Liar, Liar - Volume 2 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

War, and Running from It

“Hahhh… Hahhh!”

The sound of ragged breathing flowed past my ears. My heartbeat felt so loud that I was tempted to close my eyes.

“Ngh…”

Himeji lay before me in her Eimei uniform. Her face was turned away, and she was fighting to silence her breathing. Despite our predicament, it was a captivating sight. The sound of rubbing fabric as she writhed snaked around my eardrums.

“…Himeji, you’re still making noise. Can you keep from doing that?”

“Ah… Y-yes. I’ll…I’ll try!”

She nodded briskly at me. Her back was against the classroom floor as though she’d been pushed down. Not even she could keep perfectly serene in this situation. Her cheeks were a little red, and her eyes were moist. I felt bad…but she had to endure this for now.

“Just hold out until our pursuer gives up,” I pleaded softly, sweating like mad. “I’m sorry. Just a little bit longer!”

“…! (nod nod nod)”

Himeji looked just as frazzled as I surely did. We were a couple of inches from each other, my body pretty much on top of hers, and thanks to that, we were already touching in all kinds of places. But we couldn’t be concerned about that. We had to keep our voices down and figure out a way through this.

After about three minutes…

“Is he gone…?”

I lifted myself up, carefully listening for footsteps outside the classroom. Keeping my head low, I peered out the window into the hallway. Nobody down one side; nobody down the other. To be doubly sure, I took out my device and launched the Company-developed detector app. It told me there were no other devices powered on nearby.

“Phew…”

“Master? Is it okay to get up?”

“Oh… Yeah. Sorry.”

I hurriedly offered Himeji a hand. A moment later, I was lifting her off the floor. We’d been lying in an aisle between desks so that no one would see us from the hall. Fleeing into a classroom to escape our pursuer had been a wise decision, but one made in desperation. Thanks to all but jumping through the doorway, I’d wound up tangled with Himeji, nearly flattening her with my body. We couldn’t straighten out because we had to remain absolutely quiet, so I’d stayed in a push-up position to keep from touching her as much as possible. Between that and the rhythmic breathing that made my sanity melt, this was becoming a pretty tough mission.

“Are you hurt, Himeji? Sorry about that. I wish I coulda been the one on the bottom for you…”

“No, I fell first, so there’s no cause to apologize. Besides, you got your arms around me as I dropped to keep me from getting injured.”

“That’s a relief…”

Apparently, Himeji didn’t mind that we’d gotten tangled up, so I wasn’t going to dwell on it.

“…This event’s a lot harder than I thought it’d be.” I sighed as I patted the dust off my uniform.

After discussing strategy for Eimei School’s Fourth Ward Challenge, we’d concluded that this would basically be a never-ending game of hide-and-seek for us. If we were caught in a Trial, we wouldn’t have much time to prepare, so figuring out a (cheat-assisted) way to win would be tough. As a result, we aimed to reduce the number of battles to the bare minimum. Unfortunately, I was the object of a lot of attention. When asked by an LNN survey which student they wanted to challenge to a Trial during the event, just over seven thousand people had replied “Hiroto Shinohara.” The idea of fighting several thousand bouts in a row, even with Himeji’s help, was too unreal to consider.

We’d spent the past two days preparing and collecting the things we needed to make a clean escape. This included two vital new programs: Detect Devices, which gave the coordinates of all the other event participants, and Basic Jamming, an Ability that blocked the Trial requests that piled up during the breaks between class periods, although only for a few precious moments.

“There are just too many people… We’re constantly on the run at school.”

“You’re right. Even compared to the usual scope of the event, things are pretty intense this year. I’m sure the thought of playing a no-risk Game against a Seven Star is emboldening a lot of students. Losing a Trial knocks you out of the 4WC, but you don’t have to worry about forfeiting stars.”

“I get that, but…”

I knit my brow. Something didn’t add up. Sure, the 4WC lacked the risk of losing stars, but it was still an important event for Eimei School students. Blindly rushing me didn’t seem like the smart call if someone wanted to finish high in the standings.

“There’s no point stewing on it, I guess. We’ve made it through another class break. If we keep this up, we should be good.”

“That’s true. It’s a game of survival, so we should see the player total dwindle before long… Barring unforeseen events, I think we can avoid playing in any Trials until the final stages.”

Himeji and I nodded at each other, bodies still close. We enjoyed the last few moments of peace before we had to return to class.

Things began to go awry around two hours later, right after the start of the lunch break.

Hmm…?

My hand was in my pocket, reaching for my device so I could block the expected deluge of Trial requests I was bound to receive in mere moments. Then it stopped. Something was weird. The Basic Jamming program, something I could activate with a single touch, wasn’t opening. Instead, I felt my device vibrating slightly.

Why? Don’t tell me I’m getting a notification now, of all times? Is that keeping it from starting Basic Jamming?!

Upon realizing that possibility, I frantically pulled out my device, but it was too late.

“Shinohara, I’d like to challenge you, please!”

“…!”

By the time I had my finger on the screen, Tatara, who sat in front of me, had turned around and pointed her device at me, a look of glee on her face.

W-wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait!

Internally, I screamed with despair, but I kept it cool on the outside while checking my screen. I clung to the feeble hope that some kind of error had prevented her Trial request from going through. Unfortunately, reality could be damn cruel sometimes. Tatara’s Trial had already gone through. So ended the great escape.

“Yes! Couldn’t get away from me this time, could ya? Phew!”

“I had no idea you were so aggressive, Tatara.”

“Usually, I’m not. But I’m never gonna get a chance to really play against you otherwise, Shinohara! I’m class president, so I gotta prove I can hold my own once in a while! Woo!”

Tatara leaned toward me in her seat, smiling from ear to ear; her ponytail bounced around as she basked in the joy of this achievement. I, meanwhile, played it perfectly calm. However, the unease in my heart threatened to destroy me.

I never thought it’d come crumbling down this fast… Damn! What happened?

I silently checked my device to determine the source of the notification. It turned out it was a message sent to my account on STOC. My STOC notifications should have been shut off, though. I had no idea why this one made it through, but it showed up at just the right time to lock me out of Basic Jamming.

I opened the message while fantasizing about what I’d do to the provost if it came from her.

From: Noa Akizuki

Message: Hee-hee! Sup? It’s nothing  

“…”

The completely unexpected message caused my mind to go blank for a second. “Nothing”? What’s up with that? Maybe Akizuki was looking for a little online attention from me, but we’d only met for the first time yesterday. And this timing felt so precise, like she was carefully aiming through a sniper’s scope. Her shot was successful, too, because Tatara got a challenge through.

Is…Akizuki onto my strategy? Did she shoot it down on purpose?

I couldn’t be sure of anything, but the idea seemed plausible enough. Ratcheting up my caution by a few notches seemed prudent.

“Um…uh, Shinohara? I-I’m sorry. Are you…not into this?”

Tatara had misinterpreted why I had my face lowered, and she gave me an apologetic look colored with a bit of shame. Upon seeing this, I quickly realized it was time to move on. I could mope all I wanted, but the Trial had gotten through. There was no way to undo it. Akizuki had to wait. I needed to concentrate on this.

“…(gulp!)”

I stole a peek at Himeji next to me. She’d turned a bit in my direction, and she nodded at me slightly. Kagaya was on standby in my ear as well. I had all the support I could ask for. I wasn’t about to lose that easily.

“Oh, sorry, you’re fine. It’s just that getting targeted by so many people has been a little tiresome, that’s all. There’s no backing down from a challenge, though. We could do it now, or… Actually, how about after school?”

“R-really?!”

“Really. But promise me this, Tatara…don’t cry after losing, okay?”

“I…I…”

Just as I’d expected, the Trial ended almost as quickly as it began.

“I lost!”

“““Whooooaaaaahhhh!!”””

The moment the quivering Tatara got the words out, a roar of two parts—admiration and shock—erupted from the audience packing the 2-A classroom. Tatara’s chosen game for our Trial had been something she called 4D Sevens. It was a complicated yet weirdly well-balanced variation of the card game Sevens, except played with Japanese hanafuda cards.

“Ugh. So much for that,” Tatara moaned while wiping sweat from her brow in a very contrived way. “I felt pretty confident about this…but I couldn’t do a thing against you.”

“Well, sometimes it just comes down to ability. The new rules are pretty nice, though. I think you had the right strategy.”

“You really think so?! Wow, wow! Shinohara praised me! Woo-hoo!”

Tatara lifted both arms in the air, throwing her already hyper demeanor into overdrive. I pulled my eyes away from her large chest, which bounced up and down as she pumped her fists.

No, it wasn’t bad at all… In fact, I normally would’ve lost big.

