numb.
When Shiba appeared and rambled on, most of his words floated past Fret's ears. He didn't really care what Shiba had to say at this point. They had made it back to the RG, even if Fret didn't feel all there right now. Fret was supposed to feel alive once he was back in the RG, right? Oh wait, he never actually died…
Wait, why did Shoka look upset? Wait, why did Rindo look upset? Wait, who was that new guy with the stars on his sleeve, and why had Shoka just disappeared?
Why…Why didn't Fret feel anything when Rindo looked to be on the verge of crying?
Oh no, oh no.
Fret tried to comfort Rindo, trying to prove so hard that he cared, because he did care, he just couldn't…directly relate to that pain? He didn't even feel guilt for the lack of guilt? Which was so strange, because he was so used to always feeling guilty about something. Guilty about not doing enough to help others when things were serious, or even when things weren't serious. Or even just knowing that he was hiding behind his smiling mask, and not being honest at all…
Fret wanted to be more honest. He needed to be more honest, if the Game had taught him anything. But how was he supposed to be more honest when his feelings were broken?
IIIIII
Sometimes Fret almost felt normal: he saw someone else happy, and he would kinda feel happy too, or at least sorta understood what they were feeling. But then other times, sometimes in the same day, or even in the same minute, it was like his heart suddenly lost its WiFi connection. He still heard his own emotions, louder than ever, but when he tried to listen to the other person's feelings, it was just radio silence.
Fret definitely knew he never wanted a 999% or whatever sync ever again, but man he wished he had at least some kind of emotional contact. Like a hug maybe? Many hugs even?
Not like those were in short supply though. Not with Beat around anyway. Big ol' bear hugs that about squeezed the life out of Fret, but very much appreciated. Had Beat given out this many hugs before? It had been more head and shoulder-pats then, right? To be fair that had been during the Game, so they hadn't gotten much time to just pal around. But hey, Beat liked giving out hugs, and even Neku seemed to like getting them, at least from Beat and Shiki. Neku struck Fret as even more touch-averse than Nagi or Rindo. And if Rindo liked Beat's hugs, then maybe…
Well, when hugs weren't available—and they often weren't—Fret could always keep himself a little warmer with some extra layers of clothes. Autumn was on its way, and the weather was already getting chillier. So it wouldn't look too weird, right? Even though Fret was normally the type to wear sleeveless shirts in the dead of winter, and it made him so warm that he sometimes felt a little lightheaded. But if this helped keep his disconnected heart warm too, even just a little, it was worth it, right?
Because his heart ached, crying out to others it was no longer bound to. On the bad days it teetered on panic. On the worse days it was a crushing grief, as if everyone was "gone", even though they were clearly not dead because they were right there, stupid heart! Man, did he need to hugged for days before his mind believed—
But the sync wasn't here anymore, and it wasn't coming back. Fret knew that. And he knew that even if the sync had been still around, him being so dependent on it was a bad thing anyway. He also knew that he could count on his friends for anything, that they probably didn't judge him too harshly about the whole sync thing, but…But he needed to be stronger, too. For both his and their sakes. Just because he could run to them for any petty problem he had didn't mean that he should. He couldn't have everything he wanted, that was just life.
Like, he had wanted to go to Hachiko with everyone to celebrate being alive and stuff. But with HachiFes just around the corner, and the city gearing up to handle the imminent crowds, Hachiko had become insanely busy. Sure, the dog statue had always been popular, since the story about the real life dog waiting for his dead master every day was as sweet as it was heartbreaking. But lately Fret could barely even snag a seat near the legendary sculpture, much less touch it. The line wound around the block like a sluggish snake. Maybe there was such a thing as being too popular.
Of course, the more impossible it seemed to go there, the more Fret wanted to.
IIIIII
Things were…rough that day.
It started when Fret cheerfully greeted his classmates and fellow EleStraniacs Marino and Yuika in the hallway on their way to the school canteen for lunch. He babbled on about the newest chapter coming out, and how mysterious that new colonel guy was, and how maybe he was linked to Lord Tomonami's past by—
"Fret, this isn't the time!" snapped Yuika, startling him. "Can't you see Marino's upset about her student ranking?"
