“Th-That’s so irresponsible...” Fujiko said, but the teleportation circle had already disappeared.
○
“Working hard, Ackie?” Keena floated into the old library. She had a relaxed look on her face that made you sleepy just looking at it.
“Also...”
Akuto was standing on top of a high ladder holding several books, putting them onto different shelves.
“...do you need my help?” Keena asked, but Akuto shook his head.
“I’m fine. Keep an eye on Doronz for me, please. She’s been reading a book the whole time, so she’s probably okay, but we can’t watch her.”
“Okay!” Keena flew over to Keina.
Meanwhile, Akuto went back to his work. He focused on shelving for a while, but when he heard Keena’s voice, he turned around. She had said something strange.
“Hey, did you decide what story you like?” Keena was whispering to Keina.
Akuto shouldn’t have been close enough to hear her, but somehow he heard her anyway.
Keina was sitting on top of a pile of books, with a green-colored book on her lap. Keena had a hand on her shoulder.
“Ke—” Akuto went to call her name.
But then Keina’s lips moved as she said something. Her body began to glow brightly, turning his whole field of vision white.
“Huh...?” Akuto was sinking in a world of white. He thought he heard Junko’s scream, and Korone’s emotionless voice.
“Wh-What is this...?”
“It seems I made it in time. In time to be caught up in it, at least...”
And then Akuto blacked out.
○
When Akuto woke up, he was wearing a fancy frock coat.
“Hmm?” He wondered for a moment if Fujiko had dressed him in it, but then he rejected the idea.
Akuto was in a western-style bedroom. There was a vintage-style mirror and a bed with a canopy. His feet were sunk into a thick carpet.
“What’s going on here?”
He looked around. The room was big, but he was the only one standing there. But someone was sleeping in the bed. It was Keina.
“She was reading a book, I thought... I guess I’ll wake her up.”
As he moved towards the bed, he suddenly froze in shock.
Keina was completely naked. The only thing covering her body was a thin sheet. He could easily make out her body’s curves.
“Is this... an illusion?” he whispered. There was a knock as the door opened.
“Excuse me. I’m sorry to interrupt, but this isn’t an illusion.”
Korone came inside. She was dressed as a maid.
“Korone... Why are you dressed like that? It feels like you know what’s going on...” Akuto said. Korone nodded.
“I’ll explain everything...”
Korone told him that Keina was a human being created from a warp by the Law of Identity, and that she existed in order to correct that warp.
“And she brought us here to do that?”
“This is virtual phase space. We use this space for our teleportation all the time, but right now it’s in a slightly unusual state.”
“Unusual how, exactly?”
“We’re locked in here and unable to escape. In addition, the space’s design comes from the book that Keina Doronz was reading.”
“The book she was reading?” Akuto looked around again. It felt like he was in a noble’s mansion in Europe.
“It’s a work of literature, detailing the loves of European nobles in the 1900s. It was written as a work of entertainment, but it became popular in later years, and was elevated to the status of literature.”
“I see. So basically, we’re locked in the world of a story?”
“Correct. And this fact is intimately linked with Keina Doronz.”
“What do you mean?
“She, herself, is the warp in the world. When she disappears the world will stabilize, and we’ll be released from virtual phase space.”
“W-Wait... Does that mean that she’s... that Doronz is going to die?”
Akuto looked at the sleeping Doronz. She looked very happy as she slept. He had never seen such a satisfied look on the face of a person who was sleeping.
“Yes, in a sense. All that will really happen, though, is that the rift will disappear,” Korone said flatly.
“You’re not going to tell me to kill her, are you?” Akuto asked, worried.
“I won’t tell you to kill her. I will tell you, however, to erase her. But she will eventually disappear on her own. That is her role, and why she was created.” Korone nodded.
—She was created to disappear?
Akuto didn’t know what to think. That meant that Keina was born just to help him, and would disappear for the same reason.
“I don’t know how I feel about that...”
“Don’t worry. Once she disappears, she will be adequately rewarded.”
“I’m not sure I understand...”
Korone paused for a second before she spoke.
“The warp is composed of people’s memories. Once the memories, in other words, she herself, are satisfied, she will disappear.”
—She’s made from people’s memories? And what does it mean to be “satisfied?”
Akuto felt he’d caught a glimpse of the truth of the world that Boichiro had told him about. There were things in this world that just didn’t fit right when you examined them closely. And there was probably another world, in the truest sense of the word, on the outside, that was tightly linked to this one’s destruction.
“The Law of Identity is adjusting this world to keep it running?”
“Very sharp. But this doesn’t necessarily imply that the world isn’t real. We are here, and we’re alive.”
“But you said she’s human, too...” Akuto looked at Keina again.
“Correct. But you can also say this: in this world, humans are supported by the memories of others. No, it’s too early to leap to conclusions. If nothing else, none of us in this world can prove that you exist only in our memories. Which means that the only natural conclusion is that you are a physical being.”
Korone was a Liradan, an artificial being, so she was capable of reaching such a terrifying hypothesis without being perturbed. But Akuto wasn’t. He shivered a little.
