Enjoy


(Eshiko Sugata's Opening Monologue)

Hello again, everyone. Sugata Eshiko at your service.

On January 6, 2021, following then–U.S. President Donald Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. They sought to keep Trump in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. According to the House select committee investigating the incident, the attack was the culmination of a seven-part plan by Trump to overturn the election. Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes. Many people were injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months. As of July 7, 2022, monetary damages caused by attackers exceed $2.7 million.

The reason I am bringing this up is because Alison Viktorin, who used to voice Tomoko Sakurai in both this fanfic and the ORIGINAL anime, had retired from anime voice acting in light of political disagreements on social media during the U.S. Capitol attack, as well as the difficulty of recording from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(End of Opening Monologue)


*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

Sugata appeared outside a dome the world of Synapse. "Kazane...Hyosuke..." she thought as she fixated her glasses. "What is this supposed to mean...? How can there be two of the same people in the world...? If one of them is a fake, and the real dome is inside that dome, then...who is the Kazane-kun of the surface? Either way, I'm going to find out...right now." She approached the dome to—

*SLIDE*

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, BITCH!" The harpies burst out of the dome with their Prometheus arm guns to shoot down—

"NOTHING!" exclaimed the first.

"Dammit! Where the hell'd the four-eyed bitch go?" yelled the second.

Unbeknownst to the twin Angeloids, Sugata managed to hide behind a tree, just before they burst out the dome. "But first...I need to get rid of those two..."


A chibitized Tomoko sat on the toilet in her bathroom with her panties dropped. All she could do was think about Hyosuke's worlds from last evening: "...I...I...I love you..."

"...She...loves me..." The female pervert placed her hands on her eyes as waterfalls of tears sprung out of her eyes, filling up the entire bathroom. "How can this be...? No boy has EVER confessed something like that to me. This has to be a dream!" All of a sudden, she modernized in realization. "Of course! ICARUS!"

*CLICK* *CREEK*

The bathroom door opened up, spilling a chibitized Tomoko, her panties, and the water out.

"What is your command, Master?" asked a chibitized Icarus.

"Icaurus! Hit me!" ordered his mater. "Hit me as hard as possible to confirm that this is all a dream! I DON'T CARE HOW HARD! JUST—"

"As you wish, Master."

*CHOP*

*BOUNCE* *BOUNCE* *BOUNCE* *BOUNCE* *BOUNCE* *BOUNCE* *BOUNCE* *BOUNCE* *BOUNCE* *SPLASH*

Tomoko was flung all over the walls from Icarus' hit and fell head-first into the toilet.

"*GASP* A-Alpha! What did you just do?" Nymph gasped as he entered the scene.

"*SIGH* NOT a dream after all." Pulling her head out of the toilet, Tomoko modernized as she put on some warm clothing and left the house.

"Hey, Alpha, do you think Tomoko is dating Hyosuke?" asked Nymph.

"'Dating'!" exclaimed a modernized Icarus in confusion.

"Heh heh heh, I don't even know what that world means. But on a serious note, it's not good to be around Hyosuke. You know why? Because the Hyosuke on Earth is..."


As she walked down the road, Tomoko reached into her jacket and pulled out two bells: the bells that were hanging off of Hyosuke's earrings.


(Flashback)

"Sakurai-chan..." Hiyori whispered all of a sudden as he took off his head scarf thingy, "...I...I...I love you..."

All Tomoko could do was stand in shock at what she heard.

"Sakurai-chan...? I'm sorry. Maybe that was a little forced...well, whatever you reply, I'm okay with whatever you say, I'll be waiting THERE if you wanna back to me..." And so, the timid black-haired boy ran off.

*JINGLE* *JINGLE* *JINGLE* *JINGLE*

Just then, Hyosuke's earring bells fell the earrings, but I doubt HE knew because he kept running, leaving Tomoko to pick them up.

(End of Flashback)


Just then, Tomoko looked across the road and saw...

"Kazane-san!" she exclaimed.

Hyosuke turned his attention to the other side of the road, and then smiled at the sight of Tomoko. Excited, he ran across the road to—

*HONK* *SLAM*


"*GASP*" Nymph dropped a rice cracker as widened his eyes in shock.

"Nymph? What is wrong?" Icarus asked as he entered the room.

"It happened!" The Downer variant of Hyosuke...is dead...and now he's being erased as the REAL Hyosuke is waking up!"


Tomoko held her hands over her mouth and nose at the horrifying sight of Hyosuke's dead body in front of the truck that hit him.

*FLASH*

Suddenly, a bright light suddenly blinded her eyes, causing her to block out the light with her arms. Once the light dimmed down, Tomoko lowered her arms and saw...NOTHING; Hyosuke had disappeared. "Wha...Where'd he go?"

*STATIC*

"ARGH!" Tomoko suddenly grabbed her head in agony.


*STATIC*

"ARGH!" Within his room, Sora grabbed his head in agony too.


"FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT'CHA TELL ME! F—"

*STATIC*

"ARGH!" Down an alleyway, Makoto's rap verse was interrupted as he grabbed his head in agony. "Yo, who killed da music?"


*STATIC*

"ARGH!" Sugata grabbed her head in agony too. "Oh no...my memories of Kazane-kun...are vanishing...?! I need to hurry!" With the Harpies nowhere to be seen, she made her way into the dome. Looking around the pods, the glasses-wearing girl discovered a pod opening up; inside was an Angeloid variation of Hyosuke. "*GASP*...Who IS this girl?"

"THERE SHE IS!"

"LET GET HER!"

Turning around, Sugata discovered the Harpies pointing their arm guns at her.

"Stand down, Gammas." Just then, an older woman appeared behind them. "I'll deal with this one."

"So, YOU must be the 'Master'," said Sugata.

"THAT was fun," said the Master. "You seem to be in quite a panic."

"How would YOU know that?"

"Of COURSE, you wouldn't remember Hyosuke. The system here has erased everything about him. You and your pathetic Downer friends have been in the palms of my hands." But just then, he noticed something on a TV screen. "Well, well...it looks like we STILL have someone who's resisting..."

Looking up at the screen, Sugata widened her eyes in horror at the sight of Tomoko running down the street.


*DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG* *DING* *DONG*

*SLIDE*

"*YAAAAAAAAAWN* I heard ya the FIRST time, what IS it?" Sora yelled after opening the door.

"Sora, you're never gonna believe this: Kazane-kun got hit by a—"

"'Kazane-kun'! Who's HE? Goodnight."

Those words caused the female pervert to gasp in shock as Sora closed the door and went to bed.

"Master."

Tomoko turned around and saw Icarus standing behind her with a horrified face. "Icarus! Your face! Do you know something? SPIT IT OUT!"

"Master, Hyosuke-san is—"

"NO!" Nymph jumped in and sealed Icarus' mouth with his hands. "DON'T TELL HER!"

"Nymph! What the hell's goin' on here?" demanded Tomoko. She grabbed the blue haired Angeloid by the shoulders and began shaking him to get the answers out of him. "TELL ME! NOW!"

"I-I can't...the delete...won't work on humans who know the truth..." said Nymph nervously. "And then...you'd notice that...THAT HYOSUKE WAS NEVER REAL!"

*STATIC*

"ARGH!" Tomoko suddenly grabbed her head in agony. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and looked around. "Huh? What am I doing here? Oh well, I'm starving!"

End of Volume 9