Sunday, January 27, 2019

Entry 48: Back to our scheduled meeting

Leo :: Everyone’s all right. It seems that was just a vision jack. External access has ceased. BB can’t normally interfere here…or so I’d like to believe.

Rin :: Yes, you’re right in this case Leo. For unknown reasons, BB can’t enter this school building. She can listen in on just and jack our vision like just now, but that’s all. Which is why she set traps in the Labyrinth.

Sakura :: I think BB can’t interfere well here because it retains the structure of the near side. And I manage it currently.

Leo :: Good news following bad news. Unpleasant as its intent was, we’ve learned new information from the BB Channel. Well then, I will declare once more the student council’s objectives. Our goal is to escape from the far side of the moon. We will repel BB, who stands in our way. With Miss Tohsaka as our new vice-president we should be able to provide more solid back up. I hope we will all be more unified than ever.

I nod, “of course,” to Leo’s declaration. …but not everyone in the council room nods. Rin, me…and Julius, who nods reservedly, are the only three.

Shinji :: No thanks. I just came to see what was up, I told you I’m not joining the student council. People who have Servants should do the dangerous stuff. I won’t do anything!
Jinako :: I agree with Shinji. BB said she wouldn’t do anything to us if we stay in the school, y’know.

Leo :: Ah, that’s too bad. If you change your mind, you can come knock on the door any time. …Now. What about you, Kiara? You previously said you wouldn’t join the council, but the situation has changed. Are you still unable to cooperate with us, now that the threat of BB has been made clear?

Kiara :: My plans have not changed. If my techniques can be of help to you I’m happy to cooperate, but to align our motives…

Sakura :: Miss Kiara…even though you did so much to help us in acquiring Miss Rin’s SGs…we were only able to expose Miss Rin’s embarrassing secrets because you were there.

Rin :: Th-that was your doing!?

Leo :: Is that so. Then let me ask a question. Kiara. Did you, by any chance, already know about BB?

Leo asks a strange question. BB just recently revealed herself as the culprit after we defeated Rin. We had no awareness of her here in the school building, so there’s no way Kiara would be able to know about her —

Kiara :: — Yes. I met BB before the rest of you did. It was when I was imprisoned by the black noise on the near side. The reason I don’t have the same goals as the rest of you is because I’ve made a pact with BB. She would spare my life as long as I did not oppose her…on those terms I was confined to this school.

Julius :: — !

…Kiara was already captured by BB…? Back during the preliminaries, back when I abandoned her, she fell into BB’s hands — ? …which reminds me, Kiara said that she had compassion for whoever it was that shut us in here. So that’s what she meant…But how did Leo figure that out?

Leo :: Because she said she had no will to leave. Kiara knew something, and had already decided it was impossible — that was the implication. Kiara was being observed by BB, so she couldn’t say anything that would suggest BB’s existence. But still she wanted to let us know, so she phrased things in this way on purpose.

Kiara :: Oh, you make too much of it. I’m not that clever.

Rin :: A pact with BB…a contract in other words. What were the terms? Something like a collar that detonates if you disobey her?

Julius :: …what a gruesome imagination. Make it a device that stops her heart or something.

Kiara :: No, there are no physical restraints. It is simply that if I ever antagonize BB, our peace treaty will be scrapped. …so. If it comes down to it, I will have my last resort.

Rin :: …same as Leo. So, will you be staying as a spectator like Shinji until then?

Kiara :: Yes. However, the only stipulation of the pact is that I not stand against BB. Helping all of you to escape does not fall under that restriction.

Rin :: I suppose that’s true from the wording, but…Would that be fine for an AI, Sakura?

Sakura :: Yes. Cooperating with all of us is not in opposition with the protocol “you may not oppose BB.” If BB had declared that it was forbidden to attempt escape, that would be another matter, but she encourages those who can escape to try to do so, so…

Kiara :: Indeed. As long as I do not associate myself closely with the student council, to BB I am nothing more than a person who happens to be in the school building. Therefore I beg your forgiveness. If you demand it, I will devote all my abilities, poor though they be, to assisting you.

[I couldn’t make it work in English, but she refers to herself as “Sesshouin” in that last declaration.]

Kiara bows and leaves the room. We can’t really stop her when she puts things like that. She’s not the same as Shinji and Jinako, who refuse because the can’t stomach it, it’s not their problem, etc. For now we’re happy just to have her on our side.

Rin :: …sorry, but can I go get some rest now? I’m at my physical and mental limit right now. Sakura. Could I get a key to a suitable empty classroom?

Sakura :: An empty classroom? If you want to rest, there are beds in the infirmary…

Rin :: That’s not it, I need to be alone! I need to go to a classroom to let out my stress and bury the wounds on my heart! No one come near me for a while okay! Especially Hakunon! If you come after me I’ll hit you with a beam attack, beams I tell you!

[Is Rin a Saber now?]

Rin leaves the council room in a huff. …right…I forgot what with the BB Channel and everything, but I exposed a lot of Rin’s secrets. For any normal person that would be so humiliating they wouldn’t be able to go out in public…but in spite of that Rin came and participated in this meeting.

Leo :: Miss Tohsaka has a firm and strong constitution. We should leave her be and let her heal on her own. Now, Sakura, a question…or rather, I’d like your opinion on something. Do you think BB uses Sentinels because she’s the same type of AI as you are?

Sakura :: …Yes. No matter how much she augments her memory, even if she is able to hack the system, she’s a managerial AI. She has no combat functions. All BB can do is alter the system, and create Sentinels…I think.

Julius :: So she can’t fight for herself — I see. That’s why she utilizes pawns…Sentinels.

Leo :: Very good to know. I was hoping to hear that. Now, Hakuno, why don’t you take a short break. You must be tired, you should rest. After that, as general affairs officer — oh?

[Phone ringing]

Julius :: It’s a message from outside. It’s…Gatou? Leo, turn on the transmission.

Gatou :: President Leo — ! President, Beautiful in your slight resemblance to my lovely God, Leo — !

Leo :: Brother, turn off the transmission. We’ve done quite enough talking, let’s all go eat.
Julius :: …I understand the feeling, but wait. This transmission is coming from the Labyrinth. It’s not a trivial matter.

Gatou :: Ow, ouch, ouch! Those glasses, those cold glasses deny the whole being of an unpopular man, destroying 40-somethings! It’s hard to understand, is that it? Well them, to be specific, I’m being pursued by a dangerous cutthroat! I beg you, as if you were a god, please come save your lost believer post-haste! God save me!

…his words are nonsensical, but Gatou has conveyed his desperation if nothing else. If the source of the transmission is the Sakura Labyrinth, could Gatou be…!?

Jinako :: You an idiot old man!? Why’d you go into the Labyrinth by yourself!?

Gatou :: Uuooooh, it’s red! Very red! A fluttering red girl and a fluttering girl with glasses attacked me! On the seventh day they will come to sterilize all dissipate men! What fin-de-siecle, oh truly, quo vadis garbage! That sort of thing they said, but I’ve shaken them off, so, where am I? Where are the stairs back? Huh? Have I been trapped? Uuoooooh! Mass! Recruiting! Life guards!

Leo :: …My deepest apologies, Hakuno. I must ask you to go into the Labyrinth once more before your break. We must ascertain Mr. Gatou’s safety.

Jinako :: Nothing else for it. I just got tired of this item-farming, so I’ll monitor with you.
…things have gotten serious…even if Gatou doesn’t seem like he’d actually die if someone killed him, the Sakura Labyrinth is no place for joking around. I haven’t had time to catch my breath, but I have to go help him.

Unchanged from the original at https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/entry-48-back-to-our-scheduled-meeting/. Please support the original translator.

