by Blitz Kiva
It was Matsunaga.
“Lord Matsunaga,” said Kirschwasser.
“Hello, Sir Kirschwasser. I forgot to ask, but how is Mr. Tsuwabuki doing?”
“The same as ever. He is doing as he wishes. I cannot tell you the concrete details, but he is currently trying to get to the bottom of things through a different avenue than Thistle itself.”
“I see. Then our attempts may end up being for nothing.” But from the look on his face, Matsunaga clearly had no intention of stopping the excitement.
“Er, Lord Matsunaga?”
“Yes?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Kirschwasser chose to bring up a certain subject. “If money were no object, how strong could I become, in service to this plan?”
“Hmm?”
Kirschwasser was a gamer, too, but in terms of knowledge of pure game data, Matsunaga was overwhelmingly his superior. He was the game’s foremost Explorer. He had created the game’s walkthrough wiki. He’d even investigated the secret of King Kirihito’s strength, analyzed his build strategies, and added those to the wiki—of course, King Kirihito’s build only worked because of Sera Kiryu’s transcendent skill as a gamer, so everyone who tried to copy it ended up sinking.
But in any case, Kirschwasser thought, Matsunaga must know, better than he did, the best ways to make his character stronger.
Sakurako Ogi had Ichiro’s palladium card at her disposal. There was no spending limit. Ichiro had an account with JP Morgan’s private bank, so she could use it until all his money ran out. She was hesitant to use it, but if Ichiro was serious, then Sakurako had to be serious. That meant that Kirschwasser was serious, too.
“I see, I see...” Matsunaga nodded in understanding. After a while, he seemed to think of something. “Sir Kirschwasser, you’re still in the upper mid-level range, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll likely be executing the plan to lure out Duplichiro and deal with him tomorrow, so at the soonest, the time until the plan will be 12 or 13 hours. With that amount of time and Mr. Tsuwabuki’s credit card, I believe you could reach the game’s top tier with ease. It might require a few drastic measures, but I hope you’ll trust me.” Matsunaga went on, “I’m still investigating this, but in the Mediterra Demon Sea, there’s a miniquest perfect for grinding levels and skill points. We’ll want you to buy as many microtransaction boosts as you can, then repeat that miniquest over and over.”
“What are the drastic measures?” Kirschwasser asked.
“Allow me to level up your account.”
Sakurako understood fully the implications of those words. The terms of service agreement forbid selling accounts for real money, as well as letting someone else use your account by proxy for compensation. Lending your account or allowing a proxy without compensation wasn’t technically forbidden, but it was clearly in a gray zone, close to black. Of course, what Stroganoff, leader of the Red Sunset Knights, was doing was also in that gray zone, but...
That wasn’t the only problem. Kirschwasser would also be yielding his account, if temporarily, to a player he’d never met in person. If Matsunaga wanted to steal the account, it might be Sakurako who wound up with her account stolen this time.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Matsunaga. And of course, no matter what he did, as long as she didn’t input Ichiro’s credit card information into the server, Matsunaga couldn’t illegally access it. Still, it was a difficult prospect to agree to lightly. Matters of security on the internet went beyond merely whether or not you trusted someone.
“I’ll log out again at around seven in the morning,” said Matsunaga. “Then you will log in again, and if you’re worried about privacy, you should change your password then. From then on, you’ll train yourself until the time comes to execute the plan. Over the course of the night, I’ll create a training chart for you. It’ll be a build specialized for fighting Duplichiro, so it might be a bit min-maxy, of course.”
Then again, if Duplichiro was currently in control of the account management server, maybe being careful with security didn’t matter. And the devs had bigger things to deal with than minor infractions of the terms of service agreement.
This line of thinking was in the end, nonsense. “You should decide it for yourself.” That was likely what Ichiro would say.
“Very well,” Sakurako-Kirschwasser said. Thus, the contract was forged.
She was no idea if this was the right way to use what he’d given her. She just had to give it her all. Even if that was just inside a game.
