by Sakon Kaidou
Mind you, it was a bit of a waste of time and effort to ask someone else to pass on my messages, so it was probably high time our party exchanged contact info.
“By the way, what happened to the fox that took you?” Shu asked.
The word “fox” momentarily confused me, but it didn’t take me long to figure out who he was referring to. There was only one person who fit the bill.
“Oh, you mean the aberr... Tsukuyo Fuso?”
While I saw her as an eldritch aberration, apparently Shu saw her as a fox.
“There’s a bit of a problem regarding her,” I sighed.
“And that would be?”
“She’s an upperclassman at college.”
“...That’s... just... grizzly...”
I don’t know if you’re surprised or shocked, but please don’t bring your bear puns into real life.
“You all right, bro?” he asked, clearly worried.
“That new acquaintance I told you about helped me out, so yeah, I am, if only barely.” I couldn’t bear to think how things would’ve turned out if Fujibayashi hadn’t been there.
“I see. Should I contact our sis? Just in case?”
“...Don’t. I feel like whatever she’d do would leave a bad taste in my mouth.”
She was a woman who seemed to be living in a different setting than the rest of us. I’d recently started reading Marie’s manga, and I could honestly say that my sister would fit in there just fine.
Did I just think that she’d fit in a battle manga about superpowered professional killers?! I realized. What the hell?
“You still can’t handle our sister, huh?” Shu asked.
Well, he certainly wasn’t wrong about that. I didn’t hate her or anything, but remembering what she’d done when I was young still made me shiver.
Ten years ago, up until that one Un-kra tournament, I’d been really attached to Shu. Looking back at it now, it had probably been a reaction in response to my fear of my sister.
“Hmm...” Shu pondered about something. “By the way, what did you feel when looking at Tsukuyo Fuso?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You found her really scary, didn’t you?”
The question made my heart skip a beat. “...How do you know that?”
“Yeah, I thought as much... Then let me give you a little trick to make the fear go away.”
A trick? Dude, this really doesn’t seem like something that can be taken care of by just that.
“The reason why you’re so afraid of the fox is very simple,” he said before making a pause to emphasize the words that followed. “She’s just like our sister.”
Ah.
“I don’t mean her face, of course. It’s the general feel about her. She’s weirdly friendly, cheerful, childish, and mischievous, and yet she sometimes has the aura of a murderous animal aiming for her prey. She and our sis are extremely alike.”
“Guh...”
H-He’s completely right. That’s it. I finally know the cause of the vague, unknown fear within me.
It also made me realize why my mind hadn’t been able to connect the dots. Going down memory lane to find the reason why I was so afraid of the aberration would have meant digging through my traumatic memories with my sister.
“Just keep in mind that she and our sis aren’t the same, and she shouldn’t scare you anymore.”
“...Yeah.”
“That fox didn’t jump from building to building while holding little baby you.”
“...Yeah.”
“She didn’t escape a sinking passenger ship by breaking its hull.”
“...Yeah.”
“She didn’t jump out of an aircraft without a parachute and survive with just a few scratches.”
“...”
Just what the hell is my sister’s body made of?
Although I guess I couldn’t ignore that, with the third incident, she’d fallen on a soft, freshly-tilled grape field, and there’d been other people who’d survived such falls with minor injuries.
“So yeah, there’s no reason for you to be so afraid of the fox,” Shu concluded.
“Thanks,” I said. “That helps a lot.”
I really meant that. That exchange made me feel completely refreshed.
After the call, I went to have dinner and take a bath. Following that, I went on the Dendro news site, MMO Journal Planter, and checked if anything had happened in the kingdom while I was offline.
I saw headlines such as: “Shindo 3/Mercalli III-IV Earthquakes Happening All Over the Kingdom,” “That Big PK Joined That New PK Clan, Sol Crisis,” and “Gideon’s Next Big Thing! KoD-Approved Popcorn!”
“...”
I didn’t care much about the PK news, and I was too scared to read the one about my very own brother, so I went straight for the one about earthquakes.
According to the article, over the past month or so, weak earthquakes had been happening here and there across the kingdom. The hypocenters were scattered all over the country, and people still couldn’t figure out what was causing it. Also, the places that suffered the earthquakes had a high chance of revealing new dungeons, UBMs, or hordes of strong monsters, making many believe that they were all related somehow.
I scrolled through the discussion board and saw people present theories such as: “Large monsters are wandering around the underground,” “The environment control AI is preparing something big,” “Someone’s just practicing their earth magic,” and “It’s just Franklin being a terrorist again.”
I was leaning towards the last one.
Once done checking the news, I equipped my Infinite Dendrogram gear.
I would now go on a quest with Fujibayashi.
Thankfully, tomorrow was Saturday and there was no college, so unless the quest was absurdly long, we shouldn’t have any problems. Hell, and if we didn’t find a quest that was right for us, we could just raid the Tomb Labyrinth.
“All right, time to go online,” I said as I logged in to Infinite Dendrogram after a whole day away from it.
