Dengeki Bunko
Damn it! This isn't going to work...
What the hell's going on?
You don't know?
That's impossible...
It's quite simple. Truly simple.
This footage is only the explanation of the result.
No more than that.
Th-Then... the King of Distortion... This phenomenon...
It was a collaboration.
Between myself and that man.
Though, I am thankful that he set all this up for me.
Sorry, but I can't let you open the Moon Temple yet.
Shirou... Your eyes...
That's right. I'm the actual King of Distortion.
Oh? Does that mean you finally get it, President?
Yes.
I should've known as soon as you showed up.
Did Saotome Masami say something?
I had totally forgotten.
But yes. To put it in your terms, I might've tried to pretend it never happened,
pushed that onto another personality, and tried to forget about it.
I see.
Impressive.
No matter how much you like someone,
there's no guarantee that they'll feel the same way back.
I didn't want to know that... But that's reality.
Are you talking about yourself?
About how you're in love with Takeda Keiji.
I'm not sure, because it still hurts.
Well, aren't you honest?
Maybe.
I'm the disciplinary committee president.
But...
But I don't want to run away anymore.
Who knows? I'm not certain myself, but I'd suspect it's for the same reason you do.
That's right. There's nothing to be embarrassed about.
Well done, Niitoki Kei.
You're quite impressive.
So it's you again, Niitoki Kei?
What brings you here? I'm sure you had a reason to climb up this way.
Or not, given it's you.
T-Tanaka-kun?!
Y-You're actually him, right?
You're not another illusion, are you?
I see... So that's how you knew about me.
We fought together before, so of course you know me,
King of Distortion.
Wh-What are you talking about?
I don't intend to hurt anyone.
This is just an experiment.
I want to know how to heal the distortion in people's hearts.
The distortion in everyone's hearts is too big.
I just pointed that out to them all.
I see. So that's your power.
The power to point out the distortion in people's hearts and draw it out.
An ability to resonate with people's hearts
and amplify a certain portion of it.
Not bad, considering you were just born.
Right, King of Distortion?
You appeared very recently.
It was probably when you came to the Moon Temple this morning.
And because of that, you're naïve and still can't use your powers properly,
which caused the Zooragi to appear.
Why were you born? Do you even know the answer?
Yes, I do.
Tanaka Shirou had a very deeply rooted feeling of guilt.
Because he had no idea what she was thinking.
She?
You mean Kamikishiro Naoko?
Should he have been more receptive of her feelings?
Those feelings took shape, and it appears this ability was created.
I see.
So even if I'm naïve, I can't turn back, for her sake.
No matter how long the path may be.
Well, isn't that noble?
What are you going to do, Boogiepop?
Are you going to fight me after all?
H-Hey, hang on, you two!
You should understand, Senpai.
Huh?
You managed to find your way through the distortion, so you should understand.
Then what's going to happen to Tanaka-kun's suffering?
I mean, Naoko-san died, and Tanaka-kun felt so guilty that it caused him pain.
What's going to happen to that suffering?
That's...
You have to change all the suffering into gold... You're the one who said that!
There once was a boy...
The boy on his own was not evil.
But he ended up being an enemy to the world.
Through a twist of fate, he met the man-eater
and realized he had a deeply rooted hatred for living within him.
And then, he became a man-eater himself.
There was also a girl...
She could see people's deaths.
That alone was a harmless ability, but she believed that death was absolute.
She believed that if she could draw out
the death from people and gather it, she could create something great.
The girl believed that this was the key to going beyond humans,
and she became an enemy to the world.
What are you talking about?
I was just talking about those who ended up becoming my enemies.
Sadly for them, they had no other path or future.
It's unclear whether that was fortunate or unfortunate for them.
Or perhaps it didn't matter to them at all.
They could be like me, a possibility that took form and appeared in this world.
An existence that doesn't have its own body.
But... I wonder which case you might be.
What do you mean?
You mentioned earlier that it didn't matter how long your path may be.
In other words, you're flexible enough that you're willing to deal with
whatever may happen in the future.
Do you think I'm still unsure?
Of course, there are those who are very sure of themselves.
They are those who have despaired within this world.
In that case, I have to cut off their path before they can go any further.
But you're not like that.
Any wounds you get here will appear in reality, as well.
I'm aware of that. That goes for you, as well.
I think right now, you're just being a bit stubborn.
I think that if you were to stop this experiment right now,
you probably wouldn't have too many regrets.
That's not...
It appears that you consider me an enemy...
But what makes you believe that?
Are you saying you aren't my enemy?
