Work Text:
The Content House of Spiders
| Location: Daguanyuan Gardens | |
Ryōshū |
… |
Dante |
<Hey, Ryōshū, I was meaning to catch up to you.> |
| Dante |
<...You okay? You're not usually one to veer off somewhere else like this.> |
| Ryōshū |
I know. |
| Dante |
<...> |
| Dante |
<Nervous about something?> |
| Ryōshū |
Nope. Never felt calmer in my life, actually. |
| Ryōshū |
The footage came out okay, right? |
| Dante |
<You mean that… art lesson you were doing in the Backstreets a few hours ago? Yeah. It did.> |
| Dante |
<...You ever thought about branching out of the Dark Web for your content, though?> |
| Ryōshū |
And being like damn near all these other creators in LCM? Fuck off. |
| Dante |
<No, like, think about it for a second!> |
| Dante |
<I keep getting all these requests from people wanting to collab with you in my inbox. I think you could probably make a killing doin' some regular content every now and then.> |
| Ryōshū |
B.S. |
| Ryōshū |
Who are you even getting these requests from? |
| Dante |
<Let me see…> |
| Dante |
<One from some chefs over in the W Corp. Backstreets, quite a few from people from the Fingers, for some reason… and, like, there's been one I've been meaning to talk to you about which always confused me. The email looks like spam.> |
| Dante |
<It reads the following:> |
| Dante |
<Dear Ryōshū Your aptitude and stage presentation is something to behold. The way you expertly showcase your art is a brilliant spectacle that every person in the City should witness one day. We are huge fans of yours. Have you considered collaborating with this creator? Her name is Yoshihide. She has not been active within the last year or so, but you seem like someone who would like her. Perhaps your company's connections could help you find her. Let us know if you do. Signed, Your Biggest Fans.> |
| Ryōshū |
… |
| Dante |
<And, like, the strangest thing is that when I tried looking for the home of this email address, I got nothin'. Like, it's completely off the grid.> |
| Dante |
<Got any idea who they're talkin' about? Who is Yoshihide?> |
| Ryōshū |
… |
| When asking Ryōshū a question, I always get this underlying feeling of tension within me. | |
| I know she can't kill me. It'd ruin Limbus Company's operations, and for her own sake, she can't do that. | |
| Much like myself, she has her own goals. | |
| But that doesn't mean she can't make me wish I were dead if I were to ever piss her off… | |
| This time, however, I'm spared that mercy. Ryōshū just puts her cigarette out and looks at me. | |
| Ryōshū |
Clock. |
| Ryōshū |
Some stories… shouldn't be told so early, you know? |
| Dante |
<…> |
| And then, she started walking. | |
| Dante |
<W-Wait, that's it? That's all you have to say?> |
| Ryōshū |
Spoiling yourself would ruin the fun, wouldn't it? |
| Dante |
<What the hell are you talking about?!> |
| Little did I know that such an innocuous comment would quickly lead to the retelling of a story I wanted no involvement with. | |
| Five Days Later… | |
| Location: LCCB Transporter Truck | |
| Dante |
<...shu? Ryōshū? Are you okay?> |
| Ryōshū |
Mmmm… Clock… Shut up. |
| Ryōshū, thankfully, is slowly able to sit up. | |
Faust |
Ah. Ryōshū is awake. |
| Ryōshū |
Yeah, very easy observation to make. |
| Ryōshū |
…Head's still dizzy. |
| Faust |
How is she feeling healthwise, Dante? We'll need her at full strength for the operation in two days. |
| Dante |
<She's… stable.> |
| Dante |
<...Better than her being knocked out, at least. What do you remember?> |
| Ryōshū |
Empty safe… No daughter… Dihui Star… |
| Ryōshū |
…Why is my phone buzzing. |
| Dante |
<D-Don't worry about that, okay? I'll handle that! You just-> |
Rodion |
You're gettin' cooked online, buddy. |
| Dante |
<R-Rodya!> |
| Rodion |
What? No shame in it. We all are. |
| Rodion |
They did you the WORST, though. Put you in the thumbnail and everything. |
| Ryōshū |
They… who? |
Sinclair |
T-The, uh… The Content House of Spiders. |
| Ryōshū |
… |
| Ryōshū's eyes slowly begin to bug out. | |
| Sinclair |
I didn't even know they were content creators when they fought us. |
| Rodion |
Me neither! |
| Faust |