Entry 47: BB Channel, educational programming

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BB :: To everyone behind the monitor - good evening. It’s time for the BB Channel, the number one most-browsed content in the Moon Cell. I’m your host, everyone’s little devil BB-chan! And my viewers are all of you pitiful sheep holed up in the old school building. Ah, you over there, umm…seaweed-like-hair guy, not matter how much you struggle, you can't escape!

[Laugh track.]

BB :: This program is brought to you by hacking your senses of sight and hearing in their entirety. ♥ Closing your eyes won’t help. Blocking your ears won’t help. This is a nightmare that shakes all of your escapism-prone brains. It’s a real jet coaster movie you have no choice but to watch through until the end! Heehee, this service is so spirited and lively, it even embarrasses me!

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…what’s going on!? In a complete change from the student council room, I find myself in a studio. No, I’m not in a studio, I’m seeing a studio. There’s nothing else here. I can’t see Leo, or Rin, or my own hands and feet. It’s as if I’ve become a camera…!

BB :: Oh, I’ll also be dismissing your questions. Only Hakuno-senpai has the right to speak, so Leo, Rin, you can both shut up, okay? All right. This time on the BB Channel, I’ll be explaining the basic rules. Your problem is “How can we escape!?” You all want to know, right? Really, I was planning to explain earlier and get rid of Rin, buuutttt…silly me, I was having so much fun surprising senpai, I just ended up playing around. I'm repentant ☆.

BB stands there in the middle of the studio smiling. …but what she just said was awful. She said she was going to “get rid of Rin.” It sounded almost like a joke from her tone, but…

Caster :: Her eyes aren't smiling. That evil Sakura - Dark Sakura? She really meant to kill Rin.

BB :: Oh? Is that Caster? Ah, speaking rights were shared to you because you’re contracted to Senpai. Well, that’s okay I guess. So, like Leo conjectured, there’s an exit when you get out of the Sakura Labyrinth. If you want to escape from the far side of the moon, just going through the Labyrinth should be okay! But that would be boring, right? That’s why I’ve added a special program to the Labyrinth. Now for a question ♥ What is that special program? Senpai, do you know the answer?

> Shields?
> Walls?
[>] R-18?

BB :: [laughs] A-ah, of course you went with that one! But unfortunately, that's incorrect. If it were up to me, I'd like to make you correct, but I do still have to play my role as host properly. Correct answer: Shields. Incorrect answer: Walls. Please read the mood, you eight bit fool?

[Laugh track]

BB :: And you all know what the shields are, right? They’re my new program, my pride and joy! Putting girls into the core of the Labyrinth…my ground-breaking fire walls!

Putting girls into the core of the Labyrinth…? Which means that she used Rin…she uses humans as her tools…!?

BB :: Yep. Human or AI, it doesn’t matter, you’re raw materials. Please think of being treated equally as an honor instead. Practically speaking, it makes an excellent fortification, doesn’t it? Girls’ hearts are complex and mysterious. There exists no stronger fortification. ♥ The only difficulty is that there are limits to their breadth and their number. One girl’s heart can only repaint three floors at most. Superior Masters to act as cores…Girl Masters, with secrets, in quasi-spiritual form, are rare materials, quite hard to come by. Among the Masters I captured, she and Rin were the only ones I used as cores.

— Wait. “She and Rin were the only ones I used as cores,” meaning…

BB :: Heeheehee…Well then, it’s time to introduce the next Sakura Labyrinth boss, our sentimental sentinel makes her appearance! 

[She waves her point/wand thing and Rani appears.] 

BB :: Our boss this time is exotic and academic! With an intellectual white coat and glasses, and a glamorous forehead, a hopeless/smooth slender beauty! Yes, she is the pride of the Atlas Institute, the last homunculus on Earth! Rani VIII!

Rani :: ……….
 
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BB :: I really don’t know about that thing she’s wearing under the cardigan, has the Atlas Institute no sense of shame? My heart starts racing just thinking about it.

[Look BB, I don’t think you’re in a position to make comments like that about other people’s outfits.]

Rani :: ………

BB :: …Hm. Unlike Rin, Rani doesn’t seem to be talkative. Come on, go ahead and say something. Let’s have a biting comment for the little puppies who’ll be challenging you from now on!

Rani :: — BB. I don’t like excessive direction. If they invade the fourth layer, I will simply deal with them as befits foreign bodies. Miss Tohsaka was the trial version, after all. I will be the proof of just how dangerous the applied structure of a girl’s heart is.

…I wonder. I can’t see or hear her, but I get the feeling that nearby, Rin is loudly booing that line.

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BB :: Yes ♥ Thank you so much for that splendid comment ♥ [She disappears Rani.] You all understand now, right? Simple games are boring. The idea here that wasn’t in the near side’s Grail War is my Sentinel System. If you want to get out, you’ll need to capture our unassailable Rani. Take however long you need. This is the far side of the moon. Since you’ve dropped out of the Holy Grail War, you’ve been freed from its rules. “Losers will be eliminated” — that rule no longer applies. When you’re here, you don’t have to disappear. …though it’s really aggravating that that infirmary AI followed you here…but BB-chan has a heart larger than the sea. So as long as you’re in the school building, I’ll leave you be. I won’t guarantee your human rights, but I recognize freedom in itself. All dreams and delusions are free. Brain simulation is an embarrassing source of motivation for humans, isn’t it. Please, discharge your youthful libido freely, everyone. Oh, but be careful, okay? Since, at my core, I loathe all of you — The Labyrinth is always waiting, licking its lips, waiting to kill you.

[The “screen” winks off.]

 Unchanged from the original at https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/entry-47-bb-channel-educational-programming/. Please support the original translator.

Entry 46: Apparently the Laws of Robotics don’t apply on the moon

[I find Shinji and Kiara standing outside the student council room.]

Shinji :: …oh, it’s Kishinami. Leo made a school-wide broadcast earlier. He said it was a state of emergency so gather at the student council room. I don’t like to come over here, but it was little out of the ordinary. Ms. Kiara told me too come too, so I’ll be participating just this once.

Kiara :: Now, Shinji. I’m not your teacher anymore, you can simply call me Kiara.

Shinji :: I…I know that! But, you’re just kind of…teacher-like, Ms. Kiara! Anyway let’s go inside! Did something happen in the Labyrinth? Maybe they’ll tell us.

[So we all go in and take a seat at the meeting table.]

All the surviving Masters are gathered in the council room. The only absent one is Jinako, holed up in the janitor’s room, and…Gatou, who joined the the student council on his own.

Shinji :: Huh? That Gatou guy’s not here? Isn’t he usually the first one to raise a ruckus at times like this?

Jinako :: The old guy went off a little bit before. I looked for him some, but he’s not in the bathroom or anything. Eh, I never know what that guy’s up to in the first place, but maybe he’s out training behind the school where my cameras can’t stalk him or something?

Shinji :: Ack, where’s that transmission coming from!? Who’s talking? Some third-tier character?

Jinako :: Same as always with you, Shinji~ You really shouldn’t look down on people the first time you meet them. “Super champ” hehe, “tease-me-chan” hehehe, “seaweed head” hehehehe…this’s why they call you all that on PJ~ That’s the great Jinako’s warning to you from on high.

Shinji :: Jinako…you’re that Jinako!? The FA overall champion with over 6000 hours of playtime!?

Jinako :: Nyahaha, don’t flatter me, don’t flatter me, it won’t get you anything~ Playtime equals the mark of a winner. That’s just common sense for gamers.

Shinji :: You’re just some invalid player! It hasn’t even been a year since FA came out, playing 18 hours a day on average, what grade are you in!

[I’m guessing the “FA” acronym is in reference to when Fate/Apocrypha was intended to be an online game.]

Jinako :: That’s a secret! The great Jinako is an invalid who needs nothing but sleep. And I can level up even while I’m sleeping, you know.

