Finally, the time had come. It had taken me almost five years, but I finally found the key to XP Hill. There was a bar named Bliss downtown. It was just your standard dive in a run down part of the city. When I walked in, the first thing I noticed were these two giant bear pelts in opposite corners. One black and one white, they stretched all the way up to the ceiling. The bar was mostly empty. Other than the bartender, there were a few patrons drinking alone, and a bearded man sitting under the black bear pelt. "All these lonely people," I thought to myself "Don't they have anything better to do on a Friday night?" I asked for a highball, took a seat under the white bear pelt, and tried to steel my resolve. All I knew was that I needed to find "dad."
Well, maybe this wouldn't be so difficult, I thought to myself, taking another drink. There's just a few lonely guys here, and most of them look too young to be dads. I quickly realized I was doing anything to avoid confronting the bearded man. "He looks homeless,"... "he's definitely not my dad," or other any excuse I could come up with. I told myself it was just the nerves. I shot a quick glance over to the other corner of the room and I almost felt my heart jump through my chest. He was just sitting there, staring at me, with a look of concern in his eyes. He ushered me over with his finger, as if things couldn't get any creepier. But, my search led me here and so I was determined.
"Are you a dad?" I asked him before even taking a seat. "Dad?" he asked me as he stroked his beard, "It's been a long time since anyone called me that. I imagine you are here for the key to Bliss," he continued. I noticed that his body was shaking at this point, he seemed truly worried by my presence. "I can give it to you, but be warned. All the other risuna are already gone-- you are all that remains." But I already knew it. I had mustered all my strength to go and save Chihiro. It was my duty as the final risuna. Every breath had brought me to where I am today, and I wasn't going to back down. I silently nodded, confirming my understanding, and he handed me a sleek looking USB drive. "You know what to do," he said. "Do not fall for her tricks," he warned me.
Later that night, I booted up my PC with the USB stick plugged in, took a last gulp of my Scotch, and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I didn't really understand what I saw. This didn't look like XP Hill to me; it was just some bleak alleyway. There were two girls in front of me, one of them covered in blood. Both of them had bear ears, but they were... white? They looked nearly identical and had a strong resemblance to Chihiro. Was it just my memory being hazy and playing tricks on me? What the fuck is going on?! I couldn't make sense of anything, and everything just felt wrong. "Where is Chihiro?!" I asked her, panicking. The mysterious girl looked over at me and quietly smiled. She pointed at the girl on the ground and said "that's Chihiro right there."
