Naota picked it up and pressed the start button. He felt he wouldn't be able to stand the silence without it. Of course, the handheld contained the game Mamimi always played: Fire Starter. Naota, too, had played it when it first had come out, but he'd given up after a few times. It wasn't just Naota—most of the kids who'd bought it had given up on it almost immediately. It hadn't sold well, either. Fire Starter was a really weird game.
Welcome to Endsville, the devil town.
It is a dark town, a city of devils.
An invisible darkness has infected people's hearts. It eats away at the world and continues to spread. It won't stop until Endsville has consumed everything.
This town makes real the previously unattainable desire for world conquest. Finally, all the world shall be like Endsville, and all the people in the world will be like Endsville's residents. Governments, businesses, and churches will become affiliated with Endsville, and all schools will become like Endsville schools, as well.
Pride, obsessions pretending to be love, weak morals, distorted equality—this town is full of easy prey for the devils. It's packed with low-hanging fruit.
Stop Endsville from further consumption!
As apostle to the God of the Black Flame, Lord Cantido, you must stop the growth of Endsville, which knows not how to stop alone.
Take care! If you relax for a moment, then the devil town will enlarge.
The single weapon you have been given to halt this expansion is fire—the sacred, purging flame: matches, lighters, firebombs, explosives, and cigarettes. If it burns, you can use it. The devil town's weakness is fire.
Obtain the items, avoid the police, deceive the firefighters, and burn down the devil town.
Now, go forth and unleash the purifying flame!
However…
There is one thing you mustn't forget—one thing you cannot do. Despite the powerful flames at your control, you can't burn down everything at once. After all, if you burn down the entire town, you'll be left with nowhere to live.
And so, your battle can't be won. Over and over again, without end, you will burn the heartless town.
That is your mission, chosen one.
Go with the blessing of Lord Cantido, God of the Black Flames.
'Mamimi?'
Naota took his eyes off the screen to look around. While his attention had been diverted by the game, Mamimi had disappeared.
Where could she have gone without her shoes?
Panicking, Naota stood up and ran after her, the portable game player still clutched in his hand.
In the evening, the shops in front of the train station were busy. On their way home from work, businessmen and office ladies hurried to make their purchases. Naturally, they were
Once touched by Endsville, people could do nothing but live as part of Endsville. They could breathe only the air of Endsville, and they could eat only Endsville's food.
Devils wearing ties and devils wearing thick makeup; devils who didn't realize they were wearing masks; devils handing out leaflets; devils passing out election flyers; devils talking loudly; devils with fake faces, flipping burgers; devils selling cosmetics; devils crouched down outside the convenience store; fat devils; old devils; and baby devils, pushed in baby carriages—all of them were devils.
Mamimi started feeling sick, so she ran down a deserted alley.
Wandering through the back alleys, Mamimi heard the stray cats meow. Then, between the twilight buildings, she spotted the figure of a robot playing with the cats.
'Lord Canti.'
She smiled.
It was the beginning of her holy life.
Naota used a pay phone on his street to try calling Mamimi's cell phone—but apparently, she'd turned off hers. No one answered at her home phone number, either.
She wasn't at Mabase Bridge, so he had no choice but to go and look for her.
It was time for dinner, but Naota knew he couldn't go home now. He had to look for Mamimi. He had to find her and be with her. Intuitively, he knew this.
He dearly regretted having lost sight of Mamimi just a little while ago. They'd been together a few moments. She'd been sitting right next to him.
It sank in that all he did was make mistakes. Mamimi was slipping away from him—a little farther today than yesterday, a little more now than then.
'You there.'
When he looked up, he saw a policeman standing next to a patrol car.
'You live around here, don't you?' asked the policeman. 'You haven't seen a suspicious-looking high school girl nearby recently, have you?'
For a second, Naota's heart stopped.
'You've heard about the arsons around here,' the cop continued. 'What a horrible person… You don't know anything? You haven't heard any rumors about the culprit at school?'
'Hey,' Naota heard another cop from the patrol car call, 'look over there!'
The sky had turned red. It was a fire.
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry. No, I haven't heard any word from him. I recruited one of the enemy robots, but it's proving pretty useless.'
Haruko was in Naota's room, apologizing and bowing. This was atypical behavior from her, given how outrageous, unruly, savage, and generally over-the-top she was.
She was alone in the room, with the exception of Miyu Miyu, who sat on the bed and looked out the window. The flames of a faraway blaze reflected in the cat's eyes.
'That…'
Haruko noticed the fire. She hurriedly opened the window, stepped outside, and walked out on the balcony.
She heard the sound of sirens coming from the river.
The fire was at a small boathouse, located on the riverside. It was an uninhabited two-story vessel.
Very quickly, a crowd of people formed around it. With the recent arson spate, everyone had become very jittery. Among the gathered people, there was much speculation that this, too, was arson. Usually, no one spent
