"After Jun-kun and I found each other, we decided to split up and ask the staff for more info. We went around asking them if they knew who put the smartwatches on our wrist, if they knew who wrote the welcome message, and other such things. But we soon found the staff weren't very helpful.
They can't answer any questions, first of all, except in vague terms. When asked who kidnapped us, who put the watches on our wrist, and who wrote the messages, all they said was that "The House" did it. They couldn't give anything more specific; it was just "the House" over and over.
What's most bizarre is that they didn't seem to see anything wrong with mass kidnapping. They all said the House was generous and wonderful, and that they couldn't see why anyone would want to leave, as though they'd all been fed the same lines.
At that point, I started to think they might fear retaliation from their employer if they said anything less-than-wonderful about their workplace, so I tried offering them a better-paying job through the Tomoe Foundation. But not one of them considered the offer, and they acted like I was just playing with them.
What's even more curious is that they couldn't answer basic questions about their employment. Not one of them could tell me who hired them, besides "the House," and not one could remember how long they'd been working there or which month they were hired. They just said it was "some time ago" and trailed off as though they couldn't remember. Or they said, "time flies when you're busy" and other clichéd words.
Obviously, the world is a big place and people have different values, so I'm sure it wouldn't be impossible to find some people who are okay with working for a shady enterprise. But the fact that everyone had the same views and seemed to truly believe what they were saying really disturbed me. It wasn't just one or two shop clerks; it was janitors, food servers, bellhops and guards who all talked that way. Moreover, the fact that none of them could remember how long they've been here points to memory loss on a grand scale. So, between their universally strange views and their issue with memory, I can only assume the staff was brainwashed. They may well have no memory of their previous life before coming here, and they've all been brainwashed to see "the House" as their wonderful provider.
And the staff aren't the only people who behave like cult followers. It's also the other guests, too. Those who got kidnapped around the same time I did have still kept their minds, as well as their memories of their life before coming here, but I can't say the same for the longer-term guests. All of those guests act like embarrassing nouveau riche types: the kind who don't care about anything except gossip, luxury, showing off, eating and drinking to excess, and having affairs and so on. Of course, that's exactly the sort of person a luxury resort like this would attract, so I thought they were just normal guests at first, but then something else happened that made me realize otherwise.
It was when the "Springtime" game was announced - I'll get to that later, but once a new "game" was announced on all the TV screens, most of the guests went crazy over it. They started whooping and cheering and having hysterical meltdowns. They'd fall to their knees in the halls, weep, and kiss the ground. And every single one of them praised "the House" with a religious fervor.
None of the people I know personally have been brainwashed. That includes all the ES idols; the four of us have kept our minds, and we can see this place for what it is. But the longer-term guests - or the "career residents," as one other person called them - are different from us. They aren't just content to be living in luxury. They truly worship our captors - that is, "the House" - as their saviors, akin to a religious deity. In other words, the resort is a cult led by "the House," and the guests and staff are their devoted followers.
I'm not sure how the brainwashing procedure works. There might be a facility somewhere on the lower levels, locked behind closed doors somewhere. Or it might be done through hypnotism or mind control. I don't think emotional manipulation would explain it, since the effects are too widespread, and they're identical in just about everyone.
Of course, if they're so good at brainwashing, I'm not sure why they didn't bother to brainwash me or the other idols. But I do wonder if they attempted it, and it just didn't work properly. Leo-kun and Rinne-senpai seem to be suffering from some memory loss, and I can't say with 100% certainty that I'm not suffering any, either. I want to think I could never forget anything that happened back home, especially if it involved those I care about deeply. But anything is possible when you're dealing with an enemy this powerful. I can't afford to throw out any possibility just because I don't like it."
STAFF AND GUESTS
They can't answer any questions, first of all, except in vague terms. When asked who kidnapped us, who put the watches on our wrist, and who wrote the messages, all they said was that "The House" did it. They couldn't give anything more specific; it was just "the House" over and over.
What's most bizarre is that they didn't seem to see anything wrong with mass kidnapping. They all said the House was generous and wonderful, and that they couldn't see why anyone would want to leave, as though they'd all been fed the same lines.
At that point, I started to think they might fear retaliation from their employer if they said anything less-than-wonderful about their workplace, so I tried offering them a better-paying job through the Tomoe Foundation. But not one of them considered the offer, and they acted like I was just playing with them.
What's even more curious is that they couldn't answer basic questions about their employment. Not one of them could tell me who hired them, besides "the House," and not one could remember how long they'd been working there or which month they were hired. They just said it was "some time ago" and trailed off as though they couldn't remember. Or they said, "time flies when you're busy" and other clichéd words.
Obviously, the world is a big place and people have different values, so I'm sure it wouldn't be impossible to find some people who are okay with working for a shady enterprise. But the fact that everyone had the same views and seemed to truly believe what they were saying really disturbed me. It wasn't just one or two shop clerks; it was janitors, food servers, bellhops and guards who all talked that way. Moreover, the fact that none of them could remember how long they've been here points to memory loss on a grand scale. So, between their universally strange views and their issue with memory, I can only assume the staff was brainwashed. They may well have no memory of their previous life before coming here, and they've all been brainwashed to see "the House" as their wonderful provider.
And the staff aren't the only people who behave like cult followers. It's also the other guests, too. Those who got kidnapped around the same time I did have still kept their minds, as well as their memories of their life before coming here, but I can't say the same for the longer-term guests. All of those guests act like embarrassing nouveau riche types: the kind who don't care about anything except gossip, luxury, showing off, eating and drinking to excess, and having affairs and so on. Of course, that's exactly the sort of person a luxury resort like this would attract, so I thought they were just normal guests at first, but then something else happened that made me realize otherwise.
It was when the "Springtime" game was announced - I'll get to that later, but once a new "game" was announced on all the TV screens, most of the guests went crazy over it. They started whooping and cheering and having hysterical meltdowns. They'd fall to their knees in the halls, weep, and kiss the ground. And every single one of them praised "the House" with a religious fervor.
None of the people I know personally have been brainwashed. That includes all the ES idols; the four of us have kept our minds, and we can see this place for what it is. But the longer-term guests - or the "career residents," as one other person called them - are different from us. They aren't just content to be living in luxury. They truly worship our captors - that is, "the House" - as their saviors, akin to a religious deity. In other words, the resort is a cult led by "the House," and the guests and staff are their devoted followers.
I'm not sure how the brainwashing procedure works. There might be a facility somewhere on the lower levels, locked behind closed doors somewhere. Or it might be done through hypnotism or mind control. I don't think emotional manipulation would explain it, since the effects are too widespread, and they're identical in just about everyone.
Of course, if they're so good at brainwashing, I'm not sure why they didn't bother to brainwash me or the other idols. But I do wonder if they attempted it, and it just didn't work properly. Leo-kun and Rinne-senpai seem to be suffering from some memory loss, and I can't say with 100% certainty that I'm not suffering any, either. I want to think I could never forget anything that happened back home, especially if it involved those I care about deeply. But anything is possible when you're dealing with an enemy this powerful. I can't afford to throw out any possibility just because I don't like it."