Shinji impulsively snaps at Jinako’s messages. As I recall, Shinji was the All-Asia Gaming Champion. Jinako seems like some kind of video game maniac, and it looks like they had some kind of connection before they came to the moon.

Kiara :: Excuse me. I thought it odd, but are Jinako and Mr. Gatou acquaintances of some kind?

Jinako :: Yeah. That old guy comes by the janitor’s room a lot. He’s noisy and doesn’t shut up. …well, he’s never come inside. But he brings me snacks, so I listen to him at least.

Leo :: Oh, really? I do find it odd that he didn’t respond to my summons, but let’s focus on what Miss Tohsaka has to say for now. We’ve seen it ourselves, but please give us a detailed explanation. About what happened to you, and the identity of that black-robed girl.

Rin :: …Ahem. First of all, I’d like to briefly apologize. I’m sorry, it was was my fault, now please forget everything. Though I was being used by BB, I caused difficulties for all of you, especially Kishinami.

While almost pouting, Rin inclines her head to me in apology. I can guess what her general situation was, and in the end Rin didn’t cause any harm to us. Money aside, she doesn’t need to worry about being our former enemy, I reply.
Money aside.

Leo :: There’s nothing to be concerned about, Miss Tohsaka. I’ve always trusted in you. This result is just what I expected.

Rin :: …Leo…you really trusted…I’m sorry, I’ve misjudged you. Although I thought you were some sheltered little master, a fanatical elitist, and an evil bastard to the core…

Leo :: Indeed. I’ve been certain since the beginning that you had no chance of winning, Miss Tohsaka. This unfortunate result is indeed just as I imagined.

Rin :: Isn’t that the wrong thing to believe in!?

Leo…A warm feeling wells up inside me. Behind that declaration of his faith in Rin, he was concealing such a fiery heart…

Rin :: Argh, I knew it, you are my enemy! I was stupid to be moved by you for even a second!

Leo :: Oh my, did I do something so incredible? I would think moving the heart of Miss Tohsaka would be harder than winning the Holy Grail War.

Rin :: Hmph. Say what you like, you cold-blooded animal. Now, let me re-introduce myself. I am Rin Tohsaka. A participant in the Holy Grail War, and one of the Masters captured by BB. However, I can’t clearly remember what happed in the main rounds of the war, or how many rounds I’d gotten through. All I remember is being attacked by black noise during the primary selection rounds, and that BB tampered with my mind afterward. “If you maintain the Labyrinth as it is, I’ll grant any wish you want,” BB told me. When I came to I was within my own heart and obediently acting as a “boss” in the Labyrinth. You all know what happened after that. I became the master of that Labyrinth along with the red Lancer. I feel like I knew some other things when I was master of the Labyrinth, but…I’m sorry, I can’t remember that either. I think it’s less that I forgot those things, and more than they were never recorded in my memory in the first place…

Leo :: …I see. Perhaps a portion of your consciousness was completely controlled by that black-robed AI. Something like an external hard drive. While you were connected to the AI you were under her command, and at the same time able to access information from her. But now that your connection has been severed, in exchange for your freedom, you no longer share in the AI’s knowledge. So, the Rin Tohsaka we were dealing with up to now was both Rin Tohsaka, and a segment of the black-robed AI…is that it?

Rin :: …very clever of you. But I think you’re right. To put it mildly, I was a marionette. The criminal who trapped us all here. The culprit who made a mess of the Holy Grail War, the AI BB.

Most of Rin’s explanation is what I would have expected. Rin was also attacked during the primary selection rounds and dragged to the far side of the moon. Having lost most of her memories, Rin was captured by the black-robed AI girl BB and posted as a boss in the Labyrinth. And now Rin is back to her right mind. She’s lost her Labyrinth-boss powers and she no longer has a Servant, but having an excellent wizard like her on our side is a promising step. So, the next problem is —

Leo :: Concerning BB.

Sakura :: ………

All eyes turn to Sakura. BB has the same face as Sakura. It’s obvious that there’s some relationship between the two AIs. If BB is the true culprit behind all of this, we have to investigate her true nature.

Leo :: Let’s get straight to the point, Sakura. Who is that girl AI? From what I’ve seen of her, her face is identical to yours.

Sakura :: She…she’s the same model as I am.

Leo :: The same model….so, a managerial type AI model that sends information on the Masters to the Moon Cell…is that it? There are many NPCs with the same model, so for there to be another with your model is not that strange, but…

Rin :: …of course. If she’s a model that reports data to the Moon Cell like Sakura, then she has a free pass code to the Moon Cell. So it wouldn’t be odd for her to be able to just hack the SE.RA.PH like that if she wanted to. Anyway, that’s the reality before us. A managerial AI went out of control and threw our Grail War into chaos. Is it all right for us to conclude that, Sakura?

Sakura :: …Yes. There are no contradictions. I don’t know what caused it, but the present situation is conclusive. That managerial AI…BB’s goals are unclear, but I agree that she is the culprit who brought all of you, and us NPCs, here to the far side. However, I…I’m really sorry, but I have neither the power nor the authority to stop her…

Rin :: No helping that. You’re a properly functioning AI, she’s an out of control AI. You conform to rules, while BB is a mass of cheats, so you can’t stop her.

Shinji :: Hey, could you hold up a second? That BB, how do you know she’s gone out of control? What if she was always this kind of AI? Like if she had a police-like role, showing up if people took illegal actions in the Grail War.

Jinako :: Some kind of super-level regulatory measure? Like to delete all participants if a malignant player appeared.

Shinji :: Yeah, like that. You speak up quick, like I’d expect of an invalid player.

Sakura :: …That’s not possible. The Moon Cell punishes transgressions of the rules set for Masters, but it would never destroy the rules themselves. To corrode the school building that served as the stage for the Grail War in its entirety…no AI with that authority exists. Nor does the Moon Cell make AIs with such enormous operational capacity in the first place. BB is an AI that should not exist.

Julius :: …right. The Moon Cell is a controlling monster. It wouldn’t construct its dogs so they could bite its hand. We must assume that the Moon Cell lost its control over that AI…BB, due to some accidental bug. After that, with algorithms based on her particular judgment…perhaps self-preservation and function optimization…she chose to augment her own functionality. And by that method she took in and reinforced further memory capacity. BB decided to disassemble Servants and NPCs and use them as her own memory, thus growing into a more advanced AI. There are no limits for an AI that has escaped supervision. So, without limits, BB captured the Masters and submerged us here in the far side of the moon. We’ve been stored as convenient additional memory for that woman, but thanks to this old school building we’ve managed to survive…that’s the situation.

Julius’s hypothesis sends chills down my spine. Absorbing Servants “additional memory capacity”…It would be impossible for any creature of the earth, but in the Moon Cell, built from electrons and quasi-spiritual particles, it’s become reality.

Shinji :: Hold on, so she’s going to kill us and use us for spare parts!? Tha-that’s the same as murder! An AI opposing humans, are you screwing with me!?

Julius :: …on Earth, perhaps. But this is the moon. The Three Laws that require obedience to humans were not established for these AI.

Sakura :: Right. Our only laws are “properly operate the Moon Cell” and “carry out the task you are granted.” As I am AI created to ensure the Masters’ health, by those laws I protect all of you. However…the other AIs are different. Some of them might eliminate all of you for the sake of efficient management if the Moon Cell decided your were no longer meaningful.

[I can testify that several of the NPC students around the school have shared anti-human opinions with me.]

Shinji :: What is this. That means, in a place where the Moon Cell can’t see us, the AIs and the NPCs are our enemies…?

