(Section 6 Operation) Wish You a Song

(Talk to Soukaku)

Story summary:

"Fruit-Filled Candy"

Soukaku can never hide her emotions.
Worried about the kids at the orphanage, Soukaku hopes you can assist in finding their caregiver.

Soukaku: No... I need to cheer everyone up!

Soukaku: If regular fruit candy isn't enough, I'll use the ones with filling! Oh yeah, that just might work!

What's the fruit candy for?

(ProtagonistProtagonistWise / Belle): Fruit candy? What do you need candy for?

Soukaku: Hmm... this Hollow disaster affected a lot of kids in the orphanage. Nagi said we should cheer them up.

Soukaku: Otherwise... If they keep holding onto these bad memories, they could end up with some kind of stress sickness... or something.

Post-traumatic stress disorder?

(ProtagonistProtagonistWise / Belle): Are you talking about post-traumatic stress disorder?

Soukaku: Exactly! That's the name!

Soukaku: I tried to cheer those kids up, but they're still so unhappy. Even candy wouldn't work.

Soukaku: They said that when the area fell into the Hollow, their caregiver told them to run, but she stayed behind and still hasn't come out.

Soukaku: I totally understand how they feel! If their only family disappeared, they'd be so sad.

Soukaku: I went looking for her and even checked with PubSec. But after all this time, there's still no news...

Soukaku: Now several kids are crying, saying they won't eat until they know where their caregiver is.

We need to find out where she is.

(ProtagonistProtagonistWise / Belle): No matter what, we should at least try to investigate any possible clues. We can't just leave the kids hanging.

Soukaku: You're right. Oh! If you've got time, could you help me find some info about that caregiver?

Soukaku: Or something else that can make the kids happy, like photos... toys, or something like that. Anyway, we need to cheer them up!

Tsukishiro Yanagi: Soukaku seems to care a lot about that matter...

Explain why Soukaku is concerned

Tsukishiro Yanagi: I see. Please take care of that child... According to the disaster relief report from Public Security, after the residents of the area where the orphanage was located were guided to gather at the west district evacuation point, they followed the Public Security's team and evacuated the Hollow.

Tsukishiro Yanagi: There is indeed a discrepancy between the registered list of personnel at the orphanage and the list of people who left the Hollow. Among the residents who were unable to leave the Hollow, there was, as a matter of fact, a "Miss Caretaker."

Are there any more clues?

Tsukishiro Yanagi: Clues... Maybe we can start from the camp where the residents were evacuated. They left backups of the black boxes of the residents' private Bangboo, which contain the work data during the Hollow outbreak.

Tsukishiro Yanagi: Since you are an expert in Bangboo and informatics, these Bangboo data should be useful, right?

Head to the location Yanagi mentioned

(Approach the marked area)

Soukaku: We are approaching the location where the Bangboo black box is located!

Find the black box Soukaku mentioned

Soukaku: The Bangboo black box... It should be nearby!

(Interact with Black Box)

Fairy: To retrieve the data from specific Bangboo, please insert the Bangboo's memory modules one by one into the universal interface of Eous.

I'm counting on you, Fairy!

Will this affect Eous?

Fairy: Master, I have isolated Eous's reading interface from its core processor. The memory modules will not affect Eous's data. Bad news: It is impossible to assess the potential physical damage to Eous's interface caused by repeated insertion and removal of memory modules.

Fairy: Natural language search keywords: orphanage, foster care home, children's home... No matches found. Please insert the next memory module...

Fairy: Matching data found. Bangboo Unique Identifier recorded... I found it, Master.

Fairy: Data comparison in progress... There is no record of the corresponding Bangboo leaving the Hollow in the Public Security logs. Deduction: There is a possibility that the target Bangboo is still active within the Hollow.

Fairy: Inference: If the target person is still alive, there is a high probability that they are acting with the Bangboo.

Soukaku seems to be waiting for an update. Let's report to her

(Talk to Soukaku)

Soukaku: Where do you think we should go to find the children's "Miss," Proxy?

We haven't found any clues about the Miss...

But we've found the Miss's Bangboo.

Soukaku: Little Bangboo... Nagi always reminds me that if I get separated from everyone in the Hollow, I must absolutely find a Bangboo that can lead the way and stay with it. Otherwise, I would never find a way out of the Hollow.

Soukaku: Although Miss Caretaker is separated from everyone, maybe she is also with a little Bangboo? If we can find the little Bangboo...

Yeah.

It's possible Miss Caretaker is with a Bangboo.

Soukaku: You've already found clues about the little Bangboo? Then let's move!

Search for the device that can unlock the Bangboo black box

(Approach the marked area)

Soukaku: We need a device than can "open" the Bangboo black box...

Use the data station to decrypt the black box

(After doing Circuit Reset)

Fairy: Analyzing the Bangboo's access data... Master, good news: The target Bangboo is still connected to the local network, and I have located its position using its unique identifier.

(ProtagonistProtagonistWise / Belle): (It went unexpectedly smoothly, almost as if someone deliberately left these clues...)

