Wait a minute! I shouldn't be thinking about that right now. This isn't a galgame!
Ciri and I aren't going out on a date either. We've agreed to meet up to deal with something important!
After calming down, I decide to quickly resolve the dilemma in front of me. Under the pressure of Nadeshiko's scorching gaze, I lean over and speak into Ciri's ear to ask her for her opinion as a fellow person who is involved in the red-crowned crane incident.
[player]Can I roughly explain what we're doing to Nadeshiko?
[Ciri]Why are you so nervous if you haven't done anything wrong?
[player]Ahaha...
[Ciri]I get it. Tell her then, but I'm sure you know what you shouldn't tell her.
[Ciri]OK.
[Ciri]OK.
I think Ciri is thinking of the same thing as me. There have been many hidden dangers in this red-crowned crane incident so far, so telling Nadeshiko everything might put her in danger too.
I think about what to say and then briefly explain the situation to Nadeshiko after omitting anything that might be dangerous.
[player]Actually, Ciri and I found an injured red-crowned crane the other day, and we've been busy trying to help it recently.
After I finish speaking and wait nervously for Nadeshiko's reply, Nadeshiko and Ciri suddenly burst out laughing.
[Nadeshiko]Haha, I told you right? Don't you think PLAYER's embarrassed expression is cute?
[Ciri]Yeah, it is quite cute.
[player]Huh?
Nadeshiko turns to look and me and laughs while giving me an explanation.
[Nadeshiko]We couldn't resist teasing you since it's so fun to see you caught in a dilemma.
[Nadeshiko]Go and do what you need to do. I can always ask you to go on a ride with me next time.
After speaking, she stands up straight and holds her key tightly in her palm after twirling it around her finger twice. Nadeshiko shakes the jacket in her arms and puts it on, then she looks up at Ciri as if she has an afterthought.
[Nadeshiko]Shall we go out and have some fun together next time?
[Ciri]That sounds good. I kind of want to see whether my black panther or your "cheetah" has more explosive power.
[Nadeshiko]That's cheeky of you. Why don't we have a battle of endurance instead?
[Ciri]Then it'll forfeit, and I'll have to take its place instead.
[Nadeshiko]Haha, then let's talk about this later when I get to meet Mojito for real.
[player]Sure.
Although I don't really understand their conversation, when I look behind Ciri... I feel sorry for Mojito who is being forced to participate in a race when it isn't even here.
After Nadeshiko leaves, Ciri and I make our way to the Raven hideout hastily. On our way there, I recall their conversation and ask Ciri a question curiously.
[player]What were you and Nadeshiko talking about earlier?
Ciri looks at me and smiles as she speaks.
[Ciri]Take a guess.
[player]Don't tell me you two are... going over the skeletons in my closet?
[Ciri]Take another guess.
This game is so hard.
As I get ready to regroup and try to pry more information from her, a serious expression appears on Ciri's face suddenly. I start to feel nervous immediately and quickly think about whether I did anything in front of Nadeshiko that would make Ciri furious.
Suddenly, Ciri pulls me behind her. After I turn around, I realize that a person in a clown costume is standing where I was just standing.
He appeared so quietly that I have no idea when he arrived or how long he has been here. Since Ciri's expression changed suddenly just now, I guess that this person must have arrived at that time, and Ciri's displeasure should be directed at this clown... I feel so relieved that she isn't angry about something in my past that I don't even know about.
The clown standing opposite us is wearing extremely exaggerated makeup, and the expression on his face is a smiling face with tears in his eyes. After bowing deeply to us, he hands over an envelope.
Instead of taking the envelope, Ciri stares at the clown silently. When the clown sees this, he makes a terrified expression and rubs the toes of his inward-facing feet together while looking at me uneasily from time to time.
Although I know he is acting, the conscious habit I had developed after taking action with Ciri these days makes me reflexively reach out and take the envelope.
The moment I take the envelope, the clown bursts into laughter and runs away, which makes me feel like he had given me a bomb and not an envelope...
As I have a deep trust in the peace and tranquility of One Han City, I open the envelope. Luckily, there's only a card inside. I take it out and inspect it, but all I can see is a clown's head on the back of the card and a line of words on the front side.
