Kusoge Online (BETA) - Volume 3 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue: 
More or Less Everyone Knows That 
This Reality Is a Kusoge 
 
 
 
Sasaraki's face got splashed with hot water. 
The hot water of a hot spring. And it was awfully hot. Not the water. His face went beyond red when the face of the black-haired girl, Azrael, right beside him jumped into his vision. She was stark naked, her wet skin exposed. 
...I knew it'd make me feel roundabout like this, but still… 
Sasaraki and Azrael's shoulders were touching tightly in the hot spring. 
"...Hey, Sasaraki, next turn." 
"Ah, y-yeah…" 
Sasaraki raised his hand and splashed some hot water on Azrael. She moaned a sexy "Mh…" with a drop of hot water drip on her face. They were covering each other in hot water. If you're wondering why they'd do something weird like that: It was for TP. 
And farming TP was, of course, for Kisara's sake. 
"...I'm… sorry…" 
After the incident, Kisara had apologized to Sasaraki and Azrael like that. Azrael had done the contrary: Cried and apologized to Kisara instead. They both had kept apologizing to each other until finally mother and daughter both sank to their knees and burst into tears loudly together. 
After that, Sasaraki had been consulted by Azrael. 
She wanted to make that self-destruction device gone for Kisara's sake. 
For that, they needed TP— for TP, they needed to enter a hot spring together. 
More concretely, they had to be in a hot spring together at a distance of no more than five centimeters, be aware of each other's presence, and cover each other 198 
with hot water about a hundred times (the more he heard the more his head hurt). 
He had, of course, no problem with destroying the device, so Sasaraki agreed. 
The problem was rather whether he could keep his calm next to the exposed sex-bomb body this girl had. It was, of course, impossible. However, he had to do the impossible. Doing the impossible was part of being a gamemaster. 
And thus, Sasaraki had gone into the hot spring together with her. 
"Err… Azrael, I can feel… your shoulder… h-how about moving a bit farther apart?" 
"If we do that, we'll be farther than five centimeters, right?" 
*Splash* (Sound of Azrael splashing water). 
"I think this situation here is pretty impossible, for both of us." 
"I-I know it's impossible… But we're gonna do it." 
*Splash* (Sound of Sasaraki splashing water). 
"We'll take care of the self-destruction device… And we're gonna do a lot of other things for her, too." 
"...Yeah…" 
Azrael's determination seemed to be extremely firm. 
"So, Sasaraki, you've talked to Kisara after that, right? What did you two talk about?" 
"After she stopped crying? That I wanted to give her a present as an apology." 
"And what does she want? A house? Something to eat? Clothes?" 
"............Sorry, I'll tell you another time." 
Azrael's expression changed. 
"Why? What did she say? I'm gonna get it for her right now." 
 
"Sorry, but please let it go. It's something pretty difficult to get…" 
"What do you mean?! It's not fair if you're the only one who gets to know! Tell me already!" 
Azrael pressed him so hard that she even forgot that she was naked. Sasaraki was troubled in various ways. What Kisara had wanted was, how to say, something pretty bad. While it wasn't impossible to get— and while it wasn't like he didn't want to get it for her— 
"C'mon, tell me—!" 
"WAH—! I-I'll tell you! I'll tell you, so not that close—!" 
Sasaraki took a breath and forced himself to calm down. In reality, his heart was throbbing even worse and it practically already pounded under his chin, but he told himself that he was calming down, anyway. He tried to disconnect himself from reality as much as possible and mumbled, 
"................................................A little sister." 
*Kadong*, he heard the echo of a small wooden bucket, although this was supposed to be an open-air hot spring. 
"Eh?" 
"A little sister… She wants company." 
Azrael gazed at Sasaraki. Her pure eyes hurt awfully. The corner of her lips twisted and her usually already red cheeks flared up even more. It seemed like her body was slightly trembling, too. 
It wasn't disgust or arousal, it was genuine and plain— 
[Embarrassment]. 
Her whole body was screaming 'embarrassment.' 
Sasaraki couldn't take his eyes off a naked girl in the hot spring who was like that. Oh God, this is bad— No, this actually isn't that bad. 
 