Chapter Five: The Impossible Quest
Paladin, Ray Starling
Fujibayashi and I had decided to meet in the capital, rather than Gideon, so I chose to log in at the place where I’d last logged out instead of my save point at the city of duels.
Sure, I had my worries about appearing right next to the aberration’s lair, AKA The Lunar Society’s headquarters, but thankfully, no one was waiting to ambush me.
Hold on, I thought. The King of Assassins could be hiding in my shadow again.
Just to be sure, I coated one of my Grudge-Soaked Greaves in Purifying Silverlight and kicked the ground beneath.
Nothing happened, which could only mean that my shadow was mine and mine alone, making me sure I was safe.
“It appears you had no trouble making it to college.” Nemesis popped out of the crest and spoke to me. “But that seems to have led to even greater trouble.”
She could only be referring to the fact that the aberration and I were in the same college.
“Well, I’m glad you were able to escape her clutches, but this makes it two times I couldn’t help you in any way.”
“Hm?” I raised an eyebrow. Nemesis seemed uncharacteristically down. It was as though she were deriding herself for something.
“While you were on the other side, I was thinking things through,” she said in a slightly dejected tone, probably as a reply to my thoughts. “I was of no help to you during yesterday’s battle. Even when attacking the King of Assassins, you could’ve used any other weapon, and the result would’ve been the same. My powerlessness back then made me consider whether I have really grown since our battle against Gardranda.”
“But you did,” I said.
And don’t think otherwise.
“I knew you would say that,” she sighed. “But you can’t ignore that I haven’t even evolved since then.”
“But there’s still stuff you’ve learned to do,
right?”
“...Oh, you mean that? But it’s a technique we didn’t even have a chance to use against the High Priestess and King of Assassins.”
“We’ll use it eventually, properly paired with what I’ve learned. So yeah, don’t be so down. And don’t mind the skills and stats so much. I know better than anyone else that you’re growing and working hard for it,” I concluded with a light tap of her shoulder.
“I must say, you speak very passionately sometimes,” she said and cracked a wry smile. “You sound like an overly-enthusiastic teacher.”
Though probably not in the way I’d intended, my words seemed to have lifted her spirits.
“So,” Nemesis spoke up again. “We’re cooperating with one of your acquaintances from the other side, yes? If you exclude Brother Bear, this is going to be a first.”
“That’s true.”
We arrived at the rendezvous point, the familiar fountain, and I became aware of a problem.
“While Fujibayashi seems to know me, I know neither her avatar’s name nor what she looks like.”
For reasons unknown, she’d insisted on telling me when we were online. I hadn’t pushed it, but it was still going to be a problem when trying to find each other.
Things would be really easy if she, like the aberration, played as herself, but I certainly didn’t expect Fujibayashi to take that route.
So how do we meet up? I wondered. I don’t feel good about just standing here and waiting for her.
My voice was the same as in real life, so maybe I could just wait for the time to come and start shouting “I’m Ray! Right here!” or something?
No, things would be pretty embarrassing for me if she was late. Worst case scenario, I could even attract the aberration.
“Don’t I have any good way to help us meet up?” I thought aloud.
Wait... Meet up... Fountain... Shu...
“Ah!” I exclaimed as I was struck with an idea.
“...You’re really going to do it?” asked Nemesis.
“What choice do I have in this situation?”
A few minutes later, I was sitting on the edge of the fountain while holding a sign saying “Welcome, KF.”
“This should be enough for her to realize it’s me,” I said.
The letters “KF,” of course, stood for “Kozue Fujibayashi.” Things had come to this because I hadn’t been given her avatar’s name.
“...Is it just me, or are you attracting more stares than usual?” asked Nemesis.
“Well, of course. People with signs stand out, you know?”
And as many people as possible have to see it, just in case one of them is Fujibayashi.
“Doesn’t it bother you?” she asked.
“I get weird stares all the time these days. I’m more or less used to it by now.”
It was probably because of Franklin’s Game. My battle against the RSK had been streamed to both Gideon and the capital, so I’d become strangely famous.
I swear, nothing good comes from whatever that lab coat bastard does, I thought.
“I’m inclined to believe that most of the stares are because of your current appearance,” commented Nemesis.
“Hm?”
What do you mean?
“Anyway, I must say, you’re becoming more and more like Brother Bear.”
“Prepawsterous.”
“It’s spreading?!” she exclaimed with obvious shock in her tone.
Whoa there, I’m just joking. No need to shiver that much.
“Nh?” I added.
We — or, Nemesis insisted, I — had been attracting stares from many people here, but one person in particular had a relatively strange presence.
Since entering Dendro, I’d become quite sensitive to this sort of thing.
The peculiar stare was coming from someone mixed into a crowd. Specifically, from a huge person in appropriately large full armor.
None of that was an exaggeration. The person looked at least three meters tall, and his armor was so complete that I couldn’t see a hint of his skin.
However, his face was directed towards me, so I could only assume that he was looking at me.
As though realizing that I’d noticed him, the armored giant turned around and walked down the alley.