Fuuka Tatara was president of my class for a reason. She was good. Kagaya’s kind support had ensured that all my card draws were manipulated. Without cheating, I’m sure I would’ve had a rough time.

In terms of sheer playing talent, Tatara was a far cry from someone like Saionji or Kugasaki. However, the tough thing about this event was how low the stakes seemed to be for everyone else. To them, it was a fun diversion. A Trial held as part of the Fourth Ward Challenge wasn’t a full-on Game. Losing presented no genuine risk, so naturally, people approached this differently. They were less careful with their moves, dared to take gambles they’d typically never dream of—that kind of do-or-die approach was actually a good one for the 4WC. Unfortunately, it left someone like me, who couldn’t afford to lose once, between a rock and a hard place.

“This is so great…! And I know you’re gonna win this now, Hiroto! I know it!”

“…”

I stood quietly, unable to quell the shame I felt when Tatara stared at me with such bright eyes. A moment later, the chime for five o’clock rang over the school PA system. The conclusion of the day’s battles aligning with my first Trial victory seemed to be a coincidence, but the Company and I had timed that intentionally. So ended the 4WC’s first day.

“It’s ready, Master.”

The voice was pure, and the teacup was just as alluring.

After my Trial with Tatara concluded, Himeji and I returned home, no longer worrying about being spotted. Off school grounds and outside the specified hours, no requests would come our way. That was probably the nicest thing about the 4WC’s rules. Still, between running like mad during all the breaks between class periods and being mentally exhausted by the battle with Tatara (not that I allowed it to show), I was pretty spent. That’s why I was currently waiting to use the bath.

“Oh, thank you.”

I took a sip of Himeji’s tea. She usually made it with no sugar for me, but there was just a bit of sweetness to it this time, perhaps to help pep me up.

“Ahh… This sure is good. Nothing like hot tea at a time like this.”

“Yes, Master, hot tea when you’re tired is a time-proven approach. But are you sure you don’t mind that I took a bath first? I know you insisted, but I really think that you should have taken priority.”

“You really don’t need to worry about stuff like that. How could I force you to change into your maid outfit and start cleaning or doing laundry while already sweaty? I’d feel terrible.”

“Oh… Yes, a master who forced that upon a maid would be seen as rather sexually deviant, I suppose. My apologies.”

Himeji gave me a humble bow, although I spied a small grin on her face. Her well-brushed, shiny silver hair fanned out around her shoulders. A faint scent of shampoo met my nostrils. I hadn’t meant it the way she suggested, but I was still glad to skirt being labeled a pervert. Himeji had told me earlier that she appreciated taking a bath first, so I decided to take the jab as a way to hide a bit of bashfulness from gratitude.

Lifting her head, Himeji looked right at me with her piercing blue eyes. “Congratulations on making it through day one, Master. That’s one-seventh of the event behind us. What do you think of the results?”

“Mmm… Well, I’m glad that Detect Devices and Basic Jamming were so effective. Good thing we thought to get those set up in advance. But man, people are way more eager than I expected.”

“They are, yes. I did some investigation earlier, and I found that the number of survivors—people who haven’t been knocked out yet—has already dropped below five thousand. There are around nine thousand people in high school at Eimei, so that means almost half of them are already out. You rarely see so many eliminations this early.”

“Yeah, I thought so,” I said, crossing my arms. “Also, not to change the subject, but I’m still worried about that message I got.”

I closed my eyes. That STOC message, the one that had prevented me from dodging Tatara’s challenge… It had arrived with such perfect timing and included an odd message.

“I’m almost certain that was intentional. Akizuki’s deduced that I plan to dodge everyone, and she chose the exact right moment to send that message.”

“Mm… Do you think Ms. Akizuki could be the mastermind scheming after something behind the scenes?”

“I can’t be sure of that yet,” I replied, choosing my words carefully. “Maybe she’s just trying to knock out the Seven Star early so she’ll finish higher. She hasn’t done anything against the rules… It’s definitely fishy, though.”

Certainly, Akizuki was acting suspicious, but it was too early to toss around accusations. The 4WC demanded my attention more. Tomorrow promised new hide-and-seek antics, and since this was a knockout event, those who remained in the game would be the most formidable opponents.

“Yes, you’re right.” Himeji nodded, the ends of her argent hair slipping from her shoulders. “Given the trends that are surfacing, I worry that we may be unable to dodge Trials until the final day. So…I’ve actually been working with the Company on a certain additional feature for your device.”

“Oh… You have? When? You were with me all day.”

“I… Yes, but it’s a bit embarrassing when you phrase it like that, Master. Anyway, I’m not the electronics engineer in the Company. I think she’ll be here soon, though…or right now, actually.”

When Himeji looked up at the clock, the familiar doorbell chime rang. I looked at the intercom screen that displayed the front door and spied a girl I knew waving amicably. I worked the panel to unlock the door, and a few seconds later, she entered.

“Okay, we’re all set, Hiro! Doing well? How ’bout you, Shirayuki? Here, I got a nice souvenir for you!”

“Kagaya, my volume control isn’t responding. Is this a bug?”

“Nooooo, Shirayuki! I’m the real Kagaya, not the one you see on a screen all the time! And you’re not tuning your volume control; you’re pinching my cheek!”

“Hmm,” Himeji got in a few more squeezes. “That’s odd. Now it’s louder than ever.”

“Agh! Agh! Stop it, you know you’re being silly…!”

“…”

Kagaya clutched a box tightly while the slightly younger Himeji pinched her repeatedly. Kagaya worked for the Company like Himeji but was a lot more casual in her speech and attire. Tracksuits and sweats seemed to comprise the bulk of her wardrobe. She generally avoided makeup, and her hair always made her look like she’d just gotten out of bed… Basically, Kagaya was the archetypal slacker big-sis type. She did keep herself clean, yet going by her conduct, you couldn’t help but wonder how she’d shine if she tried a bit. Still, she was an expert with computers and portable devices. I’d been relying on her since I fell into lying about being a Seven Star.

“Phew! What a way to welcome someone, Shirayuki. Guess you’ve entered your rebellious phase of puberty, huh? Time sure flies by fast.”

Kagaya, free at last from Himeji’s grasp, spun around to place her box on the table.

“Oh…”

Inside were three cream puffs—exquisite baked pastries. A rough cookie glaze covered each light shell teeming with cream and strawberries. Kagaya took a moment to marvel at them.

“Heh-heh-heh! Well? What do you think? I’m about to break Insta with these things! I know I kinda slept on the job a bit yesterday, Hiro, so I bought these to make up for it!”

“Wow… They look really good. Can I have one?”

“Oh, don’t be shy, Hiro! And you, too, Shirayuki! Aren’t these your faaavorite?”

“…I won’t deny that. I hate to say it, but I feel like my admiration for you is growing by the day, Kagaya. Hmm. This logo… Isn’t this that new bakery over in the Seventeenth Ward? Don’t tell me you were out touring the island while we were in the 4WC trenches…”

“Ah! Um… No. I supported you the whole time, didn’t I? Giving you escape routes, programming while I was waiting in line and stuff… It was fine!”

“I won’t ignore your contributions. But did you have to go by yourself?”

“Now I get it. You’re pouting because I didn’t take you.”

“I am not.”

“Awwwwwww! Are you seeing this, Hiro? She’s so cute!”

“I—I am not cute!”

Himeji had meant to pour some hot coffee for Kagaya, but now she clutched her silver tray to her chest, scowling in the cutest way possible. Kagaya took it all in as one might when beholding a miracle. Then she grabbed a strawberry from one of the cream puffs and brought it to Himeji’s mouth.

“Ah… N-not in front of my master…”

“Hiro is just as enthusiastic about this as I am, okay? C’mon!”

“!”

Kagaya, never taking her eyes off Himeji, wasted no time pushing that little strawberry on her. Himeji resisted for a moment, but ultimately yielded. Her eyes widened and her expression brightened with each chew. Kagaya took that as a signal to pat the other girl on the head, carding her fingers through Himeji’s locks.

“Your hair is as beautiful as ever… I’m floored.”

“Please don’t stare at her so intently, Kagaya. It leaves me unsure how to react.”

“Whaaat? How can you say that, Hiro? You pushed her to the ground at school.”

“That was an accident!”

I tried to defend myself against the accusation Kagaya lobbed at me with a grin. The Company saw everything I did while assisting me. I was glad I hadn’t tried anything untoward.

“A-anyway…you have something to show us, right, Kagaya? All you’ve done so far is pick on us.”

At this rate, we wouldn’t get anywhere, so I decided to get us back on track.