"…Oh." Fret studied Marino. It was true that she wasn't smiling like she usually was. It was also true that Fret had noticed she was lower on the board in the hallway hours ago, but he had barely registered it. After all, he was used to being in the lower ranks anyway. A pit formed in his stomach and heart. "Uh…"
"Oh, there you are, Fret!" Rhyme said, suddenly at his side. Where had she come from? "Can you help me with something real quick?"
"Wha? Uh, sure?" What good timing. "So, um, see you guys later? When you're feeling better?"
Neither Marino nor Yuika looked pleased with Fret, so he quietly slunk away with Rhyme.
After they hiked up the stairs to the roof, Fret spoke up. "So, whatcha need the Fretster's help with?"
Rhyme looked back at him with…man, why was she so hard to read? Oh right, he knew why. "I don't actually need help with anything. I just wanted to help you out there instead."
"Kweh? Whaddaya mean?"
"Your empathy got burned out, right?" asked Rhyme, leaning against the fence around the roof.
Fret stared at her. "H-How'd you know?"
"Beat and Neku told me about what happened at the end."
"Oh." Well to be fair Beat's little sister had played a big role in saving Shibuya. She deserved to know all that had happened there. "Uh, anyway, thanks."
"No problem! A friend in need is a friend indeed."
Fret chuckled a little nervously. A friend without need was a better friend though, right?
Then Beat rolled in with Rhyme's lunch, a…pizza? Oh right, pizza delivery was Beat's part-time job now. Fret wondered if she'd ordered one just to get Beat over here. Still, was Rhyme really gonna be able to eat all of that by herself? Apparently Beat was on lunch break too, so he stood around blabbing about his day and work and studies and skateboards and it was a good ol' time, even if Fret didn't always relate or follow.
So leave it to Fret to mess it up at the very end.
"Later, Beat-buddy!" said Fret. "Avoid any sudden dates with Truck-kun while you're skating around!"
Neither laughed. Not even Rhyme had giggled at it, and she giggled at all of his bad jokes.
"Wha? Da hell would I date a truck for?" Beat looked at Rhyme, who had her hands on her lap, gaze focused on her food.
Aw man, it wasn't as fun if Fret had to explain the joke. "Like, you know how most isekai protagonists—"
"I know." Rhyme's words were sudden but quiet.
Uh oh. Had he upset her too somehow? He glanced at Beat, who was doing the exact same thing Rhyme was. It was almost cute, except for the feeling that Fret was missing something. Again.
After a moment, Beat looked up from the food and frowned at Fret. "Look, I don't know nuthin' 'bout isekai stuff, but Rhyme don't like it, so don't make jokes like dat."
How could Beat tell? Sure, she'd sounded a little curt when she interrupted him, but before that? And why would she be upset by stupid isekai jokes anyway? The fact that Beat's reaction had been so subdued made Fret even more nervous. He didn't know what 'quietly displeased' Beat meant. Did that mean that he was mildly annoyed, or extra mad?
So Fret decided to not say a word for the rest of his lunch, letting the Bito siblings chatter on without him. And he stayed silent even once Beat left and it was just him and Rhyme. But Rhyme didn't seem to mind the lack of talking…maybe? Was Rhyme mad or sad or what? Fret couldn't tell at all. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to tell even if he did have working empathy, with how little she emoted.
After all that, Fret just wanted to go home. His parents wouldn't disturb him because they were rarely around anyway. There he could curl up with his phone and passively follow along some stupid LINE texts, not thinking about how he couldn't emotionally connect to any of it. The internet was a place of distance anyway, so it wasn't that big of a deal, right?
Fret kept his mouth shut for the rest of the school day, except when he was called on to answer a question, and that seemed to prevent any further disasters. Maybe he just talked too much. Though talking was the only way he could really connect with people right now, instead of…
He missed syncing. What a shock. Rindo…Rindo was right there, walking next to him after school, but Rindo might as well have been on the other side of a mirror as far as Fret's aching heart was concerned.
"You doing okay, Fret?"
Fret stopped walking and… had he really spent most of their walk in radio silence? He'd be right back after these messages…maybe.
