No Game No Life - Volume 4 - Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 
CHARMER 
 
—Oceand…the ocean-floor metropolis where Siren and Dhampir lived in symbiosis. An insular nation built on local production for local consumption, with almost no trade with other countries. Since it was at the bottom of the sea, it was impossible to visit by any sensible means. However, here was a group who had come by means that were not sensible . Jibril’s shift after parting the sea had brought them to a vista overlooking all of Oceand. At a depth of about two hundred meters, when the seawater was displaced and then replaced— 
“Well, that’s how it goes, eh…” 
The Shrine Maiden, groaning behind Sora, turned beyond the air membrane created by Jibril. There, the gravel and stones of the ocean floor swirled as if in a blender, raging madly…but however violent Jibril’s magic might have been, the Covenants disallowed her from exercising force of arms. If she was able to execute it, it meant that it did not imply harm to anyone else, supposedly… 
“Are you certain this isn’t directly attacking the city or hitting anyone?” 
“Y-yeah, the Ten Covenants are absolute. It’s fine. I think. Probably.” 
Sora—thus reassured as the tide calmed and the gravel settled, the seawater clearing—said, “—Huhh, this is pretty cool.” 
“…Pretty…” 
At the majesty of the city spread below, Sora and Shiro each shared their thoughts. In contrast to Sora’s fairy-tale, pastoral image, it was actually a rather imposing metropolis. Countless structures stood in rows, apparently built of stacks of seafloor stone. The stone walls, glistening the color of pearl, were tiled with thin slices of coral and shells, creating a brilliant display of color. Perhaps utilizing the buoyancy of the water, there stood complex arches surely impossible to build on land, as well as buildings conspicuously shaped like inverted cones—and then Sora thought. 
“…Hm? Why isn’t everything blue?” 
Only the blue light of the sun was supposed to penetrate to the ocean floor, but this question was answered by Shiro. 
“…Brother, it must be…that.” 
What Shiro pointed to, floating through the sea, were countless fluorescent jellyfish and seaweed clumps—“streetlamps” utilizing natural bioluminescence. 
—Oh, so the city illuminated itself. 
“What the hell? Everyone keeps saying they’re idiots, but this is a pretty nice city.” 
“…Ha-ha, thank youuu…,” said Plum with a bitter smile full of resignation and self-deprecation. “We’re the ones who built and manage it, you knowww…ah-ha-ha…” 
…Unable to find words, Sora turned his gaze behind him. Jibril, Izuna, and Steph all looked around curiously, and the Shrine Maiden seemed wholly relaxed. And then there was— 
“ ? King Sora, Sir… Just, what…is the meaning of this…? 
Apparently having had his ears screwed up by the shift after all, Ino uttered his query through frequent fits of slight convulsing. 
“Just like you asked, seems like Izuna and the Shrine Maiden are fine. You better tell Jibril thanks, you know?” 
“…Ahh, that’s right as rain, I suppose. But would you still allow me a word?” 
Looking at Sora, Shiro, and Jibril one by one, the Shrine Maiden gave a deep, deep sigh. “—Could you lot use at least a little common sense…” 
“Huh?” 
“…What’s, your…prob-lem?” 
“Hmm, offshoot of the dog family of the cat order, wherein lies your objection?” 
The trio who formed the perfect counterexample to common sense peered at her together. One of the few sensible members of the party, Steph, raised her voice in the Shrine Maiden’s defense. 
“ B-breaking through the sea to approach—no matter how you look at it, it could scarcely appear more hostile!! Just how do you expect to be led to the queen at this rate!” 
“We’re the ones who were invited. They’re the ones taking forever. We hurried to them in this urgent situation where their fate hangs by a thread. In consideration of Jibril’s effort, they ought to greet us with a dance of appreciation and welcome, right?” 
The Shrine Maiden and Izuna, who possessed the senses to detect Sora’s complete and utter bullshit , frowned with half-open eyelids. The remaining Werebeast—Ino—was still writhing, covering his ears. 
“…Ahh…I wouldn’t worry about thaaat…look.” 
