by Yuu Kamiya
As the Flügel girl continued to act sketchy and out of character. Sora took out his tablet:
“This contains electronic data—hm, you know what that is? Anyway, forty thousand books from another world.”
“—Wha…?”
The girl, widening her eyes to stare at the tablet Sora had taken out as if to burn a hole in it.
“Well, I had this to study for quiz games. But it’s got encyclopedias, medicine and philosophy, science and math—basically, everything people knew in general in our old world is represented here in pretty high proportion.”
At Sora’s explanation, the girl cast eyes of doubt:
“…Sir, you claim to hail from another world?”
“Yeah.”
“Certainly, sir—you lie.”
“Uh, wha?”
Why? Though Steph had believed them right off the bat—
“It is true that the Elves are skilled in the magic of summoning creatures from other worlds. I myself have some books from other worlds, albeit few. However, when a living thing is summoned from another world, it requires massive power to hold in this world. For there to be people from another world, even with the power of Old Deus, it would be an extreme challenge.”
—Having heard this much. Sora, squinting, called Steph, sprawled on the floor.
“…Steph, enough with the unconsciousness act; I’ve got a question for you.”
“Mm-mmghh…y-you knew…?”
“Isn’t this totally different from what you were saying? That it’s not that odd for there to be people from another world?”
“I-I don’t know about magic at that kind of advanced level… Huh? There aren’t normally people from other worlds?”
…It’s about time to stop listening to what Steph says, Sora decided, and, as he began to think about how he could make the girl believe…
“—On the other hand, it would explain how Immanity overcame the Elven game…”
Before he was done, the girl gave him an opportunity to prove himself.
“Might you have anything you can offer as proof?”
“Proof… Well, check this out first.”
He manipulated the tablet before her and called up the bookshelf app. And then he opened an e-book.
“I see; this is a language I’ve never seen… And no fabrication, it appears.”
There was your self-professed 700-glot. Apparently she was able to recognize immediately that the characters obeyed clear rules.
“—I have seen something similar… But, a language I don’t know, a world I don’t know…its encyclopedias…academic literature…its knowledge, a-a-all in this thin box, f-f-forty thousand—eh-heh, eh-heh-hehh!”
“Whoa! Dude, you’re drooling, you’re drooling!”
The girl staring at the screen with a waterfall of drool dangling from her mouth, with a gasp, wiped her mouth.
“—M-my apologies. How disgraceful of me.”
“So, what do you think? About those wager conditions.”
The girl mulled a little and then spoke.
“—Well, it’s if what you say is true.”
“Yeah, sure. I suppose that wasn’t enough to prove anything, huh?”
There was still the possibility that this particular book was a fabrication written in an artificial language. The only way to prove that all of the knowledge in this tablet was real—
“Are you two able to prove your status as residents of another world?”
—Of course, it would come to this. But.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m a virgin! My sister’s a child, as you can see! We aren’t even clear on the individual differences between humans in our old world, so how do you expect us to know the differences between us and these guys!”
…As he said it loud and clear, in a way, it made him look more manly.
“I think you’re the one who would know more, actually. Aren’t you able to tell me apart from the Immanity of this world?”
Asked this, hm—she observed Shiro and Sora carefully, comparing them with Steph.
“—Well, King Sora, you do have a somewhat different complexion from that of Elkia’s Immanities. On the other hand, Queen Shiro’s seems even a bit too white… Would it be all right if I touched your body to check a bit?”
“Hmm… It depends on where,” said Sora, proceeding with caution.
“Your erogenous area.”
“Please go ahead until you’re satisfied and continue after you’re satisfied.”
Though Sora answered decisively and without hesitation, still the brakes came on.
“Brother, R-18…”
“Ngh, ghgh… You’re right… It was such an attractive proposal, it…”
However, like a doctor examining the body of the patient. The Flügel girl spoke calmly, free of ulterior motives.
“All living things in this world have some small amount of spirits living within their bodies. Whether you have them—well, to speak plainly, checking nerve-dense areas will allow me to detect what kind you have, so…?
…Stare.
…Stare…
Steph and Shiro of the cold, half-closed eyes stared at Sora.
“Hngg… Uh—okay, but my underwear has to stay on! And—”
Sora presented conditions for a compromise plan.
“If you’re gonna touch me, then I get to touch your erogenous area, too!”
“Why, that’s very well.”
“What, really?!”
……
Touchie touchie touchie…
“Hey…”
“Yes? Is the feeling of this touch not to your liking?”
“Uh, sure. It feels good, yeah, surprisingly so.”
Yes, he was moved in a way different from when he fondled Steph’s breasts. So moved, in fact, by this mysterious sensation that he wanted it to go on forever. Having said that…
“But, what is it, this feeling of betrayal—I just can’t get my head around it…”
Said Sora as he stroked the Flügel girl’s—wing. While the girl was touching Sora’s nipple.
“Oh, dear, wasn’t this an erogenous zone for you?”