It was quite the surprise to me as well, all things considered. When did they have time to record while they were, as Rodion had stated, "cooking" us? |
| While the Sinners who came to check on Ryōshū were chattering, I was getting flashbanged by memories I hadn't witnessed during the raid itself. | |
| Location: Corridor of the Thumb, Past | |
Valencina |
God DAMN it, Yoshihide! I keep trying to tell you that you're supposed to do a cartwheel when you enter the frame! It'll make you look CUTE AND MARKETABLE, damn it! |
Yoshihide |
I-I'm trying my best… Please don't- |
| SMACK! | |
| Valencina |
Your "best" isn't good enough! You need to be BETTER! |
| Yoshihide |
Why…? |
| Valencina |
Why? Because it's your job. That's why. |
| Valencina |
You're our golden Ticket. Act like it. |
| Valencina |
Now, from the top. Again. And if you fuck up this time, I swear… |
| Location: Corridor of the Index, Past | |
Yoshihide |
…Dad, I'm 13. Can we do something off-camera for once? |
| Yoshihide |
Feels like I gotta go through the wringer every day for this place… |
Rien |
Ah, but when does success in life happen without going through the wringer, Sweetheart? |
| Rien |
It's gonna feel super grueling now, but trust me, when you become my age? You'll appreciate all this exposure. |
| Yoshihide |
Can I at least get a cut of the ad revenue? |
| Rien |
You will get your allowance, Sweetheart. |
| Yoshihide |
Dad! |
| Location: Corridor of the Middle, Past | |
Matthias |
Let's see here… What would be a good Let's Play to have you do this month? |
| Matthias |
Oh, shit, wait. Hang on. I got this from GameStop the other week. You like Metal Gear, Yoshihide? |
| Yoshihide |
Maybe, like, when it was actually good. |
| Yoshihide |
Konami fucked up once Kojima left. Now it's a shell of its former self. |
| Matthias |
Fair. …Ooh, wait, how about- |
| Yoshihide |
Can we actually finish one of these series for once if you're gonna have me do them all the time? |
| Matthias |
Yoshihide, no one gives a shit about any of those games once the month finishes! Gotta get to something new for audience retention, kiddo. You know this. |
| Yoshihide |
…I give a shit… |
| Location: Corridor of the Ring, Past | |
Yoshihide |
I'm pretty sure people like you are the reason why the Dark Web exists. |
| Yoshihide |
And yet, you're still gonna try to get your "main" content posted onto the main WingTube channel anyway… Because common sense is a forbidden concept to you. |
Callisto |
One day, these philistine critiques of Corporism will understand the greatness I am trying to achieve. |
| Callisto |
The whole world will be able to see the genius that is Callisto at work… |
| Yoshihide |
Just go back to those speedpaint videos I told you about, man. |
| Callisto |
Those puny "speedpaint" recordings are nothing compared to the art I wish to create for the masses! It is stifling! Stifling, I say! |
| Location: Corridor of the Pinky, Past | |
| Yoshihide |
No. |
Dihui Star |
Yoshihide, we must logically consider- |
| Yoshihide |
No. I'm not letting you five do this shit to me. |
| Yoshihide |
Exploiting me for this long? Fine. Sure. You all had your reasons. Shitty reasons, but I get it. |
| Dihui Star |
Then you must understand what having her around more in content would do for our brand. |
| Dihui Star |
That one accidental shot we left in with her in it is the difference between millions and billions of Ahn, you understand? We could be rich enough to set up Corridors in just about every damn District if you stop fucking with me, Yoshihide. |
| Yoshihide |
No. Just… no. I'm drawing a hard line on her being brought into this. |
| Yoshihide |
Use me as much as you wish… exploit me for every goddamn cent. |
| Yoshihide |
But the MOMENT you ever suggest using Araya again, I will fucking kill you where you stand. |
| Location: LCCB Transporter Truck | |
| Ryōshū |
… |
| Ryōshū quickly fishes her phone out of her pocket to see the video in question that the Content House of Spiders released. | |
| Ryōshū |
…Good thing someone directly linked the video to me, I guess. |
|
|
| Ryōshū |
The hell is this…? |
| Dante |
<It's in pretty poor taste.> |
| Dante |
<I mean, naming it "She ALMOST got her daughter back!" and then putting your devastated face on the thumbnail? Fucked up.> |