Let me be a little more precise.
What makes you think that you're evil?
Is what you're doing bad?
You said that you hadn't hurt anyone.
Are you the one who trapped people in this building?
You aren't, right?
So why do you believe there's an enemy close by?
Was it that difficult for you?
Did Tanaka Shirou really think he was that awful a person?
Niitoki-senpai...
What do you think?
Huh?
What do you think she thought?
I don't know...
But she'd always tell me in an excited way...
"Kei, I'm in love with this guy."
I was a little jealous that she could be so forward about that.
Tanaka-kun, did you actually like Naoko-san?
Were you in love?
I can tell now. I don't think your feelings went that far.
Naoko-san was really in love with you,
but you weren't sure how you actually felt, even in the end.
And then, Naoko-san disappeared...
You didn't know what to do, so your guilt ended up creating the King of Distortion.
But that just means...
Yes. That's your own distortion.
It appears that I am not the one you need to defeat.
But Tanaka-kun, I'm sure Naoko-san would say with a smile...
"Before you start worrying about other people, you need to take care of yourself!"
Tanaka-kun!
Tanaka-kun? Boogie?
Senpai... Th-That code...
Tanaka-kun, is it actually you?
Senpai, please enter the cancellation code on that keyboard.
I'm assuming this is what you want, Boogie.
Oh, is this classical?
Yes. It isn't very fitting for an epilogue, but it'll have to do.
An epilogue? This is over?
Yes. This is goodbye.
The distortion is going to return to its origin, just as it should.
I see... That's too bad.
I was having so much fun.
I'm glad to hear it.
I mean it. I feel like a weight's been lifted from me.
It wouldn't have been like this if I'd talked to the actual one.
I won't forget you.
Oh, but you will.
After the distortion disappears, people can't seem to remember what it was.
I see... I don't really understand, but...
And that's fine. You and your son made it through.
But won't you feel lonely if you aren't remembered?
The path for all of you is long. There's no time to worry about being lonely.
Hey... Where are you?
I am everywhere and nowhere at once.
Makoto. Wake up, Makoto.
Huh? Mom?
Where's Boogiepop?!
Zooragi! They beat the crap out of Zooragi!
Boogiepop was so awesome!
I see...
Hey there.
Is it over?
Yes. It appears that my job here is done.
I see...
Goodbye.
U-Um...
Will I ever see you again?
You're better off never seeing me again.
Th-Then... In... In that case...
If I... um...
end up your enemy...
You? End up my enemy?
Yeah. If that happens...
I finally found you! Are you okay?
What do you mean?
Huh? What do I mean?
Did you not see what happened?!
And it happened right after you got mad and ran off...
I looked for you everywhere!
If that time ever comes, I promise I won't hold back.
What the heck is she doing? We were supposed to be on a date.
Niitoki! What are you doing here?
Takeda-senpai, what brings you here?
Well, uh... Actually, I should be asking you that.
What are you doing here, Niitoki?
I just happened to follow someone I was worried about in here.
Then this whole thing happened.
I-I see...
I guess we both went through a lot.
Yeah, but I did get to see them because of this.
Did you actually think I was talking about you just now, Senpai?
Huh?
You think too highly of yourself.
I-It's not like that...
I wasn't talking about you.
So, what are you doing here, Senpai?
O-Oh, yeah, Niitoki.
This might be a weird question, but do know who started playing this song?
I do.
Where are they now?
Right here.
Huh?
I'm the one who started it.
Huh?
Is it weird that I did?
N-No...
You're looking for Miyashita-san, aren't you?
Huh? Uh, well, yeah...
I knew it. I bumped into her earlier.
Down below.
But—
Morning! I'm looking forward to today! I shouldn't be late today! Sorry! I ended up super late! I'm heading over now! I'm almost there! I'm here!
Morning.
Miyashita Touka
Did you already go home?
You guys probably missed each other because of the lack of reception in here.
You should probably hurry.
Y-You think so? I'll see you later, then.
S-Say, Niitoki...
I'm sorry.
About what?
W-Well, I mean... You know.
I told you. It wasn't you I chased in here.
Right.
I know how I truly feel now, too.
Thanks. I'll see you later, Senpai.
Yeah. See you later.
Goodbye.
I'm sure this is just going to be dealt with as Teratsuki Kyouichirou's heinous crime.
But man... Something just doesn't feel right about this.
That's just how it is.
Yeah.
Boogiepop.
How did you know it was me?
Of course I did. How could I mistake a friend's face?
The threat is gone, Takeda-kun.