Fangaku:Volume1 Act2 Chapter1
Chapter 1[edit]
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We were partially underground.
For as far as I could see, I saw an open roof.
Below that was a massive floor with three tiered arena-like structures on the left.
On the right was tiered spectator seating.
“…!”
A stir ran through the spectators.
But I didn’t hear anticipation or cheering.
They were all glancing our way while speaking with their neighbors or into their sign frames. Almost as if…
“I get the feeling they’re assessing us.”
“Well, it is the first time our 3rd years have all been together since the school year started. And we have a new member.”
I was still dazed, but Hanako turned toward me.
“I think this is your official welcome to the Tokyo Depths Region.”
“Um, what is this?”
■Tokyo Depths School Arena
TDSA (Tokyo Depths School Arena): A large arena that doubles as an entrance to the Tokyo Depths below. The front is an entrance to the library and the rear is the Depths entrance along with the commentary and analysis stage. On the left are tiered joint arenas. On the right is tiered spectator seating.
<Allow me to explain. The Tokyo Depths School Arena is a large arena facility built directly above the Depths. Spectators gather for the live commentated Depths attempts and ranking matches, so you could call it the center of the Depths speedrunning industry.>
“Whaddya think?”
Hanako raised her hand at the entrance and a flood of noise rushed in from the surrounding spectator seating.
They were booing us.
“Wow, we are not popular…”
“Don’t let it get to you. They’re all competitors. They’re mostly students in other exploration teams.”
Do you get it?
“If you live in the Depths Region and make some runs, you get to be a part of this party.”
●
“Listen. You’re going to be living as a Depths runner with me and the others. I can’t tell you how you’ll do it or what choices you’ll make, but unless you run away, that’s going to be your life. There are no rails, but there is a field. Get it? From now on, you’ll be working to complete the Greater, Central, and Lesser Depths, competing against the others here, and living in an endless party forever.”
●
I thought about what she said.
…Forever?
That was a concept I hadn’t thought about for a while.
Because I lost my old life so thoroughly.
My plans for the future and my friendships had all changed overnight.
I had lost so much that I had assumed would be with me forever.
And the things that I did still have had come from my old self.
They were all things I had just inherited that way.
“Why did you come here?” she asked me.
●
“Eh? Because…my Expression changed things a little too much.”
“You idiot. I’m not asking what you put down on your paperwork. This isn’t about your surroundings, what changed, and what’s different. Besides, you could’ve worked to fit in well enough back at home as a dark elf. But by coming here, you have to redo everything from the ground up. Choosing to come here was terribly inefficient.”
But you know what?
“The changes aren’t what matters. The emotion driving those changes – that’s what matters.”
“Listen,” said redheaded Hanako.
●
–––We are those who look ahead
- We begin every action with emotion
- We advance based on reason
- We provide meaning with our wills
- We take all in hand
- We live
- We die
- We weep upon the borderline
- We laugh upon the borderline
- We carry burning hearts
- We trust in possibility
- We are those who are bound to this place
●
I asked about the poem Hanako had just recited.
“What was that?”
“The rules here in the Depths Region. Those rules are the one thing you can believe in.”
Do you get it?
“You came here because your emotions led you. ‘We begin every action with emotion.’ I hope you came here because you were looking to the future, but either way you took that first step.”
Listen.
“Here, you can come back to life after you die. And you’ve heard it said that even death doesn’t cure stupidity, right? Welcome to the home of the stupid. And you won’t turn back to your original form if you die. Your character selection is stuck on ‘dark elf’ forever now. I won’t tell you to take comfort in that, but just think of this as the place where weird people like that end up and accept it.”
●
Her argument was absurd.
But…
…What was it?
Why had I chosen to come here?
It was true so much had changed that it felt like too much work to deal with it all.
My entire life had been flipped upside down and the future I had been counting on was snatched away from me.
Everyone felt a need to walk on eggshells around me, so it felt weird being around them.
…Yeah.
I felt like there was an answer in front of me.
But I wasn’t sure how to interpret it. I couldn’t express it in words or emotion, so I wasn’t sure I could trust that it really was an answer.
●
I still didn’t know the answer.
●
…I’m so stupid.
It was frustrating.
It would’ve been so much easier if I could verbalize how I felt to share that with the others.
And just as I thought that…
“Hanako-saaan. Reciting that harsh poem has Deko-san lost in thought.”
Those words freed me from the bonds of my thoughts.
