Hiroto Minaka is a Wacko!

It is at 10:46 AM on Japan's Time Zone. Yashima and I have finished tidying up our room. The delivery company arrived with my orders at 9:21 AM.

We have put our new futons and new clothes in the closet in the bedroom. Everything else is placed in the living room. Because of the small space, I did not buy many things. I only bought an electric stove, cooking utensils, eating utensils, a rice cooker, a microwave, a small refrigerator, a small cabinet to store many game consoles and to place a wide, flat-screen TV, a small kotatsu, and a mat to put under the kotatsu.

Because of the small furniture and items, as well as our ridiculous physical strength, we can finish it quickly.

At lunch, Shinji will come with his estranged girlfriend. We all will have lunch together here, in my room. But, that's not important.

Presently, Yashima and I are enjoying our new kotatsu. We put our feet inside the low table while we are sitting side by side. I am currently booting up my new laptop, and Yashima is leaning her head on my shoulder silently.

I am wearing a new long-sleeved, light brown Polo, a pair of navy blue jeans, and warm light-colored socks. Meanwhile, Yashima is wearing a brown-colored, knitted sweater with an open shoulder, which displays the black laces of her bras, a pair of scandalously short 1/4 jeans with the tattered end, a pair of black-and-pink striped socks, and a pink colored headband.

With her new apparel, Yashima can be mistaken as a normal human, albeit a very attractive one.

After the booting up finished, I connect the laptop to the WiFi, which password I have gotten from Shinji, and open the pre-installed browser application. I immediately wire Yashima's MBI Card for online transactions and order a huge amount of foods for lunch for a well-known Family Restaurant in the North that accepts catering.

Since the technology is more advanced, within a reasonable limit, than the level technology in my old life, the laptop in my possession is more advanced than the latest laptop in my previous world before my death.

Yashima and I are famished. As Sekirei, Yashima needs a huge intake of foods. I am very hungry because my metabolism has risen up after entering Tier E. It will be worse after I enter Tier D. Fortunately, I can ignore foods, drinks, and sleeps after entering Tier C. Unfortunately, Tier C is an unreachable peak for me presently.

"Huh?"

I am taken aback when an advertisement screen with MBI's logo pops up on my laptop's screen. But, I soon discover that this is not a random advertisement.

"Hello, Rio Kurokami-kun and Number 84!" said Hiroto Minaka on the screen.

He looks ridiculous with his high-collared cape and black glasses. He seems in a dark room, and his glasses reflect the light dramatically. He is reclining in a seat while crossing his thighs on which he rests his intertwining fingers.

"Ah! Sensei!" Yashima exclaimed in surprise.

I realize that Minaka finally contacted me. Well, he is a little late since Yashima has fought and won her first match as my Sekirei.

"How are you, Number 84? I hope that you and your Ashikabi are fine. Oh, also, congratulation on winning your first official battle in this game yesterday! You have beaten Number 37 badly! That is the way to go, girl!"

"Thank you for your praise, Sensei!" Yashima seemed excited by Minaka's praise.

I feel annoyed by that. It is not that I am jealous. I feel annoyed because Yashima is pleased from receiving praise from a wacko like Minaka. I would not have a problem if it is Takami because she has a good impression in my eyes.

Minaka shifts his attention to me and speaks up.

"Ashikabi-kun, I am sorry for being late to present your tutorial. But, your first win in this grand game is praiseworthy. Did Number 84 tell you about the rules of this grand game?"

"Yeah," I responded blandly while pulling Yashima's face into my chest in an attempt to hide her expression from Minaka.

I guess the wacko can see us by hacking the camera above the laptop's monitor. Since I have lied to him about my answer, I do not want him to discover my lie by seeing Yashima's expression. Luckily, Yashima understands my intention and nuzzles her face on my chest.

"Wonderful! You seem to be very close with Number 84. That is good because Ashikabi and his Sekirei must have a deep love for each other to survive this grand game. By the way, how much do you know about the game you are participating in?"

"I know that Sekirei needs to survive in this battle royal spanning across the whole Shinto Teito. The one who loses in a match will separate from her Ashikabi. We must maintain the secrecy of this game. That is the extent of my knowledge," I responded to Minaka.

"Well, that is the gist of it. It seems like you need not be presented with the tutorial like the other noobs. Anyway—"

"Excuse me, Minaka-san," I spoke up suddenly, cutting Minaka off.

"Yes?" His jovial tone changed slightly, almost unnoticeable.

It looks like he dislikes being cut off.

"Could you answer my questions?"

