The BBL route is structured a lot differently from the front half of the game. Foremost, the route takes place over the course of a single day, rather than spread across the year. From here on out, saving is disabled except at certain points which will be touched on later, and at the end of each chapter, or “class”.
“Look away, Kawara. Looking will only hurt you.”
“Ah… aah…”
As Ryouta struggles not to pass out, a harsh klaxon and red light flood the room.
“We have entered a state of emergency. All students please evacuate to the gymnasium. Repeat, we have entered…”
“Coo, coo!?”
(What is happening? Why is everything red!?)
“I don’t know…”
“Bah! Until we know what’s going on, there is nothing to do but follow instructions. What are you spacing out for, Kawara!? Come on!”
“N-no… I-I don’t want to leave Tera here alone…”
“Get up! She’s gone! That thing… is no longer Thielle!”
“It… can’t be…”
“Come!”
Sakuya all but drags Ryouta down to the gym, along with the rest of the class.
No one seems to know what’s going on, though. The gym echoes with whispered speculation.
“Hey, did you see the box?”
“Yeah. You had… that, too?”
“Yup. Well… the class rep opened it and I didn’t see, but… Apparently there was a human’s arm in it.”
“Ours had half a leg. It was really gross…”
From the snatches of conversation I hear, it sounds like all the print boxes had pieces of a human corpse in them. Were they all pieces of Tera, I wonder…?
Nobirdie seems particularly concerned. Which isn’t all that odd: it was grotesque, but it’s not like it was a dead bird. Just some primate…
“Nanaki. This isn’t some idiotic disaster drill, is it?”
“We’re not supposed to have one until next month.”
“Do you suppose it has something to do with that distasteful box? That was definitely Thielle’s… Bah! Won’t someone explain this ridiculous state of affairs already!?”
Yeah. Someone, tell me what’s going on. This is a bad dream, right? Someone wake me up… someone…
Once the gym is packed, a chime sounds, and the gym’s TV springs to life.
“The headmaster…?”
“It seems we have all gathered together without panic or noise. Excellent. Unfortunately, there has been a natural disaster outside. This school is a designated evacuation site, so please remain here a little longer.”
“Natural disaster? Nonsense. The weather is perfectly clear.”
“Coo!”
(Okosan felt no earthquakes!)
“It’s not like we’re anywhere near a volcano, or anything…”
“I demand an explanation, headmaster! Just what is going on outside!? Does this have something to do with Thielle Tera!? Why have you brought us here!?”
“I repeat. There has been a—”
“No, imbecile!”
Scowling, Sakuya turns away from the broadcast.
The gymnasium erupts in whispered discussion once more. Well, that changed nothing. I still have no idea what’s going on…
“Are you alright, Kawara?”
“… no, um… yes, I am.”
Kazuaki nods solemnly.
“… this could prove to be a very bad day for us all.”
Could prove to be? It already is.
Before Ryouta can speak his mind, Okosan bolts up to mister Nanaki.
“Coo!”
(She must have run off somewhere! Okosan will go look for her!)
“San, no, she’s… ……”
Silent, Ryouta turns away.
San is an older breed, much closer to pigeons of the human era. Maybe he doesn’t understand the concept of death… Trying to explain would only hurt myself.
“The headmaster has proven entirely unhelpful. What should we do, Nanaki?”
“Well, we can’t exactly carry on with class…”
“… I agree with San. Let’s go get Tera.”
“Calm yourself, Kawara! To relinquish your sanity during a state of emergency is suicide!”
“I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me. Sir, we can’t just leave her there like that. May I go back to the clasroom, just once?”
“Well… the principal did ask us to remain here. But he didn’t say we couldn’t leave the gym, now did he?
“……
… I’m coming with you. As president of the student council, I have a responsibility to get to the bottom of this.”
“… thanks, Sakuya.”
“Do not flatter yourself. I am not doing this for you. … Thielle was foolish, loud, and had no manners or sense. But she never deserved anything like this.
I swear, by my blood and name as a Le Bel… I will find the one who did this. You shall be my assistant. Come, Kawara.”