| Dante |
<Complete aura loss for us, too, which sucks.> |
| Ryōshū |
… |
| Upon seeing the video, Ryōshū keeps her reaction calm and civil. In fact, for her being put on blast, she doesn't exactly respond the way most people would expect her to. | |
| A quick refresh of the WingTube page shows her putting a comment down in the comment section. A simple exclamation of "bro." | |
| Faust |
You are… taking this a lot better than I assumed you would. |
| Faust |
I had thought for sure you'd- |
| Ryōshū |
Faust. |
| Faust |
Hmm? |
| Ryōshū |
Get me in contact with the Hana Association. |
| Faust |
What? But we need to discuss- |
| Ryōshū |
Get me. In contact. With the Hana Association. |
| Faust |
For… For what? |
| Ryōshū |
They look over content creation, yes? |
| Ryōshū |
…I need to post something. Publicly. |
| Ryōshū |
Well, I need to record first. But after that, I'm posting something. |
| Faust |
What exactly do you need to post that would require you to bypass your blacklist? |
| Ryōshū |
A response. |
| Dante |
<...> |
| Dante |
<Guess she's not as calm as either of us thought.> |
| Ryōshū |
Oh, believe me. This is me at my absolute calmest. |
| Ryōshū |
I'm saving the rage for my "biggest fans." |
| A few minutes later… | |
| Han-ul quickly answered the phone call set up by Faust on Ryōshū's behalf. | |
Han-ul |
Greetings. This is Han-ul of the Northern Hana Association. What seems to be the issue? |
| Ryōshū |
My blacklist. Lift it. |
| Han-ul |
And you would be? |
| Ryōshū |
Ryōshū. LCM. |
| Ryōshū |
The Dark Web restriction. Lift it. Just once. |
| Han-ul |
…Haaaaah… |
| Han-ul |
For what purpose? |
| Ryōshū |
Response video. |
| Han-ul |
Ah. You must have seen what was put out a few days ago. |
| Han-ul |
How exactly will we know that you're not gonna use this just to post something to get past our censors? |
| Ryōshū |
You don't. |
| Han-ul |
… |
| Ryōshū |
All you have is my word. Which is something I've never been known to lie about. |
| Ryōshū |
All I need… is some time to respond. |
| Han-ul |
You promise it'll be advertiser-friendly? |
| Ryōshū |
Fuck's sake, yes. Is that what you want to hear? Hurry up and lift the ban already. |
| Han-ul |
Right, okay… |
| Han-ul |
…Huh. Small issue. You already have an account under your ID that was never restricted. Going under a @YoshihideHOS. |
| Han-ul |
Are you aware of this? |
| Ryōshū |
Don't worry about that one. It's… old. I don't even think I remember the password for it. |
| Ryōshū |
Just lift the Dark Web restriction on the @Ryōshū account. |
| Han-ul |
Okay. Just… don't make me regret this. |
| The call was ended soon after that. | |
| Location: LCE Research Team Elevator | |
| Quickly, Ryōshū had me help her record a response video to the raid, underlining her past (as much as she remembered, anyway) with the Content House of Spiders. | |
| She had the whole scene meticulously set up. With her waning energy, she used the vault she had her child in as a chair, sitting cross-legged on it as if she were meditating. The camera was pointed at her, leaving her directly in the center. | |
| Ryōshū |
Clock. Let me know when you hit record. |
| Dante |
<Will do.> |
| Ryōshū |
…We do none of that E.I.P. shit, by the way. This recording gets posted untouched. More authentic that way. |
| Ryōshū |
One take. |
| Dante |
<One take… Okay.> |
| Dante |
<Recording in five, four, three, two…> |
| Ryōshū |
… |
| Ryōshū |
Yo. It's Ryōshū. …Otherwise known as Yoshihide. |
| Ryōshū |
You haven't seen me post this publicly in a while, have you…? Obviously, you've most likely seen me on the D.W. since December. |
| Ryōshū |
Aside from a few guest appearances, I had a penchant for posting off-the-grid when I was forced out of retirement by Limbus Company. There's a reason for that. …Actually, more like five reasons. |
| Ryōshū |
Valencina. Rien. Matthias. Callisto. The Dihui Star. You may know them as "the most functionally dysfunctional family in all of the City," the Content House of Spiders. The oldest content house still going. |
| Ryōshū |
I know them as my jailers. Money-hungry, insane, deranged P.O.S. that exploited me my entire youth as a "fuck you" for the groups who jailed them and forced them into raising me. |