●
I let out the breath I had been holding and looked to the upperclassmen.
I realized Shiroma-senpai was smiling at me and looking like she was going to pat me on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry. You can take it easy living here. Unless you want to work all the time, you can spend most days playing in the mountains and rivers for outdoor training.”
“I’m sure you’ve been bombarded with too much info to remember it all, so come to us if you need help with anything.”
“I will,” I finally responded.
●
…I can’t believe this…
I was pretty sure I already had some emotion inside me when I decided to leave my hometown.
I could feel a flashback coming on, but I wasn’t sure how to deal with it and ultimately rejected it.
The Depths Region was a very different environment from my hometown. I had expected something inside me to change now that I was a dark elf, but…
…I’m the same inside…
I didn’t understand anything.
I was still an idiot.
I tried to just accept that as the way it was.
Two-thirds of the upperclassmen were taking my thoughtful silence seriously, even if they misunderstood the reason behind it.
And they made sure to show me they weren’t just being nice.
But then Kuroma-senpai gave Shiroma-senpai a glance and asked a question.
“Shiroma. She’s the same as us, don’t you think?”
“Yes. I got the same sense from her.”
“The same how?”
“You had a Priestess Conversion. …You used to be a boy, right? The Depths only accept priestesses inside, so some of the boys in the region will be turned into girls. That’s what happened to Shiroma and me.”
“Really!?”
“And the process of your Expression turning you into a girl is known as a Priestess Conversion. Oh, but that’s only the common name. It’s technically called the ‘sudden something-or-other’, but I forget the full name.”
■Priestess Conversion
<Allow me to explain. The Priestess Conversion is a mysterious phenomenon which began appearing in 2012. It refers to someone changing from male to female during their Expression process. The cause is unknown, but some claim the Depths are home to a god and thus priestesses are preferred in the Depths Region.>
“That happened to you too?”
“To Shiroma and me. There are others too…but it does help us understand what you’re going through to an extent.”
“Right, right,” said Shiroma-senpai, patting my shoulder before both of them walked on ahead.
Hanako had already walked on toward the arena, so I followed.
But just as I was taking the first step, the three of them looked back.
Our eyes met.
●
Oh, I thought when I saw the three of them.
This is a crossroads.
I hadn’t changed on the inside, but what I was had changed.
And my former surroundings had also changed in response to my change.
They had become strangers to this changed version of me.
But now I was surrounded by people just like me.
So from here on, I would be the current version of me.
●
…That’s right.
A lot had happened today.
And before today, I had been in the waiting area on the border of the Depths Region, learning, training, and otherwise being prepped for moving between cities.
And more than that, while I hadn’t cut all ties to my family and my hometown of Kawasaki, I had come here to distance myself from them.
But…
…If I turn back now, I can still return.
I was a dark elf.
Like Hanako had said earlier, I might not be able to make use of any dark elf abilities, but I could return to my familiar hometown and get by there.
Some people might find it hard to adapt to the new me, but others would be able to and I could live with them while making jokes about what had happened.
For now, I still had that option.
But…
“–––––”
●
I took that first step forward.
●
I wasn’t just going with the flow and this wasn’t the result of inertia or giving up.
“Today has been a wild day.”
I felt like it was all connected.
On that spring morning, I had woken to find I was a dark elf.
I still didn’t know why that had happened, but…
“You called this an endless party before, didn’t you?”
“You bet. Cause that’s what we chose.”
“Then,” I said.
“If I stay here, I won’t reach an end, will I?”
●
…Yes.
I could believe that.
●
Kuroma saw the look on Hanako’s face.
“––––––”
Hanako responded with uncharacteristic surprise after hearing and seeing Deko’s response.
Yeah, this is a good thing, thought Kuroma.
I hope you see more changes and more people and feel this same surprise again.
It wasn’t exactly in response to that, but Kuroma spoke to the underclassman.
“You can’t die here even if you want to, so you don’t need to think about an ending.”
“Kuro-san? I don’t think that’s what she meant. She meant it in more of a teenage way.”
Yeah, probably.
And Hanako spoke as she walked on ahead.
She was now facing forward with her back to the rest.
“The view here is great. Since it’s a party.”
“So,” she continued.
“Time to go. Follow after us.”
●
Deko walked forward.
She had been standing in the library door frame, but she started down the path down the center of the arena, feeling so much attention on her.
…What do I look like?
She couldn’t help but wonder what all those people thought of her.