Sakura :: …I don’t know. I’ve heard that, not just the AIs, but among the NPCs there are those who hold displeasure toward humans. However…there should be no AI who can take over Masters the way BB does. There is no reason to do so. Even if we become dissatisfied, it should only move us on an emotional level. It doesn’t lead to such…devilish actions. BB is out of order. She is a failure as an AI. She’s made her goal the expansion of her own functions. If left to her own devices, BB will continue to consume NPCs and Servants for no reason, and finally go after the Moon Cell itself.  Someone has to stop BB before that happens.

Leo :: I see. So it is more appropriate to say that she's "out of order" rather than something like "gone haywire". BB attempts to expand her functions…or possibly maintain her life, but she is does not choose the means by which she does so. Or more properly, she cannot choose. She appears human, but she is an AI. The ethical function the Moon Cell designed for her has been damaged, so she has become a machine that just chooses the most efficient means possible.

[Worth pointing out Sakura mentions AIs have emotions here, it seems like.]

Sakura :: ……Yes. Please think of it that way. You all must try to improve the situation with your own power. The situation is completely outside the Moon Cell’s predictions, an even outside its measurements.

…outside predictions and measurements. This is the far side of the moon. Sakura said the Moon Cell cannot see us here. So it didn’t predict that this abnormality would arise, and it still can’t observe the abnormality. It shouldn’t be able to happen, and it hasn’t been discovered. In other words — we can’t expect any help from system-side.

Shinji :: So we have to do something it ourselves!? Even though our Servants are gone!

Jinako :: Oh, isn’t that just you, Shinji-san-kun? Eh? Or maybe I’m just a winner since I’ve got a Servant? Winning, right?

Julius :: But you render that Servant useless. The only Masters here who can withstand battle are Leo and Kishinami.

Leo ::  No, I won’t go out and fight. Don’t consider me part of our combat force.

Shinji :: What? What’re you saying. Are you saving your Servant for later? Aren’t we cooperating here?

Rin :: …ah, I see. Indeed, it’s better for Leo to not go out. It’s currently Hakunon’s job to lead the way.

Leo :: Yes. How like you, Miss Tohsaka. You understand quickly and viciously. You would do the same thing if you were in my place, I imagine.

Rin :: — Hmph. What an honor to receive your praise. It doesn’t make me happy, but I’ll at least thank you for your efforts, President Leo.

Shinji :: What is this? Is Leo trying get an advantage in the selection rounds by hiding his Servant here?

Rin :: Of course not. Leo’s openly displayed his Servant throughout the main selection rounds. He hasn’t tried to hide him once. Not fighting now is a strategy. “The only possible move.” Let’s say in this situation Leo has a trump card, and his opponent is seriously thinking about his sealed move, but as long as his opponent doesn’t know the contents of his trump card, they can’t plan any counter-measures. Therefore he’s saving Gawain’s Noble Phantasm for a truly critical moment, if I’m not mistaken.

[I’m adding shogi terminology to the list of things I don’t want them to talk about in this game any more, by the way.]

Leo :: Amazing. I’d expect no less. Indeed, you are the only choice for the vice-president for our council, Miss Tohsaka.

Rin :: …so it’s been decided that I’ll join your team. Even though all I wanted was to repay you for the trouble I caused you as your foe.

Leo :: Oh. Are you dissatisfied with the position of vice-president?

Rin :: No. I have no problems with being vice-president, and I wouldn’t mind playing at being students either. And Kishinami does general affairs, right? So it’s her job to take any requests the student council makes of her. ♥

Leo :: Of course. Hakuno’s skill at running errands exceeds even mine, and I’m the president.

Jinako :: That’s not a skill you’d really want.

Leo :: Well, now that we understand the situation, let’s go over our plans for this point forward. If we surviving Masters want to return to the near side of the moon, we need to get through the Sakura Labyrinth. Hakuno will act as our vanguard, and we in the student council will act as her backup. BB, who trapped us on the far side, may hinder us, in which case we must all cooperate to repel her. It’s a rough plan, but are there any questions or objections?

Of course there are no objections. Leo’s plan is easily understandable. But…what should we do about Sakura? She’s a Moon Cell AI. Her job is to look after the health of the Grail War’s Masters, which is why she’s on our side now, but wouldn’t it go against her duties to fight against another AI of the same model like BB…?

Sakura :: I…I want to help you all. You may not be able to have confidence in me since I’m the same model as BB, but…

Leo :: There’s no need for you to worry, Sakura. Your ethical circuits are functioning perfectly normally. I can guarantee that your level of refinement as a AI is very high.

Kiara :: Indeed. If you think about it, the reason we can use this old school building at all is because Sakura is here. If we didn’t have Sakura, we would have been stranded in the imaginary number space and have disappeared into foam by now. We should have both confidence and faith in her.

Shinji :: I guess. This Sakura has a stupid-looking face, but she doesn’t look like she could be clever enough to betray us, does she?

Jinako :: Rare, get! ~ …oh, ‘s something going on? Whether we can rely on Sakura? Nyaa, and you want my opinion too. As long as they don’t disturb the peace of the janitor’s room, the great Jinako bears hate toward no one. Sakura’s kinda sad, so I think she's interesting, y’know?

Rin :: Indeed. I’d also feel better having you working with us. I mean, you did a lot for us on the near side and all that.

Sakura :: Everyone…thank you so much. I’m really happy. I’ll try to be of as much use as I can.

Sakura’s eyes tear up as she bows to us. She’s an AI just like BB. She must have been prepared for us to treat her as an enemy no matter what she did. I was worried everyone was going to reject her myself. My needless fear being alleviated, I put a hand to my heart in relief.

[Static.]

Unknown speaker :: Ahahahaha! “I’ll be as useful as I can,” - are you insane? There must be some limit to stupidity and poor performance!

Rin :: That voice — ! Leo, what’s our line to the outside? Have you set up proper fortifications!?

Leo :: Of course. I’ve made sure the security on the old school building is perfect. But —

Unknown speaker :: Right. You may be on the far side of the moon, but this is the SE.RA.PH. A cloud computer-type world whose basic operations are performed by the Moon Cell. As long as you’re dependent on that network, perfect security is impossible. Which is why I can do stuff like this! So, are you all ready to applaud? I’m re-shipping your candy, wrapped all together for the good kids and the bad kids alike! The BB Channel starts now!

[…Well at least it doesn’t air at midnight.]

Modified slightly from the original at https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/entry-46-apparently-the-laws-of-robotics-dont-apply-on-the-moon/. Please support the original translator.

Entry 45: All BB’s fault

Chapter 2: Prison of Projections -Girl’s Side Laboratory-

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This is the story of a woman. When she changed her apparel, the public eye was drawn to her. She controlled men with a hand so gentle it could not harm an insect.
You will live a life of moderation! Oh, of course, her reputation is impeccable.
You will cast aside pointless things! Indeed, she’s amazing.
What she had was a prison of projections. A thing as pure as it was cruel. She was handsome, and her conduct irreproachable. So why did things turn out this way?

[The word used here means both calculation and prediction – projection was the closest word in English I could think of, though it kind of makes it sound like a projected image.]

When I open my eyes, we’re in front of the cherry tree. There’s nothing wrong with my body. Caster, who dematerialized, is fine too. Rin…may have taken damage, her expression is strained.

Rin :: …looks like we managed to transfer somehow…This is the old-style school building you use as your base, isn’t it? It really is different from the school on the near side…Maybe it’s was used in the early days of the Holy Grail War, but it got out-modded and was abandoned. Well, that’s a topic for extracurricular study, I guess. Where’s Leo?
*
I point to the student council room on the second floor from the garden. I explain the rough layout of the old school building, and who’s inside it.
 
Rin :: …*sigh* I’d really like to just go to sleep for a while, but I guess I’m not in a position to say that. I’ll head to the student council room. I might be too ashamed to expose my disgraceful behavior, but I at least have to tell them what I know.

[She leaves.]

