The Puppeteers

Chapter 14: The Marionette and The Puppeteer

"I didn't actually get sidetracked. I...sent Mafuyu, to help Nene." Mizuki said, "With the help of Miku, ofcourse."

"You did WHAT?!" Rui blurted out in surprise.

"Haha, I did tell you it wasn't believable." She giggled.

"Yeah, you were right about it sounding like a lie." Emu commented, "And even though you told us that, I still feel like it's not the truth."

"Tell us a little more, Mizuki." Ena perked, "How did all of that happen?"

"Okayy." She responded, "So..."

Tsukasa cupped his chin and started listening.

"When Mafuyu started crying and ran away, I went after her. Maybe you guys saw."

"Affirmative." Rui replied, "We all saw you running after her."

"Then, we talked things out like how normal friends would." The suspect continued, "She really seemed like she regretted everything that she did after seeing Nene get hurt that badly."

"It wasn't until she told me she wanted to repay Nene in some way that I thought of her going to the Fragment SEKAI."

Upon hearing that, there were 2 questions Tsukasa wanted to inquire:

"Didn't you know that Kanade already went there though?" 

"Well, yes, but it would be nice if we had one more person so we can really guarantee the safety of our friends, right?"

"So how did you send her there? You mentioned that you used the help of Miku, how?"

"Mizuki...Are you the traitor?!" Emu squeaked with a sad voice.

"No!" The girl denied again.

"How come Miku helped you then? That's strange." Emu continued accusing.

"I think that's where you're wrong." Tsukasa objected, "Me and Kanade got sent back from the Fragment SEKAI's with the help of Miku."

"Using your logic," He continued, "Me and Kanade would also have to be suspicious, not just Mizuki."

"No. Using Miku's help has just turned into a way for people to make fake alibis to benefit themselves now. What proof do you have that she actually helped you and them? And why would she help us anyway?" Rui opposed harshly.

"Why don't we just ask her?" Kanade reccomended, "Then we can find out the truth, right?"

Tsukasa nodded, but then changed his mind.

"While asking Miku would help us get to the truth, she's known for lying and twisting things to get her way, isn't she? I don't think we can rely on her for that..."

"That doesn't sound like the truth." Ena smiled awkwardly.

Mizuki replied, "We should still ask her, but while taking things with a grain of salt, y'know?"

"Good point." Emu agreed, "Now, to get Miku..."

---

Their footprints left a trace in the snow with every step they took.

"Sorry." The cold puppet said, she stopped walking in the path.

The puppeteer stopped to stare at her, surprised. The puppet's strings were still attached, and yet she felt a need to apologize to the one controlling her.

"For what?" The puppeteer asked the marionette.

"For trying to reach out of the place I was supposed to stay in." The puppet replied, "I realize now, I was never meant to go that far. The place I belong is within the strings tying me to the stage."

"..." The puppeteer stayed quiet. "What made you think this?"

"...It's the fact that I cannot walk without the puppeteer by my side. I never learned to even crawl, so trying to be independent is something I realized I can never achieve."

"So you're giving up?"

"Yes. I now will be a mindless marionette for the rest of my existence."

"..."

"What's wrong?" The puppet asked.

"I liked you more when you were trying to be independent." She replied.

"So I'm still not good enough?"

"No, ofcourse not. It just feels like you've lost your true self now."

"But isn't that what you wanted? I did all of this for you." The puppet answered.

"I didn't want you to become a soulless being. That's just a cruel way to exist."

"Then what was it that you wanted?" The puppet tilted her head.

"I wanted to find the scissors that would allow me to cut the strings on you. I wanted you to be free."

"You didn't want a puppet at all? What was my purpose?" The puppet continued questioning.

"Don't you see where those strings lead you? Have you ever looked around besides for other peoples commands?"

"No, because I thought that was my purpose." The puppet looked at where the strings lead which turned out to be the pieces of wood on Nene's wrists. "Are you a puppet too?"

"They call me a puppeteer, like you do. But all I've done is be forced into a higher position that allows me to take control over other people." Nene said, the gloomy look all over her face, "All I wanted was for those like you to be free. That's why we're still walking here, to find a cliff where you can learn to fly."

"What if I don't want to fly?" Mafuyu continued asking.

"You'll have to learn it eventually." The girl voiced, "Because your purpose is to explore the world with freedom, not be a mindless marionette doing only what others tell you."

"What I mean by that is, Mafuyu, what you did might've been a little harsh, but the fact you chose to fight for your own beliefs and reasons shows that you're not meant to be kept in a cage like a bird. You're not a puppet, because a real puppet wouldn't have strong feelings that could oppose others, instead they'd just be mindless from the start."

"You have meaning, Mafuyu. Please embrace it."

---

"Was I called again? What is it now?" Miku greeted them in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Miku, we wanted to ask if you really helped Mizuki, Kanade and Tsukasa go to different places in the SEKAI." Emu explained.

"Oh yeah, that's true. But what's that got to do with anything?"

"Why are you helping us with small things like that when you could just teleport us out of here?" Rui questioned.

"Because that's just not possible! I can't!"

"What? Do you not have enough power to do that?" Ena interrogated, "Aren't you like, in charge of all of the SEKAI's?"

"Not Overlapped ones! They're so hard to get out of, and I haven't been in one since a decade!"

"Ah, we're really doomed, aren't we...?" Mizuki laughed pathetically.

Ena made a fist, looking at Miku with rage. "Aaaugh! I'm so done with all of this! None of this information even gets us anywhere, it's all so useless!"

Seeing that no one else had anything to say,  Ena ran off saying "I'm out of here!"

The others stared at eachother in surprise once more.

AUTHORS NOTE: Sorry for no chapter in a long time im struggling with a lot of things at once and cant find motivation lolz, hope you enjoyed though