Boogiepop and Others
Dengeki Bunko
Wh-What is this?
What's going on?
I do not know.
But you reappeared because you sensed another threat to this world, right?
Yes, that is correct, but I don't know exactly what this threat is.
I appear automatically, after all.
Even in this situation?
Just find this King of Distortion and take him out already!
If it were actually that simple, I wouldn't need to appear.
Besides, I'm not entirely sure if he's my enemy yet.
What's that mean?
It seems the being that calls itself the King of Distortion
is trying to draw some kind of reaction out of people.
What I mean is, that alone isn't destructive.
It's not like last time.
Last time? You mean with Manticore?
It appears the real threat hasn't appeared yet this time.
Hunger affects your nerves.
You should eat something.
Could this be...
Yes, I believe Miyashita Touka made it to eat it together with Takeda Keiji.
I-I don't want this!
It's still food, regardless.
I feel bad for Miyashita-san, though.
It's fine. I'm sure she'll deal with it.
Really?
Split personalities?
Yeah... Like someone's personality suddenly changing.
Niitoki-san, first off, most cases of dissociative identity disorder are fake.
Huh?
They're just acting. At least, I think most of them are, anyway.
But... Th-There are all kinds of cases...
Yes, there are, but there's no way to prove that they're completely true.
Dissociative identity disorder is nothing more than a theory.
Niitoki-san, even you have some kind of secret, don't you?
And when you're trying to hide it, aren't you just acting?
You probably seem rather different from yourself at times, too.
But if someone said that was actually another identity,
isn't that a bit too much?
W-Well, yeah...
The human heart has many more sides than people are willing to admit.
B-But isn't it possible that someone might not even realize
that they have another identity?
True, but...
How are you supposed to prove that?
Huh? Um...
There's a part of dissociative identity disorder that's probatio diabolica.
They might be lying, but to prove that...
It might be difficult?
I believe that multiple personalities come from someone's desires.
At times, it's a way for someone to deny that they've done something
and blame someone else who's supposedly inside of them.
I see...
Those feelings, which everyone has, are what affirm
the existence of dissociative identity disorder.
That's what I believe.
Feelings that everyone has, huh?
This is good.
You're good at that.
You're the second person to tell me that.
Who was the first?
Takeda-kun.
Senpai knows about you, too?
Yes.
I wonder what he thinks about all this...
Your existence is quite a burden, you know?
Well, he's a good person.
Why does Miyashita-san like Senpai?
Who knows? I'm not certain myself, but I'd suspect it's for the same reason you do.
Why did you end up liking Takeda-kun?
Probably because he's nice.
I wonder if it's the same for Miyashita-san.
Again, I'm not sure.
What about you, then? What do you think about Takeda-senpai?
I don't have my own sense of self. What I'm thinking matters to no one.
That's not fair.
I'm grateful for Takeda-kun.
He's the only one who ever called me their friend.
Yes...
In that sense, you could even say that I'm a bit jealous.
Jealous?
Jealous of Miyashita Touka, just like you.
Wh-What? What's going on?
Hey, wait!
Wh—
Why are you here again?
Looks like they're gone.
Now, let's continue our conversation.
What do you mean, there's no blueprint data remaining?
What can we do? The president deleted them.
Is Miyashita in there?
Could this be a time-delayed device?
A time-delayed device? What are you talking about?
Like, maybe the president planned for this to happen before he died.
If she is in there, could it actually be Boogiepop?
Say, Hinako...
Will you forgive me?
I'm not the one who decides that.
Yeah... This is an illusion, after all.
The truth is that you're already dead, and you probably hate me, but...
But what?
You're the guy from earlier...
I appeared this way because he was in your memories.
That's probably what he'd say, anyway.
Then are you the King of Distortion?
Who knows? That doesn't really matter.
What matters is, even if you ask Hinako-kun for forgiveness,
you'll never get an answer.
Hey, did you ever think about me from time to time before this?
Huh?
You probably completely forgot about me until today.
I'm sorry.
No... The fact that you had forgotten shows how great your guilt was.
It was what was tying you down.
But at this rate, Hinako's existence will only continue to harm you.
Even though it should be fun, just like we're having now.
Is that what you mean by gold?
No... It's everything that you think glitters.
What's that noise?
You don't need to worry about Zooragi.
Zooragi?
Yes.
You don't need to worry about it.
An illusion?
Yeah. They probably filled the place with psychotropic gas.
I mean, the guy made a completely closed-off building.
There's a good chance that Teratsuki Kyouichirou is behind all of this.
But even if that's true, what was he trying to do?
Right. Also, why did he make this place like one giant staircase?
There are tons of questions.
I can't get through...
This does seem like some demon lord's tower from a video game.
That's not even funny...
Oh, Habara-san! There's a hatch over here.
Looks like someone went through before us.
It might lead to the control room.
Let's go.
What is this? Talk about horrible taste...
There's nothing here. Looks like it's just some storage space.
I guess that means the control room might be on the top floor.
This fells more and more like a game, huh, Shirou?