"Fret?" Rindo repeated, now only looking even more concerned. To be fair, he had somehow become the mom friend of the Wicked Twisters. Checking in on everyone all the time, getting very worried whenever someone didn't answer within the hour, organizing events for all of them to get together on a regular basis. Even moreso when they finally found Shoka. It would honestly be hilarious if Rindo didn't look so worried just all the time. Fret wanted to hug him sometimes, but Rindo wasn't that big into touch, so that would only make things more awkward, probably.
Fret could have put on a smile and said he was fine, but…"I dunno, man. I feel…sad? Even though everything's way better now? I guess I…"
Fret felt Rindo's hand curling around his palm. That warmth, that connection…Fret squeezed back tightly.
"You…want me to come over?" asked Rindo, his grip gentle but steady.
"…Actually yeah, that'd be nice."
To Fret's quiet delight, Rindo kept holding his hand, even if he sometimes held on painfully tight when a truck or something rolled by. Not that Fret had any right to talk, with his hand barely relaxing at all. Rindo only let go at the very end, when they had to traverse the narrow, rickety set of stairs up to Fret's apartment.
Of course by the time they got there, neither of them knew what they actually wanted to do. They drifted from activity to activity: movies, videogames, youtube, that Tin Pin thing Neku and Beat kept going on about. At some point Fret cobbled together this weird ramen mix from what little food his parents had in the fridge, and Rindo said it "wasn't too horrible", so Fret counted that as a win. When Rindo really didn't want to eat something, he kept his mask up the whole time.
They rested on the floor with full bellies, bundled up side-by-side in blankets despite the warmer weather, songs from Rindo's emo playlist blasting from his phone, when the conversation finally came up.
"I…haven't been feeling that great either," admitted Rindo. "And no, it's not because of your Frankenstein ramen. I mean, just in general."
"You…miss the sync too?" asked Fret.
"...Yeah, sometimes."
"Just sometimes, huh?"
Both of them were quiet for a while.
Fret sighed and groaned. "Man, everyone told me relying on the sync too much was a bad idea, and what'd I do? Leaned way too hard into it anyway. Genius move, Fret. Now look what's happened to me. I feel like I'm just…marooned on an island or something. People are shouting their feelings to me, but it's just…echoes. Sometimes I can make out what they're saying, but other times…"
"We were all part of…whatever that last sync attack was," said Rindo. "I don't think anyone could've not gotten fried by something like that." He closed his eyes. "But even before that, the one nice thing we had was each other as a team. How could we not lean into the sync at least some? Especially during that last week…and that last day…"
"Yeah, I guess even Neku kinda got into the sync after a while," said Fret. "I remember Kanon—" His heart tightened along with his vocal chords. "...Kanon mentioned that the connection was addictive. That it ruined everybody after a while. That glasses Reaper said the same thing. That it…wasn't supposed to be used that long or something? But they kept using it that way because…they were too lazy to change it I guess? Maybe it was a Kubo thing?"
"...Screw that Game," muttered Rindo.
"Yeah," agreed Fret. "Screw that Game."
They both stared up at the ceiling fan for a while.
"So, now what?" murmured Fret, mesmerized by the shadows of the spinning blades. "Do we just feel like this forever?" He pulled the blankets more snugly around himself. "I don't wanna feel like this forever…" That painful pressure within his heart only grew heavier. He curled onto his side, facing Rindo.
"Me neither," said Rindo. "But what else can we do about it? What's done is done. And…we made it. We saved Shibuya. We'll…We'll figure something out. We have to."
In that moment Fret couldn't tell if Rindo was hopeful or desperate or simply stating the obvious, and that only made Fret's anxiety skyrocket. What would he do if his cracked empathy just crumbled and never came back together again? Would he just be floating through life like a ghost, lost and disconnected forever? Not even capable of even a basic understanding of the ones he—
"Fret?" Rindo placed a hand on Fret's shoulder. "You okay?"
Even through the blankets Fret could feel the warmth of Rindo's touch. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing, to just focus on that faintest of connections.
It wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough.
Fret scrambled from out of the covers and embraced Rindo tightly, making him squawk in surprise. Fret knew it was less a declaration of feelings and more him being desperate for an anchor, a nice warm anchor that proved that other people besides Fret lived and breathed even if he had trouble sensing their emotions. "Rindo…Rindo, I'm still here right?"
Rindo didn't answer at first, which only made Fret worry more, even as Rindo returned the hug. "Y-Yeah, you're here. W-Why would you say something like that?"
