Bonus Track The virtual reality adventure of Tomozaki the Warrior

I excitedly removed a machine about the size of my two

hands from its box.

"So this is what the latest virtual reality headset looks

like… It's lighter than I thought… Wow… So futuristic…"

I was holding what looked like a pair of oversized goggles

in my hands. Apparently, Mizusawa had been selected as a

beta tester, and our usual crew was supposed to play an

online game today using these headsets. I was super excited

to try out the latest VR game.

"We're all supposed to log on at five… Oh shit, it's already

5:02! …So I guess I, uh, put this on my head and press that

button?"

Muttering to myself, I slipped the headset on, felt around

for the button on the side, and held it in for a few seconds. A

futuristic sound blared near my ear.

"Wow!"

I passed through a gate made of light and emerged in an

imaginary Western-style living room. When I moved my

head, my view of the room changed exactly as it would if I

were really right there, and the image quality was way higher

than I would have expected for a goggle display. I felt like

the technology was almost too advanced. How'd they even

do this?

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As I was going into shock over just how cutting edge this

thing was, I suddenly heard Hinami's voice.

"…Hello?"

"H-hello…?" I answered timidly.

"That sounds like the Brain's voice! So you finally showed

up!" I heard Mimimi answer.

"Sorry. That you, Mimimi?" I asked, a bit surprised by this

barrage of voices. It seemed as if the space before my eyes

was supposed to be my room in the game, and now other

characters were there. Hmm. So we were supposed to be

communicating by phone or ESP?

"You sure are late, Fumiya. Aren't you the guy who loves

games?"

That was Mizusawa. His I've-got-everything-undercontrol tone came through loud and clear even over the

headset. The ultimate top-tier character.

"Y-yeah, but I've never done VR before… I was geeking

out over the gear, and I lost track of the time," I answered

honestly.

"I swear, Tomozaki-kun, you're hopeless," Hinami said in

a teasing tone. She sounded kind of like her real self, which

was annoying, but I suppressed my irritation and apologized

again. Damn you, Hinami! I can't do anything now, but you

better watch out later!

"Ah-ha-ha. He likes games so much he was late!"

A new voice had joined the conversation: Izumi's.

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"Oh hi, Izumi, you're here, too? I figured you wouldn't

want to bother with the setup."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? My mom helped me

out."

"Is that really something to brag about?" I teased, used to

talking through the headset by now.

With most of us assembled, Hinami took the lead.

"Hinami here. Who's ready to go?"

"Oooh, Takei here! Ready and eager!"

"Uh, Yuzu Izumi here! I can hear you!"

"Ha-ha-ha. You don't have to copy them, Yuzu."

"Um, is that so, Hiro?!"

"I'm ready, too. Come and get me!"

As everyone checked in, I heard a new, uncertain voice.

"Umm…can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear your adorable voice, Tama!"

"No need for the commentary!" Tama-chan shot back with

her usual sharpness.

Mimimi giggled.

"Wow, this headset is incredible! I can't believe we can

talk between houses like this!" Takei said, slightly out of step

with everyone else.

"Uh, actually, you can do that on a phone," I answered.

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"Geez, Takei… Anyway, is everyone ready?" Mizusawa

asked.

"I sure am!" Mimimi answered. "I'm so excited to try VR

for the first time! And the newest model, too!"

"So you're a tester for a game they're developing? You're

so lucky!" I said.

"They must know I'm a cool guy."

"You're so annoying, Hiro!" Izumi said, laughing.

"But we can go inside the game, right?! Aren't you guys

psyched?!" Takei said.

"They do seem to be using the latest technology. I have to

admit, I'm excited, too," Hinami added.

"And it's an RPG with swords and magic, right?! That's,

like, so exciting!" Takei answered.

Tama-chan laughed. "Ah-ha-ha. Yeah, I can see you liking

that."

"I love it!"

I smiled wryly, then brought up something that I'd been

wondering about.

"It feels so futuristic. I wonder if this'll mess with our

brains."

"That's…a scary thought…," Izumi said. Just then, a bell

chimed to announce a new participant.

"H-hello…?" said a beautiful, fleeting, fairylike voice.

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"Oh, that sounds like the adorable Fuka-chan! I've been

waiting for you!"

Hinami followed up Mimimi's exaggerated welcome with

a gentler one. "Looking forward to the game!"

"Me too! Thank you for inviting me. I'm sorry to be late…"

"No problem! Did you have trouble connecting?"

"Um, no, I was able to connect… I just didn't know how to

join the conversation…"

Mizusawa and Hinami jumped in to reassure her.

"Ha-ha-ha, I completely understand!"

"Yes, of course!"

"Hey, that's not the reception I got!" I joked, since they'd

just scolded me for being two minutes late. I felt like all I

was doing was making jokes.

"But what about Shuji? Since Fuka-chan is joining us, I

really wish he could be here," Izumi said regretfully.

Mizusawa laughed. "He said he doesn't have Wi-Fi at

home, so what can you do? It's an online game."

"Yeah, you really do need Wi-Fi for this. You'd burn

through your data in a second otherwise!"

"All he ever uses his phone for is social media… Anyway, I

think we're all here, right?" Mizusawa asked.

"Let's see…me, Yuzu, Tama-chan, Fuka-chan, Mimimi,"

Hinami said like she was taking attendance. "And then

Takahiro, Takei, and Tomozaki-kun… Yup, that's everyone."

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"Okay. Should we get started?" Mizusawa asked, taking

the lead.

"Sounds good," Izumi answered.

"The game is on!"

"I'm looking forward to it!"

A start menu floated in front of my eyes with buttons like

START GAME and OPTIONS.

"Okay, so I choose START GAME and…oh shit!!"

The second I made my selection, a tornado of light

swallowed up the world.

* * *

"Uh, okay…ouch… Where am I?"

When the light receded, I was standing in an open

meadow. Wind was blowing, rustling the grass. The graphics

were way better than on most games, and when I moved, my

avatar in the game moved in tandem, almost seamlessly.

Wonder how it works.

"A meadow with nothing in it…?"

I heard a weird sound behind me, like a time warp, and

then the sound of something heavy falling. I whirled around

in surprise.

"Huh?"

Mimimi was sitting on the ground. She stood up, rubbing

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her butt. "Owww! Where am I…? Is that you, Brain?!"

"Hey, Mimimi… What are you wearing?"

"What?"

She was dressed in shorts and a tube top, with a green

cape tied around her neck. She also had on elbow-length

gloves and a small leather bag secured to a belt around her

waist. Her legs and stomach were exposed, and she looked

very, uh, fit.

I looked away from her as I answered, "You're dressed like

a robber or something."

She looked down at herself.

"What the heck?! You're right! These shorts are barely

there!"

"And you've got a bandanna or something around your

head… They said this was an RPG, right?"

"Yeah."

"Which means you're a thief."

As I was talking, it finally occurred to me to look down at

myself. I could see armor and a sword and shield. Classic

RPG stuff.

"If I've got armor on…am I a soldier?"

"You like more like a warrior to me."

"S-seriously? Don't tell me I ended up as the main

character!"

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"Ah-ha-ha. You've always got the best luck." She thumped

me on the shoulder.

"Not sure if it's good luck or bad…"

"Seriously, though, this game is amazing! We look totally

different! It's almost too real!"

We looked around at the unbroken expanse of green.

"…But what is this place? A grassland?" Mimimi asked.

"Oh, I bet it's the meadow they typically have at the

beginning of games. Seems like…we're the only ones around,

huh?"

"Yeah. Does that mean we're the only two who started

from here?"