More important than the fun of making her own avatar stronger, more than the guilt of entering this gray zone, Sakurako’s heart burned with her servant’s sense of mission.
Afterward, concrete discussion about the plan continued.
It was a very serious strategy meeting, led by the members of the Red Sunset Knights, with their wealth of combat experience, and Matsunaga, with his deep knowledge about the game’s underlying data. When Kirschwasser shared Ichiro’s opinion that the devs would be able to deal with this within the next day or two, and Stroganoff proposed that things would probably work out on their own even if they took no action at all, Matsunaga countered that they should keep going anyway, since it still sounded fun.
A comment of “Are you enjoying this?” was met with a response of “Well, it is a game,” and it was hard to argue with that.
It was summer vacation, so the beginner and intermediate players that Duplichiro would likely most want to prey on would probably start logging in after breakfast and stay on through lunch. Duplichiro was apparently, at present, holed up in the deepest part of the Volgund Volcanoes, but they decided to assume that he might go into action during the time period when the greatest number of potential targets were logged on.
They also discussed another form of violence that Duplichiro might take: trying to access their virtual cash and credit cards. But Tomakomai offered up an optimistic view of that, suggesting that the exercise of in-game power was Duplichiro’s real goal.
This meant that things now turned to the question: what should they do when Duplichiro moved into action?
Right now, the only path to the area of the Volgund Volcanoes he was currently in was being guarded by the Dual Serpents’ bowgun squad. That meant that they’d know the minute Duplichiro moved into action. In order to get a better handle on exactly what Duplichiro was up to, Matsunaga proposed temporarily becoming a member of Iris Brand guild himself—a suggestion which made Iris distinctly uncomfortable.
They agreed that if Duplichiro was going to take action, it would likely be around 9 A.M. at the earliest, and a bit after noon at the latest. When that happened, Iris was to start sending friend messages to provoke him, in order to focus Ichiro’s aggro and keep the damage from spreading. They would then use Iris’s continuing provocations to lead him to a place where they had prepared an ambush, and fall on him with their forces combined.
“I wonder if it’s possible,” Sorceress murmured.
“Good question...” Taker sighed back.
It was true that he no longer had “Immortal” status. It felt possible that if they attacked him from all angles, they should be able to do damage, but at the same time, none of the players present knew the precise details of Ichiro Tsuwabuki’s avatar build.
“Well, he isn’t Immortal, right?” Stroganoff said. “If he’s not Immortal, we can beat him eventually.”
“I dunno, Tsuwabuki’s sure close to immortal anyway!” Amesho said, pouring water on Stroganoff’s words.
“He is a Dragonet, after all,” said Matsunaga. “On top of the defense offered to him through his Dragon Scales, there’s also a high probability that he has continuous recovery Skills like Regenerate activated at all times. Even worse, if he does have them, then Mr. Tsuwabuki’s been close to invincible all this time even without using them.”
Silence fell over the group. No one would have thought that all these people ganging up on one player could still in
voke such feelings of despair. It was the moment when they all realized how broken Narrow Fantasy Online’s game balance was.
“But he’s not Master Ichiro,” Kirschwasser reminded them again. All the eyes in the room turned to Kirschwasser. “He’s Duplichiro. He resembles Master Ichiro, but there are decisive differences between them.”
Matsunaga shrugged. “It’s an idealistic approach, but let’s go with it.”
“True. We don’t have a choice but to try.”
“Actually, we do have a choice. We don’t actually hafta do anything,” Amesho giggled. “But if we’re gonna do it, we oughta commit.”
In the end, everyone agreed. They were all raring to punch Duplichiro, after all.
“It’s done!” Iris cried out as she finished her message that would serve as the bait.
Those around her peered at the message and grimaced. Several among them ended up leaning back against the wall as though suddenly feeling ill.
What could it possibly contain?
Kirschwasser went to look. “Aah, this is...”
