Midnight Occult Civil Servants (真夜中のオカルト公務員)

Your newbie hasn't quit yet?

Nope, he's hanging in there.

Oh?

I'm a good judge of character, regardless of what you may think.

Yeah, right.

Everyone younger than Sakaki-kun quit.

Oh, it's here. Right here.

Is this a crime?

I don't know.

Is it in our jurisdiction?

Yeah, probably.

Yeah...

But my request to investigate the scene keeps getting rejected.

And if you get us involved, that problem will go away?

Yeah, that's about right.

June 13th Nocturnal Community Relations Section

You want us to investigate the north and south elevators at City Hall?

We got official permission.

#5 "The Parallel World Elevator of the City Hall Observation Deck"

Finally, huh?

What's going on?

It's an urban legend that's been going around!

The Parallel World Elevator.

You've at least heard of it, right?

Um... No.

Listen, when you're in this line of work,

you've gotta keep an ear to the ground!

Search for it online. You'll find it right away.

Sorry...

Someone posted to our occult message board

saying that somebody went up to the City Hall observation deck,

and ended up in another world.

"Our"?

Yeah. I made it.

I went up the observation deck in City Hall and ended up in another world lololol Anonymous, Lost in a Parallel Dimension Oh shit. No idea where I am. Anonymous, Lost in a Parallel Dimension I went up to the observation deck and everybody disappeared. It's just me. Anonymous, Lost in a Parallel Dimension >>0002 Which observation deck? Anonymous, Lost in a Parallel Dimension >>0003 City Hall. Tokyo. Anonymous, Lost in a Parallel Dimension

The poster kept a running account of what was going on,

before they simply stopped posting.

The rumors say he probably went missing.

Ever since then, small numbers of other people have appeared,

saying the same thing happened to them.

Some were clearly trolling, but for the others, it's not so clear...

The number of rumors is increasing.

The police are looking for the missing people.

But why are we sticking our noses in it, then?

Well, there's been something else happening...

She disappeared!

At first I thought she was a victim of the Parallel World Elevator, too...

She's back?

With no visible injuries.

She simply lost her memories of her time in the observatory.

And there's several other similar reports.

Missing persons and missing memories, huh?

Which means there're two Anothers at City Hall?

Maybe.

I don't want to think about it, but...

Sakaki-kun's just gone to meet with the girl and hear her story.

June 13th

It seems they're acquainted.

So, I remember getting to the south observation deck,

but the next thing I knew, I was at the north deck for some reason!

I was so shocked!

Anything else unusual?

You're kidding!

Kyo-chan, you're not scared of the occult at all, huh?

Has anyone you know experienced anything similar?

A friend of mine once told me that she'd gotten into the north elevator

and ended up in some weird place where she saw a woman.

Like in that urban legend.

And your friend remembered this?

Besides the fact that you lost your memories, nothing else happened, right, Aoi?

I can't think of anything.

Listen, Aoi.

What is it? You look so serious...

Did you make up with him?

Your boyfriend.

No, I didn't.

Oh, that's right.

There's a new girl at work who I think is a good match for you.

How about I throw a mixer?

June 13th

So, learn anything from Aoi-chan?

Aoi-chan?

A customer from when I was a host.

I see.

I didn't get much in the way of clues.

There's one thing that bothered me, though.

Let's break up...

She had a boyfriend she was thinking of marrying.

But just the other day, he broke up with her.

However, when I met her, she didn't seem at all bothered by it.

You don't think she just got over it?

No...

It was more like she'd forgotten it.

So she lost her memories of being engaged?

She remembered her boyfriend, and the breakup.

But it was like she'd lost the memories of being depressed or the sadness she'd felt.

That's how it felt to me.

Either way, first, we need to examine the scene.

June 13th Tokyo City Hall Building 1, First Floor

Well, Theo?

No sign of any crests or spells...

So it's not likely artificial, then.

Artificial?

Like incorporating magic into the elevator itself into make into some kind of device.

What does that mean?

For example, if a believer in a god, or what we call an Another,

created a magical gate to offer their deity sacrifices.

The victims would have no idea what happened

as they passed through the gate and right to the Another's presence.

The data we have made it seem like it happens

when you leave the elevator to go into the observation deck.

So, we should go up?

Theo, head up to the south deck and take a look.

Miyako and I will take a look at the north deck.

Roger.

Pray for me, so I don't end up in a parallel world.

That's not funny...

Nothing.

Nope.

Up it is, then.

Right.

June 14th

Um,

the missing persons and missing memories cases are occurring at random

in both the north and south elevators, right?

Yeah. We don't know what makes them happen.

Why would someone do that?

No idea.

The goals of the Anothers are beyond our comprehension.

June 14th

Okay, let's go.

So this is the Parallel World?

I'm looking for something.

Give what you have to me.

Shinjuku Ward

Nope, nothing.

The hell?

Okay, Arata, then.

Did they end up going to that other world?

Nah, no way.

June 14th

No, no, no.

June 14th

Kyoichi! Arata!

Maybe...

They did?

Give them to me.

Hey, do you know what she's saying?

"Give them to me."

Give what?

No idea.

Oh?

What you have...

That's not it!

Oh, no! Did I make a mistake?

A mistake?

What about you?

You have nothing.

You've got nothing to do with this!

You made contact with this human at the entrance

and came with him, it feels like.

Contact at the entrance?

Was it then?

How many times has this happened?

Maybe when you prioritize efficiency, you become less accurate.

Efficiency? Accurate?

You're human, aren't you?

But you understand what I'm saying?

Uh... yeah.

I'm talking with a human! How wonderful!

Since you're here, I'd like to talk to you.

Huh? Talk to me?

Come on. This way.

Huh? Wait...

Hey, Miyako!

I don't need you anymore.

No—

S-Sakaki-san!

Kyoichi! Kyoichi!

Kyoichi!

What happened?

Where's Arata?

She got him.

She controls that space.

We went to another world, and I was sent back.

I made a mistake...

Sakaki-san? No...

He was in the way, so I got rid of him.

Is he okay?

I just sent him back outside.