Come to see me in the park if you want to know more about the organization that is behind the wildlife trafficking.
The name of the sender at the bottom is Ju.
[player]Who is this Ju?
Ciri takes the card from my hands and looks over it several times before sighing.
[Ciri]Do you still remember the clown mask you saw when you helped out at Soul in the past?
[player]Yeah, I remember it.
[Ciri]Ju is the owner of that mask. The clown that delivered the envelope should be one of his current companions.
[player]Is that the... traitor you mentioned in the past?
[player]If that's him, then could he have sent us this card because he knows what we are doing and wants to ruin our plans?
[Ciri]That shouldn't be the case. I think he really does know something. After all, I heard that he has managed to become connected with a certain government official.
[player]Do you think he'll tell us the truth?
[Ciri]He... probably will.
[Ciri]I don't actually have any personal grudges against him, but we just couldn't agree on what to do about Soul's crisis.
Although that's what she says, Ciri reached out for the whip at her waist subconsciously when she mentioned his name. When she notices the look in my eyes, Ciri snorts and gives me a further explanation with an unpleasant tone.
[Ciri]Although I don't have any personal grudges against him, he took most of the young members of Soul with him when he left, which is the direct reason for Soul's current lack of manpower.
[Ciri]Since you often come to watch our performances, you should know that Soul's logistical support is provided by a group of elderly people and children... No matter what, this reason alone is enough for me to never forgive him.
Ciri's words remind me of the physical condition of the elderly people in Soul who keep getting sick or injured, and that some of the jobs they are doing shouldn't be done by people their age... Someone should whip this Ju a couple of times.
But I also start hesitating when I look at the card in Ciri's hands. According to what Ciri said, it's very likely that Ju's information is true.
[player]Well... why don't we have a chat with Ju?
[Ciri]I refuse.
Ciri rejects my proposal straightforwardly and decisively, which doesn't surprise me at all. If I were in her shoes, it would also be difficult for me to bow down to a colleague who betrayed me in the past to get some information.
[player]Actually, what I've been thinking about is that although Soumu said he would give us an answer today, he didn't specify what answer he would give us. There's no guarantee that we'll be able to find the little red-crowned cranes.
[player]On the other hand, Ju claims that he has this information. I think this is a good opportunity, and we have nothing to lose either...
[Ciri]Hmm...
Seeing that Ciri is wavering, I decide to strike the iron while it's hot and give her another push.
[player]Besides, we still need to save the injured red-crowned crane and its two missing children. Since the opportunity to save them is in front of us, we shouldn't give up on it.
After thinking for a long time, Ciri is eventually convinced by me. She looks at me helplessly, and I can see traces of compromise in her usually determined eyes.
[Ciri]Sigh... Fine then. Let's go talk to Ju.
[player]For some reason, I feel like I've committed moral blackmail when I see you agree to my suggestion.
[Ciri]No, I think you're right. What I'm struggling with is my pride, whereas you're focusing on three living creatures. After everything we've been through in the last few days, I've realized that you're always able to notice many problems that I can't.
[Ciri]PLAYER, thank you.
Her sincerity makes me feel a little embarrassed. It's actually really easy to get along with someone like Ciri because she is very straightforward about who she likes and dislikes. And when she realizes that she's the one who's wrong, she will admit it readily without being coy about it. Also...
She is a terrific fighter, which makes her the best teammate in a mission!
Although Ju doesn't say which park he will be at, when I look at the map, I realize that there is only one park within 200 meters of our current location.
When Ciri and I arrive at the park, we aren't surprised to see the clown who delivered the envelope to us earlier at the entrance of the park. Above his head, his arms form a large heart shape in the air.
When Ciri ignores him completely and tries to walk right past him, the clown stops her and gestures for me to enter.
[player]So you want me to talk to Ju alone?
The clown makes a surprised expression and starts clapping while hopping on the ground. Even though he hasn't said a single word to us during this process, his rich and comical body language makes it easy for us to understand him.
Most of my previous knowledge about clowns comes from movies, television shows, and fast food restaurants. I'm starting to understand why this profession can bring laughter to children - their body language makes it easier for children to know what they are expressing and derive happiness from it.
After having a discussion with Ciri, I ask her to wait at the entrance while I enter the park alone.