"Seems like it… Hey, what was that?"

Just then, the grass rustled. I turned toward the sound

and found a sticky blue monster hopping toward us and

howling menacingly. Who knows where it came from.

"Pigii! Pigii!"

"Eee! A monster! It's all wobbly and gross!" Mimimi said.

"Uh, doesn't it kind of sound like Takei…?"

Even though there was some kind of effect on the voice, it

did sound like him—or rather, it was him.

"Yeah, but what is he?"

"Well, this is the first monster to appear, and it's blue and

wobbly… Sounds like slime to me."

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"You're so calm, Brain!"

"Yeah. This is kind of a standard thing. I bet we're in the

tutorial right now. There's no way we'll lose, so let's just

relax, okay?"

"Doesn't that kind of take away from the fun?"

"What are you talking about? Analyzing the metagame is

part of the fun these days."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but really?"

I felt like a fish in water as I explained our situation.

Mimimi seemed to only understand around half of what I

said, but she crouched down and, from what I could tell, got

ready to fight the monster we were facing. She's a natural.

"Pigii!"

"Ack! Oh boy, here it comes!"

"Let's do this!"

Our first battle began, along with an upbeat battle theme.

"Uh…how do we fight? I don't see any commands…"

"You called it a tutorial, but who's doing the tutoring?"

Just then, I heard a faint, kind voice.

"Tomozaki-kun! Nanami-san!"

Mimimi craned her neck around, confused.

"Where's that voice coming from?" I asked.

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"Over here!"

"Where?" I scanned our surroundings, searching for the

owner of the voice.

"On your shoulder!"

"My shoulder… Argh!"

Mimimi and I found her at the same time. A tiny Kikuchisan, dressed in white and sporting a set of wings, was

hovering over me.

"Are you a fairy that looks like Kikuchi-san?"

"Um…hello," the fairy said.

Mimimi and I returned her greeting.

"H-hi."

"Hello!"

"Um…my name is Fuka. I'm a fairy who helps everyone on

their adventure…apparently," Kikuchi-san said hesitantly,

flitting lightly around us. Just seeing her was enough to fill

me with gratitude.

"I guess that's one way for the game to work…"

"Oh my god, she's so cute! She's even littler than Tama!

So adorable!!"

"Uh, um, cute…"

"She could fit in my palm! I can't stand it! It's too perfect!

Brain, starting today, I am Team Fuka-chan."

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"Uh, okay…"

"Um…? Thank…you?"

Neither of us knew how to react to Mimimi's excitement—

except for Takei, apparently. "Pigii!! Pigii!"

"Takei… I mean, the slime is pissed off!"

"I think he's upset because we're not including him in the

conversation," Kikuchi-san said, taking pity on him. The

slime hopped up and down like he was agreeing with her.

"I wanna be part of the party, too! Pigii!"

"Hey, you just talked in human language!"

"So Takei ended up as a monster…," Mimimi mused,

sounding confused. I looked at poor Takei and considered

the game.

"Interesting. So not everyone gets to play an adventurer."

"I suddenly became a fairy, so I bet it was the same for

Takei."

"Yikes. Becoming slime is a horrible fate," I said, laughing

wryly.

"Wh-what should we do? He's a monster, but he's still

Takei?" Mimimi asked in a panic.

"You're right… I think we should take him down at once!"

Kikuchi-san said decisively.

"I didn't know you were such a hawk! Maybe we can make

friends with him!" Mimimi shouted in surprise. I was

surprised, too.

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"Yeah…he might be a trash mob, but he is Takei."

"Yeah, don't forget that!" slime-Takei jumped in.

"He's talking just like us!"

Mimimi was obviously thrown off by the flood of events.

In real life, she can handle anything, but that didn't seem to

be the case in this game.

"Grrr!!" the slime with Takei's voice said, hurling himself

at me. You'll pay for this, Takei!

"Oof!"

"Brain!!"

"A-are you all right?!"

I stepped back, rubbing the spot where he'd hit me. But…

what the heck was I feeling?

"Yeah. It doesn't hurt…but my head feels sort of heavy or

something…"

"Your head feels heavy?"

"Um…I think it's because your PH fell!"

"You mean that's what it feels like to lose HP?"

"Oh right, HP…"

"This game is really well designed!"

"Pigiiiii!!"

While we were talking, slime-Takei had rapidly puffed up

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and started howling again. Dude, shut up.

"Eee! He's getting angry again because we're leaving him

out!"

"Pigipigipigipigi!"

Hopping forward at lightning speed, he hurled himself at

us again and again. This was getting ridiculous.

"He just attacked us like four times in a row!"

"He has multi-attacks?"

"He's stronger than I thought!"

"I know, this is one hell of a high-level slime…"

Mimimi and I jumped back a few feet, but slime-Takei

hopped toward us again.

"…No, I don't think that was multi-attacks, just four hits

in a row!"

"What a meathead…"

I slumped, disappointed, but Kikuchi-san refused to let us

ease up.

"Nevertheless, he's still a threat. If you two don't do

something, you'll lose the game!"

"As a gamer, I can't let myself lose to slime…"

"As a human, I can't let myself lose to Takei…"

Reacting to Mimimi's comment, the slime began boiling

underneath its skin so that round welts bubbled up all over

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it.

"Pigiiiii!!!"

"Nanami-san, I don't think it would be wise to provoke

Takei-kun any further!" Kikuchi-san warned.

Just then, light began to concentrate in the slime's body

with a keening sound. What was happening?

"Oh no! I think he's getting ready to do something bad!"

Mimimi shouted.

"It's a powerful spell used by slimes… If this plays out

according to theory, it'll be one of the most powerful spells

out there!"

"An endgame spell?! In the tutorial?!"

"This is bad! You've got to take him down while he's

preparing!" Kikuchi-san shouted frantically.

Mimimi glanced around like she didn't know what to do.

"But how?!"

"Nanami-san, use the knife in your belt! Tomozaki-kun,

use the sword in your back holster!"

I drew the sword. "This? O-okay, got it!"

"I don't think he can defend himself right now!"

"Pigi?! Pigii…pigii…"

The slime must have seen where the situation was headed,

because the tone of its voice changed.

"I th-think he's getting weaker…"

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"Pigi…pigi… I'm scared…"

A look of pity gradually came over Mimimi's face.

"I feel so g-guilty…"

"I kn-know," Kikuchi-san agreed.

But I'm more used to gaming than either of them, and I

kept my cool.

"Remember…it was Takei who attacked us just now."

"That's true…"

"I'm sorry, but this is for the sake of world peace! I'm

gonna do it! Yaaa!" I thrust my sword straight into the slime.

"Pig…pigi…"

Its voice faded, and the slime vanished. Sorry, Takei.

"Takei is gone…," Mimimi whispered sorrowfully.

"I—I think it was the right decision… Maybe," Kikuchi-san

said.

"What's with this lingering guilt after the battle?" I asked,

frowning. I didn't get why we had to feel so bad about Takei.

"Eee!"

"Whoa!"

Just then, Mimimi and I shouted at the same moment.

"Wh-what's the matter?" Kikuchi-san asked.

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"I j-just…," I began, looking down with trepidation at my

body, "…felt something kind of ticklish…"

"Oh, I think that's called… Wait just a moment, all right?

Here goes!"

Kikuchi-san stretched out both hands in front of her and

prayed fervently. A book about the size of her body

appeared.

"Something just materialized!"

"What's in that book?"

"It's the rule book…or at least, that's what I call it. It's got

detailed information about various parts of the game."

Using both hands, she struggled to flip through the book

floating in the air before her. So precious.