“Oh, right.” After clapping once, she retrieved her laptop from a bag. “Here’s what I wanted to do. Let’s see, work, work… Oh, you should have a seat, too, Shirayuki. This might take a bit.”

“In that case, I could start on dinner…”

“Nah, nah, you’re good. Let your big sis help out with that later.”

“…Do you even know how to hold a knife, Kagaya?”

It wasn’t surprising to learn that Kagaya wasn’t much of a cook. Himeji received Kagaya’s offer with a bit of reluctance. Still, she took a chair beside me. Sitting next to each other had become normal for us. Himeji had come a long way since the days of picking chairs three spots from mine. Something about that change had me feeling a little odd.

Kagaya smiled. Had she noticed that difference in our seating arrangement? “Now, I have a general idea of what happened to you both today…and what I saw indicates that reaching the end with our current programs will be tough.”

“That’s true. My Basic Jamming was overridden, and there were more pursuers than anticipated…,” I said.

“Right, right. So, to address those concerns, I’ve come up with a new program. I call it…Body Swap!”

“Body Swap?”

The horror movie–style phrase startled me a bit. Swapping identities with Himeji at school would be pretty amusing, but I didn’t think it would solve much.

“So,” I said as I heeded Kagaya’s beckoning and gave my device to her, “what does this do, exactly?”

“Right, well, let me start at the beginning. First, as I think you know by now, requesting a Trial during the Fourth Ward Challenge is a bit different from a normal Game. You have to get close to your target, generally around ten feet, point your device at them, and then tap the button that pops up. That’ll send the challenge over.”

“Right…”

“That means this event must be using your device’s location data for Trial establishment. Like, reading the x/y/z coordinates to figure out who you’re calling to battle. This new program I came up with is meant to meddle with that.”

“Meddle? How so?”

“Well, it’s kind of a new application of the Display Bug thing we used in that Game against the Phoenix. Basically, it totally rewrites your location data, Hiro. Starting tomorrow, it’ll be impossible for anyone to challenge you. That alone would make it obvious that you’re cheating, though. So I figured we’d have your coordinates overlap with Shirayuki’s.”

“So any challenge I receive will be shunted to Himeji?”

“You got it! That’s why I call it Body Swap. I’m ever so slightly altering your location data so every Trial request you get goes to Himeji’s device instead. She’ll be taking those challenges for you. Naturally, this will stop working if she’s knocked out of the event, but I think it’ll make it a lot easier to dodge people.”

“Wow…” I couldn’t help but give a word of praise. Honestly, it felt bad to use Himeji as a human shield, but this would be an effective strategy.

“Of course, Shirayuki will need to remain with you at every waking moment, Hiro. Otherwise, people will suspect there’s a program bug, and we might get found out. Pretty nice side benefit, eh, Hiro?”

“Yeah, yeah… Himeji, are you okay with this? Body Swap sounds like a lot of extra work for you…”

“Does it? If anything, the thought of helping you out makes me happy.”

“Um, well, great, then.”

I brought a hand to my temple. I hadn’t expected such an immediate, honest reply from Himeji. Now that she was on board, Kagaya’s new feature would hopefully buy me another two or three days at least. Even if someone backdoored their way around Basic Jamming with another well-placed notification, Body Swap would stop them. Having a second layer of defense to fall back on was nice, even though we hadn’t needed it today. If things continued as they were, perhaps I had a chance at surviving until the seventh day. That was assuming there were no big upsets, of course.

Something unexpected is bound to happen, but we’ll just have to do our best.

Oddly enough, that was a comforting thought. Kagaya regarded me with a perky smile. She must have finished installing Body Swap on our devices.

“There! Yep, I gotta say, this is a perfect job on my part. You both should be all set!”

“Thanks, Kagaya. Um…this one’s mine. Here, Himeji.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I gave Himeji her device back while also taking my own. She accepted it with two hands, like it was a precious, fragile object, and smiled a little.

“Heh-heh! Great job, Kagaya. I can always rely on you at times like this.”

“Oof… Your compliments feel like daggers in my heart. Anyway, it’s no problem. ’Cause I’m a real smart person, y’know? The golden child of her time! A once-in-a-century—”

“I know. You don’t have to go on.”

“Ahh! Now you’re trying to brush me off! I think it’s time to get you off your high horse, Shirayuki! I challenge you to a cooking contest! You’ll be the judge, Hiro!”

Immediately, Kagaya sprinted for the kitchen. Himeji paled at the sight and quickly stood.

“W-wait a minute, Kagaya! Remember, you’re not supposed to cook eggs with the shells on—”

“H-help! Help, Shirayuki! Smoke! I see smoke! I didn’t do anything wrong, and I see smoke!”

“…Ugh!”

Himeji hurried to the kitchen.

“Uh… Stay calm, guys!”

I chuckled a little as I watched her go. Now alone, I thought over the day’s events.

It’s pretty clear that Akizuki needs to be watched closely. But the provost said that some external element was worming its way in. That can’t be her, right? Or maybe she’s an accomplice…

I couldn’t be sure. However, if Akizuki was involved, there was an excellent chance she possessed the green Unique Star I’d heard about. A Six Star with a unique star would be higher than the Phoenix, Seiran Kugasaki. Akizuki might have as much power as a Seven Star. It was discouraging, to say the least.

“If she’s after me, she’ll definitely try something tomorrow. Better brace myself.”

“No, no, I know that much, Shirayuki. One tablespoon, right? That’s about this much, so… Whoa! It got away… Ahhh, my eyes!”

“…”

Given all the shouting and screaming coming from the kitchen, I wondered if I should fear for my life as well as my fate in the event.

Fourth Ward Challenge: End of Day 1

Knocked out: 4,472 Survivors: 4,627

Friday, the second day of the 4WC.

The Himeji Barrier, the nickname I’d surreptitiously given to the Body Swap application that Kagaya had set up last night, was working well. No Trial requests had reached me so far.

Classes were over, and the clock showed around half past four. Himeji was out in the courtyard, tackling one of the Trials she’d taken in my place while I departed from school grounds safely. I followed one of our planned escape routes. Eimei School sported a pretty wide campus, so there were several ornate gated entrances besides the main one. During the 4WC, these gates were prime ambush locations. That’s what Provost Ichinose said, anyway.

Instead, I opted for a service entrance, a staff-only back way that wasn’t known to students or marked on any map. It was situated deep in the club activities building. Honestly, I didn’t remember the exact way to it, but Kagaya had been kind enough to lead me to the door.

“…!”

“Whoa! …Ouch.”

Just as I arrived, I nearly crashed into a girl who’d come jogging in the other direction. I pulled back, but a moment too late. The girl bounced off my chest with a whump. The effect was similar to someone giving me a full-body tackle (or glomping, really), and the aroma of sweet citrus I picked up at this point-blank range was intoxicating.

“Hee-hee…”

The girl, whose arms were wrapped around me, looked up and gave an embarrassed smile.

“Sorry I ran into you! I can be clumsy like that sometimes… Oh, it’s you, Hiroto!”

Her eyes widened in evident recognition. Her face was almost too immature for someone a year older than I, and those twin ponytails were unfairly adorable.

“Noa Akizuki…?”

I was frozen for a moment, but stating that name restarted my brain. This was the girl who’d blocked my Basic Jamming with that cryptic, impeccably timed message. I still didn’t know if she had done it on purpose, but she was my prime suspect. And now she’d latched on to me, as though to block my way.

“Uh… Wait, what? Why?!”

That was Kagaya, speaking through my earpiece.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Hiro! I watched your surroundings closely all day! I didn’t pick up any other devices until a moment ago… And why does she know this route?!”

“…”

I mulled this over while listening to Kagaya defend herself. This couldn’t be an accident. Akizuki had clearly meant for this to happen.

“Hiya, Hiroto!” Akizuki beamed cheerfully. She brought her little right hand up to my chest, all but clinging to me as she looked up. “Hee-hee! What a coincidence!   Are you okay? Not hurt or anything?”

“No, I’m fine. Can you move away a bit, Akizuki?”

“Aww, you don’t have to be so cold… Oh, wait! Don’t tell me my body temperature’s getting you all excited, Hiroto! Hee-hee! I get it, I get it. Having such a cute girl squeeze against you must make you nervous, right? All self-conscious and stuff?”

“I didn’t say that.”

It’s because you’re too close… Too close and touching too much of me!

I narrowed my eyes at Akizuki, who was busy complimenting herself again, and decided I had to peel her off. Taking hold of her delicate shoulder with my right hand, I applied enough pressure to push her away gently.

“Whoa, whoa! …Aww, don’t be so forceful!  ”

With an innocent snicker, she put her hands behind her back, leaning forward a little as she raised an eyebrow at me. Looking up at people with those puppy-dog eyes from any angle must have been a skill of hers.