"Hmmm… should I?" he retorted playfully, "I suppose I can listen to your questions since I am a generous game master. Of course, remember this, Ashikabi-kun. I won't answer questions that will give you an advantage over other participants. As the game master, I must be fair and impartial to all participants."

"I understand. I have four, no, three questions, and one request. Regarding the request, it is related to the last question."

"You have piqued my interest, Ashikabi-kun. Please ask your first question."

"Alright," I prepare myself and then present my first question, "Yashima is Sekirei Number 84. I'm curious about the status of the number 80s batch. Can you tell me what number has been winged?"

"Oh-ho…" Minaka reacted in surprise. He never expected that question, did he?

He becomes thoughtful for a short while and rubs his chin. After thinking a little, he speaks up.

"I am curious why did you ask that? Could you tell me your reason?"

"No. I need my secret to be interesting, right?"

I try my best to shoot a cheeky, playful smile at him.

"Indeed! Being mysterious makes you an interesting participant in this game. But, be careful! If you are planning to do something detrimental to my game, I have the authority of Game Master to get you…disqualified."

That was a blatant threat. For a moment, I imagine that Karasuba will appear and gut me and Yashima. No. That was wrong. I am not scared of Karasuba and her minions. I am not scared of Miya, nor am I scared of Minaka and the full might of MBI. I am scared for Yashima's well-being.

Minaka is a sly wacko. He can deactivate Yashima, and it is something that I do not want to happen. In fact, I believe that there is an on/off switch planted inside Yashima, as well as a tracker. Also, the MBI Card is also a trap. I remember clearly in the manga that the Sekirei of Ashikabi who lost in the battle for Jinki were deactivated by the MBI Card.

I don't have enough TP to protect Yashima's Tama from deactivation. Silently, I promise to do it after I have enough TP.

I smile nervously at Minaka and then speak up.

"I have heard the rumor about your black hound. If the rumor is to be believed, I do not want her to come knocking my door. Thank you very much."

Yashima is tensing her body as she realizes what I am implying. Although she has the sub-system now, she's still weak.

Sekirei #04, Karasuba.

Yashima never deluded herself that she can beat that bloodthirsty mad-dog. But, I have a hunch that she will not think twice to sacrifice herself to buy me time to survive. I do not want Yashima to hurt or worse die.

"I am happy to hear that the participant of my grand game abides by the rules. Very well, then. I have made up my mind. Since I am a generous game master, I shall answer your question. But, wait for a minute. I need to check out the rooster of my little birds first."

I watch as Minaka moving his hand somewhere and then hear the sound of typing. A short while later, Minaka recovers his posture, his fingers entwining in front of his chest while his elbows resting on the armrests.

"Let's see… besides Number 84, 85, and 86, the rest are still unwinged," said Minaka.

"I see…" I responded absentmindedly.

Inwardly, I am recalling the information on whose Sekirei Number 85 and 86 are. I can easily recall the information since I have visited the Sekirei fandom base in the past. Those two belong to Higa Izumi. But, I call him Bastard of the East.

To be honest, I dislike him because what he did to Uzume, my number one favorite character in the Sekirei series. Although he finally realized his mistake in the last stage of the game, it is not enough to amend his despicable deeds to Uzume and Chiho.

Back to the main issue. Since only Yashima, Number 85, and 86 have been winged, Musubi who is Number 88 has yet to be winged. It means the protagonist of this Record, Minato has yet to join the Sekirei Plan.

If I remember correctly, Minato will become an Ashikabi after winging Musubi, and it happens after he checked out the result of his entrance test. I do not know if Tokyo University has finished its entrance examination, and I will check out later. If I know Minato's schedule, I can follow the timeline and plan accordingly.

I know that the Second Stage ended in Summer in the manga. It is still in late winter. That means Yashima and I have 4 months.

If I spend every night grinding TP, I can save many TP before I left this Record. I do not plan to stay and be forced to fight at the third stage in which the surviving Ashikabi and Sekirei must fight for Jinki.

The problem is how I can maintain my motivation to go through nightly grinding without stop. Although sex feels very good, doing it excessively will wear it down.

"Well, then. Ask your next question, Ashikabi-kun."

I stop my contemplation after hearing Minaka's declaration. I shift my concentration to him and speak up.

"I heard that Yashima and I must survive this game. And since this is a game, I do not believe if it is only a battle royal. I believe that this Battle Royal…phase? Let's call it that. This phase is for thinning down the participants for the actual game. After all, this is a game and it needs to be interesting. All-out battle royal won't be interesting enough for a hyped-up game."