"…Oh, here it is. A level-up!"

I thought about what had just happened. "So leveling up

tickles?"

"Yes. And it looks as if you kind of wish for it, a screen will

appear…and you can check it there."

"Kind of wish for it…? Like this? Ta-daa!" Mimimi said. A

blue, board-looking thing appeared in her hands.

"Wow! It's like a tablet!"

The three of us stared at it. There was a list of words like

"Item," "Status," "Save," and "Options." Which meant…

"…This must be the menu screen in RPGs. We can see our

status and items and other stuff."

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"And there's a map!"

"Yes, that's right. Um, according to the rule book…the

other players are playing their own roles in other parts of

this world. Just like you two are a warrior and a thief, I'm

the explanation fairy, and Takei is in the 'other' category."

"The 'other' category?" I echoed pityingly. At the same

time, I couldn't help thinking it was perfect for him.

"So should we go look for everyone else?" Mimimi

suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good goal to start with," I

answered. "How about we head for this port? It looks nearby

on the map."

"I think that's an excellent plan!" Kikuchi-san said.

"Okay! Let's go!" I said, and Mimimi chimed in with a

"Yeah!"

She started walking, looking at the map as she led the

way.

"Follow me, noble adventurers!"

"…Uh, Mimimi? It's that way."

"It is?"

Turns out her sense of direction in the game was just as

bad as in real life.

* * *

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We moved forward following the map and eventually

reached our destination.

"Well, here's the town… It's so quiet…," Mimimi said.

"And so pretty and clean," Kikuchi-san added.

We looked around. The atmosphere was subdued, with

rows of similar-looking buildings. I thought about the

standard risks in games like this. We seemed fairly safe for

the moment.

"Yeah, nothing fancy, but I don't see a single piece of

litter," I said.

"So that must mean it's safe? Hey, is that Tama?" Mimimi

asked.

"Voices really carry far in a quiet place like this…," I said.

Just then, a man walked out of an alley toward us.

"Oh, there's someone else."

"Hello!" the man said smoothly. "Welcome to Shuberg!"

That voice and expression were awfully familiar…

"Is that you, Mizusawa?" I asked. The man tilted his head,

confused—but he was the spitting image.

"Mizusawa? What exotic Eastern name is that? I am Bell,

mayor of this town!"

"He looks and sounds just like Takahiro to me," Mimimi

said.

"It's definitely Mizusawa-kun," Kikuchi-san agreed.

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"Come now, a mere chance resemblance. Pay that no

mind, Mimimi."

"You just used my name!"

"Mizusawa sure is putting the RP in RPG," I said.

"Forget about that. Just listen to what I have to tell you."

"Fine," I said, nodding reluctantly as Mizusawa, aka Bell,

grasped control of the situation.

"So…what did you want to tell us?" Mimimi asked,

switching gears.

"Welcome once again to the town of Shuberg! We open

our arms to adventurers! Please relax and enjoy your time

here!"

"That sounded super scripted…but hey, at least we're

welcome here!" Mimimi said happily.

"We didn't have anywhere to stay, so this could be

perfect," I added.

"Yes, you'll be able to recover from your recent battle,"

Kikuchi-san said.

"Right?"

"All right, we'll take you up on that offer!" I said to Bell.

"Then follow me. Fumiya and Kikuchi-san, watch your

step."

"He's literally Mizusawa."

"Definitely."

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* * *

"Make yourselves at home in here," Bell-slash-Mizusawa

said when we reached the large room in the inn that he'd led

us to. I looked around in surprise.

"This place is huge, and there's six beds…um, Mizusawa?"

"The name is Bell."

"Okay, Bell-san. There are three of us…well, two people

and one fairy. You don't need to give us so much space. Also,

we don't have any money."

"Ha-ha, no need to worry. You don't need money around

here. Please just take it easy."

"B-but I feel bad—," I started to say, when I was

interrupted by ecstatic voices.

"Braiiin!! This bed is so soft! Wheee!"

"Look, Tomozaki-kun—there's a bed just my size! It's so

warm…!"

Oblivious to my polite hesitation, the two of them were

fully enjoying their beds. Oy.

"…Never mind. Thank you."

"Ha-ha-ha! You're most welcome."

Just as we were wrapping up our conversation, a knock

came on the door.

"Ah, I believe your meal is ready!" Bell said to my

surprise.

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"You're feeding us, too?!"

Kikuchi-san and Mimimi leaped up from their beds to

thank Bell.

"Th-thank you so much!"

"Count on Takahiro to do it right!"

"It's Bell, not Takahiro. All right, enjoy your rest," Bell

said, slipping out as the food was brought in. From

beginning to end, he was 100 percent Mizusawa.

"Well, he was really into that," I said.

"Yes, I think he's enjoying himself," Kikuchi-san added.

"Oooh, this looks like a feast! Steak, salad, even soup!"

"It does!" I said. "But I wonder…what will happen when

we eat it? Does taste exist in VR?"

"Yes, I wonder… Oh! There's one in my size, too!"

"They think of everything in this game… Let's eat!"

"My thoughts exactly! Let's eat!" Mimimi said.

"Let's eat!" Kikuchi-san and I chimed in, diving into our

meal.

"It's not so much tasty as…"

"It's like…a pleasant feeling, isn't it?" Kikuchi-san said.

"Yeah, almost a ticklish feeling, but not in a bad way… A

little like when we got the level-up earlier."

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"You're right!" I agreed.

"Is that how it felt?" Kikuchi-san asked.

I nodded.

"Yeah, I think it's the same feeling…which must mean

everything positive, like leveling up or recovery, feels like

this."

"Oh, I get it! That's what I imagined a VR game would be

like!"

"How strange… Eating is ticklish now…"

I was getting excited, even though I didn't understand

how the overall system was set up. "Yeah, this game is

amazing… I wonder what's coming next."

"Ah-ha-ha. Makes your gamer's heart skip a beat, huh?"

"Something like that. I'm itching to try everything out."

"Well, should we finish off this meal and then go to sleep

so we're rested for tomorrow?" Kikuchi-san proposed.

"You mean recover? I'm all for it!"

As we got ready for bed, I thought about the scenario.

"Sleep, huh? I wonder how time works in this game."

"Oh well…according to the rule book, everyone in the

party gets under their covers and closes their eyes for a few

seconds, and then it's morning and they're fully recovered."

"Ah-ha-ha, sounds like an RPG," I said.

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"What?! I wanted to sleep in this fluffy bed for hours!"

"No way! That'd be a waste of a good adventure!"

"Tee-hee. You're enjoying this, aren't you, Tomozakikun!"

With that, all three of us lay down on our pillowy beds.

* * *

And then it was morning.

"Good morning!!" Mimimi shouted.

"Wow, you're perky. Didn't you say you wanted to sleep

for hours?"

"I know how you feel," Kikuchi-san said. "I only closed my

eyes for a few seconds, but somehow I feel so refreshed."

"Yeah, I know… I guess this must mean our recovery is

complete?"

"Could be! Okay! Let's get this adventure started again!"

"Tee-hee. You're so full of energy, Nanami-san."

With our strength back, it was time to head to our next

destination—which was a problem.

"…We don't know where anyone else is, and we don't even

know our objectives." I was starting to feel lost.

"Well, according to the rule book…the goal seems to be to

rescue the world from the control of an evil demon."

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"Sounds like a beta version of a beta version to me…"

"Well, it is a demo, so it seems they've simplified it quite a

bit…"

"So for now, we focus on killing the evil demon? Got it!

Leave it to Minami Nanami! I've got this!"