“Let’s just say recognizing that as an erogenous zone is threatening to a man’s pride. Let me also add that I was, how to put it, you know, hoping you would touch me somewhere else.”
Touchie touchie touchie…
“Mm, please don’t touch me so precisely; I’ll start making strange sounds.”
“……Hmm.”
—Sora, in light of her state. Glanced at Shiro.
“My sister, I am only touching her wing. Is this not true?”
“…Mm, totally wholesome…”
The siblings’ harmony was what was called “breath of om.” Before Sora had to say anything, Shiro took out her smartphone and aimed her camera.
“Well, I guess now I might as well show my uber skills at touch-based porn games.”
Upon his words, Sora slid his fingers, shk shk shk, from the base of her wing. In the middle of this trajectory, for an instant, the wing jumped lightly. Sora then focused on this one spot, trying out different levels of pressure, using both hands, at multiple points.
“Yagh! Uh—ngh… I a-pologize, but I, uh, can’t…con-centrate; please…augh…be gent—!…-ler, if you would…”
“Uh, yeah… Hmm, I guess this isn’t bad itself.”
“…Brother, angle…close-up…please.”
“Oh, understood, Director. Whoop.”
“Ungh—!”
“What are they doing to a Flügel…these siblings…”
The idea that these two would even sexually harass a god-slaying weapon was starting to become something like respect in the eyes of Steph as she murmured, appalled. Thus, this process of confirmation continued until the Flügel girl slumped to the ground…
“Ahem, now, first of all—”
Fixing her clothes as she got back in her chair, recomposing her reddened face.
“I do humbly beg y
our forgiveness for lumping you together with the lowly Immanities, without so much as the courtesy of introducing myself. My name is Jibril… It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Jibreel,” as the Flügel girl called herself, lowered her head deeply.
“…Steph.”
“Uh, yes. What is it?”
“…Just how low is Immanity’s status in this world?”
“…If we’re being generous—rock-bottom, I suppose.”
Thereupon, with an excellent smile, the Flügel girl—Jibril added:
“If I may. I understand them best as ‘neat monkeys who can talk’!”
Jibril, speaking with her best smile, devoid of malice.
“Oh, and, for the record, I have no interest in ordinary Immanities. I have already learned all about them and read more than my fill of their literature. Ah…you…your name was Zepef, yes?”
“It’s Steph! Wait, no, it’s Stephanie Dola!”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter; I’ll just call you little Dora.”
“What?!”
“Dora, you are of no interest to me, so would you please go find a place to entertain yourself?”
At Jibril, uttering this devoid of malice.
“…I can cry now, right?”
Steph, forced to dress as a dog (without panties), was on the verge of breaking through the dams on her tear ducts.
“…Well, looking at the current state of Immanity in this world, it’s hard to argue, really…”
However, the manner of Jibril’s apology caused Sora to express doubt.
“But were you saying that we’re not Immanities?”
“No, it’s… I can’t sense any spirits from your bodies at all.”
She sparked a small light from her finger to show them a “spirit” or something.
“If you do have spirits, they must not be detectable by any means known to me… In other words, you two do not even fall under the definition of ‘living beings’ in this world—but, structurally, you clearly seem to be Immanities.”
So…what?
“…Then what…?”
To the mumbling Shiro, Jibril flashed her eyes brilliantly and cried:
“You are the unknown!!”
“Oh, could there be anything more sublime in this world than the unknown!” Her hands together, looking to the ceiling as if praying, wildly, she continued. “The unknown—that which is not yet known! It constitutes not existing knowledge, but the raw ore from which knowledge not yet existing in this world is born! I deeply apologize for my impropriety in equating this with mere Immanity!”
—In theory, Sora was human, but it was extremely complicated. “—Okay, whatever, so we’ve proved to you we’re from another world, right?”
“Oh, yes. With that—you request a game, yes.”
“Yeah.”
“Of course, I accept. The wager—” said Jibril, then after a moment of lag: “—Eh? What was it, now?”
“……Weren’t you even listening?”
“P-pardon me… It seems the reward was so great that I lost track of everything that came before it—”
To the squinting, silent Sora, Jibril spoke in a panic:
“D-do excuse me! For my wager—how is ‘all I have’?!”
“What?!”
The leap from merely “Hand over the library” caused Steph to raise her voice.
Though Sora too thought to himself, …What, seriously? He decided to look on without saying anything, since he apparently stood to gain even more than he expected.
“Y-you might not guess it, but I am in fact among the leaders of Avant Heim. I am the agent plenipotentiary for several dozen Flügel. It does distress me that I cannot wager the entire country, but, well, what do you think?”
…Now this…was unexpected. He’d just demanded she hand over everything in the library. He had planned also to get Jibril herself, but—.
“I-is it not enough? Of course, of course it isn’t. This is forty thousand otherworldly books we’re discussing, after all. Can you wait a bit; I’ll go seize control of the Avant Heim government and come back with all of Flügel within my grasp! In the meantime, please don’t give—”
“Um, how long is that going to take?”