| Ryōshū |
And now, they're most likely planning on doing the exact same thing to my daughter. The same daughter that I left in this vault I'm currently sitting on top of. |
| Ryōshū |
It's a T Corp. Time Vault, for the record. Whenever my Nursefathers were being belligerent? Used it. It was my haven in that hellhole. |
| Ryōshū |
It was meant to be Araya's, too… but as you can see, she's not inside. And I don't have her in my arms. |
| Ryōshū |
So, for the sake of getting the jump on them before they can do what I think they're about to do, let's talk about the past two-and-a-half decades of my life before I got employed. |
|
|
| The video, lasting 20 minutes and titled "My Past", blew up as expected once it hit WingTube. | |
| …But it was for a reason neither Ryōshū nor I anticipated it would be. | |
| Somehow, the public understood the House of Spiders potentially exploiting Araya as… something else entirely. | |
| Location: Corridor of the Index | |
Rien |
…You know, I cannot help but think that plan went way too well. |
| Rien |
A return to fame for the Content House of Spiders, my daughter having a convenient excuse to come back home… Everything went perfectly. Too perfectly. |
| Rien |
If I didn't know any better, I would think that the Will of the City is about… to… |
| Rien |
Where's Hermes? |
| BEEP. | |
| Rien |
…Why are you telling me to check Fixxer? |
| Suddenly, the other Nursefathers storm into the Corridor. All except for the Dihui Star, anyway. | |
| Valencina |
Rien. Rien, we might be fucked, man. |
| Rien |
How exactly? |
| Matthias |
Have you been checkin' online at ALL? |
| Matthias |
They think we killed her brat! …I mean, I kinda want to, but- |
| Rien |
What? |
| Matthias |
To what part? |
| Rien |
To-... Well, wanting to kill our darling Sweetheart's baby is wild in its own right, but they think we actually did kill her? |
| Callisto |
In fairness, I was trying to tell you that the thumbnail and title combination was ill-fitted. |
| Valencina |
That damn kid turned the tables on us! We're gettin' fucking obliterated online! |
| Valencina |
She was supposed to be our Ticket out of obscurity… |
| As Valencina rants and raves, Rien finally checks Fixxer as the Prescript demands. | |
|
|
| Valencina |
House of Child Killers, huh? …Damn. They cooked our shit pretty well, guys. |
| Rien |
OUR? |
| Rien |
I DO NOT INTEND TO KILL CHILDREN. |
| Valencina |
In fairness, I don't either. I just beat the shit outta 'em. |
| Callisto |
The closest I will go is giving one some… artistic lifts for the sake of Corporism. |
| Matthias |
I will fucking kill Araya if I find her. |
| Rien |
WHY?! |
Kira |
Yo, Papa, I'm not trying to interrupt, but there's people tryin' to contact the other apprentices and me for interviews or somethin'? |
| Kira |
What's goin' on with House Juu? |
| Matthias |
We're getting cancelled, sunshine. |
| Kira |
CANCELLED?! |
| Kira |
I haven't even gotten to release my ass-kicking mixtape yet! |
| Two Days Later… | |
| Location: Limbus Company Portal Monitoring Room | |
| Ryōshū |
… |
| Dante |
<Ryōshū, you've been looking down all day.> |
| Dante |
<I know the past two days have been taking a lot out of you, but-> |
| Ryōshū |
Quiet. I'm listening to Ricard0. |
| Dante |
<Hmm?> |
| Well, given that we still have some time before the operation, I guess I'll pull up WingTube and- what the fuck? | |
|
|
| "The Content House of Spiders Situation Is Bristly." | |
| …I can't help but click it out of curiosity. It's a recap of Ryōshū's video. | |
Ricardo |
So, I heard they killed that British guy's Japanese lady friend's kid. Who was it, Ryōshū? From that LCM place or something. |
| Ricardo |
Yeah, they're all still written in the Book for shit unrelated to this that happened, like, more than half a year ago at this rate, but killing her kid's just unacceptable to me. |
| Ricardo |
It just- It gets to a point where you have to put the camera down and remember you're raising a person here. What they're doing is an absolute failure at parenthood, on some complete and total fucked up shit. |
| Dante |
<...What happened?> |
| Ryōshū |
Apparently, people are assuming my kid is dead. |
