CLAN - Episode 10
Messiah: Haa… Haa… Haa…
Rui: … I win, Messiah.
Messiah: I knew you could do it, now finish me off…
Lance: Wait!
Rui: ?
Lance: Messiah, we did a bit of digging... about your relationship with Rui.
Shizuru: Sorry, Messiah. We couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Rui: … What?
Lance: Rui, since your memories were altered by Chaosism, you probably don't remember, but...
It seems you and Messiah were once in the same clan in Mission Stadium.
Rui: What?
Messiah: …How do you know?
Lance: Seems like a mischievous troublemaker had tampered with your PC.
Messiah: …I see. Gotcha.
RUI, you and I were friends. Well, not in person, but online.
I had a lot of fun playing games with you…
The days of consecutive wins leading up to the Mission Stadium World Championship... I thought we were comrades chasing the same goal, that I belonged here with you... And yet.
One day, all of a sudden, you suddenly stopped playing.
Lance: …That’s probably the day when he got kidnapped by Chaosism and got taken by the Academy…
Messiah: After several years had passed, when I saw the name “RUI” again in the rankings of a different game, feelings of joy and loneliness overwhelmed me at the same time.
I thought, "RUI is playing games again! I'm glad he’s alive and well!" At the same time, though...
...maybe he’d already forgotten about Mission Stadium and me.
Rui: …….
Messiah: I love Mission Stadium. Even if RUI forgets about it, even if it shuts down...
As a player and streamer, I wanted more people to love this game.
And then Libal told me, “With this stone, you can play Mission Stadium with RUI again.”
Shizuru: So that’s why you sent Rui that message?
Messiah: Yeah… Even if he lost his memory, RUI is still RUI. And Slam Days, the clan he led, truly was a great clan.
Just like the clan I used to be a part of…. No, maybe even better.
I might have been jealous of Slam Days… But in the end, I got to play a great game with you. Now, finish me off.
Rui: What a load of nonsense…
For me, a game is always serious. What’s fun about defeating someone who already lost their will to fight?
This is ridiculous. Let’s go home, Lance, Shizuru.
Lance: Rui….
Rui: … The game I lost to you was really fun. Forgetting about all this Chaos World and memory stuff.
It was thrilling and exciting to me.
Messiah: ……..
Rui: Now I feel like crap. Wasting my time going against a guy who already gave up on winning in the end.
Go ahead and live your life as a shut-in forever.
Messiah: Pfft....
Rui: ?
Messiah: Hahaha! … I see. You’re right, RUI.
Rui: Ha?
Messiah: …I was wrong. I really do love Mission Stadium.
But just because Mission Stadium is over doesn’t mean my life is too.
Rui: …Hmph. That’s all I needed to hear.
If you understand that, then hurry up and let’s get out of here.
Messiah: Yeah.
Assaulton: Heey, Rui. Hold on~
Rui: Oh, you’re still here?
Assaulton: Come on, what do you mean “still”? Didn’t I support you all the way through?
Rui: … Well, looking back at it, yeah. But that doesn’t mean I trusted you or anything.
Assaulton: Yeah, that’s alright. You’ve really changed a lot, Rui.
Back in the day, you used to suck at games and were way cuter.
Rui: ? ! So, what do you know about me—
Assaulton: You were even the one who gave me that cute nickname “Assaulton”, remember?
Rui: Haa? Since when did I even give you that kind of name?
Assaulton: … But it looks like you’ll be fine without me now.
It makes me a little sad, but I’m glad that you’re not alone anymore and found a place where you finally belong.
Rui: … I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Assaulton: Oh, and winning isn't the only part of the game. Remember to be kind to newbies. See you, Rui! Take care!
Rui: Wait a minute!
Hey…. Hey…..!
Lance: Case Closed! Well, shall we go home?
Shizuru: Let’s go, Rui.
Rui: Yeah.
Messiah: Hey, Rui.
Rui: ?
Messiah: …How about aiming for the top with me again, even if it’s in a different game?
C’mon, how about we shake hands.
Rui: Haa? What the hell is that for?
Messiah: I’m going to practice like crazy and get stronger. Will you play games with me again, RUI?
Rui: … Well, I do owe you one for losing once, so as long as it’s a game, I’ll be your opponent.
… This time, I'm definitely not going to lose.
[At the Kamen Cafe...]
Noah: Welcome! ….Oh!
Rui: …—I'm alone. Let's move to the back.
[Inside the VIP room....]
Noah: So you're alone today, Rui-san... and a little earlier than usual.
[1st Choice: Did something happen by any chance?]
Rui: ….Well, sorta.
… I’m just trying to kill time but… There’s something I want to talk to you about.
Noah: …So, Ulseven’s Libal called that Chaostone a Second Generation Chaostone?
Rui: …Yeah. Apparently, this one isn’t just a normal Chaostone.
And it seems like it has all sorts of abilities… including interfering with people’s memories.
Noah: (Just as I thought….)
(I wonder if the Chaostone that Agata-san encountered was probably this Second Generation Chaostone?)
Could it be that you’ve recovered some of your memories?
Rui: ….Yeah.
Before I got my memories altered by Chaosism, I remember playing Mission Stadium...
Then I met a guy that goes by the name “Messiah” who I met in the Chaos World and who was actually my real friend from my past.
Noah: … Oh, I see.
Rui: We’ll do our best to gather Second Generation Chaostones.
Noah: Huh?
Rui: We formed Slam Days under the Oath of Freedom. As long as we have no memories, we’re not going to be truly free…
So that’s why we’ll definitely retrieve our lost memories and past.
That’s all I wanted to say, see ya.
Noah: Hey! Rui-san, please wait!
Rui: Hm?
Noah: Now I understand why Slam Days wants to collect Second Generation Chaostones.
… If you collected the Second Generation Chaostones' and got all of your memories back, then what would you….?
Rui: … Slam Days would disband.
Noah:? !
Rui: We’re not some kind of close friend group that hangs around for no reason.
Until we regain true freedom… We’ll continue to use each other for that reason.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Noah: (Fighting in order to regain their lost memories, that’s the reason why Rui-san and the others are fighting….)
(It’s sad to think that a day will come where Slam Days will cease to exist, but maybe it’s also the Agent’s role to witness that too…?)