“Good morning, Depths Region!”
A sudden announcement seemed to split the air to reach us.
And a moment later…
“…!!”
The crowd had been whispering to each other as if assessing the arriving group, but now an explosion of noise left the stands.
This was not a cheer.
It was a roar.
“We…”
They all shouted the words of a personal vow.
●
“We are those who look ahead!”
“We begin every action with emotion.”
“We advance based on reason.”
“We provide meaning with our wills!”
“We take all in hand!”
“We live!”
“We die!”
“We weep upon the borderline!”
“We laugh upon the borderline!”
“We carry burning hearts!”
“We trust in possibility!”
“We are those who are bound to this place!”
The yelling gathered into a recitation of a single poem.
–––We are those who look ahead
- We begin every action with emotion
- We advance based on reason
- We provide meaning with our wills
- We take all in hand
- We live
- We die
- We weep upon the borderline
- We laugh upon the borderline
- We carry burning hearts
- We trust in possibility
- We are those who are bound to this place
●
Above the entry gate on the south end of the arena was the commentary and analysis floor.
From there, the view down the center of the arena showed the four Angel Stare members walking toward the Depths entrance.
There were two in the commentator and analyst seats, one was the host and a member of the broadcast committee.
“Welcome to today’s one and only event sequence, a speedrun of Depths Level 1! Commentary will be provided by me, Kyouko the Border Collie from Tokyo Depths School’s broadcast committee. And analysis will be provided by Kisaragi, Chancellor of our rival school MUES!”
“Hi,” replied the white-haired girl in the other seat with a wave.
“I’m really only here to see Daida-san’s efforts.”
“Yeah, she did get sent out for that lesser dragon scare, didn’t she!? We were considering sending out our 1st Special Duty Exploration Team, the Cannon Dancers.”
“This time, I’m more interested in seeing the results than in competition. I’m especially interested in seeing whether or not that rumor is true. …I already got part of my answer during the lesser dragon scare, though.”
●
“What is she talking about?”
“Until certain conditions are met, the Depths’ interior structure is rewritten every so often. We’re busy trying to clear the Greater Depths now, but the initial Level 1 hasn’t been stable.”
■Depths Level Updates
<Allow me to explain. For the Greater, Central, and Lesser Depths, until each level is fully cleared, its interior will generally be updated each week, becoming something else entirely. The update will not change the level’s basic ‘restriction’ such as a specific law or concept in effect there. Also the cleared areas will remain more or less the same. But the level restrictions will be subtly altered or added to and the uncleared areas will be rearranged, which can be a pain.>
“In areas with Lesser Depths or Central Depths, new Depths materials can be acquired after each update, so sometimes they are intentionally left uncleared.”
“But that’s not an option with the Greater Depths. If Level 1 isn’t stable enough for anyone to enjoy themselves there, it looks bad for our school. That makes it a matter of pride. And based on the latest exploration, an Angel Stare member theorized that there’s both a time condition and a party size condition.”
“There’s a big open-air space at the end of Level 1, but there’s never anything there. It’s thought to be a ‘dummy room’. However…during an overnight exploration, the vibrations of an unknown entity were detected in the hall’s ley lines when the level was updated.”
●
“The idea is that the first unit to enter the level after an update will find a boss there if they race to the hall fast enough.”
●
“The goal is sub-10 minutes with a party of at least 4. Some major units have attempted it over the past three weeks, but they’ve all screwed it up. But now that we know the conditions, I figured we could show them all how it’s done.”
“…”
“…This sounds a lot like a video game.”
“It kinda is. More or less.”
<Yes, it really is.>
“It’s technically, um, what was it again?”
“It’s related to the circulation of time strings. Basically, the ley lines overlap in a really complex way that creates something like code when viewed from the outside.”
“Right. If you think of a river’s current like a bunch of program code, then our goal is to be swept along to the ocean, I guess? But it keeps forming lakes and sandbanks along the way. This is a lot like discovering a sandbank that only appears when the current changes.”
“Oh, yeah… I do think I heard someone mention the Depths as a whole act as a data entity…”
■Data Entity
<Allow me to explain. A data entity is a being that exists as elemental data rather than through physical science. You can think of it as a being made of pure data, but their composition is technically more closely related to Kotodama. Also, being a data entity has many benefits which I recommend taking advantage of.>
“We’re technically already data entities while inside the Depths Region, but that nature shows more strongly while inside the Depths. Various costs are reduced and, if we’re about to die, we can be salvaged from a data backup.”