“… right.”
I want to… I want to know what happened to Tera. Who did that to her, and why?
Can the evacuation possibly have nothing to do with her? Why wouldn’t the headmaster explain anything?
My head was a raging whirlpool of questions, and no answers. And I did not yet know what we would find…
“… a wall. A huge, grey…”
Immediately upon arriving outside, Ryouta and Sakuya are confronted with a dramatic sight.
It’s dark, almost like the sun has already gone down.
“A dome, rather… we appear to be shut in from above, as well.”
“What… when did they do this, and how…!?”
“I don’t think any of us was in full command of his faculties as we came this way. We can’t be certain that it wasn’t already there.
… it does seem most likely that it was put in place while we all were in the gymnasium listening to the headmaster, though.”
“He did say there was a natural disaster… maybe this is some sort of shield?”
“A disaster so destructive there’s nothing to be done but hide under an enormous grey blanket and wait?”
“Maybe they… didn’t give the headmaster the details, to avoid causing a panic…?”
“If that were the case, they would be robbing us of our right to know why our very lives are in danger. Is this really a shelter…? Is there really a natural disaster?”
“Either way, we don’t know if there’s a connection between what happened to Tera and all this. Let’s go to the classroom and then tell mister Nanaki about the dome thing.”
“Very well.”
The pair start making their way back, glancing at the empty classrooms as they pass.
“Is everybirdie else planning to stay in the gym…?”
“Japan is a country full of fools who have grown lazy through too much peace. I doubt anyone else has dared take it upon themselves to investigate this matter.”
Even in times of crisis, Sakuya manages to remain as racist as ever.
“… we’re here.”
The box is still where I left it. Inside is—
“… I can’t… Sakuya, I’m sorry, could you…?”
“Hmph. No matter. ……
… what is this madness?”
“Huh?”
“There’s… nothing here.”
”!?
Th-that can’t be right! We left it right here! It’s not like it got up and moved on its own, is it!?”
“Someone came and removed it while everyone was at the gym? This is life, not some third-rate mystery novel!”
A smooth voice chimes in from the doorway.
“Exactly, Sakuya.”
“Salutations, Ryouta. I see you’re babysitting Sakuya.”
“Do not throw my name about like some cheap toy, mongrel.”
“How cruel! Well, I can’t blame you for being tense, given the circumstances.”
… I think he’d act like that regardless of the circumstances, Yuuya.
“I am… sorry, about her. It pains me to think what happened.”
His expression clouds. It’s strange, I’ve never seen him with any expression other than carefree cheerfulness before.
“You’d known her for a long time, right?”
“… yes. Do you know something about all this, Yuuya?”
“Well… most of this business is still a mystery to me, but I can at least answer the question we face right now.”
“The whereabouts of the corpse, you mean?”
“Yeah, that. As you said, this isn’t some third-rate mystery novel. Corpses don’t disappear, and we won’t be having a famous detective show up and find the culprit for us.
Anyway, the other infirmary assistants and I gathered her up in the chemistry lab.”
“The chemistry lab?”
“Wh-what for?”
“For one, well… we couldn’t just leave her scattered throughout the school, if only for the mental health of the students. Secondly, for the autopsy.
As you know, we have two things going on at once here. The only human in the school was cut up and distributed to the rest of the school, and now there’s some natural disaster happening.
I imagine you’re wondering if there isn’t a connection between the two.”
“We are, but… we haven’t found anything.”
“What do you know?”
“I told you, this is all a mystery to me, too. I suspect that we will have an easier time investigating the murder as long as we’re sealed in like this, though. The doctor should be proceeding with the autopsy by now.”
“The doctor? Why him!?”
“You don’t trust him?”
“Of course not! I-I don’t want to think about what he might do to her…! He might even have…”
“Hrrm. You suspect the doctor?”
“Y-yes! Everybirdie knows he’s a nutcase! He probably killed her for some crazy experiment…”
“He is an expert in the field. Who else here could perform the autopsy?”
