Undisclosed Contact: T6's Lil' Bear

🐻: D:

🌙: While this creeps me out on every level possible, I will assume this is a mistype, screenshot, and set your contact pic as your new emoji. I appreciate the sudden variety, Pooh.

🐻: (D:

🌙: A-An under-chin..? Are you okay? Did some kid bully you in school today? Want me to fly over? I have nothing scheduled for Saturday.

🐻: (D:)

🌙: THEY PUT YOUR HEAD IN A BALL AND THREW YOU ACROSS THE SPORTS FIELD?

🐻: (D:)^

🌙: This is frustrating. I feel like a normal civilian. I can't tell what you're saying, Pooh.

🐻: (D:)^2

🌙: Exponents? Don't, don't bring math into this. We've been through this. You know it. I know it. I had a side-affair with science. Stop bringing my ex back.

🌙: Maybe I... should call the team for help... they might get what you're trying to say.

🐻: Venus, wait! Don't contact them.

🌙: Did you just... just... haha, nah. What the fuck did you just type...

🐻: Listen, don't freak out.

🌙: Hold the fuck up, hold up. Hoooold up. Who are YOU to tell me not to freak out—

🌙: Screw that did you just type— YOU'RE TYPING? Are you actually—

🌙: Alright which one are you— Arsomis? L01? Beta? Then again Beta's an emotionless prick, and M&M's occupied with whining about the downgrade of her life every chance she gets.

🌙: I'm betting the first two. Either one, y'all are so dead for using Pooh's number.

🐻: Venus.

🌙: Holy..

🐻: Venus...?

🌙: Shit he said it again.

🐻: Earth to.. now I know why Arsomis thought it was a good joke lmfao.

🌙: Mother of Christ he jumped two different levels of slang for laughing and went straight for 'lmfao' I— ... is this Pooh? Like, Pooh-Pooh? Am I talking to one of your computers...?

🐻: It's me, V.

🌙: Pooh...

🐻: Boo.

🌙: Cut it out! I'm really spooked. Are you seriously talking? This isn't some joke?

🐻: Not a joke. Will you hear me out?

🌙: Hear you out? Just what is going on with you today? I'm not saying it's a negative thing, but I'm confused and worried. I always thought it was your internet persona to remain silent. It keeps us extra safe when our teammate talks only in ':D' language. Yet, nothing strange's going on today. And you sought me out privately, going as far as not wanting our team to know. Are you alright?

🐻: Of course. I know you have a lot of questions, but...

🌙: Another time, right?

🐻: Please do. This is urgent. It has to do with Beta.

🌙: Beta. Why is it that you know something about Beta that we don't?

🐻: I thought we were saving questions for later.

🌙: I felt that through my cracked screen. Punk.

🐻: Have you realized what's going on recently?

🌙: I'm not understanding what you want to say. There's been many things going on recently on my side, but I can't necessarily tell if it's got anything to do with your experiences.

🐻: How about our group chat's time?

🌙: It's always been 13:00pm, Pooh.

🐻: No, it hasn't.

🌙: Well shit. So you know about it too.

🐻: I thought you just said...

🌙: I'm testing you. I needed to know we were both on board before I discussed this odd situation with you, since I haven't even told the whole team yet. I thought it was only a problem through my screen.

🐻: It's not a problem. It's a security measure I set up so that assuming the worst case scenario, we would be alerted on an intruder that managed to hack into our system.

🌙: So what you're saying is, we've been hacked. That much I have speculated. But, the part where Beta's involved...?

🐻: That's exactly the problem. He isn't involved. Beta's missing.

🌙: ... I just had a thought. The government official that I met a few weeks ago. Remember how he gave me the folder for our previous assignment? The two words faded on the back cover. Where. Blind. Could it mean, 'Keep an open eye. Someone will be missing?'"

🐻: Close, but not quite. Here's how I interpreted it just before you left the group chat the last time you brought it up: "Don't be blind to the man in charge of you, the real one is gone."

🌙: There's not doubt it's hinting about Beta. Then our suspicions are right. The chat's time is the biggest clue. Haven't you noticed how Beta's been demanding more work from us? Like the on last mission, the man kept urging us to go even though the 'Beta' we knew would care for a little compromise.

🐻: I got it. I know why.

🌙: ... Shit.

🐻: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

🌙: ... They wanted to lure us in meeting in person.