Caster :: Rin's pushing herself too hard... I can't imagine she wants to do anything right now other than dive into the infirmary bed and pretend that was all a dream. She really is a hard worker. I nearly found myself yelling "Hey, get back here, you money slave!". I managed to fight it off, though.

…Rin’s been both spiritually and physically defeated, I suppose. But still, as an acquaintance of that girl in black — BB, she’s gone to the student council room to supply information. I can’t show weakness either. I should go to the student council room and discuss the situation with everyone.

[But before that, I decide to check to see if anything new is going on around the school building. At the item kiosk, for example.]

Kotomine :: What a despondent expression. You’ve found some new trouble?

My mouth moves spontaneously as if his words enticed me. I tell him about BB, the strange girl who looks just like Sakura.

Kotomine :: Ah, you met that one. Then I understand why you make that face. It seems you’ve finally met your true enemy.

…huh? Wait, he knows about BB?

Kotomine :: She is the one dragged me, the Holy Grail War’s administrative AI, over to this side and overwrote my role. She has also placed a tax on all sales from this kiosk. She is quite troublesome. It’s caused my business ambitions to decrease dramatically. After negotiations, I settled for paying 5% of my net profits as a protection money.

…BB and the priest are both unexpectedly stingy. Still, judging by the way he talks about her, the priest doesn’t like BB. In that case, maybe he could make things a little cheaper for us…

Kotomine :: Those are wholly separate matters. I offer established products for an established price. Such is the pride of a store clerk. I may have wholly fallen from the role of Grail War overseer to hired manager of this store, but my essence will not change. Please, leave me to watch over all of you as an impartial employee as you writhe in agony.

Modified from the original at https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/entry-45-all-bbs-fault/. Please support the original translator.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Entry 44: The queen of the moon

Rin :: Ugh — agh, my head hurts…what’s going on, why I am I on the ground?

I run over to Rin and pull her up. Her body seems feverish. I don’t have any means of checking her vitals like Sakura does, but I can tell that she’ll be all right.

Rin :: Huh, Hakunon…? …why am I…I remember making a contract with a red Lancer…huh…who was that red Lancer…I remember her face, but I can’t recall anything else…Hakunon, what happened to me? What is this place? What’s going on?

It looks like Rin’s forgotten about Lancer. I think she’d be mad at me later if I tried to hide it, I so tell her frankly everything that’s happened. I make sure to tell her about how she declared herself queen and the “Money is Power System” in particular.

Rin :: Er…hey, wait! Wait, wait, wait —! What is this? Then all of that wasn’t a dream!? I really did all that crazy stuff!?

Caster :: It was indeed ♥ Just sit there and take it, Rin! Don't worry, they say gossip only lasts 75 days!

[She’s uh, kind of sobbing at this point? Hard to render.]

Rin ::Aaa.....aaaaaaaaa. Shame... Eternal shame... Why did I.... waaaah.....

Rin holds her head in her hands and bemoans her actions. Seeing he like that makes me want to write off all her previous crimes. Anyway, the battle is over now. If Rin can just let us out of her heart now, we can go back to the school building and this whole thing will be settled.

“Well, you’re back to your true self now, so it’s fine,” I tell her with a smile.

Rin :: Everything settled…oh, right! This isn’t the time to be moping around like this! If we don’t do something about her quickly, we’ll all be trapped in here forever…no, even worse than that! Leo’s out there to, right!? I need to hurry and talk to him…oh, but how are we supposed to get out of this place!? Maybe, maybe you need to hit me? All right, Hakunon, hit me! If you hit me hard enough to knock me out, I should wake up!

Unknown speaker :: What are you in such a rush for? You have infinite time, after all. Why don’t you calm down, oh queen of the moon? No matter how much you struggle, you won’t be in time for everything.

What is this voice…!? We should be the only ones in here. So how on earth —

Rin :: — it’s her. The culprit who pulled all the Masters to the far side of the moon, who captured me and put me in the Labyrinth — You’re here too, don’t you remember it? During the Holy Grail War, when that black stuff attacked, didn’t you hear that voice we just heard then?

…! That’s right. The voice I heard on the roof as it was swallowed by black noise. That voice just now was the same…!

Unknown speaker :: Yes, correct. I’m the culprit who tricked all of you. I’m the ruler of half of the Moon Cell — the far side of the moon — the real queen of the moon. Nice to meet you, my pitiful little lambs. And welcome to my dazzling Sakura Labyrinth!

Rin :: Ugh…! Hakunon, forget about hitting me!  If she go outside she’ll catch us again! We should just examine the situation here —

Unknown speaker :: Examine the situation? Aren’t you the one who was in such a hurry, Rin? Well, I don’t really care about you anymore, Rin — but there’s someone there I haven’t met before, so I have to give my special, first time service! Please wait a moment, I’m coming over there right now. Well, actually —

[Scenery change! We’re back in the Labyrinth now.]

Unknown speaker :: I can’t give my senpai a chance to escape, you see.


— A girl draped in a black cape. A visage any Master would recognize, a face I in particular know very well. The AI who had until just now been investigating the Labyrinth along with us. Her name is —

Unnamed girl :: Hello. Nice to meet you, Hakuno-senpai. You can’t backtrack anymore, so prepared to be shredded, okay?

…the girl smiles with that face identical to hers. Yes — this girl is Sakura. The air she puts on, and the expression on her face promise wickedness, but she is without a doubt Sakura Matou. But, is she really Sakura…?

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Unnamed girl :: …what? Am I Sakura, you ask…? Don’t mock me, we are complete different, head-to-toe! How could I be a weak-willed runt like her?! I am an existence that is and is not Sakura. But I’m not a managerial AI anymore. My name is BB. I leave the nicknames to your imagination. Bébé, Baby, whatever you like. ♥

Caster :: So that isn't some kind of transformation after all. And - this ominous sense. Far from a management AI, that spiritron composition is more like the Moon Cell itself. I don't like this situation, Master.

The strangeness of the situation has put Caster on guard too. This Sakura…this girl who calls herself BB is the culprit who captured countless Masters, eroded the school with noise, and made Rin go through all of that…!

BB :: But, senpai? Why are you trying to leave, when I went through all that trouble to save you? You could have just stayed there with that pampered good-girl living your schmoopy carefree romantic comedy life. …heehee. Yet you still left, which means, you still haven’t gotten enough punishment, have you, se-n-pa-i?

…! My spine freezes instantly. What is this strange oppressive feeling in the air. It’s nothing like the tension of confronting a powerful enemy. It’s — it’s not a metaphor, it’s fear of being crushed by the air itself…!

[Static.]

Leo :: Hello, hello. Can you hear me, Hakuno? Our monitors suddenly went black, did something there —

Rin :: Ah! Leo, hurry and make a transfer! I’ll back you up, so, quickly! This layer is a normal arena now, so you should be able to transfer!

Leo :: Is that Miss Tohsaka? — Sakura, bring Hakuno and Miss Tohsaka back in immediately. Explanations later, speed is our top priority, hurry!

Sakura :: Y-yes! Turning all of the student council’s resources to forced escape!

BB :: Oh, are you leaving so soon? I don’t think such a hastily made transfer program will be able to break through the Labyrinth’s walls, but…Your judgment is right on the mark. ♥ Don’t oppose an enemy you can’t defeat. Yellow means danger, pushing further flags you for death. How about you learn from this and stay holed up in the school building from now on? As long as you don’t take a step out of your safety zone, you’ll get your happy ending. It’s true, you know. After all, the best ending is when there is no end! Don’t you love it when a serial gets extended?

BB…the girl in black keeps giggling. She has the same face as Sakura. We don’t know who she is, but should we really run away here? If BB is really the culprit, shouldn’t we capture her somehow —

Rin :: We can’t fight her in our worn out state. Get it!? She’s a monster who devoured most of the 128 Servants! She disassembled Servants, absorbed their memory capacity, and made herself into an untouchable giga-structure!

