Indelible Guilt
Ironically, despite being such a dedicated slacker, Kariya's puzzle challenge might be one of the missions with more effort put into it. At the very least, it has more thought than the Reapers' usual favorite strategy of just throwing Noise at players. My point is, I appreciated the change of pace. Meanwhile, Beat appreciated being given the chance to push a big button. I can't say I blame him.
Anyway, Kariya is actually a fairly interesting character. It's heavily implied that he's both surprisingly good at his job, and that he's been around for a while (while Uzuki is a newer recruit). He also seems to know a lot more than he lets on; not all that surprising, considering how fast he caught on to Joshua being "alive". At the end of this day, he tells Beat and Neku that the UG "needs" them, and later tells Uzuki that he helped them because he's worried about Shibuya "homogenizing". So, I have to wonder how much he knows, or at least suspects, about everything going on behind the scenes of the Game. Also, interestingly, I'm pretty sure finding out Konishi lied to him is the first time he gets visibly angry onscreen! Unless I'm forgetting seeing that sprite of his before. At the very least, it's unusual for him to lose his cool that much?
Well, now that Uzuki and Kariya have become at least slightly more sympathetic (they really love Shibuya! They just also happen to love tormenting dead teenagers!), it's time for something bad to happen to them. It seems the Red Skull pins are finally being activated. Just in time for Minamimoto's resurrection, too! I know it's only been a couple days, plus I already knew he would return, but I still got zetta excited when he showed up at the end of this day. What can I say. Nobody does it like him.
Today's Secret Report:
The Conductor has begun his work with the Red Skull pins. By bringing Shibuya's collective consciousness in line with his own, he hopes to accomplish his goal of rebuilding Shibuya.
The Conductor's zeal is unparalleled among Reapers. His strong presence was central to the Composer's ability to govern Shibuya, an area considered exceptionally chaotic even among the Higher Plane's denizens.
That the Composer would consent to base his plans for Shibuya's destruction on a Game with the Conductor shows his unwavering trust in his subordinate.
The unification of minds is the natural state of the Higher Plane. Given time, it might happen throughout the Underground. The current UG, however, is not ready.
People have erected walls around their minds, dividing their collective consciousness.
They coexist independently, like the cells that make up a single human being.
While the Player Pin hold Imagination strong enough to pass through those walls, the pin user's own barriers are strengthened. Were that not the case, the incoming flood of other minds could erode at the user's own consciousness. Consequently, those who hold Player Pins cannot be scanned.
Why does individuality exist?
This is something the Conductor has overlooked. Everything that exists has a purpose. Obsessed with his egoistic "protection" of Shibuya, the Conductor has blinded himself to the facts. With his blind ego funneled into everyone in Shibuya, the city's destruction is not far off.
So long as there is individuality, it is impossible to fully eliminate loneliness. There is no such thing as a shared reality.
Even people who believe they share a connection are not truly connected. They must actually make contact, clash, and learn about others through their foreignness.
Differences should not be denied; they should be accepted and enjoyed.
People must realize this if Shibuya is to be spared from destruction.