| Ryōshū |
It's not at all what I meant, but fuck it. If it gets those pricks destroyed in the eyes of the public, I.D.G.A.F. |
| Ryōshū |
Been looking at the comments on my video, by the way. Two… really stuck out. |
| I go back to Ryōshū's video, looking to see which ones she's talking about. | |
| Firstly, there was one from Mai, an employee of the Director from T Corp. | |
Mai |
Hi! So, we heard that you mentioned you had a T Corp. product in the House of Spiders. Could you elaborate on this Time Vault that the place had? |
| Ryōshū responded a few hours ago. | |
| Ryōshū |
ye so in the vault it had your Singularity in there so time flowed different on the inside compared to outside. was the same vault i used like so many times so i knew for a fact it was supposed to be safe |
| Then the aforementioned Director, Herbert, responded with… a large comment. | |
Herbert |
Ohhhh that's very interesting! You're the detective with the rather odd sense of time who helped during the Time Ripper case, right? IDK what that's about but I've created a theory on what may have happened! In the video you're responding to, the Dihui Star individual's moving very weirdly, did you notice? It's like she's glitching in and out of reality, which is pretty unusual. But obviously it wasn't like she had any visible Singularities or Relics hooked up to her, anything that'd cause her to be doing all that stuff, you know the drill. And you said yourself in the video you remember killing her, so like, that's weird! How is she alive and also dead, right? People can't do that (normally). So i did some research on our time vaults knowing you said you put your daughter in there. Typically no one's supposed to be stepping inside of those things, obviously because we store time in there. But if you have blood that reacts perfectly to time's flow, you can slip inside without much problem. Depending on how many times you stepped inside, Ryōshū, i think (and don't necessarily quote me on this, this is just a theory, a t corp theory), it might've messed with Araya in some way when you told her to go in there. If she's your daughter, she should have your blood, but not a direct replica of your blood because of how genetics work. Really complicated idea, i know. So she may be going through something like a temporal entanglement? I'm not entirely sure yet. Will update you once i test more info. Hoping your daughter is alive!!! |
| Dante |
<...Wings' sake, that's a lot of word soup.> |
| Ryōshū |
Guy's basically saying he thinks my daughter might be alive. And… also… the Dihui Star. |
| Ryōshū |
I dunno if he's right on that. But… the one thing that didn't add up to me the entire time we faced the Dihui Star near that elevator was the fact that she was able to speak. |
| Ryōshū |
And now that I look back at the footage, she was glitching in and out… I thought it was just their shitty capture quality. But everyone else is recorded fine. |
| Ryōshū |
…She might actually have gone through Temporal Entanglement. |
| Ryōshū |
Fuck… The thought of that is… Agh… |
| Ryōshū lies down again, holding her head. | |
| Ryōshū |
…Tell me when the Backdoor's established. I need to rest. |
| Dante |
<No worries, Ryōshū. Just relax…> |
| Dante |
<When it's time for the operation, I'll make sure we get our aura back.> |
| Ryōshū |
…Please stop saying aura. |
| A few hours later, I was in absolute hell. | |
| Have you ever tried managing about four different livestreams at the same time? Because I have! Would not recommend! | |
| I felt like we were a damn SWAT team… Having to fight the House of Spiders while simultaneously calling them out for being absolute bums on camera to save our tanking reputation. | |
| Location: Corridor of the Ring | |
| With the Ring Nursefather, it was basically already over for him the moment his apprentice revealed he participated in some… peculiar medical malpractice. | |
Albina |
Don't hesitate to ask me anything you'd like to know about me, either. Ever since I fed a few slices of my brain to Fascia, I've become a very, very bad liar. |
| Sinclair |
…What? |
| Callisto |
Albina, why did you say that? |
Ishmael |
Dude, did you LOBOTOMIZE her? |
| Callisto |
