The Clock Keepers' Court (Part 4) (
Summary[]
Part 1: The Root of the Problem[]
The Chapter begins where the previous chapter left off, with Hanako pinning down Tsukasa Yugi, the Clock Keeper's Yorishiro dropped, and Hanako saying the last line, to which Yugi Tsukasa says that he knows.
Tsukasa then proceeds to tell him that Hanako's actions contract one another: He despises him, and yet hates the idea of never seeing him ever again, thus not having changed since they were dead decades ago. He then insults him by calling him a weirdo and laughing. Hanako, with eyes wide open, tells Tsukasa that he's the weird one, and starts to tell him his own reflections of his past:
Eversince the day that Tsukasa returned after being gone for six months, Hanako, or Amane Yugi in life, has never figured out if the Tsukasa who returned, was really his brother, or someone masquerading as him. It is then revealed that Amane saw that the returned Tsukasa had a gaping hole on his chest (similar to the hole where the Entity within spoke to Tsukasa in Chapter 78 and that which appeared within his chest in Chapter 82).
Tsukasa tried to retort his brother's words, but was interrupted as Hanako tell him that he's not his brother, but an impostor. Unfortunately, before he could continue, Tsukasa screams at Amane that something is behind him. And it is revealed to be Kako, repairing himself after receiving the blow from Tsukasa. As he repairs. both brothers are shocked by his return, and his face, which resembles a dilapidated old man, is revealed.
Kako realizes something about Tsukasa that finally makes sense to him, and then orders Hanako to dispose of him. But shocked by his sudden command, Hanako merely says a surpised "huh", before Akane Aoi, who recovered from the injuries he endured yells "Stop" to the persons involved. He then uses his power of time stop, which stops everything in its place, the Yugi Brothers, Teru Minamoto and Nene Yashiro included.
Akane then asks Kako if that was all he wanted to hear, and Kako replies that it is enough. Akane then comes and picks up Mirai's broken body, to which Kako says that he'll fix her up, and tells Akane to pick up the pieces of her body, which he obliges. Kako lifts up his staff, drops it in the waterline of the boundary, and stirs it, causing a large spiral staircase to form, then asks Akane if he's done yet, to which he says he will come. He then approaches where the frozen Teru, and asks if he can still hear him. He then tells him thar as soon as he can move, he should take Yashiro with him to the Student Council room. He also tells him something else, but it was hidden from the reader. Afterwards, he puts on the hood of his cloak as Kako does the same and picks up the Yorishiro, then the both of them climb down the spiral staircase.
Part 2: The Heart of the Clock Keepers' Boundary[]
Then more of the Clock Keepers' rumor is narrated:
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School Mystery No. 1: The Clock Keepers The "Heart" of their boundary, it's lowest layer...
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— The rumor about the Clock Keeper's heart of their boundary
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The spiral staircase leads them to the lowermost point or "heart" of their boundary, which leads to a giant vault door. Using the key, Kako opens the vault door, and they are led into a path that is always snowy. The path leads to a cold, unfamiliar town, whose people speak an unfamiliar language. The rumor continues:
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...is always covered in snow. A foreign town. An unfamiliar language. I heard that the innermost reaches of a boundary vividly reflects a school mystery's origins. So...
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— The rumor further describing the "foreign town" that lay beyond the door
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As both Kako and Akane walked through the town, they approached a certain house, and then the rumor countines:
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Perhaps the two of them once lived somewhere like this.
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The house is revealed to be Kako's workshop, filled with toys, dolls, machinery of various kinds, and clocks. He sets Mirai against the Worksmith's table, and starts to fix her. He asks Akane to hand him the parts, which Akane obliges, while starting a fire at a nearby fireplace with a kettle on top.
While Kako works on fixing Mirai, Akane stares at the fire and asks him if it was necessary to drag the trial the way he did. He then tells him that while Kako can repair himself by manipulating time, Mirai isn't capable of doing the same, and hence, not as lucky as Kako. Kako then answers him that such an action as necessary, as he noticed that "something" is eating away at Kamome Gakuen. He further explains that the Yorishiro that were vital to protecting the Near Shore, were gradually being destroyed, followed by the students becoming supernaturals, and concluding that thanks to such actions, the boundary between the Near and Far Shores practically dosen't exist anymore.