This is bad…

Externally, I kept it cool, as befitting my position as the Academy’s best. However, my mind was a swirling whirlpool of panic. I’d run into the one person I needed to avoid at the worst possible time. Himeji was far away, so if Akizuki challenged me here, there was a very high possibility we’d be exposed as cheaters. With Himeji in the middle of a Trial, it would appear to Akizuki that I was engaged in one. Technically, that was possible, but it’d look suspicious. If I was in a Trial, why was I slinking around a back exit trying to avoid people?

Shit… Now what? What’s the right move? How can I talk my way out of this…?!

My thoughts raced. Suddenly, Akizuki took a step toward me.

“Hee-hee! Hey, Hiroto…is something bothering you?”

“ ”

It was a casual question, asked in the most casual of ways, but Akizuki’s eyes seemed to be calling me an idiot. They had this indecipherable atmosphere to them, as though they could peer right through any front I put up.

“You’ve been running, right?” she continued, a bewitchingly cute smile on her face. “Running for your life, kinda. But now that I’m here, you’re in a tough spot. I bet you’re wondering how you’re gonna get out of this. Hee-hee-hee! C’mon, Hiroto!   You’re frightened of someone as cute as I am? What kind of young man would ever be afraid of me, huh?  ”

“What’re you talking about? I just don’t want to go through the trouble of accepting Trials from a million people. If I look like I’m panicking, you should probably get your eyes checked.”

“Oh, really? Well, all right. I’m not about to challenge you anyway. I’m too tired for it today. Fwaaah…”

She brought a hand to her mouth, letting out a cheek-stretching yawn that seemed emphasized to convey her point. She didn’t appear to be lying, either. Five o’clock was fast approaching, but Akizuki wasn’t holding her device, and she didn’t make any move to grab it.

What’s…going on?

I winced internally, frustrated that I couldn’t discern Akizuki’s objective. She’d set up this perfect situation, yet chose to toss it away. The questions were piling up. This went beyond my understanding.

“Mm…?”

Akizuki’s demeanor shifted. Anything suspicious faded, and she became wholly calm and unthreatening. She looked around the hallway, then shot me a questioning expression.

“Oh, she’s not with you today. That maid, I mean. Don’t tell me she left you or something? Hee-hee! I see, I see… Well, don’t worry. Let Noa cheer you up!  ”

“I already told you she’s not my girlfriend. And we’re not together every second of the day. We just happen to be doing our own separate things right now.”

“Hmm. It sure looked like you were an item when I saw you guys. Like…if you’re not, then what do you think of your maid, Hiroto?”

Akizuki kept her eyes fixed on me as she posed her question. I wasn’t sure of the intent behind the inquiry, and that was all the more reason to be extra careful. What did Shirayuki Himeji mean to Hiroto Shinohara?

“Well…we’re teammates. Kind of.”

“Teammates…? Mmm.” Akizuki smiled at me. “Okay. Thanks, Hiroto. See you later!  ”

She gave me a little wave, then spun and practically skipped away. Not a moment later, the bell rang for five, indicating the end of day two.

“Phew…”

My shoulders slumped as the tension left my body. I leaned against the wall. We’d only talked, but the effort had felt Herculean. After bringing a hand to my neck, I realized I was sweating.

Then I got a voice call from Himeji.

“That marks the end of the second day, Master. I finished my Trial a moment ago.”

“Oh… Good job. Everything go well?”

“Well, I was pretty aggressive, yet at the end, my opponent smiled and said, ‘Thank you very much.’ A very odd person indeed. Did something happen, Master? You sound out of breath.”

“Ah… Well, I’ll talk about it once we’re back home.”

I wasn’t trying to hide it or anything, but I didn’t want to risk someone overhearing. I was still a little shaken, so it was best to collect myself at home first.

“Oh, all right.”

Himeji sounded a tiny bit worried, but she didn’t object. Perhaps she understood what I meant. Something must have occurred to her, because she abruptly changed the subject.

“By the way, Master, around half an hour ago, we saw the strangest thing. Twenty participants were knocked out at once in a corner of the club activities building. Apparently, they were attempting to cheat the system as a group.”

“…Cheat the system?”

“Yes. What I’m told is that they were sharing an illegal Ability that allowed them to appear as though they’d been eliminated from the competition, preventing anyone from issuing Trials to them. They used it to avoid all challenges yesterday, but they were all eliminated today.”

“Defeated? Not disqualified?”

“That’s what it looks like, yes. The illegal Ability was only discovered by the administration after the fact.”

“…Do you think those cheaters were the outside element the provost hinted at?”

“I don’t think so, no. The board said they saw no evidence of meddling from other wards, so it’s likely something different. I can’t guarantee this was completely unrelated, however.”

“Oh… Well, hopefully you’re right. This occurred in the club activities building?”

I crossed my arms for a moment, gathering my thoughts. Hadn’t Akizuki come running from the direction of the twenty-person elimination? It matched up time-wise, and it would explain her supposed exhaustion. Plus, given Akizuki’s talents, I could imagine her dispatching a group of rule breakers before staff got involved.

“…”

All of this was supposition for the time being. Regardless, the day was done. There were shadows looming in the distance, but I was still in the competition.

Fourth Ward Challenge: End of Day 2

Knocked out: 1,483 Survivors: 3,144

The next day was Saturday, and while the 4WC was still in effect, a participant would never receive any challenges unless they had to go to school for team practice or the like. It was the only real break during the event. Naturally, I had zero interest in visiting Eimei School. A day of aggressively lazing around at home followed, interrupted—

“Hey, Shinohara, got a moment?”

—by a call from the (fake) rich girl Saionji after dark.

“Listen, are you free tomorrow? It’s Sunday, so you shouldn’t have to worry about the Eimei event.

“I want you to join me for some shopping… Hey, you don’t have to sound that reluctant about it. This is your fault. Taking my red star left me weakened, so I need to go out and buy an Ability or two to make up for it. Not the big-store stuff, either. Custom apps.

“…Yeah, but the shop I want to visit is kind of, you know…not so mainstream. I can’t go by myself, so I want you to accompany me. Maybe you’ll find a useful Ability while you’re there.

“…Right? Hee-hee! Perfect, then.

“Okay, I’ll meet you in front of School Gate Station in the Fourth Ward. Huh? No, the store’s in the Eighth Ward. I sent the location to you… Oh, what’s it matter where we meet up? That was just the first spot that came to mind; you don’t have to be so inquisitive about it. Look, we can meet at the store, if you insist…

“…You will? Okay, so the station, then? …Oh, stop it! You never miss a chance to mock me, do you?

“I think this goes without saying, but you have to show up in disguise, all right? And definitely not in your school uniform… Actually, make an effort to dress nicely for a change, since you’re going out with a girl. I’m gonna go all out, too. Wait, never mind! You didn’t hear that! My maid was pushing this outfit on me, that’s all! It’s not like I’d ever buy new clothes because I’m soooo excited to go out with you or anything.

“…Listen…it’s not a date or anything… I just want your help since you’re my partner in crime, all right?

“…But there’s one thing you should know, Shinohara…

“When I say I’m looking forward to tomorrow, I’m not lying.”

Sunday, the fourth day of the 4WC. Following a very pressuring conversation, I stood at the meeting point, looking around.

“So which one is Saionji?” I muttered to myself.

Sarasa Saionji—a girl who now held special importance in my life. She was a direct descendant of the Academy’s founder and the only daughter of its current grand headmaster. The girl was about as elite as spoiled little rich heiresses got. Until I fell backward into beating her, she was the invincible Empress, ruling the Academy as its only Seven Star.

As it happened, she was a liar, too. It was a little difficult to grasp, but technically, she wasn’t even Sarasa Saionji. The real Empress had been kidnapped around a year ago, and a girl named Rina Akabane had taken her place to keep the crime from becoming public knowledge. Except that the whole kidnapping thing was also a fabrication to fool the Saionji family. In reality, Rina had concocted this massive scheme so the real Sarasa could fulfill her wish to live a normal teenage life.

It was a bold, shameless, self-sacrificing, and utterly ridiculous lie, and the actual Sarasa was ignorant of parts of it. And somehow, the current Sarasa’s falsehoods were now entangled with mine. It’s a really long, twisted story, so I’ll skip the details, but basically, if her lies were exposed, then mine would be as well, and vice versa. Given all the deception, if anything came to light, our social lives would crumble before our eyes. Despite all that, or maybe because of it, we were acquaintances now, working together to keep ourselves safe.

That was our relationship—liars and partners in crime.

