Melée 4

Keito: ...Well, that’s true. The penalty for my secret orders sounded more like a joke than anything, but if it actually came to pass I wouldn’t be able to bear it.

If it were just me getting crushed under someone else’s boot, then so be it. I’ve already seen the view from the dirt.

But my penalty affected the faith that has sustained countless people from past to present—

This man sought to disgrace and trample over that history and those souls. The shame that something like that would happen because of me compelled me.

Hiiro: I don’t think there’s any reason for shame. The ones under threat are victims; they should never have to feel the shame and regret of a criminal.

Or am I thinking about this the wrong way?

Keito: No, you’re correct. I always knew the younger of you Amagi brothers was a good kid. It’s hard to believe you’re Eichi’s favorite.

Hiiro: I’m not a good kid! I get scolded all the time!

Eichi: Fufu, well now I’m curious what your penalty was, Keito...

If it’s so bad that even you would yield, I can’t even begin to imagine the details. Did they threaten to publish your manga online?

Keito: Shut up. The secret orders themselves weren’t too difficult to comply with, especially in comparison to the harsh penalties, so I just went along with it.

I believe Morisawa and some others already guessed it, but now that we’re here, I finally understand Gatekeeper’s true intentions.

Tomoya: Huh? Then what is it? I don’t really get what’s going on...

Hokuto: I’m with Tomoya. Quit beating around the bush.

Keito: You’re so full of yourself... I’m your senpai, you know. Well, it’s better to be like that. It’s the way things should be, even.

Chiaki: It’s like being in a mystery novel, Hidaka. We work under the assumption that Gatekeeper is the culprit and try to figure out his goals.

Hokuto: Thank you, I’ll put some thought into it.

Keito: Why do you treat Morisawa with so much respect...? ^[1]

Hokuto: I respect Morisawa-senpai.

Keito: Have you brainwashed him, Morisawa...?

Chiaki: That’s not nice. I haven’t fallen so low that I’d act so villainous.

Anyway, let’s go through it one by one. Gatekeeper has been threatening all of us. Why would he do that?

Natsume: ...I would think it was to ensure that SS went smoothly, or rather in a way convenient to him.

I don’t know the details of everyone else’s secret orders, but if the goal was to eliminate any uncertainties...

Then he could ensure that SS proceeded according to his plan.

Trickstar, for example, was the most likely of us to mess things up for him, and he even went all the way out there to deal with them.

Chiaki: Right. You can see those motives in how he acts. Gatekeeper wanted to make sure SS ends without anyone shaking things up and ruining the outline he had in mind.

Hokuto: Hm. Of course, as the head of the SS Administration Committee, he would want to make sure things went smoothly—but I guess that’s not the case here.

It sounds to me more like he’s obsessing over a personal matter than just doing his job. No, it would be weird if that’s not what it is.

He’s gone way overboard with this whole thing.

Chiaki: Exactly. Using coercion to get us to behave is so barbaric.

If he were just trying to make sure ES goes well, he wouldn’t need to go that far. The balance is completely off.

The risk outweighs the reward.

So all that to say, I don’t think that alone was his objective, but rather a means to his objective.

His true goals lie elsewhere.