“That’s scary. But we are alive, and we were born. So I guess it means we just have to treasure that.”
“Yes. What makes Keina Doronz different is that she was born all of a sudden. Don’t forget that. The above conclusions were drawn from a vast amount of calculations. I can be fairly confident they’re true.”
Akuto let out a quick exhale of breath before he asked his next question.
“So what does it mean for her to be satisfied?”
“I’m afraid that’s a matter of human emotions, and beyond my knowledge. However, emotions can be predicted by patterns. If memories can be measured from feelings, then memories are a story. And the story must be completed, in a way that she finds to her liking,” Korone said.
—In other words...
“I see. So we just have to act out our roles in the novel. I’m not a great actor, but I guess I can try.”
Korone nodded.
“Correct. But what’s important is Keina Doronz’s satisfaction, not that the story be played out exactly. However, it’s a safe assumption that anything that did not exist in the original text will not exist in this space.”
“The rules are simple, huh?”
“It won’t be that much of a problem. The story itself is a peaceful one. No one dies. I think you’ll enjoy playing out your role.”
“Glad to hear it.” Akuto felt a little better. But Korone’s next words turned him pale.
“You’re going to have fun. It’s a story of the loves of European nobles. So you’ll be having relationships with a variety of women, before finally ending up with the Count’s daughter.” Korone pointed to Keina.
“What...? I’m supposed to
be a European noble?”
○
(Oh, jeez! I’m late!)
A voice came from above Akuto’s head.
“Huh? What? What?” He looked around, but nobody was there. He could tell that the voice was Fujiko’s, but nothing else.
“Fujiko? Where are you?”
“Oh, every novel has descriptive text that serves as the author’s point of view. Fujiko Eto came late, so she’s been assigned that role,” Korone explained.
(Hey, why are there voices coming from that book?)
“Look at the book. We’re inside. Your job will be to read the text and lead us to the end of the story,” Korone explained. Fujiko had heard about Keina earlier, so she understood quickly what was going on.
(If only I’d gotten here sooner, I could’ve lived happily ever after with Akuto!)
“Even if you’d made it inside, the most you could’ve been was the heroine’s mean older sister. Give up and focus on advancing the plot.” Korone was cold as ice.
(You’re just a maid, though!)
“Oh, the noble has relations with the maid, as well. Heheheheh.” Her cold “heheheh” was strangely intimidating.
This was getting beyond what Akuto could handle.
“L-Let’s not do this...”
“There’s no other way to get out of here. We need to complete the story.”
(Aah! I won’t let you be the only one to have fun with Akuto!)
“It’s not your decision to make. The hero ends up sleeping with all the characters in the book, after all.”
“Y-You’re joking, right?” Akuto said, flustered, but Korone didn’t answer.
“Now, it’s time for the opening. The noble Akuto Sai is about to meet Keina Doronz!”
Korone snapped her fingers and pointed towards empty air.
Act 1
“Meet...? I already met her.”
Akuto was in the bedroom, not sure what to do. Korone said she wasn’t in this scene, so she’d left the room. Akuto wasn’t even sure what he was doing here.
(The protagonist was drinking all night at the count’s party, and went into the wrong room!) Fujiko said in an irritated voice.
“I see... Then I just need to act drunk, huh? Um... I am so drunk!”
(Can you do a little better job of acting?)
“I can’t! It’s not like I’m a real actor...” Akuto sighed, just in time for Keina to leap up awake in her bed.
“Who’s there? What are you doing in my bedroom! Kyah! How rude! Get out! I’ll scream!”
Keina had already read the book, so her acting was perfect. No, maybe she didn’t even realize she was acting.
Her acting was so good, though, that Akuto forgot for a moment that he was acting, too.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just that... you were so beautiful that I forgot myself.”
(Akuto... You’re not acting, right? So how are you copying the hero’s lines exactly?)
“...Is that true?” Akuto felt a little disgusted with himself. But the story moved on before he could think about it more.
“Your words are frivolous...! You’re not a good man, are you?!” Keina quickly crossed her arms to conceal her exposed chest.
“I might be a frivolous man, but the words I said were real. I’ll be leaving, then. The dawn’s not quite here yet. Goodnight, once again.” Akuto quickly left the room.
And then he looked up to the ceiling, at no spot in particular. Worried, he asked, “Fujiko, was that okay?”
(...It’s perfect. Are you sure you didn’t read the book in advance?)
“Y-Yes, I’m sure...” As he stammered, he heard a voice from behind him in the hallway.
“B-B-B-Brother...” It was a very nervous voice.
He turned around in surprise and couldn’t believe what he saw. It was Junko, wearing a beautiful dress.
“Brother?”
He was surprised to see her out of her usual outfit, and he also had trouble looking at her. The chest area of her dress left little to the imagination, and the corset was pushing her breasts up from below.
“Y-You dummy! What are you looking at?” Junko looked like she was about to punch Akuto but Fujiko stopped her.
(Stop! You two are brother and sister! Hattori, I told you this, right?)
“B-But Fujiko... I’m not used to dressing like this, and it’s really indecent...”
(I don’t care! If it bothers you that much, then let me do it! I’d look great in that dress!) Fujiko yelled.