"I…" How could he explain this? But he had to explain it, right? Because Rindo's empathy was deep-fried too. And wasn't sincerity one of those things he needed to work on, anyway? "I'm…I'm scared. I'm scared and sad and angry and frustrated and just…a bunch of things. Because being like this…it makes me feel so alone, even though I'm clearly not. You guys are amazing, you know that?" He managed an almost authentic laugh, before Rindo's hug pulled him closer. Then it took all his willpower not to bawl his eyes out onto Rindo's shoulder. He had been crying too much lately, even if it had been mostly in private.
"I'm scared too," murmured Rindo. "Scared not only of losing connections, but of just…everything. Scared I'm gonna mess everything up somehow, after everything we worked for, a-and not be able to fix it. And…I really don't want to be alone either. I…really know that I don't. I mean, I…I made sure everyone made it through that last day, no matter what…"
"And we did! So you're good!" said Fret.
"Y-Yeah…" said Rindo. "It's fine, it's fine, everything's fine now. Everyone's here now, you're here, it's fine, Shibuya's fine too, i-it was worth it, it was all worth it, i-it was a-all…"
Fret felt Rindo's abdomen tremble before he heard the sobs. And there must have been a scrap of empathy left in Fret somewhere, because he started crying too.
IIIIII
Fret had forgotten that he'd almost run out of hair gel and mousse, because of course he had. He'd been floating through most of the days. Man, the Game had totally screwed up his sense of time. Not that he had ever been that great at keeping track of it before. But with the Game's 'days' that only lasted a few hours at most, actual whole-ass RG days felt like marathons, and there were no 'shortcuts' except for sleeping. And that was when he could sleep.
Since everyone else was busy, Fret decided to make a solo shopping day out of it. He didn't even mind shopping alone for once. His hair probably looked awful since he hardly had any hair products to style it with. "Create your own life in your own way with what is available within reach" every other TOKYU Hands sign blared, proud of its motto. Well Fret would style his hair properly once he had some more mousse in reach, that was for sure!
But Fret had also forgotten to charge his phone, because of course he had. So before his shopping trip could even begin, he had to sit in the Digital Hachiko room on the second floor. Bright screens walled him in on all sides, lit up with a flat drawing of the Hachiko statue, while Fret got distracted mindlessly changing outfits on the holographic dog before him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the screens shift, and the tepid repetitive music let him know that some tourist was watching the real-life story of Hachiko, again.
Fret couldn't get that annoyed, though. Because between the lack of sync and his natural empathy sputtering along like a dying car, he just didn't have the energy to care. Even if Fret hated feeling so far away from the world.
Distant, cold, small, lost…it was like Fret was the hologram instead of the stupid fake dog he was playing country-flag dress-up with. Sometimes he forgot he was actually solid in the RG now. He bumped into people constantly, and he'd given poor Rindo a heart attack when he'd accidentally walked out into traffic once. Rindo had chewed him out good for that one.
…Man, what was he even doing with his life right now? Create your own life in your own way with what is available within reach? What if the things you really needed were never in reach at all? Like, what about the real Hachiko? He'd never gotten what he really wanted. That's why the poor dog had been waiting at the train station every single day. Made it almost insulting that TOKYU 'Create Your Own Life' Hands housed a virtual replica of a dog that could never have what he wanted no matter what.
"Hey."
Fret nearly jumped off his cylinder-shaped chair. Minamimoto was suddenly right there, sitting next to him. The confused looks of a few tourists told Fret that Minamimoto probably had, in fact, just popped into the RG out of nowhere. Also this was the first time that Fret had ever seen him in the RG. "Uh, hey? What's up, Mr. Minami?"
"The unique global maximum."
"Uh…sure?" Fret said, smiling nervously. "So, what brings you here? Never thought this would be the kind of place you'd hang out."
Minamimoto smirked, before pointing to the fake Hachiko. "This holographic algorithm is zetta impressive and stylish. Whoever designed this has good taste."
"It is?" asked Fret. Actually, yeah, it probably did take a lot of computer stuff to program, which meant lots of numbers, which were Minamimoto's favorite thing ever, so…yeah, that made sense actually.