She was about to race out of the room, but I stopped her.

"Wait, wait! This may be a demo version, but our level is

still too low to face the final boss, and our party is too

small!"

"It is?"

"At the very least, we need someone who can use offensive

magic and someone who can heal."

"You can't, Brain? When I looked at the 'Status' category

or whatever, I think there was something about MP. So that

must mean magic points?"

"I'm a warrior…so I should be able to use it, but my level

is low… I think we'd be better off with someone who

specializes in that."

"So you'll start by searching for the others after all?"

Kikuchi-san asked.

"Yeah. But first of all, let's get out of here."

"Got it!"

* * *

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As we left the inn, Bell-slash-Mizusawa came out to see us

off.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it? Well, everyone, best of luck in

the battle," he said and vanished into the building. We

hadn't paid him a cent.

"…He really did give us everything for free," Mimimi said,

sounding conscience-stricken.

"Yes…" Kikuchi-san nodded.

"He said the town welcomes adventurers, but I wonder

why he did all that for us."

I thought about it for a minute, but I couldn't come up

with a good answer. Hmm.

"Well, it's Takahiro we're talking about. I can't help

thinking he had some ulterior motive," Mimimi said. "He

even gave us all weapons and armor and recovery items, and

then he told us how to get to the next town."

"I doubt he decided to do all that on his own… Maybe

since this is a demo version and this is the first town, they

made it easy for training purposes?"

"You mean, it doesn't have to do with the story itself?"

"Yeah. But given how high the quality is, it seems like

there'd be some other reason for him to be kind to

adventurers—some reason related to the plot."

I thought back on other games I'd played, searching for an

answer.

"Maybe, but this town is so quiet, and everyone looks so

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happy… I don't feel like any crisis is going on here."

"I know…"

"But what do you think that means?"

"…As far as I can figure out…," I began, having hit on an

idea. Mimimi looked at me curiously. "He gave us a place to

stay and equipment and items, so we don't need to stop at

shops for any of those things. And he told us the way to the

next town, so we don't have to ask the townspeople for

information… Which makes me think…"

"Oh, I see," Kikuchi-san said, figuring it out herself.

"Wait, what? Tell me!" Mimimi said.

"If you think about it…what if Mizusawa—I mean, Bell—

doesn't want us to talk to anyone else in town?"

"…What?" Mimimi asked, sounding confused.

"What he means is…Bell is trying to prevent us from

finding something hidden here," Kikuchi-san explained.

I nodded.

"Oh, that makes sense," Mimimi said. "If we get our

information and items from him, we won't need to talk to

anyone else, and we can head straight to the next town."

"…Which means that if we poke around here, we might

discover something," I said.

Mimimi suddenly looked excited. "Maybe we'll find

everyone else!"

"That's a possibility."

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Kikuchi-san smiled, too, like she was getting more

interested in playing.

"Well then…shall we stay here and look around?"

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," I said, and we set off to

explore.

* * *

After a little while, we spotted a townsperson walking

down the street.

"Excuse me!" I called.

"Yes?" the townsperson answered casually.

"…Is this guy Takei, too?" I muttered, but the

townsperson just tilted his head.

"Takei? Who's that?"

"His voice sounds different," Kikuchi-san said.

"I guess there are NPCs, too."

"NCPs…?" Kikuchi-san echoed.

The townsperson scowled angrily at us. "I'd appreciate it

if you don't confuse me with Takei."

"Oh, wait, I think this is Mizusawa," I said, almost certain

I was right.

"He loves acting, doesn't he!" Mimimi agreed.

"If it's Mizusawa, I bet he's a bad guy."

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"You're not being very kind to Mizusawa-kun…"

Ignoring our conversation, the townsperson addressed all

three of us. "Are you adventurers?"

"Um, yes, we are. Takahiro…I mean, good sir, do

adventurers come to this town often?" Mimimi asked.

"Oh, yes," he began fluently. "I'd say they come through

about once a week. But Master Bell takes care of them all, so

they're soon on their way to the next town."

"As I suspected," I muttered.

"Yes, and that's why we're always on schedule."

"On schedule?"

"What, you don't know about the Schedule? Well, that

explains why you look so lost. I understand now."

I sure didn't. I frowned, as lost as Mimimi.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Are you interested…in the essence of happiness?" the

townsperson said.

"Um, uh…," Mimimi said in a fluster.

"Oh, I'm very sorry. It's almost sundown, and today at

sundown, I'm supposed to discover a girl in town causing

mischief. I'd best be going."

"What? Oh, um, you are?" Mimimi said.

"Good-bye, then. Thanks be to Master Bell and the

happiness promised to us."

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Just as the townsperson was about to leave, a youthful

voice called to us.

"Guys!!"

We turned around.

"Tama?!"

"Hey, it's Tama-chan!"

"Natsubayashi-san, you're here, too!"

Meanwhile, the townsperson's expression turned severe.

"What have we here? Young Hanabi, you're not following the

Schedule. It seems you intend to betray us after all."

"Oh…no…," she said, backing away fearfully.

"And these must be your fellow traitors?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

Mimimi looked back and forth between Tama-chan and

the townsperson, waiting to see what would happen.

"Death to the traitors!"

"D-death?"

"This is getting ugly!"

Mimimi and I exchanged glances.

"A situation like this…calls for smoke!" Tama hurled some

sort of energy at the ground. Sand flew up, instantly

blocking my vision.

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"Wow! A huge dust cloud!"

"Come on, guys, this way!" she yelled, leading the three of

us to the road under the cover of the swirling dust.

* * *

Once we were safely in a back alley, we shared another

round of greetings.

"I'm so glad I found you guys! Mimimi and Tomozaki

and…Fuka-chan, you look kind of small!"

"It seems…I'm a fairy in this game."

"I love it! It's perfect for you!" Tama-chan said, which

made Kikuchi-san smile and blush. As always, Tama-chan

said exactly what she was thinking. She grinned.

"I bet you're glad there's finally someone smaller than

you!" Mimimi teased.

"Shut up and mind your own business!" Tama-chan

snapped back. This felt just like real life.

"Anyway, what are you wearing, Tama? Some kind of

green martial arts outfit with a red scarf? Whew, breaking

the mold! So cute!"

"Um, I'm the daughter of a martial arts family that runs a

karate dojo outside this town!"

"…That outfit does look like something a monk would

wear," I said, thinking back to similar characters I'd seen in

RPGs. She had on a green Chinese-style dress with an

orange scarf, and her hair was tied in pigtails.

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"So you do karate…so you must have a strong heart and

strong body…but you're still small…how cute! Starting

today, I'm Team Tama!"

"Uh, I think you've supported her all along…," I remarked

as Mimimi spun out of control. She stuck her tongue out at

me.

"…We have more important things to do than argue!"

Tama-chan reminded us.

"You're right. What on earth just happened?" Kikuchi-san

asked.

"…Well, this town is a little bit strange…," Tama-chan

began slowly.

* * *

"Oh, so that's what the townsperson meant when he said

that," I said. Everything made sense now.

"So Takahiro…I mean, Bell…controls the actions of

everyone in this town?" Mimimi said, thinking as she talked.

"Yes, everyone receives a schedule, and you have to do

what it says. It tells you where to go, what to do, who to be

friends with, and who to marry. He says if you follow the

Schedule, you'll be happy."

"Happy?" Kikuchi-san muttered, frowning.

"Mayor Bell used to be an excellent fortune-teller…and

I've heard that if you do what he says, you do meet good

people and find good work and live a good life, but…"

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"You can't do what you want?" I asked. The town policy

sounded to me like the polar opposite of Tama-chan's own

approach to life.