Wha — what…? She…ate 128 Servants…? Then the tragedy during the preliminaries really happened and…this girl did it — !?

BB :: That’s right. My processing power is enough to rewrite the SE.RA.PH. I can control the rules of the world. So — fufu. You look rather pitiful like that senpai, so I’ll give you a hand. That transfer program won’t be able to take you through the walls of the Sakura Labyrinth, so…there, done! ♥

BB makes a gesture like blowing a soap bubble. She purses her lips and blows. At the same time, the air around us becomes lighter, and then —

[Everything goes dark and there’s a roaring sound.]

BB :: You understand now? I’m BB. The new ruler of the moon, who swallowed the Moon Cell. There’s no way to save yourselves. But if you really want to do something about me…Indeed. You can just try working together with the people inside the school building, and see what happens, okay? See, aiming of that 0.000001% chance of victory is really the true pleasure of gaming. ♥ I mean, mathematically it’s not equivalent to zero, so. Ufufu…

BB and the Labyrinth vanish into the distance. My mind goes black because of the forced transfer. And in it I can hear a voice. The voice of my enemy, who said she can change the rules of the world. A girl’s voice, beautiful and full of hate.

BB :: Well then, shall we start the game? You are all the prisoners of the merciless queen of the night. I will slowly, surely, bring and end to each and every one of you. I’m look forward to it, senpai. Survive until the end for me, okay —?

[And now, for the very first time, this plays:]



 [The song is called "Sakura Meikyuu", or "Sakura Laybrinth", for those wishing to find it elsewhere. It's really good.]


Modified from the translation at https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/07/23/entry-44-the-queen-of-the-moon/. Please support the original translator.

Entry 43: The Phoenix Wright of destroying girls’ self-esteem

[There’s one thing I’d like to note about the boss battle. Before boss battles in Fate/Extra, the class picture for each Servant would appear beside each team. Here, in place of that, next to Rin appears the image that was shown during the chapter’s opening narration, which looked like this:]

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[Anyway, we beat up Lancer.]

We won…! Caster and I still aren't close to our previous power level, but we were still able to honestly defeat Rin and Lancer.

Lancer :: Oh, looks like we lost. Well, I guess that’s fine? It’s a rehearsal after all, just an opening act this time. Well, bye Rin. We were only partners for a little while, but you were relatively cute.

[She walks away and vanishes.]

Rin :: Ugh…ah…I…I haven’t…lost…I can…I can, still, fight…!

Caster :: She's got unbelievable guts. It seems we can't reform her by brute strength alone. This is your time to shine, Master. Use your usual cool verbal abuse to turn her "tsun" into "dere"!

[Google "tsundere" if you're still not sure what this is.]
 
Urged on by Caster, I approach Rin. Lancer has disappeared. So Rin poses no more threat to us. Now if I can persuade her, everything should be resolved —

Rin :: Don’t…don’t you, mock me…! If this is what it’s come to, then the last resort — I’ll take you with me!

…! I immediately look around for Caster, but it’s too late. The hand I held out meets only air, and my consciousness is swallowed by darkness like a ship into a whirlpool.
Where is this? The world has completely changed. I don’t see Rin anywhere. I don’t see Caster anywhere. It doesn’t feel real. Is this, maybe — inside that sculpture of Rin…?

Rin :: Right. Your Servant won’t be able to help you here. This is the genuine article, a secret room with only you and me, one to one. Which is to say, a jail. Sorry, but there’s no exit. This is my heart. You’re completely trapped inside.

I see…so this is the core of Rin’s heart. The restriction, the dress, part of the congealed stagnant backwaters.

[Hakuno, tell me if you’re aware of the chapter opening narration earlier than that. Anyway, Rin appears now.]

Rin :: …w, well, you’re calm about this. You know that no one’s going to come save you? And there’s no exit? Aren’t you going to panic?

There’s no need for that. Maybe I was just speechless to start with, but now for some strange reason I feel calm. Maybe it’s because, if this is the core of her heart, I could maybe defeat Rin with words.

Rin :: W-what…!? Defeat me!? When I’ve got you captured!?

No, more corporal punishment than defeat. I don’t know why, but Rin hurt many NPCs, and she’s caused plenty of damage to us too. I’ll punish her for that here. If this is her heart, there’s nowhere for her to run…!

Rin :: Ugh…! If that’s what you want, go ahead and come at me! I won’t lose to the likes of you, Hakunon! I’ll repudiate anything you say to me perfectly, and throw the attack back at you…!

The stagnant water of her heart turns to thorns that turn toward me. …it’s fine, I’ve got a good chance of winning. If I make free use of the SGs I’ve gathered, I’ll be able to make Rin reconsider her actions…!

[Rin’s Secret Garden image, first version, appears, and the screen declares PUNISH START.]

Rin :: Uh…what is this force of will…!? It’s not like Kishinami — it’s maybe, kind of cool…Argh, what am I saying! I can’t let my guard down, I have to refuse her with all my power. Kishinami! You say you’ll make me reconsider, but what have I done wrong!?

First let’s review. Rin hoarded more wea…money that necessary. She said all she believed in was money. What was that called?

[>] Mammonism
> Corruption doctrine

[A layer of flowers is removed from the image.]

Rin :: And what’s so bad about that! You could maybe even call it cute…Money is…the future! To do research, to wage war, even to go on a date you need money. Hakunon, you’d rather watch a movie from a set of luxurious premium seats at a theater than on a video site in your room, right? “Money is Love Power,” get it?

[English on that last phrase in quotes there.]

Watching a movie with Rin…Maybe that would be fun if we get out of here. Though I don’t know, searching out videos on the web can be pretty fun too.

Rin :: W-who said we’d be going together!? It's not like I think it'd be fun to do things with you or anything, Hakunon!

This is, what do you call it, blatant…

> Temptation
[>] Templation

[Another flower layer gone.]

Rin :: No, that’s not it. You can’t just go around labeling people as, conventional, or tsundere, or whatever! I’m just doing what I like! I decide for myself, I take care of myself, I take responsibility for myself…what’s wrong with that!? People are obligated to be their own masters. Renouncing that would be nothing but laziness.

There are times I want a break
I’m human
Hakunon

Which is why, running from extreme to extreme, the true self and its opposite polarity — She has a wish, a taboo desire. Rin’s final secret, that is —

[>] Desire for subordination
> Desire for control

[Last layer gone.]

Rin :: Shut up shut up shut up shut uuppp! I wouldn’t do that, that’s something no one should say…For my decisions, my evaluations, my actions, my feelings, from the top of my head to the tips of my nails, every gram of my blood, every one of my tears, for none of that to me mine — No matter how sweet it might appear, if you were like that, you human dignity would…no, if you were like that, you wouldn’t be human anymore, so you wouldn’t need to worry about that…

It’s no use like this. She’s too strict with herself, but she’s looking for an escape route. It’s just a one time trick of the imagination. I’ll have to commit a taboo. To put it plainly there’s no other way.

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[>] Return to your true self, you capitalist…dog!

[There the image breaks, showing bits of another image underneath.]

Rin :: Ah…!!!!? Wha-what are you shouting about!?? And, dog, did you just call me a dog!??

Yeah, I did. Though the correct term would be “capitalist bitch.”

Rin :: ……Kishinami. I have the feeling you just used a word far worse than “dog,” but my ears could be deceiving me?

[>] You must be aware of it, being one yourself!
> …oh, maybe pig would have been better…?

