Here at Talisman Saloon, we only discuss the affairs of others.
All right, Lemonade Candy?
Okay.
One of my friends is in quite a bind right now.
So I'd like to talk about her, Talisman.
Of course!
Then, please tell me about the concerns your friend is facing.
Talisman!
After she graduated from school, she immediately started a tough job.
A job carrying a lot of responsibility.
But that's not the problem.
I'm sure she doesn't regret it.
I see.
What she's in a bind about is, I suppose, her work relationships.
At her work, she has this subordinate...
Or rather, a senior colleague...
Anyway, she's got this colleague who is hard to describe.
There's no avoiding him when she's at work, but...
Is he the sort that she doesn't get along well with?
He does some crazy things.
But there are times that she feels what he's saying is right.
So she thought she might be able to trust him at some point.
That sounds like it might be wishful thinking on your friend's part.
Do you think so?
I think she needs to first discard this preconception and then face his true character.
Why don't you give this advice to your friend?
Okay.
Please share with me, Talisman, the difficulties experienced by those adrift.
The answer is always hiding inside your story.
Face his true character, huh?
My head is full of things
that I can never tell anybody of
In this perfect world
I roam, a lost being
The impossible is holding sway over me
All I know of the world is what I can see
Is that enough to find its faults?
Artificial, artificial
Hey, how can they stay so sane?
This is their artificial world
In this beautiful world
there is something
that obscures all light for me
My heart tries to make sense of it
and finds no answer
Secret kills for you
Secret image for you
Don't show me a dark future
with this gaudy land
Show me a way to fade
#04: Nobody Knows Your Mask
Do you wanna ask me about Kougami?
You can tell?
You two have this strange connection. Almost like fate.
I still don't know how I should deal with him.
Someone told me I should try to understand him better.
And someone else told me not to think of him as human like us.
Oh, that must've been Inspector Ginoza.
It's just like him.
Dogs are dogs. Owners are owners.
I think that's where you need to draw the line.
It's best if you stay on one side and keep him on the other.
To understand Kougami means to think the way he does.
To see the world through his eyes.
And if you do that, your Psycho-Pass will become like his as well.
"When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
Kougami stared into the darkness for too long.
And he's still staring into it even now.
Maybe for him, the only true justice in the world
exists solely in the depths of that darkness.
If you wanna go search for something like that with him,
there's nothing more I can say.
I can't stop you.
I couldn't stop Ko, either.
Is that—
Did something happen?
Looks like it.
Kunizuka and I are off duty,
so go with Kougami and Kagari.
So what's going on?
The comprehensive home security inspection
showed that the toilet in this apartment has been broken for the past two months.
However, the resident hasn't filed a single complaint.
So the management company became suspicious and reported it to us.
Hayama Kimihiko, thirty-two years old. Single. Unemployed.
Unemployed? Do people like that exist in this day and age?
I checked his bank account.
He's receiving lots of compensation from an affiliated services provider.
He probably lived in great comfort.
Well, if you can make tons of money just by being popular on the net,
of course you'd feel it's stupid to go outside and work.
Could he have gone on a trip somewhere?
No. When a person leaves their apartment, it leaves a record on the street scanners.
In this town, it's virtually impossible to travel without leaving any trace.
Besides, his bank account hasn't had any withdrawals for the past two months.
Hayama is dead.
Yep. Getting killed is easier than disappearing.
It's too soon to come to a conclusion.
Is it possible to restart the interior Holo of this room?
Hold on a minute.
Oh?
You can't sit on a Holography couch.
So normally, the position of the Holo object is synced with the real world one.
That couch must've been here originally.
But someone moved it.
I see.
They must've wanted to hide this.
Why bother covering such a small scratch?
Have a Crime Lab Drone scan it.
I knew it. Residue from adhesive tape.
What does that mean?
It's the secret behind the magic trick that they used to make Hayama Kimihiko
disappear from this place without a trace.
He could've been strangled, poisoned, or maybe they stopped his heart with an electric shock.
Either way, first they killed the victim in some bloodless manner.
Then they spread a plastic sheet over the room and dismantled the body
into pieces small enough to fit down the bath or toilet.
Hayama probably resisted when they tried to kill him.
It left a scratch on the floor,
and traces remained of the adhesive tape they used to put down the plastic sheet.