“Oh…”

Checking the time on the top of my device’s screen, I saw that it was nine forty-five in the morning. We weren’t due to meet until ten, but knowing how surprisingly conscientious Saionji could be, I had good reason to believe she was already here. However, she was also liable to be in an unfamiliar disguise. No sooner did that worry cross my mind than I wound up discovering her.

“Hey. You’re early.”

“Huh?”

I approached a girl playing with her device on a wooden bench in the middle of the roundabout and sat down next to her. She stared at me for a bit, mouth agape. Perhaps this was a little too sudden for her. She peered at my face.

“Um…you’re Shinohara, right?”

“Yep. Why do you sound so unsure? Didn’t we dress this way the last time?

“You did…but I’m wearing something completely different from the hoodie I had on. How did you spot me so fast?”

“Huh?”

I looked up, unsure how to parse the question, then took a closer look at Saionji. Golden catlike eyes. Blond hair that ran down to her knees. It wasn’t completely straight, curling gently at the ends to make cute little circles around where her socks began. She was dressed in a tidy, charming dress, like a young lady relaxing at a summer resort, and it all looked great on her. It was very different from the usual Sarasa Saionji, with her long red hair and ruby eyes.

“Weird…” She turned on her device’s front-facing cam, tilting her head around and puzzling to herself. “I don’t think this is a bad disguise at all. I had my maid check everything, and I actually passed by friends of mine from Ohga three times and none of them noticed.”

“I mean, yeah, you look totally different from usual, but…I dunno, maybe it’s your aura? One look told me it was you.”

“…! Oh… You noticed me that quickly? Hmmm…”

Saionji gave a satisfied smile and stood from the bench. When she faced me, her skirt fluttered in the air.

“Hee-hee! Well, let’s get going, Shinohara. We can’t waste the whole day just sitting here.”

“Huh? Oh… Yeah, I guess not.”

I stood to join her, a little perplexed about all this energy.

The Academy’s Eighth Ward apparently had a reputation for being a generally “underground” kind of place. It was a lot more alive at night than in the daytime, full of shops that walked the line between legal and breaking Academy regulations, which pitted it against the island’s Board of Morality pretty often. Unofficial gambling dens and sex shops weren’t uncommon, and a lot of outfits peddling unauthorized Abilities could be found in the area. Kugasaki’s Self-Styled Holy Knights made the Eighth Ward their headquarters.

That said, the region wasn’t some untamed hive of depravity. It just offered a lot of freedom. That’s how Saionji put it to me on the train.

“…Here’s our stop.”

We had been bouncing around on briskly clattering trains for just under an hour, transferring a few times since leaving the Fourth Ward, and now Saionji and I were finally at our destination. We were looking for a shop on the second floor of a small building a bit of a walk from the station. A simple door stood at the base of the structure, sporting a card that read OPEN stuck to it. Below that was another stick-on board with words written in a trendy, pop-logo kind of font.

RULES:

COUPLES ONLY

(any gender)

“Uh…what’s the deal with this, Saionji?”

“W-well, what’s it look like? It means exactly what’s written. This store sells some really great things, but every time I check it out, there’s some kind of new wacky rule up. They change regularly, and this is the current one.”

“Yeah, but still…”

“I told you I wanted you here because I couldn’t go in by myself, and I wasn’t lying. You should think of this as an honor. You get to temporarily be my…l-lover. Kind of.”

“…”

Saying the L word made Saionji’s ears turn red with embarrassment. I was equally flustered, too much so to reply. I suddenly felt very self-conscious. This girl, who looked just as lovely in a disguise, seemed more womanly than usual. She’d definitely bought that dress for the occasion. She looked way too adorable…

“Shinohara? Hey. Shinohara, are you listening?”

“Sorry. I spaced out for a second.”

I shook the cobwebs out. After going through the trouble to get here, we weren’t about to leave empty handed.

We stood ready at the door. Kagaya waited close by in case I got into some kind of trouble, but since we weren’t in 4WC mode, she wasn’t listening in, which made sense. Having someone eavesdrop on me as I pretended to be someone else’s boyfriend would be devastating, but more importantly, I concealed my relationship with Saionji from everyone in the Company except Himeji.

After checking my earpiece one more time, I took a breath and opened the door.

“Ohhhhh.”

I was immediately amazed. The outside made this look like some run-down, slapdash joint, but it was a completely different world inside. To put it simply, it resembled a used electronics shop—computer parts, cords, game consoles from prehistory to the modern day, mod chips, monitors, disks, cassettes. It had a little bit of everything, all in a disorganized jumble on the shelves. I played video games only occasionally, so I couldn’t have explained what all of this stuff was for, but this otherworldly atmosphere was honestly something I enjoyed.

“You see? I’m glad you like it as much as I do. I’m a huge fan.”

I was so busy gawking at all the junk, it must’ve been obvious what I thought about it all. Saionji laughed pleasantly, then beckoned me deeper into the store. Shelves had blocked my line of sight initially, but as we moved, I spied the cash register.

“Hmm, the owner’s not here. She said she’d show up today, but… Excuse me!”

“Yes, coming.”

Saionji leaned over the counter to call for help. A languid voice from the door beyond answered, and a moment after, it opened with a click, revealing a woman in work clothes.

“Welcome… Oh, it’s you, Lily.”

Lily?

She was clearly addressing Saionji. I was thrown for a second, but it only took a second to understand. This was a fake name, a third identity she used when going out as this blond, golden-eyed girl. Dressed as she was, she couldn’t introduce herself as Sarasa Saionji or Rina Akabane.

Lily nodded back to the shopkeeper. “Yes, it’s great to see you again. I had to take this opportunity to come back.”

“That so?” replied the owner, using the towel around her neck to wipe the sweat off her brow. “Right, right, you said you’d be stopping by today. It sure has been a while.”

The two exchanged some small talk, but after that died down, the owner gave a little mischievous grin and stiffened up.

“You know, Lily, just to be sure, you’re aware of the philosophy behind this place, right? I’m running it entirely as a hobby. I only sell to the people I want to. And I decide who I like based on whether they stick to my ever-changing rules.”

“Of course. I’m pretty confident that I’m your most regular customer, in fact.”

“Maybe. At least as far as I can remember. Anyway, like the board on the door says, the current rule is couples only, and I’ve been turning away anyone who doesn’t adhere to that… Are you Lily’s boyfriend?”

A pair of curious eyes fell upon me. Sai—er, Lily’s golden eyes turned my way as well, the concern in them apparent. I was more than accustomed to this level of attention.

“I sure am,” I replied casually, meeting the owner’s gaze. “Sounds like you and Lily have known each other for a while. I’m not looking for anything. I’m just here to accompany her on the trip, so don’t worry about me.”

“How could I not worry? I don’t think you’ve ever had a guy in your life before, Lily. There was a point when I seriously wondered if you were making a pass at me. Yet now you’ve come wearing an outfit you clearly put some effort into while showing off your boyfriend…”

“H-hold on a sec. Don’t make it sound like I can’t get anyone. Besides, it’s your rule that made me bring my b…boyfriend. Are you trying to hurt my feelings?”

“Aw, I don’t mean it like that, Lily. I’m just a masochist. Understand? I’m into the mental pain of having people demonstrate how much better they are than me in my own establishment.”

“Just shut up and take it, then!”

Lily put her hands on her hips while the owner let out a cartoonish whine to indicate fake crying. Then she dropped the act, waving a hand to indicate she didn’t mean it, and went back to inspecting me head to toe.

“Hmm… So this is your guy, huh?”

“Y-yeah. Hi. His name’s Hiro. Pretty cool, huh?”

“…”

Lily stole occasional glances at me, sounding nervous as she spoke. I looked away, feeling a little abashed, and Lily did the same. When I listened carefully, I caught her muttering “Hiro, Hiro” under her breath, perhaps practicing to make it sound natural. The whole situation made my skin crawl.

“I seeeee…”

The owner sneered at the two of us, then raised her right hand.

“Okay, guys, how about you stop flirting for one second and look around a little?”

““?””

Lily and I turned to look over the store. Considering I had just done so a moment ago, there wasn’t much new to discover, just lots of PC parts and games piled up in mountains, along with minicards that presumably contained preinstalled Abilities. Two other couples were perusing the merchandise.

“…Oh.”

Lily was the first one to notice something. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure where to look. Had the other patrons caught her attention? They didn’t seem to be acting unusually. Both couples looked like teenagers, chatting as they went down the shelves. One boy grabbed an Ability instruction manual with his left hand while his girlfriend stuck close by and ran her right hand down a shelf. They were both using one hand at a time because their other hands were clasped together. You know, like lovers did.

““…””

“Heh! Finally noticed, young lady?”

“Wha…what are you trying to say?”

