idolpro | Angel | Heart Game (part 3)

As soon as you start to fall asleep, the world of Imeeji is engulfed by a bright light.

It’s strange, isn’t it? You have fallen asleep, and yet your consciousness is awake. You’re simply floating, waiting to remember what it’s like to exist. However, as you wait, a growing fear clutches at your chest. What if you don’t remember? What if you will always be empty? What if you never find what it is that you are looking for? What if you die? W̛̮̩̰̫̝̫̱h̰a̪̦͖t̲̘̘̺̀ ͉̭̬͎̪̹͘i̺͍̭͙̹̪f̱̥̻͠ ͝t̼̘̬h̶̫̰̮̦͓̖̣e̳̖͔̜̮͢y͇̻͡ ̙̹͎̗͉͍̬d҉͓̮͓͉i̢e?̺̥͎̖̬̹͞ ͇̻W̺̠̫̤̖͈͉h͇͖̣ͅa̮͍t̛ ̛̙̰̻i͚̖f̡͓ y̴͍̥o̳̜͔͈u̴̥̻ w̰͍͕̥͢i̶̻̫l̬̥̖l͔͙ ̱̻͘ne͕̹͕͕̞̹v͢e̻̪̪͎͈͚͕ṛ̛ ̧̫̹b̘e̖̖̰̣ͅc̢͍om̨͍̘̻̫e̺̘͎͓̮ ̟͉͞w͏̟̖̠̩̜̟h̴̼͈̭̪o̸̹̬̣̳͉̠ ̼̠̯̖̫̜́t̫̘͠h͇̙ͅe̱͡y̭̥̱ͅ ͕̼̭̥̟͎w̜̖̞̲ͅḁ̩͙͚̤̟n̲̳̠̠t̛̲͔̲̜͔ ̟͍̼͖̼ͅy͎͇̘̲o̹̞̜u̻̫ ͙͓͓̲͈ͅț̷͔͎̩o̸̝̝̙͉ ̜͇͓̗̣̦͠b̰̠͡ḛ̛?̢̻̗̹̬͖͇̮ ̖̺̦̻͕̬͔W̨̺̝̰̝̲h͈̥̖̦͖a̴͓̼t ̺̤̪̻͔̯͞w̵i̮͕͜l̤̕l̞ ͞yo̴̯̝͔̜̝͍u̹͕̭̗͚ͅ ̸̟d̲̹̣͇͍̞o̶̼͍̠̦̩?̀Wh̼o ̮̼̱a̟̼r̫͎̘e͟ ͓̪̠͟y̷̫̲̖̱͕̤o̤̪̲̤̪̟͘u͏͈̞?̛͔͚͖̟͉ ̰͓͔W̜̯̗̻̼̥̦h̳̲a͏̘̗̜t̵̬̖̥̠̺͕̹ ̼̰̞͇̯͙̹c̛̝̬̙̱͖ͅa̩͟n͈͙ ̺y̞̰̳̹͈̙ͅo̭͈̭̥̱̱͜u̘̲̦͢ ̫̜ḍ̺͉̳̠̻̜͢o̢̦?̻̞̗̰̩͍͜ ̧͔͈͈͈̲̰͕̣̙͇
Ẁ͖̰͚̙̣̯͉̙̕h̺̻͕͕͈̥͖͜ͅa̟̮͕̬͞t̙̮͔̙̙̞̯ ̶̧̧͇̫̫͈͉̤i̯̫̕f̮̥̲͇ ̛̯͈̞̦̀͝y̫̩͉͈͙̻o͕͎͎̱̤̖ͅͅu̶̞͓̪͔͉̕͜ ̵̖͖͙̣̭̳f̗̪̜͎͎͇̩̟͜ͅa̲͔̘̮í̛̪͈͇̻͍̹̯̭l̗̖̝̪͞?̶̥͚͙̭̫̩̙͙̱͟ Ẁ͖̰͚̙̣̯͉̙̕h̺̻͕͕͈̥͖͜ͅa̟̮͕̬͞t̙̮͔̙̙̞̯ ̶̧̧͇̫̫͈͉̤i̯̫̕f̮̥̲͇ ̛̯͈̞̦̀͝y̫̩͉͈͙̻o͕͎͎̱̤̖ͅͅu̶̞͓̪͔͉̕͜ ̵̖͖͙̣̭̳f̗̪̜͎͎͇̩̟͜ͅa̲͔̘̮í̛̪͈͇̻͍̹̯̭l̗̖̝̪͞?̶̥͚͙̭̫̩̙͙̱͟ Ẁ͖̰͚̙̣̯͉̙̕h̺̻͕͕͈̥͖͜ͅa̟̮͕̬͞t̙̮͔̙̙̞̯ ̶̧̧͇̫̫͈͉̤i̯̫̕f̮̥̲͇ ̛̯͈̞̦̀͝y̫̩͉͈͙̻o͕͎͎̱̤̖ͅͅu̶̞͓̪͔͉̕͜ ̵̖͖͙̣̭̳f̗̪̜͎͎͇̩̟͜ͅa̲͔̘̮í̛̪͈͇̻͍̹̯̭l̗̖̝̪͞?̶̥͚͙̭̫̩̙͙̱͟
W̷̴̶̖͔͈̝̦̺̻̥̼̮̝̺̝̥͖̣͔̼͜͡h̖͉̘͉͉̖̟͚̜̬̫͙̼͖͉̯̤̦͕͠a̺͎̺̘͟͡t̶̸̺͙̰͙̻̗͔̹͍̯͚͠ͅ ̡͓͔̮̘͈̝̻͈̳͍͉̹̗͘͟͠í̬̟͎̻̬͓̦̪̘͟͜f̶̴̯͇̳͉̣͓͉͇̲̠͉̠͚̞͝ ̡͎͎̤͓͔͚̥̕͞y̴̵̢̧̨̱̭̯̤̘̞̩̻̲͙͔͞█̵̨̛̦͉̺̝͔͇͢͠ ̰͓̳͝͡█̴͉͈̝̲̝͕͖͙͔͙̰́́ͅ ̡̖̙̘̪̗̞̪͘͞█̴̶̵̛̩͕͚̣̥̺͡ ̶̢̢̛͙̟̮̯̥̹͎̼͔̻ͅ█̴̧̧͙͎̖̘̥̠̪͉̫͍̯̻̥̟͔̥͇̙ ̛̯͓̣͎̤̟̟̀█̴̵̧̣̮͓̻͍͔̱̘̣̜̞͙̰̟̬̠̩̀͠ͅ ̴̵̨͉̻͇̮̣̼͜͟█̵͉͔̝̺̗͔̯͓̪́ ̴̨͇̱̹̳͍͙̝͟█̢̙͕̞̭͇̣̼͔͟ ̡͕̼͙͙̗̥̱̭̪͙̥̹̮̱̬̥̪̗̹█̴̶̴̫̱̞͟ͅ ̷̧̡̻̭͉͖̻̲̰̦̮͓̜̹̩͎█̶̡̢̗͖͎̘̙͍̜͖̩͉̥̩̞̭̀͜ ̷̴̶̡̛̘̲̤͈̦̣̹̻█̸́͜҉̘̫̝͈̻̳͈̙̪͚̬̥̗̥̺̼̠ ̴̛͇͙̥̫̪̘̩̫͉̙́͜͠█̷̴̛̥̫̳̣͈̭͈̗̗̪̯̬̪̣̻̮̗͘͞ͅ ͏̷̜͇͉͕̯̫͎█͢͏̻͍̦̙̭̭̣̥͓͔
̴̵̨͉̻͇̮̣̼͜͟█̵͉͔̝̺̗͔̯͓̪́ ̴̨͇̱̹̳͍͙̝͟█̢̙͕̞̭͇̣̼͔͟ ̡͕̼͙͙̗̥̱̭̪͙̥̹̮̱̬̥̪̗̹█̴̶̴̫̱̞͟ͅ ̷̧̡̻̭͉͖̻̲̰̦̮͓̜̹̩͎█̶̡̢̗͖͎̘̙͍̜͖̩͉̥̩̞̭̀͜ ̷̴̶̡̛̘̲̤͈̦̣̹̻█̸́͜҉̘̫̝͈̻̳͈̙̪͚̬̥̗̥̺̼̠ ̴̛͇͙̥̫̪̘̩̫͉̙́͜͠█̷̴̛̥̫̳̣͈̭͈̗̗̪̯̬̪̣̻̮̗͘͞ͅ ͏̷̜͇͉͕̯̫͎█͢͏̻͍̦̙̭̭̣̥͓͔
█̴̶̴̫̱̞͟ͅ ̷̧̡̻̭͉͖̻̲̰̦̮͓̜̹̩͎█̶̡̢̗͖͎̘̙͍̜͖̩͉̥̩̞̭̀͜ ̷̴̶̡̛̘̲̤͈̦̣̹̻█̸́͜҉̘̫̝͈̻̳͈̙̪͚̬̥̗̥̺̼̠
█̶̡̢̗͖͎̘̙͍̜͖̩͉̥̩̞̭̀͜