“Just remember that you can be way more reckless here than you can outside. Besides, while we’re in here we can’t even tell that we’re data entities.”
●
We walked the path running down the center of the arena and stopped in front of the next big door.
“That’s a barrier hatch.”
“Did you have something similar in Kawasaki?”
“For us, they were used to lock away combat Death Techno.”
They came in different sizes, but this one was 5 meters wide and tall.
I noticed a Kawasaki IZUMO logo on the edge.
■IZUMO
<Allow me to explain. IZUMO is an international Shinto brand headquartered in the Izumo region. It does business in a variety of industries, including communications, infrastructure, and the military. It is also found in the outer world of the Tokyo Five Great Peaks and technological exchange has made it one of the biggest corporations in the world. It has announced its intent to fully support the Depths Region and it also cooperates with the Tokyo Five Great Peaks organization deployed here.>
“I just thought that explained why it looked so familiar, but the connection’s even deeper than that, huh?”
That sort of put me at ease.
And below the company name was the poem I had heard before.
…We…
–––We are those who look ahead
- We begin every action with emotion
- We advance based on reason
- We provide meaning with our wills
- We take all in hand
- We live
- We die
- We weep upon the borderline
- We laugh upon the borderline
- We carry burning hearts
- We trust in possibility
- We are those who are bound to this place
I could tell that must carry important meaning.
Meanwhile, Shiroma-senpai began using a sign frame to communicate with the girl standing next to the hatch.
That girl had rabbit ears.
She had a strong “stayed up all night” vibe to her.
“Yahoo, Shiroma-kun. If you pick up anything good, send it our way.”
“Head? I really don’t think we’ll find any texts on Level 1 that are worth being in the library.”
“Hey, you never know. Some of the other Central Depths have recently mentioned seeing aerial residences in the 5th-Gear levels.”
“5th-Gear?”
“Hey, screen. Do your thing.”
■5th-Gear
<Allow me to explain. 5th-Gear is one of the categories of level restriction found in the Depths. Each level is generally ruled by a restriction based on a different law or concept, which is one factor making completion of the Depths so challenging. The primary 5th-Gear restriction is “objects fall downward” and levels ruled by that concept will often be bottomless looping skies or aerial pathways.>
“Oh,” said Shiroma-senpai.
“We’re headed to Level 1, which is a 5th-Gear level with only the famous ‘objects fall downward” restriction in effect. But while we’re used to that, we still need to be careful since Deko-san is new to this.”
<My apologies. My explanations provide general knowledge only, so I cannot explain more special circumstances.>
“I’m confused. What exactly does all this mean?”
“The level restrictions are honestly hard to explain verbally, so it’s best to just experience them yourself.”
I nodded and the bunny-eared upperclassman turned toward me.
“Oh, one of you’s still using Tutorial? …Are you the new one!?”
●
“Incredible,” said the bunny-eared upperclassman, her eyes red.
“Hi there! Good morning! Fun fact: this is my 36th straight hour of saying good morning! I’m Head Librarian Tetsuko. Nice to meetcha! So anyway…your species Expression hasn’t had you dreaming about any weird memories, has it? That’s a real dark elf-y thing to do.”
Eh? I thought.
I had had a nightmare about standing on a white plain when I turned into a dark elf, but that didn’t seem like what she meant.
“Like what exactly?”
“When you have an Expression based on a particular species, you’ll sometimes have a dream based on that species’s memories, or something like that. Or you might ‘remember’ those memories when certain conditions are met. That’s why a lot of my elf friends remember swearing revenge for the burning of a village they don’t even recognize.”
“No, I haven’t had anything like that. But maybe I just haven’t gotten that far yet.”
“If it happens, send a report my way! No, an interview would be simpler, so stop on by!”
She was really into this.
Was I going to have a memory like that? I hoped it wouldn’t be anything too dramatic.
But then the bunny-eared upperclassman turned toward Hanako.
“Okay, we’ve gotta do the usual ceremony as part of the routine. Hanako-kun. This run is meant to clear the remaining conditions and open up the level, so I’m canceling all debug skills. Your party is four attackers and one support member. Greater Depths Level 1 is on 5th-Gear rules.”
“Yeah, and how bad is it this time?”
“The update change rate is only around 13%. The clock starts as soon as it opens up and the interior establishes itself, so I recommend getting a running start and leaping on in.”