The park is really small. After walking on the gravel path for a few minutes, a large lawn appears in front of me, and standing on the grass is a man wearing a red striped suit, a top hat of the same color, and clown makeup.
At this moment, he is leaning back vigorously like he is playing tug-of-war with an invisible opponent, and a group of children have gathered around him. Drawn in by his performance, the children keep shouting out and cheering for him like they are really watching an exciting tug-of-war contest.
Suddenly, the invisible rope seems to snap, and the clown falls backwards onto the ground from the inertia. After looking stunned for a moment, he suddenly makes a crying expression, and the children step forward to comfort him.
After being comforted by the children, the clown pushes the two corners of his mouth upwards with his index fingers and bends his eyes at the same time, instantly transforming his crying face into a smile.
I'm guessing that this person is Ju. Judging from his performance, he seems to be very skilled at making people happy. It's no wonder that he was such a popular performer of Soul at that time.
He also sees me at this time. He stands and motions for the children to calm down with his hands, then he takes off his top hat and rummages inside it seriously for a long time. Suddenly, his expression changes and he pulls his fist out of the top hat like he has found some treasure.
The children curiously step forward to try to pry open his fingers, but none of them succeed as they are too young and weak. The clown shakes his head at them before walking up to me, then he extends his clenched fist towards me.
I instantly understand his intentions and open his fingers one by one. In his palm is a candy wrapped in cellophane that looks bright and colorful in the sun.
After giving me the candy, the clown takes out lots of candies from the pockets of his clothes and distributes them to the children around us. He then waves to the children and asks them to take the candies and leave us for a while.
When there is no one around us, the clown makes a gentlemanly salute and introduces himself.
???
[???]This weather is perfect for a chance encounter, don't you think? I'm Ju, a clown of Gemini.
[player]Hi, I'm PLAYER, Ciri's friend.
Ju
[Ju]No, no, no, you're wrong.
[Ju]You're her close friend. Ciri and I have known each other for many years, and this is the first time I've seen her hanging out with a living person and not her group of animal friends.
[player]Since you've known each other for so long, why won't you let her come here?
[Ju]I don't think you want this clean grass to be dyed red, do you?
I understand what he is saying. Ciri will definitely get into an argument with him, so it's more appropriate for me to pass on messages for them as an intermediary.
[Ju]I have a question to ask you before I tell you the information you want.
[player]What is it?
[Ju]Are you really going to get involved in Soul's matters? I can probably guess why you've been taking action with Ciri.
[player]It looks like you still care about Soul.
Ju doesn't refute me. Instead, he pushes the two corners of his mouth upwards with his index fingers into a smile again, but I get the feeling that he isn't really smiling this time.
[Ju]Soul's future is a bottomless pit. You won't have the unlimited energy required to keep it afloat.
[player]Why do you say that?
Ju takes a pen and a card from the inner pocket of his jacket. It looks like the same one he used to deliver the message to us earlier. He keeps talking to me while he writes and draws on the card.
[Ju]Let's play a fun game.
[Ciri]Sure.
[Ju]You're a train conductor who is driving a train to the city next door that is still under construction. On the train is a group of young people with a bright future. They are the builders of the city next door, and they are talking about their ideals on the train.
[Ju]Suddenly, as you are about to arrive at a fork, you see a strong worker tied to the left tracks and five old people tied to the right tracks.
[Ju]It is already known that this fast-moving train can't stop anywhere other than at a station or else it'll derail due to the inertia. If that happens, the train will crash with a massive boom, and everyone on it will die.
[Ju]Fortunately, you still have a choice. There's a lever in front of you, which controls whether the train moves to the left or the right.
After saying this, he shows me the card in his hand. On it is a very abstract drawing, and I can tell that it is a train that is moving towards a fork. There are stick figures lying on the tracks on both sides of the train after the fork.
Ju holds this card up in the air for me to see with one hand. The palm of his other hand is facing me, and his five fingers are spread open.
[Ju]I'll now count to five. After that, you need to tell me if the train should move to the left or the right.
The trolley problem is an ethical topic that people often discuss, but now that someone has asked me to answer this question, I start considering it seriously instead of joking like usual.
The reason for this is because Ju isn't really presenting me with a trolley problem, but the story of Soul and him.
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