U-Uh… Perhaps, yes! But would you not agree that this was necessary for the sake of artistic integrity? |
Alyssa |
That's kinda fucked up, man. |
| Ishmael |
Yeah, that's fucked. Imagine what he could've done to Araya. |
| Callisto |
I-I have not- |
Hohenheim |
Not to mention it's also pretty artistically uninspiring. |
| Alyssa |
What? |
| Location: Corridor of the Middle | |
| The Middle Nursefather's case was even easier. Ragebaiting him put the Middle in immense aura debt, which we took advantage of. | |
Vespa |
Do you even remember the birthdays of the people within your faction? For being part of one based on family, you certainly look like you've neglected that one for years. |
| Kira |
Hey! Don't talk shit about my Papa like that! You don't know him! |
| Kira |
He treats me perfectly well! He's GOATED, no cap! He's the best Papa anyone could ever- |
| SLICE! | |
| Kira |
DUDE, WHAT THE FUCK? |
Ezra |
…Well, I guess she went from Kira to Ki/ra, am I right? Huh? Huh~? |
Moses |
According to Wingipedia, child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, emotional and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to act by a parent or- |
| Matthias |
Shut the FUCK UP! |
| Matthias |
Yeah, so maybe I MIGHT have wanted to kill Yoshihide's stupid brat kid! Doesn't mean I did it! Doesn't mean any of us did it! |
Hong Lu |
However, you must admit that a direct admission like that after slicing your subordinate in half does not exactly help your case~ |
| Matthias |
Huh? |
Yi Sang |
One must imagine that such a slip of the tongue was not made within innocent proclivities. |
| Matthias |
…Okay, I have no idea what the hell you're even trying to tell me. |
Don Quixote |
Your hubris hath placed you within an unimaginable situation that is, forsooth, harrowingly difficult to get out of, a corner inescapable! |
| Matthias |
I'm gonna kill you for speaking like this. You annoy the absolute shit out of me. What the fuck is wrong with you? This isn't 585. |
| Location: Corridor of the Thumb | |
| The Thumb Nursefather was… harder. Because she legitimately just kept owning up to what she did. | |
| Rodion |
Wait, so, do you seriously hit children? |
| Valencina |
…Yes? Is this even a question? |
| Valencina |
How's this something worth me getting cancelled over? I can guarantee half the damn City's done worse. |
| Valencina |
I'm probably better than them for actually having the balls to admit it, ain't that right, Lucio? |
Lucio |
I hate it here. I absolutely hate it here. Please get that camera out of my face. |
Heathcliff |
Lass, how are you just gonna take allegations like that on the chin? |
| Valencina |
'Cause I know I didn't kill Yoshihide's kid. That simple. Now, if you had anythin' y'all could ACTUALLY cancel me for, I'll- |
Vergilius |
Did you or did you not say you kidnapped our bus driver so you could actually stand a chance against me in a fight? |
| Valencina |
Oh, FUCK OFF! Yeah, maybe I did, so what? |
| Vergilius |
Sounds like you easily admitted you were washed in that recording, then. |
| Valencina |
Oh, Red Gaze… Wings bless your stupid, dumbass heart. |
Gregor |
…Why did you just say heart? |
| Lucio |
… |
| Lucio |
I get the feeling I'm not gonna live to see tomorrow. |
| Lucio |
Change the world. My final message. G o o d b y e. |
| Gregor |
WHY did you just say heart??? |
| Location: Corridor of the Index | |
| This led to Rien's case, which… we didn't really have to do anything about. | |
| Because there was a certain group wanting their runback. | |
| Rien |
Sora, keep the camera steady, okay? |
Sora |
O-Okay, Mister Rien… |
| Sora |
Is the ukulele r-really necessary? |
| Rien |
The Prescript demanded as such. |
| Sora |
F-Fair enough… |
| Sora |
I'm hearing f-footsteps, Mister Rien. W-We should probably stop and- |
| Rien |
Can't hear you. I'm ukuleleing. |
| Rien |
🎶Hey🎶 🎶It's been a while since you saw my face🎶 🎶I haven't been doing so great🎶 🎶So I took a little break🎶 🎶So a lot of people are saying some things about me that aren't quite true🎶 🎶Doesn't matter if it's true though🎶 🎶Just as long as it's entertaining to you,🎶right? …You guys having fun? |
| Rien |
🎶All ABOOOOARD the-🎶 |
| BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG! | |
