We Escape to Survive

Empty SEKAI

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1

Mizuki

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Heya!
How's everyone doing? Good?
2

Len

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Oh, you're all here...
3

Miku

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Does this mean your new song's finished...?
4

Ena

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No, we just came to take a break.
5

Miku

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I see...
6

Miku

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Is Mafuyu still not able to come...?
7

Kanade

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No...
She can't do much in the evening now.
8

Miku

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I see...
9

Luka

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But you're trying to think of a way to help her, no?
10

Kanade

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Yes, we are...
11

Ena

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We've tried several ideas, but...
12

Len

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Several ideas...? Like what?
13

Mizuki

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So, for example...
We've been trying to find ways to meet her more often when she's out and stuff. That way she can feel a little more at ease.
14

Mizuki

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Also, we've been trying to have meetings at a cafe or a diner when she's coming home from school.
15

Ena

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And... You've been trying to compose more songs faster, right, Kanade?
16

Kanade

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I have. Because I firmly believe that Mafuyu needs the time we use to make songs as N25.
17

Kanade

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At the same time...
18

Len

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Kanade...?
19

Kanade

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We haven't been able to solve the core issue.
20

Kanade

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She hasn't been able to work every day, but she always seems to feel relieved whenever she gets to see us...
21

Kanade

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But we don't have the power to immediately improve her current situation.
22

Len

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Right...
23

Ena

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Ideally, we'd be able to convince Mafuyu's mom to accept what we're doing...
24

Mizuki

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But that sounds impossible based on what you told us, Kanade...
25

Ena

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Then, is there anything we can do right now...?
26

Luka

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Yes, I believe there is.
27

Kanade

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What?
28

Luka

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I suspect that you've already considered it as an option.
29

Luka

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In the end, you'll need to make Mafuyu break herself out of this situation.

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30

Mizuki

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...!
31

Luka

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I have a feeling that Mafuyu will be able to muster up the courage to fight back once she understands what her mom is doing to her. So, I would tell Mafuyu that straight away...
32

Kanade

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Yes, Luka, you're right. We've already considered that...
33

Kanade

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But... We can't do that...
34

Luka

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Oh? Why's that?
35

Kanade

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Because... We'd be asking far too much of Mafuyu... I doubt she'd immediately understand...
36

Luka

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Too much?
Oh...
37

Luka

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Right.
Mafuyu probably wouldn't be able to process what her mother has said.
38

Luka

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Especially since the person who she believes has her best interests in mind simply doesn't care about her happiness.
39

Luka

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Unfortunately, if you wish to get her out of this situation, then she will need to deal with the painful truth...
40

Kanade

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But...
41

Kanade

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I want to avoid that as much as possible.
42

Luka

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Of course, you all have every right to wish for that.
43

Luka

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However...
44

Luka

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There may come a time when you won't be left with any other choice.
45

Kanade

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...
46

Mizuki

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(Luka's right...)
47

Mizuki

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(Up until now, we've been able to help Mafuyu feel a little better... But we haven't been able to actually change anything.)
48

Mizuki

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(There probably are better ideas out there, but we're struggling to come up with them...)
49

Mizuki

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(Which sort of means that we'll need to keep Luka's solution in mind moving forward.)
50

Mizuki

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(Also...)
51

Mizuki

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(If we don't act soon, Mafuyu's mom is probably gonna really start trying to keep us away from her daughter...)
52

Mizuki

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(Which is only going to put Mafuyu in an even worse place...)
53

Mizuki

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(At the same time, Kanade's right...
I doubt Mafuyu's in a state right now where she can properly process the truth.)
54

Mizuki

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(What are we supposed to do...?)
Mizuki's Room

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55

Mizuki

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<Alright, I'm gonna get back to work...>

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56

Mizuki

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We couldn't come up with any good ideas...

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57

Mizuki

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Mafuyu...?
58

Mafuyu's Message

<Sorry for not responding sooner, but I won't be able to do anything today. I'll try working on my lyrics tomorrow if I have time.>
59

Mizuki

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...
60

Mizuki

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(She's probably sending us this while her mom's not watching...)
61

Mizuki

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(Even at home, she's a prisoner...
What in the world does that feel like?)

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62

Mizuki

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(Home was a place of refuge for me...
I could just be myself here.)
63

Mizuki

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(In or outside of home, Mafuyu's not allowed to be herself. On top of that, her time with us—the one place she could escape—has been taken away from her...)
64

Mizuki

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(She has nowhere to run.)
65

Mizuki

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(If she has to keep enduring this...)

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66

Mizuki

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That'd be horrible...
67

Mizuki

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(Seriously, isn't there anything we can do...?)
68

Mizuki

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(It doesn't have to be big.
Just some time that allows Mafuyu to be herself.)
69

Mizuki

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(Time... For her to be herself...)

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70

Mizuki

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...
71

Mizuki

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(Isn't there a way to get her family to understand...? Like the way mine did for me...)
72

Mizuki

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(Mom, Dad and Sis all took the time to understand when I really needed a place to run.)
73

Mizuki

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(Because they did, I could just be myself at home.)
74

Mizuki

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(Yeah...
What if we could work with her for little bits at a time...?)
75

Mizuki

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(But her mom's watching her like a hawk...
The only time we could work together would be...)
76

Mizuki

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Oh...!

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77

Mizuki

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<K! Enanan!
Sorry, I know you're both working, but can we chat for a second?>
78

Mizuki

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<I just came up with a really good idea!>
Next Chapter: Time Spent At Peace