🐻: Precisely. It's an impersonator. They're not Beta. My system doesn't recognize them. Beta's account is run through a different software now, and I bet it's whoever is trying to get information out of us. Clever method to hack into Beta's account and keep up a loose act, but after all, even we don't know each other. No one in this world can confirm our identities even if we met in person, not even ourselves. That's what makes this scheme pathetic.

🌙: Gotta hand it to them for trying. But we should still watch our backs. If they can hack Beta, I'm sure there's a Plan B-F in their agenda. Remind me why people are trying to match our identities with our online personas again?

🐻: Money. Fame. Maybe a conspiracy theory framing our morals on whether they're ethical or not. Blackmail. Possibly... a personal history with one of us.

🌙: Or all of us. We started T6-GEO@ when we got together last year. Before that, we...

🌙: I'm sorry, I can't remember what happened last... that's so... strange.

🐻: Last year? What are you talking about? We've been together for the last four years...

🌙: Huh? That can't be right. I know it's only been a year. Last year...

🌙: ... last year I... the last three years... ohmygod... it's blank.

🐻: You can't remember??

🌙: What is going on...? I'm freaking out... this isn't right. Last four YEARS? Am I delusional? I'm feeling light-headed. I'm... this...

🐻: Are you telling me... the dream I had last night... wasn't a dream... but... the truth...?

🌙: I'm freaking out. I need to get out. My teacher was right. Being cooped up in my apartment messes with my head. I'm going to take a walk. Maybe I'll come back to my senses.

🌙: HELP ME, I'm scared. What exactly is going on, Asao.

🐻: ....

🐻: What did you... just say?

🐻: What did you just—

🐻: Are you there?

🐻: VENUS? VENUS.

🌙: OH it's u. I was staring at this phone wondering who I'm typing to. Ur Pooh!

🐻: Venus?

🌙: 'Venus?' Ah, T6's business? You said we would meet the team tomorrow. Did I fall asleep while we were talking? Sorrry, man!

🐻: ... This conversation— who the hell are you? How in the world do you know that name?

🌙: Um, Asao? Are u sick in the head? I know ur mind's imaginative & stuff when we play but this is too much. Yru asking ur best friend what his name is??

🐻: 'his...?'

🌙: We literally saw each other yesterday in the yard, dude. OK actually, I just looked around & I don't know where I am right now, but I'm probably just confused after my nap. We were in DC w/ the rest of ur buddies, but I never got to meet-meet them yet. God, r u sure U don't need a nap?

🐻: J.J...?

🌙: Hi?

🐻: This is crazy. You do realize that... this conversation was... four years ago... right?

🌙: I've been... sleeping for that long...?

🐻: You're not saying 'sleeping' as in 'sleeping-sleeping,' are you?

🌙: Did something happen, Asao? I'm confused. What's going on. Where am I? What year is it? Where r u?

🐻: J.J. Go find a mirror. Tell me who you see.

🌙: That's creepy. Stop playing.

🐻: Do it. Take me with you then.

🌙: ... It's her! I remember. This is Risa's body, isn't it? Isn't she the girl u kept telling me about? She's asleep rn but I forgot how we looked. She's grown a lot.

🐻: Risa had dissociative identity disorder. That's what— shit. Oh my god, the memories are coming back. I have to go.

🌙: Asao??

🐻: Listen, I need you to listen to an old friend. Wake Risa up. Don't come out until she's ready. Will you do that? You remember our past, right?

🌙: It's the present for me...

🐻: It may not seem much at the moment but you have to believe me. Things have changed greatly over the past four years. But our memories have been stuck in time. You cannot, absolutely cannot, come out again. Not while risking the possibility that Risa's other is waking up as well.

🌙: Alright, alright! But Risa's other...?— I remember who it is now.

🐻: I'm going to erase the history of this chat up to where you came in. Please keep a low profile. And most importantly...

🐻: Do not let the other one find you.

▂▂▂▂▂

For those of you confused, all the clues have been scattered in each chapter. Summary of what happened in this chapter:

Risa checks the message from Pooh. It's a private message. They figure out Beta's fake and the real one's missing.

And then... you guys should be as confused as Pooh. The answer lies in DID (dissociative identity disorder). Everything will become clearer in following chapters.

Btw, can you tell where Risa stops talking?

- MINNA