“But…”
“I know where you’re coming from, Ryouta. He’s not exactly the most ethically-minded bird around. That’s why I asked professor Nanaki to come, too. He should be there by now, if you want to go make sure.”
“… all right. We’ll go later.”
So Tera has been gathered in the chemistry lab, and the doctor and mister Nanaki are examining her now. Mister Nanaki might not be the best witness, but he’s better than no one, right…?
“We know ehere the corpse went, then. But why are you here?”
“Me? I’m investigating. Under my own orders, of course.”
“Playing detective, mongrel?”
“That and I have to make sure we didn’t miss any pieces. Anyway, what are you two going to do now? Personally, I think… The murder and the evacuation are almost certainly connected.”
“I am inclined to agree. The headmaster’s refusal to explain our situation makes me doubt his story in its entirety.”
“Indeed. So, Ryouta…”
“Y-yeah?”
“I know how you feel. You want to find the one who did this to Tera as soon as possible, right?”
“… yes.”
Ryouta shuts his eyes.
Gone for a moment, and suddenly she was turned into this. Who did that to her? I’ll find them, and I’ll—
“I’m going to find the culprit, and I’ll… I’ll…”
I’ve never felt this emotion before, but now I feel nothing else. When I find that bird, I’ll…
He opens them again.
“My thoughts exactly. Unfortunately, this school is a mess, and we won’t find anything by chasing after her shadow.
I think we should try to solve both mysteries at once, whenever possible. Of course, the wall could just be there because of some natural disaster. That’s about all I have to say.”
“Hmph. We didn’t need your advice from the start. You’re nothing but talk anyway, mongrel.”
“… thanks, Yuuya. We’ll do our best to help.”
“Oh, one other thing! You might want to talk to One, in the maintenance office. Tell him I sent you.”
“You mean that antisocial cockatiel dandy everybirdie hates?”
“Yup, him. Don’t worry, he’s a good guy. He’ll be able to help you, and you might find something useful in there. Well, that’s it for the talky mongrel. Adieu!”
He saunters off towards the staircase.
“What a dreadfully obnoxious man. I thought he’d never shut up.”
“He gave us some good advice, right? We should be grateful. Anyway, I don’t think we’ll find anything else here.”
“Indeed. Hmm… where should we head next…? I doubt we would go amiss by visiting the lab, the maintenance office, or by investigating the wall outside.”
“Right.”
Let’s go to the office first. Maybe this One guy will be able to help us.
The pair set off down the grim hallways.
“I doubt we will find anything useful there.”
“Yuuya said to go, right?”
“I doubt the integrity of his advice.”
“Geez, is that anything to say about your own brother? You should be nicer to your family.”
“My family!? Do you mock me!? That filthy-blooded mongrel is no relation to me!”
“Woah, calm down.”
I guess his elitism is still running business as usual. We don’t have time to waste. We should hurry.
“The maintenance room is… in the corner of the main building, on the ground floor, right?”
“What is this? This doesn’t look very educational.”
“The handyman pretty much lives in here, I think.”
The reticent resident glances up at the newcomers.
“Mister One! Hello!”
“What are you doing here? Didn’t you hear the alarm?”
“I’m Ryouta, and this is Sakuya. We got permission from our teacher to investigate the building.”
“Didn’t YOU hear the alarm?”
“No panic, no noise… and no leaving. That’s what I do here.”
“W-woah, somehow he seems really cool…!”
“You mean you’re too lazy to go to the gymnasium?”
“Don’t worry about me. You two go ahead and find your class there.”
“No, we’re not—”
“Do you mean to interfere with us? Wretched fool!”
“Umm, Yuuya said we should ask you for help…”
“Sakazaki Yuuya?”
“Yes, him. We decided to honor his request by coming all the way over here. Do you intend to stop us now?”
“Sakuya, where the heck are your manners!?
Uh, sorry… he transferred from overseas, and his Japanese isn’t too great.”
“He certainly has more bark than I imagine he has bite. Very well, come in.”
He beckons the other two to sit around the small table.
