“Sometimes, it feels like I don’t really have any options either.”
CHAIN-LINK EVENT
WARNING: this Event is part of an Event Chain! You've lost all control over your own actions and must now sit back while
someone else takes the wheel. Enjoy the ride while it lasts, and hope that you did things right before taking the plunge!
Pareidolia connects to Sensei, pointing out just how things have started to unravel. They calmly explain the reason for this: It is "their turn". They expect there to be opposition from "both sides", but insist to Sensei that if he follows them, they will guarantee the safety of those he loves. They sympathize with his recent plight, that is, his struggle to choose what is right and what is wrong, but refuse to give him an answer on what to do – Individuality is a gift, they claim, and what is good and bad will all come down to perception. From their point of view, though, they can see the future. And in that future, Sensei is happy and content, safe from the turmoil of his mind. They advise Sensei to keep this talk in mind the next time he makes it to a reset, and warn him not to open his eyes until it's over unless he wishes to move closer to "the dark".
A narrator speaks up, chipper and ready to begin the, now traditional, beach monologue. They narrate as the view switches between various groups of girls, all experiencing different things:
Maya stares out into the ocean, secretly hoping for someone to come find her. Unfortunately, the one who does is Noriko. As always, Maya wants her to leave, but Noriko refuses to budge and tries to get through to her. All these attempts are deflected and Maya shouts at Noriko for breaking her promise to remain in the Old District. Noriko shouts back, accusing Maya of being obsessed with Sensei since she's the one who's sheltering him from those who love him. Maya's assertion that he chose her falls flat when Noriko points out all the people he also seems to be "choosing", proceeding to lay out a list of all of Maya's flaws. In the end, though, Noriko doesn't care about those things – She just wants to push past this drama and finally be friends. Maya refuses.
Out in the ocean, Io, Miku, Makoto, and Kirin ride atop the raft from the earlier contest and all of them reflect on the newfound bond they've formed and how quickly the trip flew by for them. Makoto assures them that, while they might've taken a back seat this time, they're bound to be at the center of future trips.
Molly assists Rin and Otoha in setting up the latter's character for D&D Nights, which the narrator points out to be an inverse from last time. While going over the character stats and noticing how charisma strengthening spells sounds weird, Rin requests an item that makes up for her just getting fives, but when Molly asks for an in-universe explanation, she accepts her rotten luck to not embarrass herself in front of Otoha with her nerdy side.
Yasu and Karin play "house" but, due to neither having any idea of how to play, they simply shout the word "house" at each other over and over. Touka stands off to the side, informing them that they're playing it wrong, but since she only experienced one exhausting round herself, she joins their version of the game.
Futaba assists Imani in confronting her fears of showing her skin in public. Imani repeatedly tries to back out of the idea, but Futaba's assurance that someday she will be able to overlook the things she hates about herself pushes her through.
Ayane pulls Ami along the shoreline, where she admits that she refuses to be afraid of her anymore. Ami's confused by this assertion and tries to move past it by saying she's happy Ayane's safe again. Ayane slaps her for lying. As Ami reels from this sudden display of aggression, Ayane tells her that she'll keep slapping her if she refuses to stop taking advantage of Sensei and Maya's love for her. Additionally, she outright rejects Ami's assertions that everyone is trying to abandon her. Hearing all this, Ami drops the act and tells her how surprised she is by this level of assertion, especially out of nowhere. Ayane leads Ami back to the girls, insisting they're still friends despite all this, much to Ami's confusion and amusement.
The narrator wraps up their monologue, revealing themselves to be the mysterious, brown-haired girl. While there are still plenty of things they want to ask and learn from the listener, it's all too much to fit into their monologue. They sign off, waiting for the light to shine once more and hopeful of the opportunity to, someday, hold the listener's hand, something they wished they did more in the past.
