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Chapter 52 - Causality of Black and White
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First things first,
I appreciate you taking time off to meet with me here.
Don't worry about it, I still owe you from that time with Kiriyama.
I don't remember helping you guys with anything.
We were fighting a common enemy.
Even now, the only reason you've been able to contact me is by going through Yurianne.
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Um..
Oh? What's wrong honey?
Why are we doing this inside a ferris wheel?!
Can someone explain?!
It's so nobody can listen in on us.
But why does it have to be in such a cramped space, and with-
So? Moritsugu Reiji
What did you want to hear from me? I'd like to keep this short.
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Then I'll ask bluntly.
What are the Machina?
As you already know, they are quite simply giant humanoid weapons.
It's been bothering me since yesterday.
when we found the machina in the mountain.
Hmm...
Do the Machina turn people into their Factors on purpose?
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Hmph.
That's right.
Why?
Surely you must have some idea by now?
Is it because by themselves, they are not capable of harming humans?
Huh!?
Yes.
The Machina require a Factor so they can kill.
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What!?
Wait a sec, they don't want to-
So the reason why a Factor is needed is so it enables them to kill.
Bingo.
So why do the Machina have a need to kill people?
The reasons are many, so I'll just toss one out that you guys can relate to.
In order to oppose
Linebarrel.
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Okay.
Then, the next question.
Huh!?
What about the rest of-
Ishigami Kunio.
What is his true objective is?
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What Ishigami wants-
Is for all of the existing Machina to have their own Factor.
That is the only reason he is so adamant on his hunt.
So his goal is to create the "factor" required to murder...
But, it won't be all that easy for him to accomplish his goal.
After all,
The final remaining machina
lies dormant inside my Shangri-La.
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Obviously, you have no plans to give it a Factor anytime soon.
Of course.
But knowing him, he probably has a plan for it.
Seeing as how it was no other than a certain somebody's Machina which suggested he do this.
A certain somebody's Machina...
Then that means the President was a Factor after all...
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...What's gotten into me?
I've been getting angry a lot lately.
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Why does Hayase seem to always be with that woman...
IS THIS...
...COULD IT BE...?
Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!
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What should I do...
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(caption right) Get off of me!
(caption left) There's nothing wrong with this.
Well.
None of your questions really touched on anything important.
So I have to wonder if it was worth your time to drag me all the way out here?
No matter what you say, you're still the enemy leader. If I ask them 10 questions I have to assume that some of them will have to be lies.
But there will be some truths to it, even if it is only 3 or 4 parts of the 10.
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Hmph.
...surely a logical conclusion.
Hayase Kouichi, you have an upstanding commander.
Now please allow us to excuse ourselves.
There's one more thing I would like to ask.
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The Linebarrel.
What is it and why does it exist?
Huh?
So you saved the best for last,
a truly important question.
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Linebarrel exists to destroy all other Machina, it is
the Counter-Machina.
...To destroy all other Machina!?
No...
Technically it isn't even a machina.
Linebarrel consists of a man.
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The man
from which everything began.
What do you mean?
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Hey wait! What do you mean Linebarrel's a person!?
Be more clear wit-
You'll understand one day.
As you are Linebarrel's Factor, after all.
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President.
We've received a request from the UN to deploy the Jinrai, is that okay?
Don't worry about it.
Just tell Igarashi and his men to go-
Bzzt
Bzzt
Yes?
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I see.
Thanks for letting me know.
Miss Ogawa, could you tell Moritsugu to drop by whenever he comes back?
...sure.
Ah.
Looks like they just made it.
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(caption) Linebarrel consists of a man-
(caption) The man from which everything began.
I have to ask...
I have to ask her.
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Ah.
Hayase.
Do you have a bit of time right now?
Uh.
Ah.
...yeah.
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Excuse me. [I'm here]
Oh~ you're here.
...you called for me?
Moritsugu.
So I heard you saw Katou today.
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So you already know.
I would like to know why you would go and meet the enemy commander.
There were some questions I needed answers for.
Questions you couldn't have asked me?
Hearing the opinions of only one side won't bring me any closer to the truth.
Of course, I did intend to ask you the same questions I asked him.
I see... so did you get what you needed?
Yes.
I found some points which could lead me to the answer.
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I see.
Speaking of which, how long have you been with us?
This should be my 12th year working here.
That long, huh...
Then it shouldn't be any problem.
The plan's already in its final stages anyway.
What do you mean?
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Come with me.
It's time to tell you why I've been keeping everything under wraps,
and also,
to introduce you to
my Machina.
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Sorry for being so sudden.
...yeah.
Mmh... it looks like you're feeling a lot better now.
You heard it from the president right? That I was still unstable, so you couldn't see me.
But I'm DAIJYOUBU[fine] now! (Editor's note: 大丈夫だ, 問題ない.)
That's good to hear.
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Hayase... did something happen?
Huh!? No not really... a lot of stuff happened today.
You wanted to see me for something?
I'm really sorry for what happened yesterday.
(caption) Wha-
Wh... What are you apologising for?
I lost myself in the heat of battle... I was fighting without really thinking...
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Miss Kujoh...
You really are amazing Hayase.
You can fight keeping in mind all those things.
It's not really all that hard.
Even I was like that before...
I'm going to work hard to become an ally of justice, just like you.
So please help me forge myself into a new person!
Forge is kind of too strong a word to use here...
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Even though I'm your senior at school, you're way more experienced than me, when it comes to being an ally of justice.
Well, not really...
I'm counting on you from now on.
Ah.
...sure.
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So this is...
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The President's Machina.
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Yeah.
It's name is "Juda"
It would be like the brains of the team- compared to all the other Machina, it has incredible computing capabilities.
So, that's why we've hooked up all of the company's functions to Juda, and allowed it to control the works.
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You could even say that the company is Juda.
So it gives you advice on what you should do?
Not advice, but direction.
Direction?
Moritsugu, for any result, a certain set of conditions need to be fulfilled before the result takes form, yes?
Of course... so how is that related?
Well...
What if you were told what those required conditions were?
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Then I would ideally be able to pick and choose my desired result.
You don't mean...
That this is what this Machina is capable of?
Yes, Juda is capable of doing this.
In order to achieve the greatest result, a large number of conditions need to be intertwined together, it then sets them into motion.
Meaning it will be able to tell you whatever you need to achieve whatever you want?
Exactly.
Juda gathers a large amount of information every day by being connected to the global network.
It picks out from this mountain of information things that will help accomplish the goal, and we execute what is required.
If we manipulate minor details at the beginning, it has the potential to become important, and from there it becomes possible to create our ideal result.
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-For example,
We had Hayase become the Linebarrel's Factor so he can meet Kujoh Miu and turn her into a Factor as well.
Of course, irregularities happen all the time.
But of course they can be fixed.
So does your current plan require that all of the existing Machina have Factors?
Of course.
Why?
That is something I can't tell you.
If you told a third party about it, I'm afraid that the necessary conditions might change.
I see.
...but Katou did mention that he won't make this easy for you.
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You mean the fact that he has the remaining Machina?
...yes.
Since I already knew about this, I prepared something special a long time ago.
I see...
Moritsugu, listen.
I can't tell you everything right now, but there's only one thing I want,
and that is to save humanity.
And that's no lie.
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Sure.
All I can ask
is for you to believe me.
So what's the next requirement?
Excellent! You're always quick to pick up.
The next requirement is-
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to destroy Katou's large scale production plant.
It's finally finished.
Yeah.
I never thought
the day would come that I would be making these.
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Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzttt
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What should I do...
...if it was Hayase...
...coming...
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Mr. Moritsugu?