Iris was truly a genius. The vitriol-packed friend message was so brilliant that even a glance caused a twinge inside of him. For the sake of her dignity, he did not comment on its contents.
Scattered applause sounded out around the guild house, in recognition of her skill.
“Talent is indeed beyond a person’s control,” Sorceress whispered airily.
Sera Kiryu woke up. It was only natural; all this running around would be enough to disrupt anyone’s biorhythms.
The young gamer let out a long yawn, then tried the personal TV and the reading light. Neither would turn on; the window was also closed. This was all likely to let people sleep, but it meant that those who happened to wake up then would be forced to suffer in boredom.
Everyone around seemed to be sleeping, too, which extinguished even Sera’s hopes for pulling out a portable game system. Then Sera glanced at the next seat over and noticed that Ichiro Tsuwabuki wasn’t there.
Where could he have gone? Deciding it might be quicker to ask, Sera pressed the call button. Immediately, a voice sounded out from above.
“How may I help you?” It was impressive that a flight attendant could respond so quickly in this darkness.
First-class service is amazing! Sera thought, but the young gamer’s spoken response came out as a stammer, the result of innate social awkwardness. “Ah, r-right. Um, the old ma— er, young man, sitting next to me...”
“Mr. Tsuwabuki is currently at the bar.”
“Bar? There’s a place to drink alcohol? Here on a plane?”
“We offer soft drinks as well as alcohol. It’s only accessible to first class and business class customers.”
Sera blinked. The Kiryu patriarch worked at a company overseas, and their family was wealthy enough to own a home in Nagoya, but they were still solidly middle class. To Sera, the very concept seemed absolutely pie-in-the-sky... but of course, they were currently in the sky...
Sera’s father was an eccentric sort who had declared that he loved nothing more than to watch his wife and child playing games. As a result, he had spent a lot of money on arcade game cabinets and tons of brand-new software, all of which seemed to Sera to be a waste of money. But when he did occasionally come back from his business trips, he’d sit in the living room, watching rapturously as the two of them fought their white-knuckle game battles... so maybe, Sera thought, it wasn’t so bad.
Now, back to the subject at hand.
“Could you take me to it?” Sera asked.
“Certainly.”
When they got back from America and took their trip to visit Sera’s father in Italy, it would probably be in economy class. It might be worth enjoying these first class perks while there was still a chance.
“Where are we now?” Sera asked.
“We’re over the Pacific Ocean, at a height of 39,000 feet, currently on schedule. It’s just after 1 A.M. on August 4th Japan time, and we’re scheduled to arrive at Chicago O’Hare airport in about six and a half hours.”
Sera followed after the flight attendant, letting out another big yawn. She eventually led Sera to the bar counter, a compact space that nevertheless had a nice atmosphere.
After informing Sera that the first drink was on the house for those who had slept through the initial welcome drink, the attendant handed over a customs form and said, “Please, fill this out.” Naturally, Sera accepted it.
“Hey, King.” Ichiro was sitting there, holding up a glass.
“Old man,” Sera greeted before trying to take a seat. The seats were awfully high, and Sera was very short. After an aborted attempt to jump onto one, Ichiro offered a hand to pull the young gamer up.
“Thanks,” Sera said before working on filling out the customs form. It was all in English. Sera balked.
“Shall I help you?” Ichiro asked.
“Um... uh, if there are any words I don’t know, I’ll ask.”
Despite not coming to school for so long, Sera hadn’t slacked on studying. There were limits to the English ability of any middle schooler, but to ask for aid without trying would be an insult to both pride and aesthetics. Sera liked Capcom games, and particularly enjoyed the “learn by dying” attitude they encouraged.
The bartender, a black man, spoke to Sera so quickly that the English was difficult to make out. Assuming he was asking for an order, Sera responded, “A soft drink, preferably non-carbonated,” and Ichiro translated.