"So free will has no place here?" Kikuchi-san asked.

Tama-chan nodded.

"Yes, it's like a dystopia. My mom and dad in this world

met thanks to the Schedule, and they say they're grateful to

him for that, but this life feels too rigid to me—"

"Ah-ha-ha! Yeah, I could never see you going along with

that!" Mimimi interrupted.

"No. And…"

Just then, I heard someone shouting from the end of the

alley.

"There they are! Over there!"

I had a bad feeling about this. I turned around and saw a

soldier in armor pointing at us.

"…So that means…"

"When I said I didn't want to follow the Schedule, he

treated me like a traitor!"

"I knew it!"

My suspicions were correct. The next instant, we found

ourselves in the dead end of an alley.

"You're trapped! You'll never escape now!"

"They found us! Looks like we'll have to fight!" Mimimi

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shouted excitedly, obviously enjoying the game now.

"Be careful! He's way stronger than that slime you fought

before!" Kikuchi-san warned.

"Got it! Leave it to Mimimi-chan!"

"Mimimi, you're a thief. You're supposed to play support."

"I am?"

"It's okay! I'm a martial artist, so I can fight!"

"Tama-chan and I will be the front guard while you

distract him, Mimimi! Here we go!"

"Hmm, this isn't quite what I imagined," Mimimi

mumbled, scratching her cheek. Meanwhile, Tama-chan and

I started fighting the soldier.

* * *

The open field we were in turned into a box, like the shift

to a battle map in a game. Apparently, we weren't going to

be able to run away from this fight.

"So you wanna fight, traitors? The, uh, wraith of Master

Bell shall…fall on you!" the soldier said incoherently. Once

again, the voice sounded a lot like Takei's.

"Wraith?" I echoed, confused. After a brief silence,

Mimimi lit up.

"…Do you mean…wrath?"

"Oh, yes, wrath and wraith look very similar," Kikuchi-

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san said, nodding. The soldier pointed at the two of them

happily.

"Yeah, that's what it was! Wrath!"

I sighed. "You seem awfully relaxed for a battle, Takei…"

"Dude, shut up!"

The moment the soldier-slash-Takei lost his cool, Mimimi

pounced. "I'm gonna get you!" She pulled the knife from her

belt and lunged at the solider. But…

"Ha! Doesn't work, does it?"

"My knife bounced off him!"

Her attack failed.

"His armor must defend against physical attacks! This

sucks—none of us can use magic!"

While we panicked, the soldier shouted, "Charge!" in

Takei's voice and raised his greatsword to bring it down on

Mimimi.

"Mimimi, watch out!"

"Brain!!"

I leaped in front of her, taking the soldier's attack.

"Oof!"

"Tomozaki-kun, are you all right?!" Kikuchi-san asked.

"Brain, I'm s-sorry you had to shield me…"

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"It's fine. I probably have the highest defense of anyone in

this party… Can I have a potion, though?"

"B-Brain… Okay, here it is!" Mimimi said, selecting an

item from the menu and giving it to me.

"Thanks. I feel better… But I wonder how we can inflict

damage on him…"

Suddenly, Tama-chan, who until now had been watching

from the sidelines, turned toward the soldier.

"…I'm gonna try something!" She crouched down, then

dashed toward him. "Open hand strike!"

Her strike from below caught his chin and sent his helmet

flying up.

"I feel dizzy!"

Kikuchi-san watched in surprise. "He's staggering!"

"I thought I'd rattle his head a little!" Tama-chan said

cheerfully.

Mimimi looked unsettled. "Wait, so you're actually good

at martial arts, Tama?"

"Not really, but as I was looking at his armor, the idea just

kind of hit me…"

"Oh, interesting…so this must be one of those RPGs where

skills come to you in a flash while you're fighting… Hey,

Mimimi!"

"What?"

"Will you stare at that soldier for a minute and see if any

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ideas hit you?"

"Stare at him…? Oh!"

"Did a light bulb go on?"

"Heh-heh-heh. Leave it to Mimimi!"

Our resident sprinter started running—and in an instant,

she was at the soldier's side.

"You're so fast!"

"Piece of cake!"

With a sound like a key turning in a lock, the soldier's

armor fell apart and clattered to the ground. He was

completely vulnerable.

"How's that for a guard break?"

"His armor is off!"

"The rest is up to you, Brain!"

"Okay! Ahhhhh!"

I dashed forward and thrust my warrior's sword through

the soldier. Physically speaking, I didn't actually slice him in

two, but the sense of resistance lingered in my arm.

"Aaaaargh! You got me, didn't you?!" the soldier screamed

in Takei's voice, crumpling to the ground.

"Yes! He's down!"

"You did it!"

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While Mimimi and Kikuchi-san shouted happily, Tamachan gazed at the motionless body of the soldier.

"…Poor Takei," she said softly.

"That goes for real life, too," I answered. Just then, that

familiar pleasant feeling coursed through my body. Several

times in a row, in fact.

"Does that mean…I just leveled up multiple times?"

"It's shaking all through me!" Tama-chan said, sounding

surprised. For some reason, Mimimi was writhing around.

"I could get addicted to this!"

"Definitely!"

Suddenly, the fallen soldier reached his left hand up

toward the sky.

"M-M-Master Bell, may you perspire!!"

With that, his arm flopped down by his side. Tama-chan

crept timidly up and peered at him.

"He's not moving anymore."

"Yeah," I said, nodding.

"Those were pretty weird last words," Mimimi said, as if

she'd just realized something. "I bet that in the script it was

supposed to be 'prosper,' not 'perspire'…"

Yup, he'd done it again.

"Oh, he misread the script?" Kikuchi-san said awkwardly.

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"Well, it's not his fault—he's Takei after all," I said, trying

to make her feel better. About what, I'm not sure.

"…Yeah. But forget about that, we've gotta get out of

here!" Mimimi shouted, coming back to her senses.

"You're right. If we stay here, more soldiers will probably

find us. And they seem to be the type who crack down on

traitors mercilessly…," I said, coolly analyzing the situation.

"Y-yes, but…," Tama-chan said anxiously. Mimimi

thumped her on the shoulder.

"We can talk later! For now, let's run until we feel safe!"

"O-okay!"

We all started running toward the end of the alleyway.

* * *

We ran around town trying to find somewhere safe, but

every time a townsperson spotted us, they made a big fuss

and blocked our way.

"Shit! Wherever we go, the townspeople recognize us!" I

said, leading the pack.

"I bet an emergency change was posted in everyone's

Schedule… He's able to change them in real time using

magic…," Tama-chan answered, looking panicked.

"Then we'll have to leave town, won't we?" Kikuchi-san

asked.

"The gates leading out of town are probably all shut! We'll

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have to find a secret passage…," Tama-chan said anxiously,

looking around.

"I wish there was someone who could save us!" Mimimi

shouted.

Tama-chan's head snapped up, as if an idea had just hit

her.

"…This way!"

"Did you think of something?!"

"Yeah, the place where I've been hiding! My family has

been protecting me! I don't know if we can all fit, but just

make sure no one is following you!"

Mimimi grinned. "Got it! When I leveled up, I got a

stealth skill, so I'll use that!"

"Nice! Figures, since you're a thief!"

"Leave it to me! It'll affect all of you!"

With that, the four of us started sneaking through the

alleyways.

* * *

"Tiptoe, tiptoe… Are we there yet?"

Mimimi's feet were sparkling as she recited an incantation

that I suspect wasn't actually necessary. I think the sparkles

mean she was using the stealth skill.