“What did you say you gentlemen were investigating?”
“Two things. The murder of Thielle Tera, and the mysterious wall outside.”
“You’ve been in here the whole time, right? Do you know what he’s talking about?”
“Yes, I got an idea of it from mister Sakazaki.”
“In other words, you know only what you have heard from that mongrel. Useless!”
“I know plenty about the school itself, though. My job is to take care of the entire campus.”
“Maybe you know what the big grey wall outside is, then?”
“Nope.”
“Useless wretch!”
“Sakuya, calm down! Though… I’m not sure there’s anything we can learn here right now…
Oh, wait! Mister One, could we use your computer? Maybe we can find out what’s going on outside!”
“Sadly not. Everything’s been cut off since this morning.”
“Even the telephone wires, eh. This is too thorough.”
“I can’t think of any reason why they’d need to cut communication systems off if it were some sort of storm protection…”
“This has been a wild goose chase, then. A complete waste of time. Let us go, Kawara.”
“Wait. I have a Bright And Massive piece of advice for you.”
“Bright And Massive?”
What?
I suspect this is a thing that didn’t really translate. Sadly, I don’t have the Japanese on-hand, or any personal Japanese knowledge, so it will remain a mystery.
“If you get stuck, try the headmaster’s office. I’ve been almost everywhere in this school, but never there. You might be able to find something out about the wall if you check in there.”
“Of course! The headmaster did not speak to us in person in the gym. If he was broadcasting from his office—”
“… then he might still be there!”
Asking him certainly seems like the best way to get some solid information. We should try that.
“If you need a break later on, feel free to come back here and rest. Anyone mister Sakazaki sent is trustworthy.
I’ll get you some notes. If you find anything, you can come write it down. You never know what could happen in a situation like this, and you don’t want to forget anything.”
At this point, the game helpfully informs us what I’ve already told you: saving in the BBL route is limited to between chapters, and at the maintenance office.
“Thank you, mister One!”
We can come back here later. For now… we should check the lab, or the wall. After those two we can try the headmaster’s office.
Choices in the BBL route are somewhat more perfunctory than in the main game, and do not have any bearing on the ending. First, we’re heading to the lab.
It’s always been one of the gloomier parts of the school, but today the lab is downright depressing.
“Hello, Kawara.”
“Sir, thank you… for being with Tera now.”
“Of course. Sakazaki came and asked me to come right after you two left the gym.”
“He must have gone past us. How unfortunate…”
The doctor is lining the pieces of Tera up on one of the lab benches.
“……”
“Must you glower at me so, mister Kawara?”
“I’m not glowering at you.”
Ryouta is absolutely glowering at him.
“Do you disapprove of my handling her?”
He gives me an evil smile.
“… no, that’s not it.”
I just wish we had a doctor who wasn’t this malicious.
“Are you finding anything, doctor Iwamine?”
“Not yet, no. I only just finished assembling her. It will take some time… I will send word to you when I’ve finished. Perhaps you have something else to do while you wait?”
“Very well. We shall not interfere. Come, Kawara.”
“… right.”
The two make for the door, but Shuu calls Ryouta aside.
“Oh, mister Kawara. A moment, please.”
“Yes?”
“Mmm… allow me to give you a hint.”
“A hint…?”
“You suspect me of foul play, do you not? In light of that, I shall leave it up to you whether you decide to believe me or not. Anyway, I think you have missed something very important.”
“……?”
“One might say that you have forgotten something. Perhaps you should bear that in mind, hmm?
You’re just a little bit off. But, I’m sure you’ll find the answer yourself if you keep looking. Hohoho… isn’t it beautiful, mister Kawara? The sound of your life crumbling apart around you.”
“……”
“I take it it does not suit your tastes. Very well. He was rather fond of the unsual, himself… a pity.”
He…?
“Well, then. You can handle the outside investigation, and I, the… internal. Hohoho. Good luck, mister Kawara.”
“Right… thanks, doctor.”
What did he mean when he said I was missing something? Or maybe he was just trying to lead me astray… Better not to worry about it for the time being.