WaitI'mfeigningtobecalmbutthisgirlhasbeenkeepingmyheartraceforawhilenowI'venoid eawhattodo. 
Maybe she's okay with just about anything? She said she'd do anything for Kisara. 
No, what am I thinking—? But, I just can't get my eyes off her— 
*Kadong*. 
He could hear that bath-house sound from right beside him. In the right corner of his vision was something golden. Sending a glance over there, he saw Kisara squatting right next to the hot spring. She was gazing at Sasaraki and Azrael with keen interest— 
"Wait, WHY ARE YOU HERE———?!" 
"Eh—? WHAT?! K-K-K-K-KISARA—?!" 
"Ah… S-Sorry for the interruption!" 
Kisara trotted away and hid behind a Merlion figurehead. 
She put her hand on the figurehead and let her head slightly peak out. 
"P-Please don't mind Kisara and continue!" 
"What do you mean, continue?! We're not doing anything! Nothing at all!" 
"Kisara is certain that something was about to happen!" 
"You're imagining things! It's all in your head!" 
"Right, we weren't doing anything! We're not making a little sister or something!" 
Sasaraki and Azrael scrambled for excuses. 
"Eh?" 
The last one was a slip of the tongue, though. 
"I… can't have a little sister?" 
 
 
 
"Eh?" 
"Ah, K-Kisara doesn't mind!" 
"Ahahaha," she laughed away and fiddled with her golden hair between her fingers. 
"It's enough if Papa and Mama are here, I'm not lonely at all!" 
"Wai—" 
"So, umm, you don't have to force yourselves!" 
"W-WE'RE NOT FORCING OURSELVES! AT LEAST I'M NOT!" 
Sasaraki shouted and stood up. 
"Really? You don't mind making babies with Mama?" 
"Of course I wouldn't mind making babies with the person I love!" 
*ZU-GOOOHN*, something exploded. 
"........................Ah…" 
He turned around and it was Azrael's face that had exploded in embarrassment and surprise. 
Huh—? Didn't I just say something outrageous? 
Sasaraki slowly turned around and had a peek at Azrael's expression. She was staring at him, her cheeks a deep red. She repeatedly opened her mouth. At last, she was about to shout, then as if suddenly realizing something, turned her eyes to Kisara instead. She was uneasy. 
"Ah… Uuh… Uuuuuuuuh…" 
Azrael looked like she was enduring with her whole body shaking. Finally, she submerged up to her lips in hot water. She submerged even farther until only her air bubbles were visible, then she emerged again and— her lips finally formed words. 
 
"...I…" 
In an almost teary tone, she mumbled in a low voice, 
"I… also… do… not dislike… you…" 
Kisara clapped her hands together with tears in her eyes and rejoiced, "So that's how it is!" 
Sasaraki could feel his body heat up an awful lot. Err, that means— 
"Papa and Mama do really genuinely love each other—!" 
* * * 
To get away from Azrael's endless outburst, 
"STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID!," 
Sasaraki had returned to the debugging room. He also wanted to ask Alice something— or so he'd planned, but apparently she'd gone somewhere. 
"Oh, Master? Welcome back?" 
Fury said while sitting on top of a black desk. 
She closed her eyes like that and slowly started to rock her body with a tranquil smile on her face. She didn't appear to have that dangerous button of hers with her. Behind her back was a swinging needle, it made a sound at fixed intervals and Fury matched that sound by rocking her body from left to right and back again. 
Click, click, click, diiing. 
"...And that's?" 
"A metronome?" 
Fury replied and let her body rock again. 
 
Click, click, click, diiing. 

Every time the final ball rang, she stretched her neck out. Sasaraki thought that that behavior it was strange and gazed at her. With her eyes still closed, she continued to rock her body from side to side. 
She's dancing to the rhythm. 
Just like a real fairy. 
"Fury-chan is in relax mode right now?" 
Click, click, click, diiing. 
"This metronome is making me feel at ease?" 
"I see… It's kind of unexpected but it might just fit you." 
"After all, every time the bell rings, someone explodes?" 
Click, click, click, diiing. 
"Another one bites the dust?" 
"WAIT A MINUTE!" 
Sasaraki peeked behind Fury. 
On a closer look, the top of the metronome's needle was pushing the death button. 
"WHAT'S WITH THAT AUTOMATED EXPLOSION DEVICE?!" 
"I call it 'Automatic Bomb,' I'm currently filing patent under Alice-san's name?" 
"YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO'D USE SOMETHING SCARY LIKE THAT, YOU 
KNOW?!" 
He heaved a deep sigh. 
"...Hey, by the way, I've something I wanted to ask you." 
 
