In a flashback, Hajime tells Gwen he’s going to suggest to Kujirai Reiko (AKA Kujirai B), on what is actually the eve of the demolition of the second Kowloon Walled Metropolis. Now within the current, no matter model of Kowloon exists appears to be crumbling: the explosion took an enormous gash out of one of many towers.
Hajime spots Gwen amongst the onlookers, they usually embrace as the nice pals they’re. This time Gwen tells Hajime he’s discovered somebody he loves, and as he thinks he’s seen the actual him, he doesn’t wish to quit on him. As for his different purpose of getting Hajime out of this place, that isn’t occurring: Hajime is staying put.
Elsewhere within the metropolis Hebimura is strolling the streets, however immediately will get lightheaded, and presumes he’s letting an excessive amount of of the Walled Metropolis into his consciousness earlier than passing out. We then flash again to when he first met Gwen at a bar, and instantly noticed by his “master-of-all-trades, dwelling hand-to-mouth” façade.
Hebimura, whose firm was accountable for the Second Kowloon’s demolition, sees Gwen’s true excellence, and that very night time he indulges in it. He finds it refreshing and notable that in contrast to anybody else he’s been with, Gwen doesn’t care whether or not he’s a person or a lady. It’s Gwen who first obtained Hebimura interested by his Absolute Self, which rejects the gender binary.
Hebimura involves within the dressing room of a burlesque membership that shared the alley the place he handed out, and Reiko simply so occurs to cease by as a consultant of the membership’s realty firm. Whereas Reiko is stunned and considerably petrified of seeing him once more, the actual fact is she has inquiries to ask him.
Our fork-tongued good physician encounters a far completely different Kujirai Reiko than the one he met the primary time. She’s discovered fairly a bit, even the time period “Zirconians,” and asks straight up if she is one. All he can inform her is that she’s neither a Zirconian nor a clone, but when he needed to assign a label, it could be a “Generic.”
Not as a result of she lacks specificity, thoughts you, however as a result of she is a selected creation of Generic Terra: similar identify and physique, however a brand new particular person: exactly the blank-slate clone of himself he’s planning to create for his father as revenge for the lifetime of wrongs dedicated towards him.
When Reiko brings up “absolute self”, the identical phrases he utilized in regards to himself, he tells her she’s virtually already there, as she will be able to declare she is herself, and already has pals who settle for her. However maybe the final requisite for absolute self-ness is getting Hajime to acknowledge her, not as his revived fiancée with amnesia, however a wholly new and completely different particular person.
The discuss with Hebimura is encouraging for Reiko, who for the primary time begins to really feel like she now not wants to hold the burden of B’s life, and tells Yaomei she intends to maneuver out of B’s previous room. This pleases Yaomei to no finish, as a result of simply as she now not acknowledges her previous self, a digital clone of her mom, she doesn’t consider her good buddy Reiko wants to fret about some stranger from a previous she by no means truly knew.
However then, that night time round midnight, Hajime stops by Reiko’s home, however tells her to not open her door. He’s solely there as a result of it’s the anniversary of Kujirai B’s loss of life, which we be taught from Dr. Wong to have been a suicide. Reiko smiles and assures him she’s not going wherever.
That relieves Hajime, and whereas Yaomei is upset and annoyed that Reiko modified her thoughts so simply, she’s additionally prepared to fulfill her midway. Reiko needs to make some adjustments to the room to make it extra hers, and Yaomei agrees to make her curtains with the material of her selection.
It’s the seek for that material that has Yaomei proposing she and Reiko head out to Hong Kong correct for the very first time. It’s extremely lucky, then, that Gwen occurs to reach on the similar exit to the Walled Metropolis that they attain, so as to fetch a pizza delivered their by hover-car (he’s heeding Hebimura’s warning to not eat Kowloon’s meals).
Gwen stops Reiko earlier than she crosses the edge, and the pizza supply man refers back to the place as “deserted ruins.” Not solely that, he can’t see or hear Reiko, solely Yaomei and Gwen. To be so shut to at least one’s absolute self, solely to be taught that you just’re not even completely actual to everybody, should be an incredible blow to Reiko.
It additionally explains why Hajime advised her to not go wherever. If this, the third iteration of Kowloon Walled Metropolis and the primary digital model that not everybody can truly see and expertise, will finally meet the identical destiny as the primary two, then Reiko will go together with it. And if that’s what involves cross, Hajime received’t depart her aspect.