“N-Now now, Fujiko. Just calm down... Let’s keep going,” Akuto said hesitantly, but that only made Fujiko madder.
(Leave the scene, arm around her shoulder like she’s your lover!)
“L-Lover? We’re siblings, right?”
(Don’t ask me! I guess you’re siblings in a relationship with one another!)
“Wh-What an indecent story...” Akuto responded.
Junko’s face went red, and her body shook, but she leaned up against Akuto’s shoulder.
“W-Wait, Hattori...”
“Call me Junko. I’m your little sister.”
“No, um... Junko...” he stammered, but Junko only pressed her body harder against him.
“L-Let’s go. This is what the story says, so we have to do it... We don’t have a choice...” She was giving excuses, but her face looked satisfied.
(Aaah! You came up with a way to enjoy it and still keep your dignity!)
“The reader is being really obnoxious. P-Put your arm around my shoulder... Brother.”
“Y-You’re not going to hit me, right?” Akuto put his hand on her shoulder. He only realized after he’d done so that her dress was shoulderless, and that he was touching her bare skin.
“Oh... I’m sorry.”
“Y-You dummy! Why are you apologizing?” she said as she put her own hand up to his.
(I-I want to be inside, too...)
“S-Shut up, narrator...” Junko motioned Akuto forward, and they began to walk.
Then the door opened and Keina’s head peeked out.
“H-He has a lover, I see. Not that it has anything to do with me,” Keina said, doing a great job of playing a girl whose heart was wavering.
(Okay! The scene’s over! Get off each other!)
Fujiko’s voice echoed loudly throughout the room.
Act 2
(The two reunite by chance. Um... Akuto witnesses Keina’s father, the count, engaging in unscrupulous deeds, and is now on the run from his men. While he’s running, he hides under Keina’s... he hides under her skirt?!) Fujiko screamed.
“N-No, I can’t do that... What kind of literature is this, anyway?” Akuto asked.
(No, Akuto... It frustrates me to say it, but many great works of literature include scenes where the hero hides under the girl’s skirt...)
“I-I see...”
(But that doesn’t make it okay to... wait, the scene’s already started!) Fujiko yelled.
Three men with swords were running at Akuto.
“Uwah!” Akuto quickly ran away.
But since he knew where he was going, and he didn’t want to go there, he felt like he had to complain.
“C-Can’t I just blow them away with magic...?”
“No. It would go against the rules, and you can’t use magic here anyway,” said Korone, who appeared in the scene as a passing maid.
“You came out of nowhere... Hmm, I guess because it’s set in a mansion, you can have maids anywhere, huh?”
Akuto was impressed, but that didn’t make things any better. He kept fleeing until he reached Keina’s room. She was wearing a dress.
“Uwah!”
“Kyah!”
“Be quiet. I’m being chased. Um... do you think you’d be willing to hide me in the most natural manner possible?”
Akuto tried to change the script to avoid going inside her skirt, but he was helpless in the face of Keina’s desire to complete the story.
“Th-There’s no place to hide
in this room... No, there is one place!” Keina blushed as she raised up the skirt of her petticoat. Her voluptuous legs were exposed all the way to her underwear.
“Uwah!” Akuto look away. But Keina continued to hold up the hem of her skirt, and he could hear the footsteps of the pursuers getting closer.
“W-Wait... What do I do?” Akuto couldn’t move at all.
And then...
Bam!
A passing maid suddenly slammed into him from behind. He rolled forward into Keina’s skirt. There was a rustling sound as she dropped the hem, and Akuto’s body was covered completely beneath it.
“Mistress, did you see an intruder?”
“He went that way.”
And then he heard the footsteps going away.
“Whew.”
It was too dark to see anything, but Akuto, who had been closing his eyes tightly, relaxed and tried to come out from under the skirt. But then something soft squeezed him tightly around the torso. He knew instantly that it was Keina’s thighs. He could feel her heat throughout his whole body.
“H-Hey...!” Akuto jerked his body.
“No! Come out from there!” Keina yelled.
“Come out? I’m trying...” Before he could finish his sentence, though, he felt a fist whack him hard from the other side of the skirt. He understood what it meant, so he coughed and said his lines.
“Um. Uh... Excuse me. Well... I’m actually a little nervous. Are they really gone? Or are you trying to trick me?”
“Oh my. Not only are you a coward, but you’re rude. You’re doubting the courage I showed when I lifted up my skirt!” After saying her lines dramatically, Keina relaxed her thighs and lifted up her skirt again.
Akuto stood up. He didn’t feel like he could look Keina in the eye. But she grabbed his cheeks with both hands and turned his face towards hers.
“This is the second time you’ve been rude to me,” she said, angrily, and then she stuck out her tongue mischievously.
—I see. So she doesn’t think she’s part of the story. She knows it’s a play.
Akuto realized this now.
Keina looked to be having a great time, like she was enjoying the story from the bottom of her heart.
“I’ll apologize for my rudeness as many times as it takes. You are both beautiful and brave,” Akuto said dramatically, and then winked at her.
Demon King Daimaou: Volume 6 Page 9