Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 17 - Chapter SS

Bonus Short Stories

The Ones From Tenchi

Tenchi

Jubei Kaga.

Capricious and belligerent, she was a person who exemplified the spirit of Tenchi, holding the very fitting “King of Asuras” job as well as the seat of the fourth in the country’s highly competitive duel rankings.

Just like in Altar, the top three in the rankings could only be challenged by those just below them, so Jubei’s position as the fourth led to her being regularly challenged by duelists trying to take a shortcut to the top. In fact, her renown as a fighter had driven some to challenge her outside the duels, as well. Some even tried to ambush her instead.

A life like hers would be too much for most, but she was among the few who thoroughly enjoyed it.

However, there had recently been a change in her that had greatly shocked the battle junkies of Tenchi.

Jubei’s strife-filled existence had resulted in her being covered in countless closed wounds—scars that doubled as medals gained from defeating so many skilled warriors.

The change that shook the country was the fact that every single one of these scars had vanished.

That could only mean one thing—that someone had defeated her, resetting her avatar back to its default, unscarred state.

Many of the country’s fighters went on to speculate about the identity of the powerful champion who subjugated King of Asuras.

She herself, however, seemed to be busy looking for someone.

All of those battle junkies were certain that the person who’d defeated her and whoever she was looking for were one and the same, and that her goal was a rematch.

But the truth was quite different from that...

◇◆

On the afternoon of a certain day, Alto was munching on dango at a particular tea house in a mountain pass.

In real life, the scenery alone would make this a tourist hot spot, but instead of enjoying it, she was merely doing her utmost to ignore the slight commotion around her and keep eating her snack.

“...I got nothin’ to do with this. I just wanna eat my dango. Dango are good...”

One could say that she was engaging in a form of escapism.

The reason for her willful detachment was that a short while ago, in a grove not too far away, she’d tested out the MVP special reward she’d received using the ticket she’d won at The Anniversary.

Although it had guaranteed an S-rank pull, getting an MVP reward using the gacha still required some degree of luck, and she wasn’t assured an item that would suit her build. MVP rewards received by defeating UBMs were adjusted to suit the player they were awarded to, but MVP rewards received through the gacha were simply hand-me-downs from deceased tians who’d once had them.

Alto needed even more luck than usual for the reward to be something that fit her playstyle. Now, as the owner of what was left of Horobimaru—perhaps the biggest bombshell in Tenchi—she had a playstyle that prioritized keeping a low profile and running away if needed.

Because of this...

“Hey! What was that explosion! I heard it from behind the goddamn mountain!”

“It didn’t sound like explosion magic. Maybe it’s a new UBM!”

“WOO-HOO! Let’s go beat its ass! And if it’s beaten already, let’s beat whoever beat it!”

...an MVP reward that summoned thunderous sounds and unbridled destruction was useless to her.

What am I supposed to do with that pile bunker?! I tried it out on a tree and it blew away the entire grove! How am I gonna use somethin’ that’s both dangerous and makes me the center of attention?!

She’d used the weapon away from any people, but it had so much presence that its activation had been heard across mountains. It had once been the cherished armament of The Ram from a distant land, but it was completely at odds with Alto’s playstyle. More importantly, she now had to wait until things cooled down without any of the battle junkies realizing that she was the one who’d caused the loud sound.

A dozen minutes passed as she did nothing but eat her dango.

The commotion caused by the battle junkies was growing more distant, filling Alto with relief that the danger had passed...

“I found you at last.”

...only for someone far more dangerous to replace them.

“Eep...”

King of Asuras, Jubei Kaga.

Alto’s group had encountered her at the event and gone on to defeat her. The fact that she was speaking as though she’d been looking for Alto filled her with immense fear.

“Oh, please give me a moment!”

In her panic, Alto tried to either initiate the log out process or use her Nukenin disengagement skills, but before she could, Jubei’s prosthetic arms grabbed her by the shoulders, making it impossible for her to escape.

“Ah ha ha ha ha...”

She’s here to settle the score! Alto thought, bracing herself.

However, Jubei was merely looking at her with a smile on her face. That might not have meant much, though—she was the kind of person who smiled and hummed happily even as she turned people into mincemeat.

“I came to you today with a question,” she said.

“Whuh?”

So she won’t kill me right away, Alto thought. This wasn’t enough to make her relax, but she did calm down a tiny bit.

“It is about Ray Starling,” Jubei said.

“Ray?” Alto repeated as the reason behind this encounter became clear to her.

Jubei was a fan of Ray and he had defeated her at the event, so she would obviously be more interested in him than Alto. She now understood that Jubei had been looking for her to ask something about him.

“Yes. I was thinking that you might be a real life acquaintance of his.”

However, what she said was both far beyond what Alto’d expected—and uncomfortably accurate.

“...Wh-Why would you think that?”

“In that event, you, Ray Starling, and Juliet formed a party. Juliet being with him is understandable because they are from the same country, but I find it hard to believe that you—someone from Tenchi—had ever been involved with him prior to the event. I feel like that is reason enough to believe you might share a real-life social circle or even be friends. Would I be wrong?”

“W-Well, it could be that he just fell in love with me at first sight...”

“Oh? Is that how it is?”

“We go to the same college!”

Alto tried to dance around the truth—but when Jubei tightened her prosthetics’ grip, still smiling, she instantly revealed the truth.

“My, that is most fortunate. Now, for the main reason I contacted you. There is something I would like you to ask him...”

Alto’s answer seemed to have put Jubei in a good mood.

Oh no. Oh no...!

Alto, however, was back in her downward spiral of negativity as she pictured what would happen now.

What if she’s gonna ask for his real name and address so she can stalk him IRL and eventually chop him up and kill him out of her infatuation with him...?! If that happens, I’ll appear in some weekly mag with only my eyes censored as “Friend S: the one who gave info to an internet stalker” and then I’ll be shunned and expelled from college and my life will be over and...

“RAY, I’M SORRY! KING OF ASURAS IS AN E-DATING MANIAC!”

Her negative thoughts took over and she blurted out those words, tears welling up in her eyes.

“...Eh heh heh. I do not believe I have ever received an insult greater than that.”

Hit with the kind of disparagement she had never built up any resistance to, even Jubei couldn’t help but be taken aback.

However, she quickly recovered and said, “This is not about meeting him. I wish to ask Ray Starling about an accident that happened about ten years ago—”

She wanted Alto to ask Ray if he was the one who’d saved Jubei from a traffic accident...

“Oh?”

...but before she finished her sentence, she let go of Alto and turned around.

She was now surrounded by fierce-looking Masters.

“We heard a scream and rushed here, thinking that someone needs help, and here we find you...King of Asuras!”

“Heh heh heh. Looks like your luck has run out!”

“WOO-HOO! WILDY MATCH! LET’S GOOOO!”

These were the very same battle junkies who had gone to search for the source of the loud sound (Alto’s pile bunker MVP reward).

“Oh my,” Jubei said, still smiling, as she spread out her floating weapons and unsheathed the curseblades with her prosthetics.

When those who thrived in strife faced each other with bloodlust coursing through their veins, there was only one thing that could happen next—all-out combat.

“EEP...!”

As the battle began, Alto used the opening to put up a smoke screen and run away as fast as she could.

Jubei’s opponents were no easy prey, keeping her busy long enough for Alto to escape.

However, this was only the beginning.

Jubei, still wishing to have her message passed on to Ray, would keep following Alto, who would escape yet again.

This game of tag would continue for quite some time and take them all over Tenchi.

They would eventually go on to become a duo...but that was a story for another time.