"Yup, we're here."

"This…is where you've been hiding?" I asked.

"Is it a storehouse?" Kikuchi-san said.

We were looking at an old wooden building that definitely

didn't seem like a place people lived.

"It's the shed from a toolmaker's shop that got knocked

down. I've been hiding here because there was a lot of

nonperishable food stored here. For now, it's safe because

everyone is so busy following the Schedule they've forgotten

all about this place."

"They have?" Mimimi asked worriedly. All the same, we

decided to crowd in.

"My dad and big sister are in there right now…and my

mom must be out getting water."

"Hello… Hey, it's Yuzu!" Mimimi blurted out when her

eyes met Izumi's inside the shed.

"You're all here?!"

She scanned our party. I was equally surprised to see her.

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. She's my sister," Tama-chan said,

like that was entirely natural.

"Your sister…?"

Mimimi seemed disturbed by this bombshell.

"Yes, Hanabi-chan is my little sister!" Izumi said.

"Sh-she is…? My cute, adorable little Tama…is Yuzu's

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little sister…umm…"

"You seem very shaken by that," I said. I was concerned,

but I wanted to see what emotion she would ultimately land

on.

"—I can accept that!" she finally said.

"Glad to hear it," I said with a relieved but not surprised

sigh.

"Uh, 'scuse me," a man who appeared to be Tama-chan's

dad said, coughing. I knew immediately who it was.

"It's Takei."

"Definitely Takei," Kikuchi-san agreed. We exchanged

glances and sniggered.

"Who are you guys?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You must be Izumi's dad, right?" Mimimi

asked.

He grinned cheerfully. "Bingo!"

"Definitely Takei."

"Definitely."

Kikuchi-san and I exchanged another glance.

"We're friends of Tama and Yuzu!"

"Oh, you're my daughter's friends? Well then, make

yourselves at home!" he said, pointing in the air. As Takei

likes to do.

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"He seems very relaxed," Kikuchi-san said.

"Kind of undignified for a dad…"

Just then, I heard the sounds of metal clashing and fists

hitting flesh, like a fight was going on

"Uh-oh, what's happening?" the concerned father asked in

Takei's voice.

"It sounds like…M-Mom!" Izumi yelped.

"Oh no!" Tama-chan said in shock.

We all burst outside.

"Look!"

"Hoofprints, signs of a fight…and blood," Kikuchi-san

said. The prints were fresh.

"It can't be!" Izumi was freaking out now. Something was

clearly very wrong—but neither their mother nor the soldier

was anywhere to be found.

"Do you think she was…kidnapped?" Mimimi asked.

"Based on the evidence, yes… And her life could be at

risk," I said.

The face of Izumi's-father-slash-Takei clouded over with

an expression of despair so profound I could hardly believe

it was Takei.

"But…no soldier following the Schedule should have

found us here…"

Tama-chan looked even more stricken.

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"It's all my fault…"

"Hanabi-chan?"

"I did something I shouldn't have, like I always do…and

that's why the Schedule was updated…" Tama-chan's voice

gradually trailed off.

"M-maybe, but it's only a game!"

"Yeah! It's only a game, so you don't have to feel bad!"

Tama-chan was not reassured by Mimimi and Izumi's

attempts.

"But…if the game is this realistic, it's no different from

interacting with real people."

"You really think so?" Izumi asked. I could tell she didn't

agree, but she was trying to be understanding.

"If that's how she feels, who are we to argue?" Mimimi

said, nodding.

"We have to save her!" Tama-chan said, looking up with a

determined glint in her eye. "We have to save our mother!"

"Hanabi-chan…," Kikuchi-san said, startled. But I

understood her line of thinking.

"…You're right," I said forcefully.

"B-Brain?"

"I know this is a game; it's not real. It's technically okay if

someone dies here."

"Right," Izumi said, nodding.

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"But…I'm not going to be lazy because of that. I always try

hardest when I'm playing video games. I think…that's what

it means to be a gamer," I said.

Kikuchi-san giggled. "You're right," she said. I was

surprised but happy to have her support. "I feel the same

way. I ended up in this role by chance, but now that I've got

it, I think it's more fun to give it my all."

"Thanks. I know I'm a pain in the butt," Tama-chan said,

sounding a little depressed.

Mimimi thumped her on the shoulder. "No, you're not!

Well, maybe kinda, but that's why I like you!" she said.

"It is? Thanks." Tama-chan glanced away, blushing

slightly.

"Okay then, let's act like this is real life, and we're going to

save their mother! If there's a chance she's still alive, we've

got to do everything we can to rescue her!" I said, leading the

party in true warrior fashion. I can do this kind of stuff in a

game, at least.

"R-really? If that's what you all want to do, then I'm in,"

Izumi said. She didn't seem fully convinced, but she was

kind enough to go along with the plan.

"Launch Operation Rescue Mom!" Mimimi announced.

"By the way, what's your job, Izumi-san?" Kikuchi-san

asked, glancing at her as if she'd suddenly realized

something.

"My job?"

Izumi isn't much of a gamer, so I explained.

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"Like, are you a magician or a warrior or what?"

"Oh, that? It said I'm a white mage or something."

"Ooh! So you know about recovery!"

"Yes! I can use recovery magic!"

I nodded happily at her. She was exactly the sort of person

we'd been looking for. Mimimi smiled, too.

"That's perfect! We were just saying we needed someone

who could help us with that!"

"I think we've got enough people in our party now! A

warrior, a monk, a thief, and a white mage. Not a bad mix!"

"Awesome! Then let's go!" Mimimi said, and the rest of

the group shouted their agreement.

"Wait, first let's go kill some random soldiers outside of

town so we can level up," I said.

"You're so rational, Brain."

* * *

We were standing in front of Bell's mansion.

"So we're finally here…," Mimimi said, craning her neck

up to look at the huge building.

We were squarely in enemy territory. If we let our guard

down for a second, we'd be dead meat.

"At least your level is much higher now," Kikuchi-san

said. Everyone nodded. Once we started killing soldiers, we

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got addicted to the level-up buzz, so I'm pretty sure we were

all plenty strong now. Whether that was enough to take

down the boss was another question.

"So this is Mizusawa's mansion…," I mumbled nervously.

"His name is Bell, so maybe you should call him that?"

Tama-chan said.

"Nah, it's annoying," I answered as bluntly as her.

"Did you hear that, Kikuchi-san?"

"Um, yes…," she said, shrinking back from our brutally

honest exchange. Ack, sorry!

"Well, what should we do? We could walk straight in the

front door like we owned the place…but usually if you do

that in these situations, you fall into a trap," I said, thinking

out loud. Mimimi pointed to the back of the mansion.

"In that case…let's go this way!"

"Do you know something we don't?" Izumi asked, tilting

her head.

Mimimi stuck her finger in the air proudly. "No, but when

I leveled up, I got a lock-picking skill, so I think I can get us

in the back door!"

"Wow, you're a great crook!" Izumi said enthusiastically,

but since she doesn't really understand gaming, I think she

was just playing along. Mimimi wagged her finger.

"I'm a thief, okay? Crook doesn't sound very good."

"Thief, crook, whatever! Let's just go," Tama-chan said,

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efficiently slicing the Gordian knot.

Meanwhile, I was gloating to myself. "Heh-heh, looks like

those level-ups have worked!"

"Brain, that smile is creepy…"

"Let's see—where's the door…," Izumi said, looking

around. "Ah, right here!"

"I think it's what we're looking for," Kikuchi-san agreed.

"Good. Let's get in there!" I said, and we stepped into the

mansion.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the second floor…

"I believe they've entered the building."