“Since it’s only a Level 1 run, we’ll go with all passive judgments. Does it come with an XP bonus?”
“Your levels are too high to get a party-wide passive bonus in Level 1. Too bad for Dark Elf-kun. Anyway, get ready for your running start.”
I wasn’t sure what any of that meant except for the last part.
Hanako raised her hand and stepped back from the hatch. About 15m back.
Shiroma-senpai tossed me something like a white mask.
I caught it to find it was…
“A face mask? Or is this…?”
“That’s right, it’s a protection shield. And it’s a little more powerful than the usual disease prevention ones.”
■Protection Shield
Protection Shield: Guards the face from the nose down and carries an impenetrable divine protection effect.
- Example image is the Musashi Vice Chancellor’s.
<Allow me to explain. Protection shields are shaped much like face masks and face guards and their physical functions is similar. At the same time, by hiding your “face” as a data entity, they prevent data interference from certain laws and concepts when entering unexplored levels. They remain in use in Surface Tokyo and other countries due to the effect of the DPVC spreading across the world.>
“Think of it as a face mask for data entities.”
“That’s right, Dark Elf-kun.”
The bunny-eared upperclassman knocked on the closed hatch.
“The territory beyond this hatch hasn’t been fully explored, so there are unknown aspects to it. Plus, the laws and concepts change some with each update. You don’t want to run into an unknown toxic gas or interference concept as soon as you go through, do you? You do have spell defenses and divine protections, but better safe than sorry.”
“The standard ones don’t fit everyone perfectly and there are a lot of unnecessary functions applied in the protection settings, so you’ll want to create your own eventually.”
“They’re a must when assassinating someone in the night!”
“Deko-san? You can ignore her when she says things like that.”
Those three each had their own.
Then Hanako struck a pose.
“Taaacticallll fraaaaame!”
“…”
“…”
Their uniforms began automatic transformations.
●
“Oh, c’mon! You’re supposed to shout it with me!”
“But it isn’t set up to need any shouting. We used it earlier just fine.”
The white and black upperclassmen attached an extra part to their transformed armored uniforms. If my memory served, spell casters used those parts to store spells.
Kuroma-senpai’s was green and shaped like an orb while Shiroma-senpai’s was orange and shaped like a PDA.
My uniform also transformed.
“Whoa?”
By the time I was done thinking “I didn’t tell it to do that”, the transformation was complete. Probably because it was such a simple one.
And…
“Here, take this.”
Hanako tossed me a knife in a case.
It was colored black.
A sign frame popped up.
<Transferring ownership rights. You will have no trouble using it even if you don’t press approve, though.>
“Is there a concept that keeps you from using something you don’t own?”
“Not on Level 1, but your head’s in the right place.”
“Okay,” I said, pressing approve.
“But why?”
“You’re new, but the other units would never shut up about it if I let you jump in there unarmed. Just think of it like a good-luck charm. Keep it to commemorate your joining us.”
“Oh, so there are political issues…”
The rights transfer was processed while we spoke, automatically making the knife mine.
The others all had their protection shields in place.
I put mine on too.
“Then let’s get going.”
The bunny-eared upperclassman yelled in response.
“Hello world!”
●
Commentator Kyouko watched the four Angel Stare members break into a run.
“Oh, and it’s starting! Their destination is Greater Depths Level 1! Will they find heaven or hell waiting for them!? Will this wonderland adventure surpass what Tama Tech can provide!? Angel Stare hasn’t done much of note this year…except for Hanako! Yes, Hanako! She’s started street fights to beat up anyone who’s making too much of a name for themselves and she’s stolen first place right out from everyone’s noses while they compete with each other! Who here doesn’t want to tell her to stop being such a dick!? But today it’s about Angel Stare as a unit. They are on their way to the stormy winds of the Tama River! With a newcomer in their midst, they are challenging what might as well be the modern journey down the Tamagawa Line! What do you think, Kisaragi-san!?”
“They’re only running, so there isn’t much to say.”
“Right you are! But everyone just knows they’re going to cause some kind of trouble! And the hatch is opening! Opening! Opened!! Is that Beethoven’s Fate Symphony I hear as it opens!? Or is that Amadeus’s Funeral March!? And can they see what lies ahead!? Now, the four are moving as one! And they’re iiiiiiin!”
Kisaragi glared over at the commentator.
“They looked pretty staggered to me.”
“You’re supposed to play along, Kisaragi-san!”
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