“W-well you ask… I-I’ll try my best to finish in a hundred years!”
“We’re gonna die of old age!”
“Oh… How fleeting is Immanity…”
But this…was even more than he’d thought, —A most welcome miscalculation. I’d better modify my plans…
Sora mumbled to himself, getting those eyes—the eyes he got when he was making some diabolical calculation or another.
“—Nah, you don’t have to do that. All I’m asking for is all of your rights as an individual.”
“Wha… Y-you’d be satisfied with something so insignificant as that?!”
Lighting up her eyes as if flying to him, Jibril.
“Of course, I accept with pleasure! Oh, and may I add an additional request for when I win?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you come for tea even just now and then? I would love to know more about you two. You know—all the way to the nooks and crannies… Geh-heh, eh-heh-heh-heh…”
Jibril’s face, at first a fresh smile. Then gradually transforming into that of a dirty old man. It did make Sora think, honestly, that he should have recorded it on his phone. But anyway.
“—You talk as if you’ve already won.”
“Yes, I apologize, but I shall win.”
Ah, so she thought she could bet anything because she’d definitely win. Sora responded with a smile.
“Huh. Then we’re gonna add a request when we win, all right?”
“Certainly! It’s not as if you will, but please request whatever you wish.”
—Sooo. Now there was a hole bigger than ever imagined. Yes, quite a big hole—for the sake of taking over the world. The only one who noticed Sora’s thin smirk, still, was Shiro.
The party made their way to the game venue: the center of the library. Walking through the maze of books in the fantastic stacks. On the way, a question popped up, and Sora voiced it.
“Hey, why did you take over this library? It’s just Immanity’s knowledge, right?”
“Oh, yes, well, my home country, Avant Heim, lies on the back of a Phantasma—”
Sora remembering Lapu—no, the city of the heavens that had passed over his head.
“We need no food and live all but eternally, so territory is hardly a concern to us, but then, we have been collecting knowledge for thousands of years, so you see, we do run out of space to store books.”
“……Uh-huh.”
“And so a draft law called ‘Let’s Eliminate Book Redundancy’ arose in the Council.”
—This government Jibril had been mentioning. Was known, if memory served, as the Council of Eighteen Wings: the central authority of Flügel, composed of eight representatives and one agent plenipotentiary.
“The notion was to share knowledge—and that’s all very well. But what it came down to was obliging each Flügel to lend books to each other: yes, madness.”
Clenching a fist and growing passionate, Jibril.
“Of course I opposed it! Four of the legislators including myself violently objected, and yet the Council split four to four, and the Alipotentiary, who holds the right to final decision, allowed this loathsome proposal to pass.”
Drooping in dismay, however—she began.
“As I could never accept such a thing, I came to fly off on my own to establish my own library.”
“—And that’s why the linchpin of Immanity’s knowledge and wisdom was taken…”
At Sora’s soft jibe, Jibril raised a fierce cry.
“But my books! It is my passion to keep my books organized and in pristine condition, even going so far as to control the surrounding temperature and humidity, and now I must allow them to be bent and sullied?! Aaah, it’s impossible; it’s unacceptabl
e!! If it weren’t for that little wretch Tet who prohibited the use of force, their heads would be fly—Oh, here we are. This is it!”
“Ooh, this girl is scary.”
“—Just so you know, Sora…” said Steph to Sora, who had spoken his mind.
“The livelihood of Flügel today rests in collecting knowledge, but in the old days—”
But Jibril cut her off and answered herself.
“Yes, before the Ten Covenants, we liked to collect heads.”
With an innocent smile as if looking back on old, fond memories.
“Ah, how young I was then—going with everyone to decapitate Gigants and Dragonias and such and having these big fights about where to hang their heads. Oh, please don’t panic; there were so many Immanity heads, they were rarity level zero.”
Having unconsciously covered his neck, Sora spoke.
“—Flügel is a misleading name. You should change it.”
It made them sound like angels. This was the work of devils.
—In the center of the library. A great circular space encircled by bookshelves. On the round table in the center was inscribed a complex geometrical pattern, and two chairs sat at either side.
“The game, as you may know, is shiritori… However—we use these.”
Jibril softly extending her hand over the round table. The geometric pattern on the table cast light, and, with a convergence toward the center. Countless magic circles floated up, and a crystal was formed floating in the air in front of each of the two facing chairs.
“…What’s this?”
“It’s a game device for Materialization Shiritori.”
Please take a seat, she indicated. Sora sat, and Jibril sat across from him.
“Flügel is a war race—ordinary games are not our specialty, nor, if I may add, of any interest to us.”
“—Despite the Ten Covenants?”
“Yes, you see, playing such petty little games, we cannot help but think, ‘Oh, if only we could get this over with by slicing off this vile fellow’s head’… These cumbersome rules are all thanks to that devious little brat; someday, I’ll fu—Oh, my, I nearly uttered a most vulgar word. Please excuse me!”