"Indeed. Takahiro, can you do something about it?"

A woman was sitting on a throne with a stylish male

attendant beside her in the dimly lit room. They seemed to

be enjoying themselves.

"…I told you to call me Bell here."

"Did you? In that case, you'll need to speak to me more

respectfully."

"Fine, fine, Your Highness."

"That's better."

"Anyway, want me to go down first?"

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"…'Want me to'?"

"Oh right—would you prefer if I go down first, Your

Highness?"

"Hee-hee, yes, please do that, Takahiro."

"I told you… Oh, never mind. As you wish."

* * *

"Looks like the first floor is clear. I'm searching with my

thief senses, but I don't detect anyone."

"Thieves sure come in handy," I joked, but I was

impressed by the way she was putting her abilities to

maximum use.

"I think…there are people in the basement and on the

second floor!"

"Then that must mean there's a dungeon in the basement

and Bell is on the second floor," Kikuchi-san said.

"Seems likely. Dungeons in RPGs are always down…which

means…!"

When I said that, Tama-chan's face suddenly brightened.

"She's alive!"

"We don't know that yet. The people down there could be

guards," I reminded them.

Tama-chan nodded. "…You're right. Let's get going!"

The five of us headed down.

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"Over there!" Kikuchi-san was pointing at a female figure.

"A woman in the dungeon… That must mean…!"

Mimimi finished my sentence for me. "It must be their

mother!"

I nodded. I figured we were about to witness an emotional

family reunion, but…

"…Yuzucchi! Tama!!"

Their mother started talking in Takei's voice.

"Hey, why does their mom sound like Takei, too?!" I

shouted. How was that allowed? They better patch that.

"I'm having a hard time feeling emotional about this…,"

Mimimi said, smiling wryly. I didn't know how to react,

either.

"It's amazing that Hanabi-chan took this seriously and

genuinely tried to save her…"

"Why? I mean, if he's supposed to be my mom, then he's

my mom!" Tama-chan said, as if that made any sense. Izumi

turned to us with a pleading look.

"Okay, now you guys understand why I couldn't

empathize, right?!"

"Yes, I do now…," Kikuchi-san said.

"I can see how that would be ha—," I started to say, when

I heard the door open.

"The game is up."

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"…That sounds like Mizusa… I mean, Bell," I said.

Bell sighed. "If only you'd gone to the next town like I told

you…but no, you had to go and poke your noses where they

didn't belong."

"Shut up and give us back our mother!" Tama-chan cried

with an impressive level of drama. She's amazing.

"That's an impossible request," Mizusawa answered,

matching her.

Izumi and Mimimi watched them and whispered to each

other.

"Hiro's really into this!"

"Yuzu, you can't say things like that in the middle of the

game!"

But Izumi was right—Mizusawa had clearly been enjoying

this all along.

"Don't chat among yourselves; I'm talking!" he scolded

sharply.

"Yessir!" Izumi answered, straightening her posture.

"But why did you kidnap their mother?!" I asked, getting

into my role for the moment.

"She was getting in the way of the ideal community I am

creating here. It's as simple as that," he said in a leisurely

tone.

"'Ideal community'…?" Kikuchi-san echoed.

"I have the power to divine the perfect, ideal state of the

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world. I construct the scenarios that the gods communicate

to me, and if everything goes according to my plans,

everyone in the world will be equal and happy. Needless to

say, that includes both the human and demon races."

I could tell Tama-chan was getting angrier and angrier.

"But you ignore how everyone else feels!" she shouted

emotionally. "Some of us have things we want to do!"

Mizusawa refused to budge.

"Yes, some people do. There is some truth to what you

say, young lady. But more people do not. They find it's easier

to simply do as they're told, and they're happier that way.

You may want to walk your own path, but do you have the

right to force others to do the same?"

"That's…"

"If you want to leave this town by yourself, be my guest.

But if you try to brainwash your family and friends into

leaving together, I won't stand for it. After all, your friends

and family are an important part of my community. What's

wrong with that?"

"…!"

"Tama…"

His speech left her wordless.

"Just like you don't want to be condemned for forging

ahead, other people want their weak way of life affirmed. In

this town, we offer those weak people their promised

happiness."

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"Wh-when you put it like that…," Kikuchi-san said,

sounding half convinced.

"Your family was happy here. Innocently, unquestioningly

happy. Until you began enticing them to leave. You, Hanabi,

are the one who destroyed that for them."

"You think…I…"

Just then, Izumi raised her head, no longer staring at the

floor.

"…But!"

"Izumi?!"

"But our family matters to us!!"

Tama-chan stared at Izumi in a daze as she earnestly

protested.

"…Yuzu-chan."

"You may be selfishly going after what you want…but is it

really so bad to want the family members you love so much

to be themselves instead of being part of some ideal

'community'?!"

"Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Hiro, you of all people should understand! You should

admire people with a strong sense of self!"

"…I'm not Hiro. I'm Bell."

"That doesn't matter! Bell should understand, too!"

"…Damn it. Fine."

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"Bell— I mean, Hiro…?"

"Geez, you sure are taking this seriously. But fine, you got

me. I'm starting to reconsider my position."

Abruptly, the tension drained from Bell-slash-Mizusawa's

body.

"Which means…"

"Whatever, it's fine. Who cares if Tama and her family go

free? Four less people in this town won't make much of a

difference anyway."

"…We convinced you?"

"Not exactly… Bell doesn't understand Izumi's point, but I

do, so we can skip the fight."

"Takahiro! I knew there was some goodness in there

somewhere!" Mimimi announced happily. Mizusawa let out

a cold sigh.

"I suppose. Anyhow, you'd better get going before you're

discov—"

That very moment, we heard the sound of hard heels

tapping on the floor. Gradually, the sound came closer.

"Dear me, Bell. Aren't you being a bit too kind?" a voice

said.

"Well, speak of the devil," Mizusawa answered, sighing

with a wry smile. The clicking of footsteps grew louder until

a form appeared in the doorway.

"Oh my, what a heartwarming scene."

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"…Aoi?!"

There stood Aoi Hinami, dressed as an actual demon.

"Dear me, it will never do for a commoner to address me

so casually. I am the Demon Queen. Demon Queen Aoi

Hinami, that is."

"D-Demon Queen…?" Kikuchi-san echoed; even she was

overwhelmed.

"So you've finally become a real final boss, eh?"

I, on the other hand, was impressed for a different reason

altogether.

"Damn it, now I don't know what to tell you." Mizusawa

sighed, raising one eyebrow. "You can try to escape, but you

won't get far."

"Wh-what do we do? F-f-fight her?!" Izumi stuttered,

clearly terrified.

"B-but her stats are unbelievably high!"

Mimimi was getting swept up in the panic, too. I mean,

this version of Hinami really was overwhelming in her

power.

"You're right. A party like you could never take me down…

But I don't feel like fighting right now anyhow."

Tama-chan tilted her head in confusion.

"You don't?"

"I simply want to create a world where the demon race

and the human race can live as equals."

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Izumi stared into Hinami's eyes as if she were searching

for the true meaning of her words.

"The demon race and the human race?"

Hinami nodded. "In today's world, the human race

controls nearly everything. But my ideal is for us to live in

harmony, each in their own place, with neither receiving

preference over the other."

"That would be nice if it were possible…but it's probably

not realistic," I argued.

"Um…I think the problem is…that demons eat humans,

right?" Kikuchi-san added.

"Yes. But that's no different from humans eating livestock.

That's why we of the demon race will promise to raise

certain humans as livestock, and those will be the only ones

we eat. We'll raise them in ranches just like this town."