"If you want to know how many players I've killed so far, then I lost count?" 
"I know it. I know it was you who hinted Kisara into that direction, wasn't it?" 
"That's right? Ah, have you come to punish Fury??" 
"No, that's not it— I wanted to thank you." 
Fury stopped. And so did the sound of the metronome. 
"...Did… Fury-chan do something to be thanked for??" 
"You made it so that Kisara and I could understand each other's hearts, right?" 
She had told him before Lizna's speech, that she would help him. 
Fury had looked for a patch that'd do something as ridiculous as leaking someone's embarrassing secrets as a fatal death penalty and given it to Kisara. 
And thanks to that, Sasaraki had been able to come to understand her heart. 
And all that was no coincidence, it had to have been Fury's intention. 
"Ahahahaha? Master is such a good person?" 
Fury laughed in a remarkably big voice, seemingly happy from the bottom of her heart. 
"By the way, where's Alice?" 
"She's in the programming room, is something the matter??" 
"Well, I'd like to discuss plans regarding development with Alice before I'm sentenced to death." 
A short while passed. At last, Fury inclined her head. 
"...Sentenced to death?" 
"You know, I stopped the Rogue AI Safety Device, after all." 
It was just an attempt on my side, but I'm ought to receive some kind of punishment. 
Seems like Alice disarmed it in the end, so she could get dragged into this with me. 
This'd mean the end of our game. We've to think of how to get her out of this— 
 
"Ah, I remember, that was how the setting went, wasn't it??" 
Fury said as if it had nothing to do with her. 
"................................................Setting?" 
What is she talking about? 
"Ah, welcome back, Sasaraki. How was the hot spring?" 
The door opened and Alice had appeared in the doorway. But right now, Sasaraki didn't care about that . 
"Wai—, Fury, what do you mean, 'setting?'" 
"According to the law, you're right, but that law is totally ineffective?" 
"EEEEEEEH?!" 
"Aaah... That , huh?" 
Alice heaved a big sigh. 
"Sasaraki. If they'd strictly enforce that law, you'd certainly be right, but nobody does that." 
"EEEEEEEEEEEH…" 
All strength left Sasaraki's body. 
He sank to the ground and looked at Fury. 
"Then… what did I build my resolve for…?" 
"Didn't I tell you? I'll turn Master's reality into a kusoge?" 
Fury said while rocking from side to side. 
"We AIs are living in a hopeless kusoge. Master's living in a hopeless kusoge that renders his willingness to die useless? Both of you are living in the same world— so both of you can understand each other?" 
"...Fury?" 
 
That reply had been untypically verbose for her. 
Had she really done all that for him? 
"Now you're on even ground? Let's all be good friends?" 
Fury kept chuckling away. 
Sasaraki gazed at her for a while, then heaved a sigh. 
"So— I don't have to worry about our game?" 
"Rather than worry, the current situation is rather favorable - thanks to Kisara." 
When Alice flicked her fingers, it showed a buzzing Teleport Plaza. The image changed and now displayed a huge amount of players rushing into the second floor's dungeons and fighting monsters. 
"When we named the boss monsters 'Developer Stooge Nr. XYZ,' things started to get lively." 
"Uwah…" 
What kind of solution is this? 
"By the way, the active player count is on the rise, too." 
"Does everyone want to kill the gamemasters that much?" 
"Probably. It's a kusoge, after all." 
"A hopeless one, right?" 
"And we're to ones making players have fun - even though it's a hopeless kusoge." 
She winked and continued, 
"Or— do you think this kind of kusoge should just close down?" 
"No way." 
Sasaraki shook his head. Kisara is in this world. And if it ends, she'll disappear. I have to see that this game continues, at any cost. I promised to always be with her— 
 
He clenched his fists, that moment… 
"Right, right. Even if the game ends, Kisara'll be fine." 
"...Heh?" 
Alice flicked her fingers. 
The image of a brand new computer appeared on the screen. 
"It's a backup server for the AI data, I managed to get of one of those." 
"Eh…? Didn't you say we couldn't afford those?" 
"Yeah, I went a bit overboard to get one." 
Alice closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. 
"But after all, no one in this world should be at risk to die." 
"...Alice?" 
"If I didn't get one, Azrael - and you too - wouldn't be able to have fun and develop at ease." 
Alice smiled gently. It was a smile without a shred of gloominess behind it. 
But her expression immediately grew serious again. 
"Well then, I'll ask you once more, Sasaraki." 
She point sharply at his face and said, 
"Nobody will die if this world ends— Do you still believe that it should go on?" 
Sasaraki opened his mouth a few times. What hit him first, was relief. Ah, she won't die… I see… Thank God. What hit him next, was doubt. If no one's life is at stake, is there a point in keeping this game running? Is there a point in running a hopeless kusoge world—? 
"...I still think it should go on." 
Sasaraki nodded. 
 
"This is a kusoge, but we've been living here, and this is where Kisara's been born." 
Hearing his reply, Alice smiled again. 
"Thank you, Sasaraki! I'm thinking the same!" 
Alice took his hand and shook it strongly. 
Then she stood up while still holding his hand. 
"Okay! Then next is floor three and we need a staff room!" 
"Isn't it a bit too early for floor three?!" 
Sword & Magic Online. 
These were the happenings seven days before the end of service.