Jamila |
…Targets down. |
| Jamila |
You got all of that, right? |
Meursault |
This was all recorded, yes. |
| Jamila |
Good. That was for that Udjat killing montage in the video, you Prescript-following freaks. |
| Jamila |
…Nice that our gear was actually working this time. I wonder what could've happened to the old team. |
| Ryōshū |
Clock, what's happening in the other streams? |
| Dante |
<Sinclair apparently turned into a future variant of himself to take out the Ring and is shouting prosthetic slurs, Gregor is going crazy in the basement with Valencina and Lucio caught in the crossfire, and Matthias just DIED.> |
| Dante |
<So, uh, bordering on a PR nightmare and a complete recuperation of the narrative.> |
| Saude quickly speaks to us through the radio. | |
Saude |
Don't worry too hard about what's happening everywhere else, okay? Focus on what's up next! |
| Saude |
Goodness, these jcorp.tv numbers are huge… |
Outis |
…This only leaves your fated confrontation with the Pinky Nursefather, Ryōshū. |
| Ryōshū |
Indeed. |
| Ryōshū |
…If what he told me was right… she has been here this entire time. |
| Outis |
Who? |
| Ryōshū |
You'll see. |
| Location: Corridor of the Pinky | |
| Dante |
<Does anyone actually live here...?> |
| Meursault |
While the signs of habitation are minimal, there is evidence of regular cleaning. |
| Ryōshū |
…Hasn't changed a bit, this place. |
| An odd silence filled the space we entered. The room was completely quiet and devoid of any warmth. | |
| Ryōshū gingerly made her way past the threshold. | |
| Ryōshū |
When I opened this drawer… there used to be... a schoolbag. |
| Dante |
<...Are you saying that to, like, sell the story of Araya potentially being dead for stream highlights, or-> |
| Ryōshū |
Clock, I'm being serious. |
Ren |
Spiderwebs are… such difficult things to remove once they stick. |
| Outis |
… |
| Ren |
I shall impart unto you the reply before the question is asked. As it is with the cause for which you have arrived here, herein lies something you have all... lost. |
| Meursault |
Nothing was lost. We are here to retrieve what's stolen from us. |
| Ren |
...Are you? |
| Ren |
Mischievous adults like to pose facetious questions to children that are, in truth, quite cruel. Do you like your mother more or your father more? Do you like strawberry ice cream more or chocolate ice cream more? |
| Ren |
Perhaps my master, Yoshihide... considers you naught but a child still. |
| Ryōshū |
That would be ironic, considering she's under Temporal Entanglement and way younger than she actually presents herself. |
| Ren |
I present before yo- What. |
| Ryōshū |
Yeah. Yeah, you weren't expecting that plot twist, were you? |
| Ren |
…How do you know this? |
| Ryōshū |
A not-so-anonymous tip about Time Vaults. |
| Ren |
… |
| Ryōshū |
What was that question you were gonna ask, by the way? |
| Ren |
I was going to ask if… if you had a choice, what would you choose between the Golden Boughs, or your child. |
| Ren |
…Is the choice even relevant at this rate? |
| Ryōshū |
Return my child. Then the boughs after that. But first, my child. |
| Ren |
I, uh… |
| Ren |
…Huh. You know, this was supposed to have… a much more dramatic reveal. |
| Ryōshū |
For the camera, right? |
| Ryōshū |
I don't give a shit about that. I just want to see my daughter again. |
| Ryōshū |
Fuck the Content House of Spiders. |
| Ren |
… |
| Ren |
You know what? I can agree with that sentiment. Fuck the Content House of Spiders. |
| Dihui Star |
Yeah, fuck the Content House of Spiders! |
| Ryōshū |
Don't fucking swear, young lady. |
| Dihui Star |
I'll fucking swear if I fucking want to, MOM. |
| Dihui Star |
…I mean, uh, blah blah blah, "Araya is waiting for no one!", yada yada yada. |
| Almost as if on cue, the Temporal Entanglement reverts Araya back to an eight-year-old. | |
Araya |
…Sooooooo… |
| Araya |
We're getting out of here, right? |
| Ryōshū |
Yeah. As soon as you show me where the boughs are. |
| Ren |
I will… retrieve them. |
| Ren quickly scurries off to do just that. | |
| Araya |
What exactly did you do to the rest of the house, Mommy? |
| Ryōshū |
Dead. |
| Araya |