He then questions Akane as to why they are in this mess. Akane defends himself, saying that he did, and told Kako that he had to take care of the guy that contacted him, as he was obviously after the Yorishiro. Kako then tells him that Akane misunderstood, and that if they don't tackle the root of the problem, then the present cannot be changed. He revealed to Akane that he had held the trial to determine who they are, what their plans are, and what they have done.
Akane then reflects on the "Root of the Problem" that Kako pointed out, and remembers what Tsukasa had confessed at the trial, that while he didn't destroy the Yorishiro, he was the one who commanded his Broadcasting Club members to do so. Akane then asks Kako of the root of the problem is Tsukasa, to which he responds in the affirmative, or more precisely, the "thing" inside of him.
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It was enshrined at the bottom of a large pit, granting wishes in exchange for any young woman it swallowed, and later sealed away. A shadow of an old faith, the mere remnants of its former glory...
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Kako then told Akane that such a being is not good for both humans and supernaturals.
Kako then finished his repair of Mirai, leading Akane to ask her if she's ok. Mirai suddenly wakes up with an energetic smile and starts darting around Akane while asking him lots of questions about his well-being. However, Akane grabs her by the collar of her dress, and tells her that he isn't happy about her sacrificing her life for him, and tells her to never do it again. In response, Mirai pats Akane while calling him a good boy, and Kako is satisfied by his work, telling Akane that everything about Mirai was in working order.
Part 3: The New Present Begins[]
Akane serves Mirai tea, and after she finishes it, both she and Kako prepared themselves and both they and Akane approached a giant grandfather clock, surrounded by smaller clocks. Approaching the front of the clock, Kako, holding Mirai in his hands, tells Akane that they will part ways with him, as he intends to go to the past, alter the course of events that led to time being stopped at Kamome Gakuen, and remain in the Clock until a new present is certain. He reminds Akane of his duties from now on, and Akane reiterates them: He will determine whether a new present will be born due to the alterations done by Kako and Mirai, deal with any problems that may airse, and try not to die until the both of them return. Kako, then pats Akane on the head while affirming that he is correct. He then proceeds to begin his mission, while entrusting everything to Akane, "the Lowest-Ranked Clock Keeper, the Guardian of the Present".
After they both depart, Akane leaves the Big Clock, and closes the Pendulum door. He then takes a seat near the clock and breathes a sigh of relief, having been exhausted from the events that happened earlier. He then wonders on the new present that Kako and Mirai were about to make, and hopes that it is a good present. The clocks in the room start to tick, one after another, until all the clocks are ticking and toiling their bells at once. A clock that has "1968" on it clicks once, and then the perspective shifts.
We are now returned to the present that has been made by Kako and Mirai, wherein the events of the 113th School Festival of Kamome Gakuen begins anew. Everything seems to happen the same as it does at the start of Chapter 104 before all the chaos happened. However, there was one difference: Yashiro Nene, seemingly restored to full size and age following the reset, is shocked at what has happened. It is implied that she is aware of the changes that had happened and as she looks around the Festival, she is exasperated by the changes. This is the New Present that Kako and Mirai have made. And from there, the chapter ends.
Characters in order of appearance[]
- Hanako
- Yugi Tsukasa
- "It" (Flashback)
- Kako (Self-Repaired from previous chapter)
- Aoi Akane
- Mirai (Broken Body, later repaired by Kako)
- Minamoto Teru
- Yashiro Nene (Original Timeline)
- Citizens of the Clock Keeper's Foreign Town
- Hyuuga Natsuhiko (Indirectly mentioned and flashback)
- Nanamine Sakura (Indirectly mentioned)
- Akane Aoi (Original Timeline)
- Yashiro Nene (New Present) (First Appearance, replaced The Original while retaining a small portion of her memories, cameo)
- Akane Aoi (New Present) (First Appearance, replaced The Original, cameo)
Trivia[]
- The New Present, as well as both its versions of Yashiro Nene and Akane Aoi are teased towards the end.