They had the guts and the willpower, but this was the work of amateurs.
You serious?
If old Masaoka were here,
he'd have sniffed out something like this the moment he stepped into the room, Gino.
Don't underestimate a hunting dog's sense of smell.
Check the sewer pipe for traces of blood.
We can discuss this further after that.
Okay.
We're in.
So this is the avatar that Hayama was using on the net.
He must've been quite popular to have made a living as an affiliate.
Talisman...
What?
This morning... I...
met this avatar.
So, thanks to the hard work of our precious Crime Lab Drones,
we successfully found the body pieces that were flushed from Mr. Hayama's residence.
Now, applaud!
And yet, someone's operating Hayama's CommuField on the net
and hanging around using Hayama's avatar.
Correct.
It's like a horror story.
A ghost that remains chained to this world, endlessly wandering the net, huh?
Is someone assuming his identity?
I don't know.
It seems that even before Hayama went missing,
he was screwing around using fake IPs.
Have we tried tracking the access routes?
I can give it a shot, but they're going through proxy servers that are clearly suspicious.
They're undoubtedly taking steps to hide their tracks.
If we're not careful, they'll notice we're tracking them.
But, at least, the person who's using Hayama's avatar
should still think that they haven't aroused any suspicion yet.
Doesn't that give us a chance?
So, in a sense, the suspect this time isn't hiding or running away,
but is walking around right in front of us.
If we play our cards right, we might be able to get him to reveal clues that lead to his real identity.
Okay. Let's get in touch with Hayama's avatar.
That's not a bad idea...
But who's gonna do it?
I see... So this person who's pretending to be Talisman
has been operating this CommuField as capably as the real owner for the past two months, huh?
How interesting.
That's him, Inspector Ginoza.
Looks like he's going to another CommuField.
Okay. Let's follow him.
Looks like this is Spooky Boogie's CommuField.
This is a big community too.
Spooky Boogie!
How lovely!
Spooky Boogie!
Please be careful.
The operator of this place is a famous anarchist.
If she finds out we're detectives, there might be trouble.
Does she have any connections with Hayama... With Talisman?
Well, both of them are famous, so she might.
But whether the actual people know each other or not is a different story.
Let's check their access logs.
If they often visit each other's CommuFields...
Hm? Tsunemori?
H-Hm? Inspector Ginoza?
Welcome, Miss Lemonade Candy.
I'm Spooky Boogie, the host of this CommuField.
What?!
Since you're quite the unexpected visitor,
I invited you to my chat room.
I'm not troubling you, am I?
Um, not really... But why me?
I've heard rumors, but you really don't realize how famous you are, do you, Lemonade Candy?
Or should I call you Miss Tsunemori Akane?
Could you possibly be...
Well, if you wanna know who I am,
why don't you look through your graduation album or something?
If you figure it out, I'll treat you at our class reunion.
So, what business does an Inspector at the CID have with my CommuField?
Somehow I doubt you came just to hang out.
Well...
Are you friends with Talisman?
Well, yeah, since we're rivals on the access ranking.
Have you noticed anything different lately about his Field or avatar?
Like, during the past two months?
Let's see...
Nothing much lately.
But don't you think he was acting strange before then?
What? He was?
Around that time, Talisman was speaking erratically.
He was also holding events that were clearly intended to get affiliate money.
So the number of people who were anti-Talisman was growing, right?
We were saying how it looked like that popular old-timer was on his way out.
But he isn't like that now, right?
Yeah. Talisman is his usual cool, gentle self today.
Although he said he turned over a new leaf,
it's quite hard for an avatar who went into decline to make a comeback.
So is this some sort of an investigation?
Did Talisman do something?
We still can't say anything,
but we have to somehow find the actual person using the Talisman avatar.
I see... That sounds kinda interesting.
Shall I give you a bit of assistance?
What?
It wouldn't be a bad idea to get one of the Public Safety Bureau's rising stars in my debt, right?
Spooky Boogie, the famous anarchist, offering us help?
I didn't expect to hear that.
That's my public face and this is my private face.
We were in the same class, after all.
Well, leave it to me.
To those who came to my forum:
I, Spooky Boogie, will hold a modest party to show my appreciation.