“Is it really okay to have a bar in an airplane?” Sera asked, while focused on deciphering the English in the document. Airplanes had notoriously bad balance, and Sera had heard too many stories of passengers getting injured during turbulence while they were out of their seats, then later filing lawsuits. Given that, it seemed a risky move for an airline to install a bar in an airplane.
“You see things like this from time to time,” said Ichiro. “In Emirates and Virgin Atlantic and such.”
“Are those names of airline companies?”
“Mm, yes. We took an Emirates aircraft when I took Asuha’s family to Dubai. I believe the plane itself was the same as this one, an Airbus A380 jumbo jet.” The way he rattled off all the terms suggested he hadn’t studied in advance; he just happened to know all of this.
It made Sera consider, for a minute, the totally different worlds they inhabited... but the young gamer immediately drove that thought from mind. They weren’t different at all; they lived in the same world. It wasn’t as if they were traveling to another dimension.
“I don’t personally enjoy air travel, but I do enjoy Emirates’s service... though this airline isn’t bad, either.” Ichiro cast a glance behind him as he spoke. The waiting attendant smiled and bowed gratefully. “Emirates is known as the unpredictable airline.”
“You really are an old man,” Sera commented.
“That’s what my uncle said, too.” Ichiro swished his glass around happily.
After a struggle, Sera managed to finish the customs form. The attendant, waiting quietly in the wings, took it, checked through it to make sure there were no problems, then bowed and left. Her graceful movements were all befitting of a top-quality airline.
The bartender finally brought the drink. Apparently he had been waiting for Sera to finish writing. Sera wanted to say “thank you” in English, but felt embarrassed having Ichiro nearby, so just responded with a nod.
“It all happened so fast I didn’t really think about it. But America, huh...” Sera murmured.
“Just think of it as social education,” Ichiro said. “Not bad, is it?”
“I wonder if it will be educational...”
From the start, Sera had had another motive besides meeting Ichiro.
Sera had wanted to meet the person behind Duplichiro, the person who had hacked the account.
Even though the hacker hadn’t said it outright, it was obvious that Duplichiro clearly thought a lot about Ichiro. So, as someone else who thought a lot about Ichi
ro Tsuwabuki, Sera had to be there to tell them... “You’re going about this the wrong way.”
Sera knew that becoming Ichiro was an impossible task. He was a goal to aspire to, and nothing more. The man currently elegantly nursing his drink was a target, one that Sera Kiryu some day had to defeat.
Who was this “child” who had stolen Ichiro’s appearance and methodology to indulge in his own fantasy? Sera had to meet this person and fight them one more time, if necessary.
But Sera still wondered about one thing.
“Hey, old man.”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you keep playing NaroFan?” Sera looked at Ichiro, glass still in one hand.
Ichiro’s blue eyes in the dim lighting of the bar looked straight into Sera’s, then turned back to the middle distance. He swished his glass again with a cool smile.
“Let me see. There are a number of reasons that I could name,” he said, giving his usual preface. “Because I enjoy the world. Because I like it. That’s more or less what it comes down to.”
“I wish you’d break it down and explain a little more.”
“It might be a bit of a jumble... I would like to have a more focused conversation with you.”
“That’s an old man thing,” said Sera. “I’m just a kid.”
“Then I’ll tell you one reason.” Ichiro lay his empty glass upon the counter. “It’s you.”
He surely wasn’t drunk, but Ichiro said it decisively.
“Of course, it isn’t just you,” Ichiro continued. “Iris, Ed, and even Asuha, lately. They’re all connections I sought out in this world, but could never find.”
“People who pick fights with you, you mean?” asked Sera.
“That’s a straightforward way of putting it, yes.”
He had been very bored, Ichiro went on to say. He had spent his days without much new stimulation. He’d found ways to have fun day by day, but there had been no amusements that he could be sure would continue into the future. Sometimes he’d goad Sakurako into a cooking battle, or a cleaning battle, or a competition to see how long they could endure sitting around the kotatsu going full blast in the middle of summer. All those things were enjoyable, but he couldn’t do them every day.