“Look, your boyfriend Hiro is cool, the kind of wild stud that makes me want to just scream, in fact. Don’t take this the wrong way, I just want to check you’re not breaking the rules…are you guys really a couple?”

““Huh?””

“Japan doesn’t give out licenses to prove people are lovers, not like marriage. How do I know you didn’t rope in some random dude off the street?”

“Okay…but what am I supposed to say? It’s your vague rule.”

“That’s not the problem. Are you and Hiro dense? The two couples over there are practically glued to each other. You know, interlocking their fingers, just trying to prove they’re crazy about one another. I’ve never done it, but I’m sure that’s what it means. What I’m trying to say is, any loving relationship needs to have physical contact.”

“Th-that’s completely irrational! Everyone has their own comfort zone with that kind of stuff…and so do we!”

“I get that. But there’s a rule in place. If you can’t even hold hands for me, how will I explain it to my other customers?”

“B-but…!”

“I’m not asking for a kiss or anything, all right?”

“A ki—?! I—I could never do that in public, you freak!”

The malicious grin from the owner drove Lily to glance at me, then instantly turn red and look away. I kept it cool, but I could tell my cheeks were warming up, particularly because of Lily’s overreaction. As truly embarrassing as this was for both of us, if we hesitated here and the owner decided we weren’t a couple, I would be more ashamed.

“H-hey, Lily…Saionji!” I whispered.

“Ah…! What, you idiot? Are you gonna pick on me, too?”

“I’m not picking on anyone. Just holding hands is okay, isn’t it? Then we can get what we need and go.”

“Huh? …Y-you mean you want to touch my body?”

“Don’t phrase it that way! Look, I’m not saying we have to do the finger thing like that couple. Just hold hands like normal. You’re getting flustered because you’re overthinking it.”

“But you’re red, too. Up to your ears!”

“I know. That’s why I wanna get this over with.”

At the end of our hushed conversation, Lily gave me a curt, firm nod, although her eyes looked a bit teary. After shoring up her resolve, she gingerly extended her hand.

“Ngh…”

She exhaled a bit, eyes closed. Her soft fingertips reached out for my hand, and a second later, her hand was fully covering my palm. I could feel her body temperature and the beating of her heart.

“Uh, Lily…all you’re doing is shaking hands.”

“…?!”

My words finally forced Lily’s eyes open, and she turned a darker shade of red upon realizing the problem. I’d extended my right hand, and she’d done the same. This wouldn’t prove we were lovers at all. We were just a pair of weirdos who’d decided to shake hands in the middle of the store.

“N…no! Um, umm… I—I didn’t mean that!”

Lily tried to defend herself, but she was too frazzled to put any words together, so she pulled her hand back and looked down at the floor. Before I could offer an excuse…

“Ha-ha-ha! …Great! I like it!”

““…Huh?””

…the owner clapped her hands and laughed, evidently enjoying every moment of this. Lily and I looked at each other, unsure what this meant.

“Boy,” the owner said, wiping a tear or two away, “you two are so innocent. I can’t believe how sheltered you are, Lily.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, you pass. The air in here’s so lovey-dovey right now, I need to open a window. That was way too much for a single woman like me…so yeah, you pass. I’ll accept that you’re lovers.”

“Y-you will?! Oh, wonderful…!”

“Um, are you sure? All we did was shake hands.”

“H-Hiro! Don’t ask that!”

“What? I don’t want her getting upset with us later.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, Mr. Boyfriend! I’d never do that. Like I said, I put up my rules so I don’t have to sell to anyone I don’t like, and I looove Lily. You seem pretty nice, too, Hiro, so you pass with flying colors. Okay, what were you hoping to buy?”

““…””

The owner seemed tremendously satisfied with us. All Lily and I could do was glance at each other.

Lily—or Saionji—and I wound up spending around three hours in the store. More than half of that extended stay was because of the owner, but that wasn’t the only reason. I understood why Saionji liked this place so much. Watching the owner show off all the Abilities for purchase, all apparently coded by her, was a lot more fun for us than most amusement parks would’ve been.

Once our shopping there was done, we stopped at another place near the station and checked out a bookstore, an arcade, and so on. We didn’t buy anything. It was more about making the most of a day off. By the time our train approached the Fourth Ward, it was nearly night.

“…Hmm. Sounds like a lot’s happened at the 4WC so far.”

Saionji was seated next to me, arms crossed. She’d broached the subject of the event a little earlier, and I’d just finished recapping the provost’s request, Akizuki’s advances, and the rest.

“Yeah,” I replied, trying to keep my voice down in this semipublic place. “For now, everything seems to be going all right, though. My focus is on escaping, and today’s day four, so I’ve made it past the halfway point. The Company’s cheats are working, and we’ve got some emergency defenses in place. I’ve got nothing to complain about…but I’m not looking forward to heading back into the thick of it tomorrow. Akizuki acting so suspiciously doesn’t help, either.”

“Right,” Saionji whispered, brushing back a few locks of her golden-blond wig. “Noa Akizuki, the Little Devil of Eimei. She’s held the number two position at your school for two years. I haven’t played her in a Game yet, but if I did, I’d need a lot of prep to win. I’m not sure if she’s strong or simply hard to deal with. If not for you, she’d have run away with this year’s 4WC.”

“You think she’s that good, huh? Man, ‘Little Devil’ is the perfect nickname for her.”

“It sure is. She acts so sickeningly sweet around everyone, and she never reveals her true self. Even worse, when she plays a Game with someone, she’s not satisfied unless it’s an absolute massacre of a victory.”

“Really? Does she sink to underhanded stuff to do it?”

“I’m not sure, actually. I’ve never seen her do so, but she might be good at hiding it.”

“True.”

I shrugged at Saionji’s logical takes, opting not to push the conversation any further. Before much longer, the train arrived at my stop.

“Hey, this is where I get off.”

After we returned to School Gate Station, hours after we’d left, Saionji pointed at an exit to the right, toward her home in the Third Ward. This was where our paths split.

“Sure. Take care.”

“Watch yourself during that event, okay? I’ll make you pay if you lose.”

Saionji made a fist and gave me a little bap on the chest while wearing a taunting smile. Then she turned around and strode off in high spirits, waving with her back to me.

“Where was that confidence earlier?” I muttered.

Recalling the handshake, I couldn’t help but grin.

With Saionji gone, I waited behind School Gate Station for Himeji to arrive. I’d removed my disguise and returned to being Hiroto Shinohara. Himeji and I were due at the provost’s office for a progress report on the Fourth Ward Challenge. Thinking it’d be strange to show up in disguise, I’d changed ahead of the meeting. It took some hair spray and a lot of combing to force my hair back to its original style. Fortunately, Kagaya was kind enough to have my uniform couriered to me.

“…Thank you for waiting, Master.”

I looked up at the familiar voice and saw Himeji standing before me in her maid attire. We were headed to school now, but she must have decided there was no need for a uniform on the weekend.

“…”

She seemed to be feeling a little down. It was understandable. I had known her for just over two weeks now, and this was the first day off I hadn’t spent with her. Kagaya had come along during the trip with Saionji, albeit at a distance, leaving Himeji alone in that huge mansion the whole day. I quickly made sure no one was watching, then clapped my hands together.

“I’m sorry for being gone so long, Himeji. I planned to return sooner, but…”

“Huh? Oh… No, Master, there’s nothing to apologize about. We never set a particular time to meet, so it’s not an issue. I was jealous of you and Rina, but…”

“Jealous?”

“Never mind. I am perfectly fine, Master. Just a tiny little bit lonely, I’ll admit, but nothing you need to be concerned about.”

“Yeah, but…”

Himeji tried to politely dismiss this topic, but I shook my head. I appreciated her devotion to aiding me, but that didn’t mean I could treat her poorly.

“Whether you’re all right with it or not, I still feel bad about this. You do so much for me. That’s why…”

“…?”

“I have a…present, I guess. A souvenir.”

I reached into an inner pocket of my uniform (I’d made sure to slip the gift in while changing) and took out a light-blue envelope, one smaller than the sort used in thank-you notes. Himeji held out her hand and accepted it from me.

“What…is this?”

“Well, after Saionji finished shopping at this one place, I thought I’d pick up something for you as well. It’s an Ability crafted by the store owner.”

“…”

“I know this isn’t the most traditional thing to give to a girl…but I haven’t done anything like this before, so I wasn’t really sure what to go with. I figured you’d appreciate something useful.”

“This is your first time?”

“As far as I remember. Why do you ask?”

“It’s nothing… Just wondering.”

The suddenly taciturn Himeji looked down at the blue envelope one more time. She brought her other hand to it gently. “Can I open it?” Once she received my approval, she politely unfolded the envelope. The card inside was kept in a stylish carrying case.