That's when everything fell into place.

"Oh, I get it… So in the story, this town is a prototype for a

livestock ranch where every aspect of people's lives is fully

managed?"

"Stop talking about the 'story.'"

"Oh, sorry."

Hinami apparently took offense at my meta-analysis. For

a moment, the group fell into an awkward silence. Hinami

coughed, pulling herself together.

"…This is what I am proposing. The demon race and the

human race will divide the living space equally between

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them, and the demons will raise humans as livestock to eat.

In exchange, they will not interfere in the human

communities. Needless to say, we will lodge no complaints

about humans who raise animals as livestock. We don't even

mind if you raise demons to eat. What do you say?"

"It does sound fair…"

"You're asking if we'll accept ranches like this town?"

Mimimi and Izumi both seemed unsure about which side

to come down on.

"No way! We can't let them build human ranches!" Tamachan exclaimed.

"But it's true that people raise pigs and cows to eat…,"

Kikuchi-san responded.

"Yes, I guess that's t-true…" Tama-chan was getting

swayed by her words.

"Wh-what should we do?! Brain, what do you think?!"

"What?! Me?!"

"Yeah, tell us what to do, Tomozaki! I can't figure out hard

stuff like this!" Mimimi went on. Izumi nodded. For some

reason, everything now rested on my shoulders. Why???

"Y-you're kidding me…"

"If you're such a great gamer, you should be able to figure

this out! It's in your hands!" Mimimi said.

"Yes! If Minmi says it's up to you, then I do, too!" Tamachan piled on, looking straight at me. I wish she wouldn't do

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that at moments like this.

"Yeah, and you're a warrior, too," Mizusawa said. For me,

that was the decisive argument.

"Well…you do have a point," I said. Warriors do tend to

make the final decision at these critical moments. I couldn't

deny that.

So I started analyzing the situation. Like Hinami said, the

system she was proposing was fair. And if it could be

maintained, it could probably lead to lasting peace… But…

"Nope, we can't accept it," I said confidently, having

arrived at my conclusion.

"…Really now. And why is that?" Hinami asked.

"You're right that people eat pigs and cows, and that's

generally accepted."

"As I said!" she interjected imposingly, then waited for me

to continue.

"But doing the same with humans, raising them and

eating them in the exact same way—that's unacceptable!"

"Tomozaki-kun…," Kikuchi-san said, her voice tinged with

worry.

"You want inequality, not equality. Is that what you're

saying?" Hinami asked.

"Of course! Because we're humans!"

"…Idiotic, egotistical creatures," Hinami said with a

scornful frown. My determination did not waver. This was

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the answer of Tomozaki the Warrior, and it would not

change.

"Okay, Brain! Understood!" Mimimi said cheerfully with a

nod.

"Yes, I'll fight for that!" Tama-chan said, also nodding.

"And me too!" Izumi chimed in.

"Interesting. Because you're human, eh?" Mizusawa said,

smiling pleasantly.

"…That is most unfortunate. Well, I'll do you the favor of

ending your misery quickly," Hinami said.

"Damn it… She's so powerful… Obviously her level is way

higher than mine…"

I felt myself being drawn in by her aura, but I gritted my

teeth and held my ground.

"We made our decision, and we'll stick to it!" Mimimi

announced, sounding positive despite Hinami's queenly

presence.

"Mom, forgive me if I don't make it through this…!"

Tama-chan stared at Hinami, clearly determined to see the

fight to its end.

"If things turn bad, you guys run without me, okay? I can

always heal!" Izumi said, apparently ready to fulfill her role

as white mage.

That's when Kikuchi-san, our guiding fairy, spoke up.

"…Don't worry, everyone—you'll be fine! Um…according

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to the rule book, since this is a demo, the strength of the

Demon Queen is low enough for us to easily take her down!"

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"Wait, what?"

The Demon Queen herself was the first to let out a startled

exclamation. After a slight lag, the rest of us registered what

Kikuchi-san's words meant, too. And then…

"Yaaaaaaaa!"

The lopsided four-on-one harassment of Hinami began.

* * *

And that was how we trounced the Demon Queen Aoi

Hinami, whose stats were in fact far lower than her

appearance had led us to believe.

"D-damn it…looks like this is the end."

"That was easy." I grinned.

"I've still got lots of MP left!" Izumi said, also in excellent

spirits.

"I wasn't even hitting her as hard as I could," Tama-chan

said, unfazed by the fight.

"Aoi's so slow she didn't even manage to hit me once!"

Mimimi said, smiling like she was really enjoying herself.

"I'm just watching 'cause I don't want to get hurt myself,"

Mizusawa said with a casual laugh as he gazed at Hinami.

"Those level-ups you all got outside of town seem to have

paid off," Kikuchi-san noted.

"Actually, if you think about it, leveling up this high in a

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demo is kind of wrong," I said, but I was happy with the

outcome. It wasn't often that I got to see Hinami lose.

Wonder if you can take screenshots in this game… I'd love

to preserve this moment for posterity.

"…I'm the type who likes to be surrounded by strong

people, so starting today I'm on your side," Mizusawa said

casually.

"Unbelievable! You're so self-serving!" Tama-chan

scolded.

"Gasp… But remember this," Hinami said, staggering

from her wounds. "You didn't win today because you were

right…you're right because you won…!"

"Pretty words—but not very convincing coming from a

weakling like her," Mizusawa said.

"Yeah. In RPGs, the balance is as important as the story,"

I added.

"What's happening…? It's too horrible…," Hinami cried,

collapsing to the ground before falling silent.

"Hinami-san…farewell," Kikuchi-san said prayerfully,

watching her depart the world. That was the signal for

bouncy music to start blaring through the whole mansion.

"Ooh, this must be the ending!" said Mimimi.

"That was so fun! Let's play again after it goes on sale for

real!"

Izumi may have had trouble empathizing with her

fictional mother, but she genuinely seemed to have enjoyed

the game.

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"Yeah, I just wish we could save our data for next time,"

Mizusawa said, sounding satisfied.

"I know, but usually demo versions like this are separate

from the real game."

"But it was fun!" Kikuchi-san laughed.

Tama-chan nodded happily. "I thought so, too!"

Hearing them say that made the gamer in me happy.

"Ha-ha. I'm glad even you two nongamers liked it."

From inside her dungeon cell, Mother shouted a happy

"That was great!"

"I still can't get used to hearing someone who looks like a

mom talk with Takei's voice," I said, smiling wryly.

Just then, we heard an echoey voice.

"Hey, don't you think it's strange that I'm the only one

who's not there?"

"I hear someone calling from heaven!" Mizusawa joked.

"Ah-ha-ha! Awww, poor Aoi! And I don't get to say that

often!" Mimimi added. They were both clearly enjoying the

unusual situation. But I was probably enjoying it more than

anyone else.

"It's almost weird how happy I feel," I said.

"Tomozaki-kun? You'll pay for this!" the echoey voice

scolded.

"I'm sorry—please have mercy on me," I said, attempting

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to mollify her so she wouldn't give me more assignments

later.

"Tee-hee, you two sure are good friends," Kikuchi-san

said.

"I know! It's amazing!" Izumi said.

"Oh n-no, not at all…," I said vaguely, trying in a mild

panic to stop her from pursuing the topic.

"Hey, you guys, the ending's almost over!"

The music reached its grand finale with a da-da-da-da!

There was a moment of silence. And then—

"Tree End!!"

"Oh my god, it's The End," I said, sharply correcting Takei

as he once again misread the script. Come on—at least get

the final line right!