“What was that about?” I asked.
“A fan, perhaps?” suggested Nemesis.
While it was true that I’d had a few fans approach me since Franklin’s Game, somehow, I didn’t feel that was the case here. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I felt that the armored person was... observing me. Also, I couldn’t help but feel as if I’d seen that armor before...
“Well, he might’ve just been taken aback by the sign,” said Nemesis.
That wasn’t unlikely. I, too, had been shocked when I’d seen Shu wait for me here while holding his sign and wearing a bear costume.
I look way more normal than he did, though, I thought.
“Eh?!” Nemesis exclaimed, as though questioning if I was being serious.
Of course I do, I thought in response. My gear’s history might be dark, but it’s all perfectly normal compared to a goddamn bear suit.
Nemesis didn’t argue. She just closed her eyes, sighed and muttered, “He’s too far gone.” I had no idea what she meant by that.
Twenty minutes had passed since I’d brought the sign.
“Are you Mukudori?” someone asked in a familiar voice, prompting me to turn towards them.
Though the voice was one I’d heard in reality not so long ago, the appearance was completely new to me.
“Yes, I’m Mukudori,” I said. “Are you Fujibayashi?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Looks like we met up without a problem.”
Her avatar looked decidedly plain and normal. Though there was little of her real-life self in her appearance, her height was about the same. The equipment she had equipped looked high-quality, but none of it really stood out, especially when compared to animal costumes and the like.
If I had to point out anything special about her appearance, it would be her glasses. She wore a pair in real life, too.
While the gear of the eccentric Superiors and duel rankers I’d been sparring against often weirded me out or put me on edge, she had an appearance that gave me peace of mind.
“I’m glad we were able to meet up, but I must ask, what’s with the gea— I mean, sign?” she asked.
“My brother did this to me before,” I answered. “Is it that weird?”
“...It surprised me, but that’s the extent of it.”
What’s with that pause before her answer? I wondered.
“Anyway... You really are Ray Starling.”
“Well, yeah.”
“Being with someone famous makes me a bit tense.”
I was silent.
Like Nemesis had mentioned, I’d recently had some people approach me as fans, so this wasn’t completely new to me. Still, having a real-life acquaintance call me “famous” made me somewhat bashful.
“So, let’s go to the guild,” she said. “There are two of us, and we’re both battle jobs, so I feel like a kill quest would suit us far better than a gathering quest. I’ll leave the choice to you, though.”
“All right,” I said. “Oh, by the way, what’s your job? I’m a Paladin.”
“My current main job is Shield Giant.”
I didn’t know what kind of job that was, and once I asked, she said, “It’s a high-rank job that focuses on shield skills, and it allows smooth usage of all shields regardless of size as long as you have the required STR.”
It was probably a defensive job, but I couldn’t help but note that the term “Giant” didn’t fit Fujibayashi’s slender frame at all.
Oh, there’s something I must ask before we form a party, I thought. “What’s your avatar’s name?”
It couldn’t be just “Kozue Fujibayashi,” after all. She wasn’t like that aberration or her super secretary.
“Well...” she said, befor
e taking a moment to think. “Call me ‘B3.’”
“Okay... Hm?” I complied, but then I realized that she’d said something off. She’d told me to call her “B3,” strongly implying that it wasn’t actually her avatar name.
“That’s not my avatar’s name, but ‘B3’ is how my close friends call me,” she explained as she sent me a party invitation. “And my name is a little, uh... long too, so it’s convenient.”
The name I saw next to the invitation was indeed long, and it could easily be abbreviated to just “B3.”
I accepted the invitation, and we became part of the same party.
Interesting note: she was level 485, making it very clear that she was experienced.
“I was maxed out just a while ago, but now I’m experimenting with various job combinations,” she told me.
Oh, yeah. Shu had once told me that jobs could be reset and exchanged for other jobs.
I was still on my first, so that feature didn’t really matter to me.
“Now that we’re in the same party, let us introduce ourselves again,” she said. “I’m B3. Nice to meet you.”
“Ah, all right,” I replied. “I’m Ray Starling. Let’s get along.”
“Greetings!” Nemesis joined in. “I’m Ray’s Embryo, Nemesis. It’s a pleasure, B3.”
“Same here.” With the partying up and introductions done, we headed out to the guild to pick up a quest.
◇
It was my first time at the capital’s guild since Rook, Marie, and I had taken the quest to make a delivery to Gideon. Not even a month had passed since that time, so the interior hadn’t changed a bit.
B3 and I sat down at a table and looked at the quests in the large magical catalog.
Unlike last time, when there had been many escort quests from people heading to Gideon or other countries, there were now lots of escort quests to some village in the north, and I couldn’t imagine why. Ten minutes of quest-searching later, we still hadn’t found the right one.
“...Nh?” I raised an eyebrow as I noticed that there was some trouble going on at the counter. It was caused by a young boy, desperately asking for something from the guild employee.
“Please, get someone to search for my dad! He’s been gone for half a year now!” the boy pleaded.