What are you looking for? Think we can get outside?
No...
I just thought there might be signs that they might be here.
They?
It's nothing.
I guess we're out of options. We'll just have to go back the way we came
and try to find another exit.
Huh?
Hey, what's wrong?
There's no one... here.
What the hell's going on?
That roar... I'm pretty sure I've heard it somewhere before...
H-Help me...
Wh-What the hell is all this?!
What are these things?
Hey, Shirou!
Kirima Nagi
Is that you, Nagi?
As I figured, you tried asking my sister for help.
Masaki?
Where's Nagi? Is Nagi there?
You're acting pretty lame, Kentarou-san.
Who the hell are you?
I'm sure you already know the answer.
I can't have you asking for help right now.
My experiment isn't over yet.
There's an earthquake happening just around the Moon Temple!
Hello? Hello?!
I can't get a signal!
An earthquake? But that means it's really...
Maybe there's some interference...
We're sinking!
The ground below us is caving in!
Over here, too!
Is this the trap that Teratsuki Kyouichirou left behind?
Or... could it be...
Hey, don't tell me...
Is the building actually going to collapse?!
Is this it?
Is this the threat to the world, Boogiepop?
Miyashita!
What's that, Makoto-kun?
My dad.
Your dad? But that's...
This is the dad that appears in my dreams.
I-I see... Does he have a name?
Zooragi.
Zo...
Wh-What an interesting name!
Our Dads
Hashizaka Makoto
Hey, is this gonna take much longer, mister?!
Where'd you go?!
H-Help me... Someone help me!
Hey, there. Is something the matter?
Z-Zooragi is...
Zooragi? What's that?
It's a monster! It's right in front of us!
I'm afraid I can't see it, sadly.
Wh-What are you talking about?! It's gonna eat us if we don't get out of here!
A monster, eh?
So that must be your King of Distortion.
And it's quite destructive at that.
Looks like I'll have my hands full again.
Huh?
Can I ask you something?
Could it be that this monster was the one who squished everyone here?
Y-Yeah...
I see. So that's why everyone just keeps asking for help.
Good grief. This is going to be a huge ordeal.
I can safely say that even I've never fought a monster before.
I'm finally starting to understand.
Understand what, Niitoki-san?
Who you really are, King of Distortion.
Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?
At first, I thought I was dragged into this illusion that you created.
But if that were the case, it'd be impossible for Boogiepop to come save me.
Which means this isn't some kind of illusion you created, but it's within me.
Within you, eh?
To be more specific, you're my alternate personality.
Oh?
Suema-san told me that humans have more sides to them than they know.
And that's what you are.
You're usually within me. Someone trapped within a box.
And you're an invader that's borrowed their form.
That's the true identity of the King of Distortion.
The continuous shaking that's been going on...
That's been going on since before I returned here.
Which means you're not creating it.
It's being created by someone else who's been possessed.
It's the result of their latent powers going berserk.
And now, that's also scaring you.
Am I wrong?
Apparently, that thing's called Zooragi.
It's gotten too big and is almost completely independent from its creator.
Zooragi...
It's not attacking anything really intentionally...
But if it got serious, it could flatten this building in an instant.
Then hurry up and stop all of this!
If you stop, all of this will disappear!
But will that make the Saotome Masami-kun that's in your heart disappear, President?
Th-That doesn't matter!
It's true I'm within you.
That's why I know everything you know.
Didn't Suema Kazuko say this, as well?
Split personalities are a product of one's desires.
If I am truly a split personality, then you have to find what desire created me.
No matter how bitter that may be,
and how much you'd like to avoid it.
Until that pain turns into your gold.
I see. It looks like our wavelengths are finally matching.
I'm almost able to see it now.
What are you going to do?
Well, it definitely looks like it wants to play,
so I'm just going to have to accept.
Y-You're going to fight that thing?!
Well, there isn't any other way.
Looks like I missed. It's much faster than I expected.
What did you do?
I messed up.
Perhaps I shouldn't have wounded it.
Then again, it's not like I can cut through its giant body.
Where are we going, mister?
The name's Boogiepop.
Boogiepop?
We're going up. There really isn't any other way we can go.
Up?! But then—
It might just corner us.
Wh-What's that?!
I think it's finished with being troublesome,
and is now just trying to destroy the whole building.
It's rather intelligent.
R-Really?!
Do you have any experience?
Huh?
Do you have any experience?
I-In what?
Bungee jumping!
Y-You actually won...
There's nothing you can't do in this world
when you have a bit of intelligence and courage.
You finally believed in me.
For a moment, I didn't know what I'd do.
There you have it, Zooragi-kun.
Looks like your exit has been blocked this time.
Even if you were to crush this thing, you wouldn't be able to leave.
Someday, there'll be someone else to acknowledge your existence.
Until then...
Good grief.
You're so awesome, Boogiepop...
Why, thank you.
Is this from when we jumped off?
I wonder if Takeda-kun will be angry that I accidentally wounded this body.
Apparently a small portion of Zooragi's power crossed the boundary.
This building's not going to last much longer.