Fret's theory was confirmed as Minamimoto enthusiastically rattled off complex strings of
terms that Fret didn't even begin to follow. At least Fret knew what numbers were, at least in concept. But fringe spar-cities and fast four er-or transforms? Fret didn't have a clue. At least that last one had a number in it. Maybe.
Still, it seemed to make Minamimoto happy, so Fret couldn't complain. The lack of sync wasn't quite so bad with Minamimoto, since even with the sync Fret'd just never understood the guy at all. Which wasn't a bad thing: there were plenty of people Fret would never get, just as plenty of people would never get him. It was just a little awkward sometimes. Especially now.
"Zeptogram No. 1."
Fret jolted upward. "Y-Yeah, I was paying attention! Uh, something about the…uh…" An anxious grin spread across his face. "I-I was listening, honest! So, uh, please don't be mad?"
"Hmph," said Minamimoto. "You care too much about the calculations of others."
"Kweh?"
"Do your own work! Don't try to plug yourself into formulae that you don't know every variable for," said Minamimoto. "The only algorithm that you have absolute value of knowledge and control of is your own."
"Um, so…don't try to judge myself by others' standards?"
"Ninety degrees." Minamimoto was grinning again, so Fret had probably given him a good answer. "Your multiplicative potential is too zetta interesting to waste on standard equations."
Fret knew what multiplying meant at least. "So you're saying I can get…stronger? But I'm in the RG now."
"Irrelevant," said Minamimoto. "A zeptogram like you can inspire others simply by existing and interacting with others. That alone brings my Shibuya closer to infinity."
"Really?" asked Fret, still feeling unsure. "But how do I connect with people when I can't…connect with people, though? Since my empathy's kinda…" Actually, did Minamimoto even know what he was talking about? He hadn't been there for the 999% sync, so...
Minamimoto laughed in that slightly…actually, totally supervillain way that he liked to do. "Empathy? Empathy is garbage! Cruuuuunch! Add it to the heap! That's a function that I never had or needed!"
It took a minute for Fret to process that. "Wait, hold on, you just…never had empathy? Like, ever?"
"Ninety degrees." Minamimoto sounded so proud of himself too.
Fret chuckled nervously. "Okay, so you're just a psycho then. No wonder you just ditched us after that first week…" His forced smile faded to something sadder.
"Define me with whatever label you want. It doesn't change my matrix." Minamimoto shrugged. "Someone had to factorize that exponential garbage before it eradicated the city. Seemed like I was the only one with the calculative capacitance to actually solve that problem of yours. Or did you think I was wasting that entire ?-interval after leaving your team?" He eyed Fret coolly. "Here's a pop quiz, zeptogram. Why do you think having the empathy operator equals doing the ninety-degree thing?"
"Because…because if you just ignore someone's feelings, then they get mad or upset, and if you do that they won't want to be friends with you anymore," said Fret. "And maybe you're okay with running around all by yourself all the time or whatever, but I'm not. I need people to like me."
Minamimoto smirked. "This missing variable you claim to 'need' is more trash for the heap. But your proof's flawed anyway. For one thing, the empathy operator isn't congruent with ignoring or not ignoring some other zeptogram's emotional matrix. For another..." He leaned forward. "...You haven't told me to scram from your coordinates. Do you—" He finger-quoted. "—'not want to be my friend'?"
"Like…" Fret began, looking away. "I do want you to be my friend…But if you're not gonna consider my feelings, like, at all, I don't know how much I can trust you?" Here's hoping he hadn't accidentally hit a serial killer switch.
"And just what…" Minamimoto asked dryly, as though Fret had asked him to explain why two and two equalled four. "...Do you think I'm doing right now? Listening to Hachiko's story reiterated for the 1618th time since the installation opened? ...1619th, now."
Oh. "Wait, so you do care?"
"You give any fewer digits about the other zeptograms in your sporadic set after your empathy operator got zeroed out?" Minamimoto's tone had crossed over to condescending by now. "That junk function and its skewed calculations are perpendicularly aligned to whatever you value. You don't need the empathy operator to give those digits—or to transform those digits into solving other zeptograms' emotional problems."
"Uh, but I kinda need empathy to—"
"Incorrect, zeptogram," Minamimoto interrupted. "You don't 'need' empathy for any vital equation. Think of all the random radians you've already inspired with your fashion, confidence, and other variables unique to your algorithm. You don't need empathy for that! It's your external outputs that transformed their matrices, not your internal calculations!"