“So this is how custom ones are sold. It looks like any other. A device can read the chip on the bottom right to install the Ability,” Himeji remarked.

“Yeah. The owner pretty much pressed this on me, saying it was her top recommendation. What’s it say on the back?”

“The back? Um… Here it is. ‘Ability name: Pinch Hitter. Effect: Ability is available when not engaged in a Game. Allows user to switch with a player in a Game and compete in their place. Requires the permission of the player being switched out.’”

“So what’s that mean?”

“In essence, Master, it allows the person with the Ability to take over for another in a Game. This is actually quite impressive. We have a few Ability experts in the Company, but I’ve never seen anyone else create one that can interfere with a Game this way, and it’s legal, too. I can see why the store owner recommended it.”

“Wow, really? Are you sure it’s really that useful? Swapping in as you pleased would be overpowered, since you need the other person’s permission. I’m not sure how useful that will be.”

“W-well, I don’t think it’s useless at all. Although, it will only work in a few scenarios. It’s not exactly the most general purpose of Abilities, sad to say. A great pity.”

Himeji must have picked up on my disappointment and decided to tease me a little. She held the case close to her chest.

“Regardless, this is the first gift my master has ever given to me. Thank you very much, Master. I’ll cherish this my whole life.”

A charming smile spread across her face.

“Sunday, April 23, 6:37:52 p.m.

“Coordinates confirmed for target Hiroto Shinohara.

“Devices detected within one-hundred-yard range: nine hundred and twenty-three.

“Number of 4WC survivors among them: two hundred and fifty-two.

“Prerequisite conditions satisfied. All other designations are confirmed completed.

“Execution command confirmed. Continuing execution of program after preset count.

“Three seconds…two…one…

“…activate.”

“Hmm…?”

I was about five minutes into my walk with Himeji in her maid outfit from the station to Eimei’s main entrance. It was well past hours for the 4WC, so we didn’t hesitate to enter school grounds. However, the moment we did, Himeji stopped, a look of concern on her face.

“What is it, Himeji?”

“Um… I’m sorry. Give me one moment to check on things.”

Without further clarification, she put her head down, pressed a finger to her earpiece, and began whispering. She had to be talking with Kagaya, and by the looks of it, they were having a pretty serious conversation. After about a minute, Himeji put her finger down, looking distressed.

“Bad news, Master. I just received word from Kagaya that multiple Eimei students—people still in the 4WC competition—are rushing here in a large group. There are over two hundred of them.”

“T-two…?! Why?!”

“Well, Master…apparently your current location has been spread across STOC, the school forums, and LNN’s emergency notification system.”

“Huh?!”

I was too shocked by this unexpected development to respond. Someone was spreading my whereabouts online? That made no sense. I had no idea how that worked or why.

“But it’s past six in the evening… The Trial cutoff was over an hour ago. What do they get out of charging over now?”

“I know…but there must be something going on. The terms 4WC and bug are trending on STOC. Supposedly, the time limit on sending requests has been temporarily lifted… I don’t know how trustworthy that claim is, but videos are being posted from Eimei School premises.”

“So they can challenge me?” I frowned at Himeji. If that was the case, this was obviously a malicious attack on me. Someone was trying to take me down, and I thought of one suspect immediately.

“Noa Akizuki… Did she do this? Could she manage this much?”

“I don’t know…but there’s no time to think. We need to get out of here as soon as possible, Master!”

“Right.”

I couldn’t help but fall into a panic at times like these, but Himeji was right. We needed to escape before anyone challenged me. Today was supposed to be a precious break from all that, so both Basic Jamming and Body Swap were down for maintenance. I’d have to do all the fighting by myself.

I do still have an emergency defense, but I’d hate to waste it on something like this. Damn!

I bit my lower lip in frustration while scanning my surroundings. We were standing in the concourse just beyond the main entrance. The most obvious way out was to return the way we came. However, the bulk of the two hundred students were bound to come streaming in that way. Our only real option was to move deeper in. The club activities building and athletic fields were off-limits because other students might be there. Our choices were slim.

I took a breath and looked into Himeji’s blue eyes.

“We should head for the main school building, Himeji. Let’s hide and try to wait this out.”

“All right,” she agreed. The main building was undoubtedly locked on a Sunday, but I had the Company backing me up. If its members could find a first-floor classroom window or something and open it, Himeji and I could be inside within a few minutes.

With that in mind, we took our usual back route to the building.

“Ah…!”

“…”

The moment we turned the corner, I ran right into someone, lost my balance, and fell forward. Actually, it would be better to say I was tripped. Someone swept my leg, killing my moment. It was an absolute takedown. I felt a dull pain in my arms, legs, and stomach…but that didn’t matter. I lifted my head to see the person who’d knocked me over and all but pinned me to the ground.

“…Hee-hee!”

The girl with twin ponytails had become a familiar sight recently.

“Wow, Hiroto, I bumped into you again!   Maybe that means we’re secretly super compatible or something?”

“Akizuki…!”

“Mmm? What is it? Why are you looking all scary? Come on, you pushed me over. Hee-hee-hee! That’s not too nice, is it? I understand why you’d want to lunge at someone as cute as me, but nobody likes a man who’s too pushy!  ”

“What are you talking about? Let me go!”

“Aw, what are you talking about, Hiroto? You’ve got me all wrong. You can’t move because you virtually landed right on top of me.”

She made it sound like I’d shoved her and dropped onto her after, but her hands were behind my back, and her legs were wrapped around mine. I was locked up. A soft sensation ran across my whole body. It almost made me faint, but I couldn’t. This was Akizuki’s doing. I couldn’t fall for her ploy.

“Hee-hee! There’s no escape, Hiroto…  ”

“…!”

Akizuki’s sweet voice tickled my eardrums at point-blank range. And she was right. We were completely visible from the main entrance. With all the commotion we were making, it was just a matter of time until the mob came around.

“Master…!”

Himeji tried to pull me free. The panic showed plainly in her voice, which was rare for her. I appreciated her help, of course, but if brute force was all she could manage, even while connected with Kagaya, it meant there were no better options. Akizuki’s trap was perfect. Not even the Company could thwart her now.

Well, so be it…

There was only one logical conclusion.

“Request a Trial, Himeji!”

“Understood!” she answered immediately.

Having Himeji challenge me to a Trial was my one-time-only escape in this event. As long as I was “In Combat” with someone, I couldn’t receive other challenges. We had a twenty-four-hour window to settle our match, and at the end of the time limit, Himeji could press the “Give Up” button on her device before we were both eliminated because of the penalty.

This will make me invincible for a day, but… I really wish it hadn’t come to this.

While I stewed over this, Himeji pointed her device at me and sent the Trial request.

Akizuki saw this and slowly released her grip on me, unraveling herself from underneath. Once she was back on her feet, she stretched with little regard for her rumpled uniform. She gave us a skewed grin.

“Awwww, too bad…   A few moments later and the whole Academy would’ve been buzzing about Noa and Hiroto’s secret love affair. Still, I accomplished my main goal, so that’s good enough. Hee-hee! See you later, Hiroto!  ”

“Wait, Akizuki! What’re you after? Are you working with some outside element?”

“Huhhh?” The girl was very calm despite her failed attack. “What are you talking about? I’m sorry, I’m too cute to understand difficult questions!  ”

Akizuki turned and sauntered off. The moment she was out of sight, I felt horribly fatigued. That was a close call. The shock and panic had me feeling like I was losing my mind. Without that emergency escape prepared, I would’ve been in serious trouble.

“A-are you all right, Master…?”

I was on one knee and panting. Himeji crouched in front of me with a worried expression. She brought a hand to my head, wiping the sweat away.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help much. I am an incompetent maid, and I deserve to be scolded.”

“Don’t talk like that, Himeji. I would’ve lost a long time ago if not for you. Plus, you were talking with Kagaya that whole time to get help, right?”

Akizuki’s schemes might have thrown us, yet despite all the time she’d wasted, that crowd of opponents never arrived. That was clearly thanks to the Company. It must have planted a bunch of fake coordinates around. Putting that together so quickly was truly a work of genius.

“Thank you very much, Master.”

Himeji smiled, evidently relieved by the sincerity in my voice. She touched her hand to her earpiece again. “The time-schedule bug has apparently been fixed. Given her conspicuous appearance, I think we can safely conclude Ms. Akizuki is involved.”

“Yeah. She’s a tricky one…”

I pictured that mischievous smile. How had she known I was headed for school on a Sunday? She’d mentioned before she left that she’d accomplished her main goal. If her objective wasn’t to knock me out, then what was she after?