Okay, yeah, that makes sense. They really tanked your aura with that video~ |
| Ryōshū |
They absolutely did, Araya. They absolutely did. |
| Dante |
<H-Hey, how is SHE allowed to say aura in front of you?> |
| Ryōshū |
Uh, because she's my baby? Obviously, I'm gonna be biased towards my baby. |
| Ryōshū |
You'd know this if you ever had kids, Clock. |
| Dante |
<Wha-> |
| Outis |
Actually, yeah, I agree with her. You would know this if you had children, Executive Manager. |
| Meursault |
You would perhaps understand this type of bond if you had a Maman, Manager. |
| Dante |
<I'm getting jumped by my own Sinners, it's so over…> |
| Two days later… | |
| Location: LCCB Transporter Truck | |
| Ryōshū, while holding Araya in her arms, fishes out her phone again. | |
| Ryōshū |
… |
| Ryōshū |
Pick up… |
| Han-ul |
Greetings. This is Han-ul of the Northern Hana Association. What seems to be the issue? |
| Ryōshū |
Lift the SFW blacklist again. |
| Han-ul |
Huh? |
| Ryōshū |
Permanently this time. |
| Han-ul |
The hell changed in between the last time you needed the ban lifted? |
| Ryōshū |
Labubu. |
| Han-ul |
What the hell does that even mean? |
| Ryōshū |
Labubu in my hands. Living. |
| Ryōshū |
I have a child. |
| Han-ul |
…I thought she was dead. |
| Ryōshū |
Did you not see that Spider Pyre quadruple stream Limbus Company set up? Turns out my daughter was under Temporal Entanglement. |
| Han-ul |
So, what, you're just gonna transition to family-friendly content officially? |
| Ryōshū |
Half and half. Sometimes Dark Web, sometimes normal. |
| Han-ul |
…And your daughter is okay with you using her for content? |
| Ryōshū |
See, the difference is that I asked her beforehand. I have testimony. |
| Araya |
She did ask! |
| Han-ul |
Is that your child also on the phone? |
| Ryōshū |
Yes. Araya, say hello. |
| Araya |
Hi, mysterious lady on the other side of the phone! |
| Han-ul |
… |
| Han-ul |
We'll need you to come to the office to get stuff filed, if possible. |
| Ryōshū |
Small issue. We are stuck in Hongyuan. |
| Han-ul |
Stuck in- What do you mean, stuck in Hongyuan? |
| Ryōshū |
Can't leave. No bus. Stuck in Hongyuan. |
| Ryōshū |
Usual driver can't drive us out yet. |
| Han-ul |
So, what, do you expect us to come to you?! |
| Ryōshū |
… |
| Han-ul |
…Haaaaaah. |
| Several hours later… | |
| Han-ul, true to her word, then proceeded to come over in person. | |
| Han-ul |
Okay, so you're all set. Your account is now fully allowed outside of the Dark Web blacklist. |
| Han-ul |
Don't use this to try to skirt the rules. |
| Ryōshū |
Wouldn't dream of it. |
| Ryōshū |
…It'd set a bad example for my kid if I were to do my "usual" content outside of the Dark Web. She's already been through enough with the whole Time Vault thing. |
| Araya |
Have you ever lived about 70 years of your life in one year, Miss Han-ul? |
| Han-ul |
Every time I do paperwork, Araya. Every time I do paperwork. |
| Han-ul |
Now, I seriously have to go. Hopefully, you won't make me regret this decision. |
| Han-ul quickly steps out of the transporter truck, leaving me with Ryōshū and her kid once again. | |
| Dante |
<...I can't help but feel like… this happened way too easily.> |
| Ryōshū |
Maybe. But I personally don't care. |
| Ryōshū |
My kid is alive. |
| Dante |
<Does this mean your contract's fulfilled? …What'll exactly happen to us now?> |
| Dante |
<And, uh, what exactly were the House of Spiders planning to do with you beyond the whole thing with the content creation since you were a baby?> |
| Ryōshū |
D.K., D.C. For as long as you'll need me, I'll probably stick around. Contractual obligations and all that. |
| Ryōshū |
…I should probably be recording a video to let my audience know of the genre switch. C'mon, Araya. |
| Araya |
Okay, Mommy! |
| Ryōshū and Araya head off somewhere, presumably to record that video. | |
| ... | |
| Meanwhile, Faust approaches me and slowly, almost uncharacteristically, tugs on my jacket. | |
| Faust |
Dante? |
| Dante |
<Hmm? Yeah, Faust?> |
| Faust |
…So, um, Dante. Small question. |
| Faust |
Did Ryōshū happen to come across information that may have saved her child? Because the Gesellschaft is beating my ass and thinking it's my fault. |
| Dante |
<...Oh shit.> |