"I guess that's true?" said Fret. "But what if my algorithm or whatever likes being able to feel other people's emotions? That it, uh, makes the best outputs that way?"
"Then work out new ways to derive that data," said Minamimoto.
"...How though?" asked Fret. "You can't just replace feelings."
"Wrong answer," said Minamimoto. He pointed to the illusion of Hachiko again. "That collection of code is connecting to you right now."
"It is?" asked Fret, before glancing down to his phone. "Oh, uh, you mean the WiFi and the digital Hachiko and stuff? I mean I guess that's a connection, but that's not—"
"Why not?" asked Minamimoto. "A connection is a link between two objects they can use to share information. Most things can't naturally connect. So we devise tools to let 'em, even if they don't use the same patterns as human minds or Souls. And those tools gather data on other factors, and that data allows us to understand those factors outside our own equation, without needing to compromise our own equation. You don't need to replicate others' emotions in your own scatterplot to evaluate which emotions are in their scatterplots. You can just evaluate those other scatterplots—if you've got the right tools." He tipped his hat up, self-satisfied. "See, it all adds up."
"But how do I do something like that?" asked Fret.
"Heh. Everyone has their own operators for collecting data, according to their current needs," said Minamimoto. "For me, I never bother evaluating the emotions of irrelevant integers. But if you want to evaluate 'em and can't devise those tools yourself, why don't you take a peek at others' work in addition to your own?"
"Uh, sure? I guess?" said Fret. "Look, uh, thanks for all the…advice? No offense, but...well, since you never had empathy, you just don't get it. I want my empathy back, and I'm gonna figure out how to fix it. For myself, and for everyone else too! And, uh, maybe we could even fix it for you too? If you want?"
Minamimoto scoffed. "I write my own equations. And so should you. Calculate your own vector. The probability of you factoring out a way to repair your blown circuits is so low that it would take longer than the lifetime of the universe."
"But it's not zero," Fret said, grinning smugly. "As you always like to say."
"Nothing's a nonzero chance. But it's less than a yoctopercent." Minamimoto tilted his hat up, like he were calculating something else. Then he grinned. "So zetta interesting, zeptogram. Keep iterating if you want to. The determination to solve that problem could yield unprecedented solutions and theories. Now that's a variable I'd love to solve for."
"You bet!" Not that Fret knew what half of that meant. Talking with Minamimoto for too long had a way of turning his brain into an omelet.
Minamimoto met Fret's gaze. "But until you work out that unsolved proof, you'll have to deal with your missing empathy operator either way. How are you going to reverse-engineer that solution? Besides, even the most well-calibrated empathy operator won't change a missing observational operator." He looked down at the seat between him and Fret. Fret followed suit. What...was Minamimoto looking at? " Your phone's still not charging, zeptogram."
"Oh, right!" Fret plugged his phone into the charger that was literally right in front of him. After he looked back up, Minamimoto grinned and straight-up disappeared, startling both Fret and a few other people in the area. The guy was gonna start ghostly urban legends in record time, if he hadn't already.
Fret watched the little battery icon in the corner of his phone screen fill up with a lightning bolt, indicating that it had finally connected. Maybe reminding Fret to charge his phone was part of Minamimoto's weird way of showing he cared.
Other ways to connect, huh? Maybe Minamimoto had a point there. At least something to prop him up until he could figure out how to get his real empathy back. Which he would. Somehow. For everyone's sake. Power of friendship, right?
Big thanks as always to oddvector for sitting in and helping immensely with Minamimoto's personality and dialogue. Please direct any math and Minamimoto-related questions to him.
The slogan shown is also the actual slogan of TOKYU Hands (which I don't think actually appears anywhere in the TWEWY games).
The Holographic Hachiko exhibit is an actual thing on the second floor of TOKYU Plaza. The digital Hachiko itself greets people and can be interacted with. The display can show Hachiko running around different places in the world. The place behind the statue offers things to sit on and literally recharge phones. It can tell the "Shibuya Hachiko Story" to visitors, along with offering other "immersive" audiovisual experiences. There are a lot of interesting videos of you on youtube, which unfortunately I cannot link here on FFnet.