As Ryouta and Sakuya depart, Kazuaki turns to Shuu.
“What were you talking with Kawara about, doctor?”
“Nothing important. I was just giving him a little emotional support, and encouragement.”
“I see… that’s good, then. I’m sure you’ll remember not to cause any trouble for my students, doctor.”
Meanwhile, Sakuya and Ryouta return to the wall.
“Hmm… let’s go get a closer look at it. We can’t see much from over here.”
“Indeed.”
“Iron, maybe…? It’s quite firm, at any rate.”
“Maybe it is some sort of shelter… Hmm, my phone’s out of range. Maybe this wall is blocking the signal…?”
“That seems likely. … it sounds thick, and dense. Trying to break a hole in it will not be practical.”
“Maybe there’s an emergency exit or something?”
“We should check. We still don’t know whether or not we are completely sealed in, after all.”
“Right. Let’s walk around the perimeter.”
The two do a quick lap of the dome, inspecting the surface.
“Indeed, it appears to be identical all the way around. Do you suppose it is ventilated? I can’t say I fancy the prospect of suffocating under this thing without even knowing why it’s here.”
“I’d think an emergency shelter would have some sort of airflow built in, yeah…”
If not, then… we’re in deep trouble.
“Hrrm.”
“What are you looking at?”
“Up there. Is that some sort of hatchway?”
He points upwards.
“Ah!”
“That does look like it might lead outside. Let’s go look.”
“Hmm… yeah, maybe there’s a switch or something somewhere.”
“It does not seem like we can do anything here now. Let us remember its location and return later.”
“I don’t like to think about it, but… if there really is such a terrible disaster out there that this is the only option, maybe it would be better to leave it shut, anyway.”
“Indeed. Let us move on.”
I’ve got enough on my mind just thinking about Tera, but… I’m worried about my family outside, too.
“I hope my mother’s okay…”
Having suitably investigated the lab and wall, Sakuya and Ryouta resign to a staff room to take stock of the situation.
“Yeah. We’ve got a better idea of the situation… I guess.”
The doctor’s working in the lab, the grey dome covers the entire school but for one small hatch, and we can use the maintenance office as a base.
“Mister One did say…”
“Indeed, he suggested we visit the headmaster’s office.”
“Yeah. It’s on the first floor. Let’s go.”
They navigate the darkened corridors, coming to the door of the headmaster’s office.
“Are you within? We demand entry!”
Rude even to the headmaster? I wonder if the doctor is the only person in the entire school who he actually respects…
“No reply. Let’s go in.”
“Wait, Sakuya, that’s—”
Sakuya jiggles the door’s handle impotently.
“… hrrm.”
“It’s locked…?”
“Bah! Where is that old geezer?”
“Maybe he’s pretending to be out so we’ll go away?”
“Indeed… he never was the type to walk about the campus. Or perhaps he has locked the door from the inside and plans to stay inside until the siege lets up.”
“Should we wait around?”
“We have no time for such frivolities. We shall enter this room if it means reducing the door to a miserable pile of splinters.”
“It’s the headmaster’s door… I don’t think it will be easy to break down.”
“Hmph… you speak the truth. Let us ask Nanaki if there isn’t a key to open it from the outside.”
“Yeah. We can head back to the—”
A faint scraping noise pierces the eerie silence of the hallways.
”?”
“What is it, Kawara?”
“I think… I thought I heard something.”
“I hear nothing. Perhaps you are imagining things?”
“Like something being dragged across the floor… listen, there it is again! Behind—”
Both birds rapidly turn around to face the source of the unsettling sound.
”!”
Both are met with a terrible sight.
Suddenly, behind us stood…
A gigantic scarecrow-like creature, with a rough burlap sack for a head.
Thus ends the first chapter. Who is this menacing interloper, and how do they fit into the mysteries already afoot? What did Shuu mean when he spoke to Ryouta? Will Sakuya ever stop being such a prick? These are questions I probably didn’t have to ask. Until next time, everybirdie.