. . . ♫ . . .

You aren’t sure, but you swear that you just heard someone singing . . . the words are incomprehensible, but it makes you feel something familiar . . . a feeling that makes you feel like you’ll find what you’re looking for . . . and that everything will be alright in the end . . .

What is that feeling?

. . .

HUUUH?!

You don’t know?? Wowee . . . well, don’t worry! Since we're friends, I’ll tell you!

It’s hope, of course! !

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Which one?

The throne room.

Are you like Red and can't leave the place you were summoned?

Oh yeah! I'm Hope Me and you placed me here! If I go somewhere else, hope will disappear from this place!

Some things can move cuz Other Me will let them move, but other things Other Me won't let you! She's very protective!

Who is Other Me?

It's Me!

[twirls]

Oh, but she's somewhere else! Where her most important thing is!

. . .

If you're hope, then what does she represent?

[Mumbling more to himself than to Angel:]

If she controls what pieces move then... Ruler?

Hmmm, I dunno. If you find her, maybe you'll figure it out?

Maybe.

Then am I allowed to ask you a question about the throne room?

Yeah, okay!!

Where does the hole in the floor go to?

Oh! Who knows? She doesn't remember yet!

I see. Then perhaps I'll go take a look.

Visit Red if you can. Or at least chat with her.

She's right---

[Points to the execution chamber]

Over there.

Be careful though.

[~♪]

I guess you care about Red, too, huh?

I care about giving her a fair chance. Locking her up in a glass cage with a murder button is just asking for someone to make a stupid decision.

We've already made those decisions. You die or you kill. Even if you love them, that's what happens.

Are you going to let that define your relationship with her? Because that's exactly what it looks like you've done.

Ohhhhh. Sorry if that's what you think! Please do not worry! That is simply the room of complicated feelings when it comes to killing!

And she's just your mental representation of that conflict?

Yes. At least, once upon a time ago! It has changed a little bit since the beginning I think, but until I understand everything better, she likes to protect that place for me.