Rin :: Ah…!? I, I am not! I’m just a reasonable, elegant mammonist, not a dog or…No, no, that’s wrong! Why would I feel relieved to be scolded!?  This, this isn’t me! Oh, but somehow I feel so much better…why…am I really a dog…? No, no way, no, absolutely not! I am always rational! It might be too advanced for you to understand, Hakunon, but I’ve though out all my actions carefully up to now! I am perfect! I have to be! I’d never complain, not even once…!

> You really are squealing like a piglet!
[>] Well I’ll leave it all to you then!

Rin :: —! Right, then everything will be fine, thank you, Hakunon! Just let me take care of everything! Let go of all your careful precautions, and I’ll gently, firmly, drain you of your funds!

[I lose one point of life.]

…crap. Her self confidence is on the rise again. I can’t allow this. She’s going back to the troublesome queen she’s been acting as up until now.

[>] You really are squealing like a piglet!
> Well I’ll leave it all to you then!

[The SG picture is gone now.]

Rin :: Hyaa…! Sq, squeal, squealing…I did not squeal! I was just emphasizing my point! Why do you keep saying terrible things!? Why, why won’t you look at the real me!?

[Alt. translations for squeal: cry/whine]

“What I say and what I do are different. But please understand my innermost thoughts —”
That’s nothing but whining. The Rin Tohsaka I know would never sound so pathetic. On the other hand, no one will ever see the “real Rin Tohsaka.” Rather than acknowledge that, rather than preparing herself to be disliked by others, Rin was stern with everyone she met. That was Rin’s kindness, and her beauty. And now? She just forces her thoughts on others and starts bawling if they disagree. To say she’s carefully considering the future while she acts like this is absurd. Rin isn’t thinking of anything but herself right now!

Rin :: But, I — I just want to relax once and a while…I wanted to try being honest with myself…! What, is that wrong!? It’s okay to think of myself! It’s natural that I’m the most precious to myself!

[>] Then take full responsibility for it!
> That’s not true!

Rin :: Aaauuuuuuu —- !



Rin :: Stop it…please, stop it…I hear what you’re saying…I hear it, so please…I don’t want be responsible…but I can’t be honest about it…if I take responsibility, I can’t say what I want to say…!

…that may be the case. But still, the one who’s insisting on those ideas is Tohsaka herself. The one who bears both the responsibility to lead people and the responsibility to be hated by people but still hold her head high is Rin Tohsaka.

Rin :: You can tell me that, you can, but…! I’m precious to myself. I know that’s natural! What should I do, at this point —

That much is obvious. It is natural to be the most precious to yourself. But that’s nothing to be ashamed of. What would be worth being ashamed of would be holding only yourself dear. Why is Rin strict with people? Because she can’t ignored the potential she can see in people.

> Being strict with others and with yourself is what it means to be a Tohsaka.

Rin :: Ah — aah, ah —, ah…! Oh…that’ll be, fine…I’m…even though I’m really weak, I act tough with all my might, I put on a brave face ’til the end, I…Right, that’s Rin Tohsaka. My favorite, my conviction — Ah…it feels good, but it’s embarrassing…you can see everything…But, it’s all right…who I am at the bottom of my heart can’t be changed…so I’ll be fine with this — You may forget all of this when you leave this place, but I’ll thank you anyway. Thank you Hakunon, for setting me free. …yeah. 

Rin :: But, let me say one thing. I’m going to give you a really good smack for this later.

[Fade to white]

Modified from the translation at https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/07/23/entry-43-the-phoenix-wright-of-destroying-girls-self-esteem/. Please support the original translator.

Entry 42: Fall to the center of the heart

Kiara :: I’ve heard from Leo. He said that there’s a wall with a design of Rin Tohsaka on it. The Labyrinth is full of walls of the heart, and fragments of Rin take shape there — I thought perhaps it might be at this level. That sculpture is unmistakably the true body of Rin Tohsaka. Surrounding that area are the husks of the heart. And inside it Rin’s true heart is sleeping. If you can succeed in the conversion of her heart from the wicked thoughts that fill it, Rin will be freed from the husks and return to her right mind.

So the real Rin really is in there…But how can we get inside like Lancer did? Sakura said she couldn’t make a gate, so maybe we need some special program working on a different system from normal wizardry, like the Five Thought-Stopping Meditations —

Kiara :: …yes. However, it’s a secret technique I’m forbidden to share with outsiders, I cannot simply initiate you into it on a moment’s notice. But, I can help you get inside. You’ve obtained many of Rin’s secrets, Hakuno. If you have three, a deeper psyche-dive should be possible. But, a warning: a person’s true heart will reject visitors without exception. If you go inside, you won’t be able to avoid a confrontation. So please prepare as much as you can. I will wait before the image of Rin, so come when you’re ready.

[Back into the Labyrinth and to the Rin-relief! Make sure to select "Goal Point" as your start if you're playing along, otherwise you have to play through the level again.]

Kiara :: I see…so this is a wall of the heart made inside the Labyrinth…seen in person, it’s quite enchanting, isn’t it?

Leo :: Enchanting…? Not…beautiful but painful to see?

Kiara :: Yes. The form of one imprisoned in her own heart, unable to express her true self…that anguish is the proof of life. A wall like this could not be made if its owner did not possess a great spirit. Strength, pain, all of it, I find enchanting and fascinating. But that’s enough chatting. Once you’re inside, our voices will not reach you. And you won’t be able to leave by your own will. The only way out will be to convince the owner of this heart. Are you prepared?

[>] No problem, let's go!
> I’d like a little more time…

I nod, no problem, in answer to Kiara’s question. I’m fully prepared to confront the real Rin…!

Kiara :: Good. Now, Hakuno, I will convert you into a more subtle virtual spiritron form.

Jinako :: Just the Master? Shouldn’t you do the Servant too?

Kiara :: Of course I will also apply the treatment to Caster, but a Servant is bound to the same spiritron gradation as their Master. If I alter his Master Hakuno’s virtual spiritron gradation, her Servant’s spiritron composition will automatically alter as well.

Jinako :: Servant and Master share the same life level…this just gets more and more occultish…

Kiara :: Sakura, please provide support. Calmly, as I showed you before.

Sakura :: Y-yes, I’ll do my best…! I’ll use all my processing power, and keep the conversion error margin within 0.00001!

Kiara :: That’s very promising. I’ll be counting on you. Now, Hakuno, close your eyes and relax your body. Entrust your consciousness to me. Now — let us reach the peak of the dasabhumi and descend, reflect the nature of the Buddha and fall. Houun, zensou, fudou, ongyou, genzen, nanshou, en, myouchi, riku, kangi —

[That’s a chant, not regular words, but the meaning of the kanji in it is something like this: law of clouds, virtuous thought, motionlessness, fast movement, before my eyes, impossible victory, flames, bright earth, cleansing, great joy.]

Sakura :: Temporarily separate the soul-concept from the virtual body.  Disassembling pure information structure, after conversation, establishing size and form concepts as a border. Substituting Master: Rin Tohsaka, for numerical values. After arrival in the deep mentally imaged space zone, the virtual body will be reconstructed — Spiral, start! Miss Kiara, safeguards, please!

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[I tried my best to get some picture of what Kiara does here. Also Hakuno turns into a pink glowing orb which Kiara closes between her hands and sends into the wall.]

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— my consciousness blurs into white. Kiara’s voice flows into my ears. My thoughts relax in this warmth, and a second becomes a thousand seconds, a thousand seconds become a day. A sensation of sinking endlessly within myself. At some point I, my conscious, separates from the body of Hakuno Kishinami, and I fall into something I’ve never before come into contact with, another person’s heart —
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One long straight shaft descends into the darkness. It’s just like a roller coaster running through an amusement park at night. Is this what means to descend into the core of the heart?




[Occasionally as Caster and Hakuno fall forever a gem-shape floats by. Then, Rin’s disembodied voice starts talking. As a side note, the OST track that plays here is called "Spinal coaster" and it's brilliant.]