After stating my knowledge disguised as an assumption, I give him the question. "My second question: is there any penalty for me and Yashima if we decide to turtle up until this battle royal phase ends?"

Minaka gives me applause while laughing loudly, apparently amused.

"Hahahahaha! Bravo! Bravo! You are the most interesting participant I have the pleasure to talk with! You are very observant indeed. Your assumption is both correct and wrong. I shall tell you a little secret for entertaining me. First Stage and Second Stage of this game focus on thinning down the participants. At the same time, it is not. The First Stage will end after 90% Sekirei are winged and the Second Stage will be closed after all remaining Sekirei are winged."

He stops clapping and leans his body forward. His face is approaching the screen.

"To answer your second question, there is no penalty if you and Number 84 decided to turtle up, as you called it. I don't care how participants survive the first and second stages. More competitive event will be held at the third stage, and only eight participants and their Sekirei can pass to the next stage. I advise you to create a flock of birds, at the very least."

He pulls back his face and reclines on his seat. Then, he speaks up.

"Now, let's hear your last question."

"My last question is…do you know about Takami-sensei's permission to let us share the information about this game with the girlfriend of the former Ashikabi of the terminated Number 37?"

"Oh? Ohya, ohya! Let me guess your request after this. You want my permission to tell the former Ashikabi-kun about this game, correct?"

I nod in affirmation.

"Well, anything related to this game won't escape me. I am the Game Master, after all. I know Shinji Arisato-kun's problem because he was quite rude when I gave him the tutorial. Anyhow, I don't mind to give my permission as long as Rei Ichimonji-kun won't blabber out."

So, the full name of Shinji's girlfriend is that... Well, that's not my problem. At the very least, I have obtained what I need from this wacko, I mused silently.

"With this, we concluded your tutorial. Remember to fight, fight, fight, and FIGHT! Until you and your Sekirei are the last pair standing! You will obtain the ultimate grand prize if you win this game! I have a big expectation for you! You are one of the few participants who take my interest. Ciao!"

The window turns black after Minaka bid his goodbye. I drop my bland expression and scowl deeply at the laptop's monitor.

"Rio-sam—"

"Shush!" I shushed Yashima's attempt to start a conversation and tightened my hold on her body.

I have a feeling that Minaka is still spying on us. Then, I help Yashima to stand up and bring her to the bathroom. It is the safest place since there is no electronic equipment that can be hacked by MBI.

.

.

In a specific floor in the tallest skyscraper in the central area of Shinto Teito, there is a dimly lit office. The shutters of the wide and tall windows are brought down to stop the sunlight entering the room. There is only the light from the holographic screen.

Reclining in his chair while grinning widely, Hiroto Minaka is watching the life-video of his newest favorite participant in the grand game he has prepared despite he has turned off the video call.

It looks like Rio's assumption is spot on. Minaka is hacking the camera and the mic of his laptop.

Minaka has found that Rio is the most interesting participant yet. At the very least, Rio is better than the haughty, jealous, and spiteful Izumi Higa of the East, the rude, vulgar, and uncouth Nishi Sanada of the West, and the bratty, annoying, and childish Hayato Mikogami of the South.

Those three Ashikabi have winged two or so Sekirei at this point. The West is the weakest of the three because he has only winged two Sekirei. Although the South has the same quantity, he has better quality because his first Sekirei is the former member of the 1st Generation Disciplinary Squad. Sekirei #05, Mutsu.

"Will you meet my expectation and rise up as another one of the powerful players in my game?"

Although Minaka has a few screws loose in his head, he is still an educated person. And he is truly entertained by the chat with Rio, hence he answered Rio's curiosity and gave Rio a friendly tip.

He gave him the advice to build a flock to be a new powerful player in his game. One who will represent the North. Also, if Rio follows his advice, he will have a chance to pass the third stage.

Minaka answering Rio's questions is something he deemed fair for the rest of the participants. If Rio ignores his generous tip, Rio will be eliminated in the third stage. There are less than eight slots to participate in the fourth stage, after all. If Rio follows his tip, he will get the representative of the North and complete the "Four Heavenly Kings" template that often used in JRPG. (Read AN1 for details)

You may believe in this or not, but the owner and CEO of MBI never graduated from his eighth-grade syndrome.

Minaka arrogantly believes that Rio does not pose a threat to his plan because he has high unlimited resources and manpower at his disposal. Moreover, he has the hound—who is mentioned by Rio—that will eliminate all threats to his masterpiece.

"Still, you know a good place to stay. I don't know if you have balls made of diamonds or you're just stupid. That place is haunted by a scary hanya, you know…" mused Minaka loudly before he laughed.