There's an injured Bangboo. Go check on it

(Approach the marked area)

Soukaku: Proxy! There's an injured Bangboo over there!

(Talk to Severely Damaged Bangboo)

The Dying Bangboo: En-ne... ehn-ni... uhn...

Soukaku: No... Hang in there, little Bangboo!

The Dying Bangboo: Uhn na-na... en... ni...

The Bangboo seems to have suffered severe physical damage, and its language and cognitive modules are no longer functioning properly.

The Bangboo is in a dire condition...

Read the Bangboo's data module, Fairy.

Fairy: Parsing the Bangboo's memory... Extra storage plug-in found: Encrypted compressed files found. Quantity: seven. Unencrypted files found. Quantity: one.

Fairy: The unencrypted file contains the following information: Filename: Children's Song. File Type: Audio.

Soukaku: "Children's Song"? Can we listen to it?

Parse the file

Play the audio

Fairy: I will play the audio for you while parsing the encrypted files...

A song comes out from the Bangboo's speakers, with the main melody hummed by a young, gentle female voice, accompanied softly by the children's harmonies...

(A Note)

As the song plays in the background, the documents, lists, and images in the encrypted folder are revealed. First, there is a group photo

Miss Caretaker, a young lady, was surrounded by smiling children. Other than that, there is a work diary from the young lady: recording the names of children who loved to dance and those who didn't eat their vegetables. It invokes an image of numerous pairs of innocent eyes...
But immediately after, the phrases "orphanage with no one in charge," "free guinea pigs," and "Ether Aptitude human experiments" catch you off guard, and you can only imagine in horror how these pairs of innocent eyes were extinguished in the night...
...Until the roaring of the Ethereals silences both song and evidence.

Eliminate the highly dangerous target ahead

(Enter combat)

(ProtagonistProtagonistWise / Belle): Strange... Why is this Ethereal reacting to music?

(ProtagonistProtagonistWise / Belle): Could it really be the caretaker the children mentioned...?

(After defeating Thanatos)

I should report the current situation to Yanagi.

Share our findings with Yanagi

You tell Yanagi everything you learned from the Bangboo's files and everything that happened along the way...

Tsukishiro Yanagi: ...Even under the bright lights of New Eridu, there are dark corners that remain unlit.

Tsukishiro Yanagi: That "Miss Caretaker" must have left these clues behind out of desperation, hoping for a glimmer of salvation as she stayed behind in the orphanage and refused to evacuate. If you hadn't been so determined to investigate, perhaps...

Tsukishiro Yanagi: I'll work with HAND and our colleagues from Public Security to thoroughly investigate this matter. The firsthand evidence you've provided is extremely invaluable. I'll also contact the City Council to properly accommodate the children from the children's home. Please rest assured, Proxy.

Then please take care of the children, Yanagi.

I hope it's not too late...

Tsukishiro Yanagi: The peace of the children... no, of the citizens, is the reason we fight. I won't stand idly by and let something like this happen.

Tsukishiro Yanagi: But... Soukaku is, after all, still a child herself. I feel that heavy and tragic issues like these are too much for her to bear. Even though she's long been through the worst herself...

Tsukishiro Yanagi: Still, allow me to decide on her behalf once more. Please don't tell her the full story, okay? Otherwise, she'll be very, very upset...

Tsukishiro Yanagi: "Miss Caretaker bravely stepped forward to cover the children's escape, but she didn't make it out herself." Before she learns about the evil and ugliness of the world firsthand, let's first tell her a story about love and courage.

Deliver the final results to Soukaku

(Talk to Soukaku)

Story summary:

"The Grand Finale"

You've shared the brighter side of the story with Soukaku.
She may be small, but the courage she has to protect others is huge.

Soukaku: I never expected... it would end up like this.

Soukaku: The caregiver was so kind... sacrificing herself to let the children escape first... She's as kind as Nagi.

Soukaku: But we can't tell the kids about this. It'd break their hearts...

Soukaku: Losing family is such a painful experience. I really hope this won't happen in New Eridu ever again.

Family is truly important.

(ProtagonistProtagonistWise / Belle): (‍That'sThat'sText for Wise / It'sIt'sText for Belle‍) true, nothing is more precious than family.

(ProtagonistProtagonistWise / Belle): We might bicker and get angry with each other sometimes, but... I can't imagine losing my family.

Soukaku: Exactly! That's exactly what Nagi said!

Soukaku: Nagi also mentioned that our job in Section 6 is to keep investigating the Hollow, uncover its truth, and protect as many people as we can!

Soukaku: Everyone in New Eridu is family to us. We won't stand by and let them get hurt anymore!

Soukaku: Don't worry! I'll do my best to make sure everyone feels safe!

Soukaku: Plus, I'm also working on snacks that can make people happy. I'll bring you some when they're ready.

Snacks that can make people happy?

(ProtagonistProtagonistWise / Belle): Snacks that make people happy? Do you want to cheer me up?

Soukaku: Yep! You've helped me so much, so I want to make you a little happier, too!

Soukaku: If there's anything that can bring you joy, I'll do whatever I can to make it happen! Hehe!