It'll be a meet-up in Roppongi on the 4th,
where I'll challenge my friend Talisman to a duel for the White Crown I hold.
A meet-up?
Yes. The users who usually gather in a CommuField on the net
hold a party wearing Holo-Cosplay that matches their avatars on the social networks.
They sure do come up with strange things these days.
So are we certain Talisman will participate in the event?
With things the way they are, his popularity will plummet if he doesn't show.
No matter who's pretending to be Hayama Kimihiko,
he's been enthusiastic enough about operating the CommuField
that I'm sure he'll show up there as Talisman.
No matter what Holo-Cosplay he's wearing,
if his Crime Coefficient indicates he's a target for enforcement, the game is ours.
So where will it be held?
It'll be at Exoset, a club in Roppongi.
Ginoza and the others are watching the front, and Drones are at the back.
All we have to do now is wait for him to show up.
So is this like a modern-day masquerade?
Don't these guys feel uneasy, cooped up in such a small place
without knowing who the others really are?
You can't participate in social networks if you're afraid of anonymity.
This isn't virtual.
If someone gets hit, they'll bleed.
A single knife can take a life away. This is the real world.
And yet, they don't even know who's right next to them.
They must be out of their minds.
That kind of thinking is why your Psycho-Pass is so cloudy.
U-Um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...
Well, it's hard to argue with that.
Hey, it's him.
We can't aim at him from here.
The other partygoers are in the way.
I'll try getting closer to him.
Suppression System, online.
No way.
It's true.
Oh, my. I knew it.
Mido? You were right.
A Dominator has been detected on the floor.
There's a detective in there somewhere.
So it really was a trap.
That damn Spooky Boogie...
I trust you'll be making your escape?
We can't afford for you to be captured.
I have unfinished business too.
Allow me to assist.
What the hell is this?!
All the Holo-Cosplays were hacked simultaneously!
The real suspect will escape!
Dammit! Let's use our Dominators!
Find the suspect by checking their Crime Coefficients!
Ah! The cops are here!
Wait!
Crime Coefficient is over by 110.
Over by 140. He's a target for enforcement action.
How many of them are there?
So we ended up conducting a raid, huh?!
Oh, boy...
Damn. They got us.
S-Sorry!
What was up with today's meet-up?!
My boyfriend got captured by the Bureau!
What're you gonna do about it!
E-Everyone, calm down!
That was a raid by the Bureau!
I had nothing to do with it!
You must not lie, Spooky Boogie.
When the commotion started, they were already inside Exoset.
I can't help but think that the organizer had guided them from the start.
You've preached anarchism all this time and been admired for it.
And yet, you've acted as an agent for the government.
Such a thing is impermissible.
Wh-What're you saying?!
You're the one who did something to catch the Bureau's eyes in the first place, Talisman!
You have betrayed your own character.
You are no longer Spooky Boogie.
You are no longer qualified to be an avatar admired by the public.
D-Don't talk like you know everything!
I know more about you than you yourself do.
Q-Quit screwing around!
Wh-What's with him? He's super creepy!
Who the hell does he think he is?!
I'm going to block his access.
I'm not gonna let him in my CommuField ever again.
There's no need for that.
After all, you won't ever be Spooky Boogie again.
Did you kill her?
That woman was ill-suited to the role of Spooky Boogie.
But Spooky Boogie should not disappear.
She must continue to bring smiles to everyone's faces.
Spooky Boogie shall remain in this world, but the woman behind her will disappear without a trace.
Indeed.
You can play a perfect Spooky Boogie, better than Sugawara Shouko herself.
Just as you became a perfect Talisman, better than Hayama Kimihiko.
It seems all fairy tales are dead
In a hospital ward of brick stones
my voice is too coarse to sing
Outside in the foggy haze
a red moon glows
Look at me
Do not avert your gaze
Behind black bars
I was born
I wish there were a punishment for evil
Always I need you
Now, grant us justice
before chaos takes us all
Pay the price of fate and let us go together,
nameless beasts
This is a world where the mental state and personal tendencies of humans can be quantified. While all sorts of inclinations are recorded and policed, these measured numbers used to judge people's souls are commonly called "Psycho-Pass".
This story is a work of fiction. The names of all individuals and organizations that appear in this show are fictitious and any similarity to those in existence in the real world is purely coincidental.