Rin :: Can you hear me…? Is this transmitting? With anyone understand my voice, will anyone understand my heart? It doesn’t matter. It’s fine if no one understands. It’s fine if I can’t convey it. The only important thing is me, myself. I just wanted to live in a way I could approve of, that’s all. So I decided I had to control everything, that’s all. Listen to me, you harmless, barely materialized, small-animal-like girl,  I can’t help wasting my time worrying about you. I am the new queen of the moon. If you’re going to stand in my way, I’ll have to make you understand my greatness. Please understand. Understand it. Understand me. My noble suffering is too dazzling for worker ants who grovel on the ground. For people who don’t have the most basic standards, this comes off strangely sometimes. I’m just tired of trying to explain this to people I can’t follow. I’m always at full power. So why — accomplished in art and in war, gifted in intelligence and beauty, the incarnation of elegance! After you take the trouble to care for someone, you can’t forget the kind words of aftercare!? Everyone is too extravagant, they’re emotional gluttons, spiritually obese! I can’t do this anymore. My nice honor student act ends here! The time for gentle leadership has passed. It’s strict control from now on. Like this, see. I’m taking possession of everything, even the right to speak, to say nothing of money. Just watch. I’ll exploit it all until there’s nothing left. And it’ll all be for your sake, by the way!

Caster :: She's still acting superior, but we're surrounded by her resentment. Bitterness, grudges, and anger - she tries to be a righteous person, so it's very like her to try to contain it all. But recognizing weaknesses and enduring through them defines strength. Ahhh. She's got virtues even Leo doesn't have, and I'm surprised she's forgotten that. It seems her resentment has been piling up.

I agree with Caster's words. Rin gets greedy around money and is strict with lazy people, but she believes strongly in freedom of lifestyle.

Rin :: Anyway I’m tired. After so many weird criticisms, I want to whack your stupid head, Hakunon! …That’s right. You’ll at least understand the meaning of my actions soon enough. Of course it’ll be hard for you to understand what I’m saying and how I’m acting, but…I can’t help it, it’s embarrassing to put it into words! It’ll be find, it’s annoying, but understand it, even though there’s no way you could understand! That’s right, there’s no way you could understand. After all everyone’s just a bunch of brainless scarecrows, I’m the only one who really thinks about anything. You’re livestock. Everyone’s emergency rations. I’m savings. And it’s okay like this, everything’s okay. Well, it’s a perfect manifesto, isn’t it? Just fall for me. I’ll do all of you. So just stay quiet and listen to me. I’ll never do anything bad!

> …yeah, I’m scared so I’ll stay quiet.
[>] …no, I want to object after all.

Caster :: Yes, just like that, Master. Rin's proposal is cheap. It doesn't permit strength through blood, sweat, and tears. Harden your heart, and let's beat some sense into Rin! Let's knock her down from her "Heroine" pedestal!

Rin :: …what? It’s annoying when you buzz like insects. Are you going to defy me again? Unbelievable…you won’t understand no matter what i say. Fine. If you can’t trust me when I’m this capable, I don’t know. I don’t know, I just don’t know! But I’m the queen after all, so I can just do what I like! The queen of the moon…no, not just the moon…I’m the queen of the Earth, the queen of space, the queen of the world, the queen of everything! I’ll only do what I think is right. Good and evil, demand and supply, bargain goods and rare goods, I’ll decide it all! That’ll be fine. No complaints, right? No, I won’t allow complaints. Or you’ll never give me a goddamn break. You’ll even think of being in my place. You’ll never even worry about me. You’ll never even suffer for me. You never, ever, do a single damn thing for me — !

Rin’s unconscious scream echoes around me. Her voice sharply cuts at all invaders, but at the same time it’s miserable. Amid all her selfish assertions a voice asking to be saved appears and disappears.

But my voice can’t reach Rin. Up until now this roller coaster has been one long drop time of unilaterally hearing her stifled unconscious thoughts. All we can do is silently let ourselves be taken for a ride down the infinite illusory rail of her heart. After what feels like an instant, or an eternity, the core of Rin’s heart comes into view.

[We enter an odd place with more gem shapes floating around, where we find Rin and Lancer, and the Rin-relief wall.]



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Rin :: So you really came. Never bored of stealing looks at people’s secrets, you barge into the core of someone’s heart with your shoes on…If this were a country with a constitutional government, you would be immediately imprisoned, given life imprisonment and perpetual manual labor, but…I think you for coming to my heart. I’m lenient. I’ll let this indiscretion go as a child’s game once more.

Rin grandly lords over us intruders. That’s just the Rin I just remember. She’s different from the previous Rins that made me so uncomfortable. Full of self-confidence, surveying her surroundings leaving not a single opening, never taken in by provocation…this is, without a doubt, the real Rin Tohsaka…!

Caster :: Ah, she's become awfully generous. In that case, before we fight, there's something I'd like to clarify. Why did you invite me and Master into this sleek "Reverse Side of the Moon"? What is your objective?

[The word she uses for "you" here is what you might use for noble ladies at the negotiation table.]

Rin :: My objective? Because it was necessary, of course. You’re all worker ants bequeathed to me. My slaves who labor on the far side of the moon until you exhaust yourselves.

Rin says it as if it were obvious. That’s no different from the act of draining blood from the NPCs and Masters in the torture chamber. …I’ve been averting my eyes, telling myself “that’s not the real Rin,” but I was wrong. Whether she’s the real thing or a fake, as long as Rin is saying that, I’ll have to give her a hard blow…!

Rin :: Oh my — the confusion is gone from your eyes. Good, it won’t be fun otherwise. By working all of you to the bone, I can expand the Labyrinth, until it reaches the Moon Cell Core, and I can get my hands on the system. Great power must be controlled by the chosen people. to be noble is to bear the responsibility to rule from the moment of your birth. Well, honestly it’s a huge pain and I’d personally prefer to just smash the thing, but…somehow, I can’t help wanting to control it!

Lancer :: Heehee, that’s my Rin. Or should I say my queen? You are the one who will obtain the Moon Cell.

Rin :: Right. You two should follow Lancer’s example and address me as your queen, not Rin Tohsaka. If you do, I’ll spare your lives. No, say it. Say it loud, make a declaration of it. This is your last chance, Kishinami!

…looking at it calmly, Rin’s eyes rest from their circuit of the room to fix on us.

> Please calm down, my queen.
[>] Aren’t you being deceived, my queen?
> What’s up with that miniskirt?

Rin :: Deceived…of course I’m not! I really am the queen of the moon after all!

…I’m really not going to be able to reach her via conversation…We won’t be able to determine who’s in charge here except by strength. But…before that, there’s one last thing I want to figure out. Why is Rin fixated on being a “queen”? Don’t girls usually want to be princesses?

Rin :: Huh? Don’t be stupid, a queen is absolutely better than a princess. After all, a princess can’t control her country’s budget.

— All right, I’ll beat her. This is for the sake of the world, its people, and the Moon Cell…!

Caster :: Ah, a new type of courtesan! I see. Even though she's the serious type, being too greedy causes kingdoms to fall, huh. A gathering storm on the moon; wind and flowers; as the final touch - a fly in the ointment. For Rin's sake, let's harden our hearts and defeat her bad side!

[The little poem there concluded with a pun on her name. Basically, the Japanese expression used here for "fly in the ointment" is "defect in a jewel", but the kanji it uses for "jewel" reads "Tama". It could be unintentional, but I doubt it.]

Rin :: What, why are you looking at me like a criminal…! Fine, if that’s how you’re going to be, we’ll settle which of us is right! Let’s go, Lancer! We’ll show them that we are the chosen nobility!


Modified from the translation at https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/entry-42-fall-to-the-center-of-the-heart/. Please support the original translator.