“…”

Whatever her reasons, I’d managed to survive. 4WC’s fourth day was over. More than half of the contest was behind me. There was plenty of work ahead, though. Himeji and I still needed to meet with the provost to talk about Akizuki, and we had to review future tactics with the Company.

We delivered our report to Provost Ichinose without incident. It dragged a bit because she kept derailing the topic to banter with us, but it’s not like we had that much to talk about. Boiled down, her reactions to the main points were as follows:

“Hmm. So Noa Akizuki’s a primary suspect after all…”

“Oh, no, I didn’t predict she would be involved. It’s just that there aren’t many out there with the tools to steal a Unique Star from Eimei’s server. When you consider rank, talent, and motive, the number of candidates drops considerably.”

“The green star… Our records make it clear that it provides some kind of detection function, but the extent of its power can vary widely depending on who holds it. In the hands of someone of Akizuki’s talents, I honestly can’t say what might happen.”

“Yeah, I’ve been looking into it, but the mastermind remains a mystery. The Fifth, Eighth, Twelfth, and Fifteenth Wards are the most likely. They’ve always had it out for the Fourth Ward. In particular, the head of the Twelfth Ward would be the absolute worst to fight. We’ve tangled a few times, but I still haven’t uncovered what he’s truly like.”

“That’s true. Participants are dropping from the 4WC quicker than usual. There’s this rumor circulating online that Eimei School will give out special rewards based on your number of wins. It’s completely false, but it’s stoked a lot of aggressive behavior. Dealing with it has been such a pain. Who do you think has to clean all this up afterward?”

“Obviously, competitors dwindle toward the end of the event. Still, I’d say it’s roughly thirty percent more intense this year. There’s a good chance Noa Akizuki is involved in some way, too. Our first job is to catch her. That might open a path to our mastermind, too.”

“Heh-heh… I’ll be counting on you, my little fake Seven Star.”

It was dark by the time we walked home from the provost’s office.

“…Oh,” Himeji said just as our mansion came into sight.

“Mm? What is it?”

“N-no, um… There’s actually something I wanted to buy while I was out, but I forgot until now.”

I nodded. “That makes sense. We’ve been running all over the place today…”

Honestly, Akizuki’s attack had left my head feeling pretty empty. I couldn’t blame Himeji for blanking on an errand or two.

“Can it wait until tomorrow?”

“That’s a very tempting idea, Master…but I hoped to fry something for dinner tonight, you see. I have some very high-quality shrimp and oysters that I procured via the Saionji family, and fried seafood happens to be a specialty of mine. Kagaya keeps going on about how my crispy batter makes her want to melt in her chair.”

“Oh. That sounds pretty good.”

“But there’s no sauce.”

“No…?!”

“Do you understand, Master? This is actually a very difficult problem. I know you and I prefer brown chuno sauce to tartar, and I’m far too settled on this idea to cook something else tonight. I’d feel too defeated otherwise.”

Himeji made herself sound a bit like a perfectionist, but I understood her point. My stomach craved fried seafood now, too. If that was to be tonight’s meal, sauce was a necessity.

“And so,” she said with a light bow, “I’m going to stop by the convenience store. You can go home, Master.”

“Nah, you head back. I can pick it up for you.”

“I’m afraid I have to refuse. There aren’t many people out, but you are still a Seven Star, and I am your maid. We need to maintain that status quo in public. Heh-heh. It wouldn’t do for a maid to send her master out on errands, would it? People would be quite angry with me.”

“All right… If you say so…”

I couldn’t refuse her when she put it that way. It still didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but if she’d made up her mind, I wouldn’t try to change it.

So I returned to my dorm alone and got to work gathering the latest info on Akizuki and the Fourth Ward Challenge. Before I knew it, an hour and a half had passed.

“…Something’s wrong,” I muttered, eyeing the living room clock. I took a sip of my lukewarm tea. I’d brewed it myself, so it wasn’t very good.

Something was amiss. No convenience store trip took this long. It was a five-minute walk at most. Himeji was the serious-minded sort. She definitely would have contacted me if something had gone awry.

“Better call her…”

However, before I even had the chance, my device began vibrating. This wasn’t an LNN or STOC message, but an incoming call. Himeji’s name was displayed on the screen.

“Hello?” I said with a bit of relief.

“Hee-hee… Hi there, Hiroto! Good evening!  ”

“…?!”

The sweet voice on the other end made me freeze in place. Noa Akizuki, the Little Devil Six Star who’d been disturbingly hounding me since the start of the 4WC, was on the other end. Why was she using Himeji’s device to contact me?

“What do you want?”

“Huh? What do I want? I just happened to run into your maid is all! I asked her for a little favor, and she was kind enough to let me borrow this for a bit. Hee-hee-hee! I guess it’s because I’m so cute.”

“What the hell did you do to Himeji? She better be all right.”

“Wow, what’s your deal, huh? You really go off on the most random stuff, Hiroto.” She sighed. “Since you need to know so badly, I’ll pass this over to her real quick. I know she’s your precious maid and all!  ”

Blessed silence returned. Then, a few seconds later, I heard some hesitant-sounding breaths over the line.

“…Himeji?” I asked hesitantly.

“Um, hello, Master,” came the monotonous response. Himeji always kept her tone pretty controlled, never showing major mood swings. However, she could emote when she wished to, enough that I could sense her feelings. Yet the person on the other end might as well have been a robot. It nearly sounded as though she were holding something back.

“I’m very sorry, Master.”

“…”

“I can’t give you all of the details…but I actually have two things I need to apologize for. First…I’m afraid I likely won’t be able to return home tonight. I can’t be with you right now, Master.”

“You can’t come back? Did Akizuki do something to you?”

“…I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. I had no intention of criticizing her right now, but the unease and confusion were welling in my mind.

“Second… You and I are ‘In Combat’ right now, Master. We’re safe from other Trial requests for twenty-four hours, but we need to end it before the time limit or we’ll both be eliminated.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, about that…”

A pause. It must have been hard to find the right words, but then I heard her exhale, perhaps to steel her resolve.

“I’m afraid,” she said, her voice more resigned now, “I will no longer be able to forfeit our Trial tomorrow.”

“…!”

“I deeply apologize about this, Master. You may punish me any way you like afterward. I will heed any order you give me, and I will accept any of the anger or hatred you throw my way. So please…don’t aim to win tomorrow’s Trial.”

“ ”

I stood there, dumbfounded at her pleading. But before I could sufficiently recover to reply, a far bouncier voice came through my device.

“Hee-hee-hee!   Well? Did your maid get the message across?”

“You…”

“Oh, quit being so dramatic! Everything’s all right! I haven’t done anything to her yet, I promise! Of course, whether I do depends on your response… Heh-heh!   I’ll catch you tomorrow!  ”

A merciless click, and Akizuki had cut the connection. I immediately called back, more on reflex than from conscious choice, but I only got an endless ringing. The other side had nothing left to talk about.

“Damn it!”

My emotions got the best of me, and I threw my device down on the table. She got me. She totally got me. This was probably what Akizuki had wanted from the start. Looking back, from the moment she’d contacted me on the first day of the 4WC, she’d been scoping out Himeji and me, judging Himeji’s position in my life. Then, after that earlier attack that I’d thought was a failure, Akizuki acted like nothing was wrong.

Now it made sense. Her tripping me had been to force me to use my emergency defense. She hadn’t intended to beat me there. After watching me, Akizuki had concluded that a desperate situation would force me to enter a Trial with Himeji to keep safe for a day. And once I did, Akizuki had made off with Himeji.

She was forcing Himeji to keep the Trial going with some yet-unknown threat. There was no choice but to compete against Himeji and win. Akizuki realized that Himeji was the weakest link in my defense, and she’d struck at it in the most effective way possible. It was a little frightening how accurately she read me. A perfect, flawless strategy.

“But…”

Honestly, it was tough to accept the reality of the situation. I tried to calm my rapid breathing. Things were certainly stacked in Akizuki’s favor, but I wasn’t defeated yet. In a way, this was kind of a big chance. Akizuki making a move now after lurking under the radar for so long meant this was her ultimate plan. Unlike in the previous incident, she was genuinely gunning for me now. If I conquered the upcoming Trial, I might be able to stop her assault. Perhaps I could turn the tables on the Little Devil and escape this apparent dead end…

“…No. That’s wrong.”

The words came out half-unconsciously. Realizing what I’d said, I donned an exaggerated smile, flipping a mental switch.

“There’s no maybe about it. I’m not going to lose. No matter what.”

Fourth Ward Challenge: End of Day 4

Knocked out (Saturday/Sunday): 1,228 Survivors: 1,916