Even as Plum said this, everyone looking in the direction she was pointing saw countless shadows flying out of Oceand and heading their way in a big hurry. 
—They had the tails of fish, covered in scales from the waist down, and the appearance of human women from the waist up. Other than having fins where their ears should have been, they didn’t look that different from Immanities. The barest excuses for pieces of cloth covered their breasts, while their necks and arms were unduly ornamented. They appeared—indeed, just as in fairy tales—to be mermaids. 
“…All right. So that’s Siren. Great. Good thing it’s like I pictured.” 
Sora, having been entirely ready to snap if the Deep Ones from the Cthulhu mythos showed up, was relieved, but then— 
“L-look, everyone making such a flurry… We’ll be reprimanded after all.” 
Steph whispered nervously as the Sirens swam right up to their membrane, and then— 
“H-huh?” 
Steph’s eyes popped wide. The Sirens gyrated, undulating their bodies to and fro, showing off their brilliantly sparkling scales. Ornaments of coral and pearl flashed radiantly against their smooth, white skin. No consistent rhythm was detectable in the mermaids’ movements. They gracefully interwove themselves through schools of multicolored fish, illuminated by the glowing jellyfish and the blue sunlight. The sight was fantastic enough to captivate everyone’s attention—so it probably was exactly as he’d suggested. 
“……Brother, this is their dance, of appreciation…and welcome.” 
“—Guess so… S-see, Steph, it’s all cool, right?” 
“What boundlessly tolerant creatures…” 
Eventually, one Siren emerged, decorated in a manner gaudy even among such company. She beat her hands around and flapped her mouth for some reason. Steph looked on, puzzled, but Sora produced the answer immediately. 
“We’re in Jibril’s air bubble; she’s in the water—her voice must not be able to reach us.” 
“Indeeed…I’ll go explain things and get some blood while I’m at iiit. I’ll use that fuel to cast an underwater breathing spell on all of youuu, so after that, please dispel this wall of aiiir…” 
With that, Plum set off at a trot, broke through the air membrane, and swam into the water. Watching her back: 
“Even having said that we are the saviors come to rescue their race from destruction…” 
“—Who would throw this sort of welcome after seeing such havoc wreaked right afore their city?” 
Jibril and the Shrine Maiden whispered with gazes sharp, at which Sora smirked. 
“…Siren, huh. Are they really that stupid, or—?” 
 
“Hiii, guyyys, tee-hee-hee! ? I’m Amila, the stand-in for the queeen. Mm, eeeverything’s fiiine! ? ” 
They were stupid. Sora managed to swallow this frank opinion. The Siren who had come right away after Jibril dispelled the wall of air, this “Amila” chick, if you took her at her word—and, frighteningly enough, it did seem to be the truth—was, in fact, the effective agent plenipotentiary currently leading Siren. Beneath her rich, greenish hair slid sensual, fair skin. She had big, bright blue eyes. Coral jewelry adorned her entire body, but tastefully. This must have been the mermaids’ formal dress. But what was inside— 
“Thank you sooo muuuch for coming alll the way heeere! ? Ohhhhh, goodness, there’s no way I can express this feeling except to kiss you, righhht! Tee-hee-hee! Right?!” 
“…Nah, let’s just say it’s the thought that counts…” 
It wasn’t even a question of formality at this point. Strictly speaking, she was speaking Immanity, but it was weird through and through. As Sora & Co. rolled their eyes, still Amila went on swimming pell-mell all around them 
“Talk of you two has spread aaall the way down to the bottom of the ocean! The miracle king who saved Immanity, they said you were handsome, but now I see your face and you’re just my type and you’re so hot and squeee !! Right?! ? ” 
“Ahaah. I see.” 
It was the first time a girl had ever told him he was handsome, come to think of it…but strangely, Sora wasn’t happy at all—. 
“Aha! Your voice is sexy, too?! I’m sooooo wet! After all, we are in the oceaaan, tee-hee-hee!” 
As he silently looked over to Plum, the Dhampir quietly returned his gaze, shaking her head sadly. With no sign of having noticed this, Amila went on with a bubbly smile. 
“Ohh, yeahhh! We’re preparing a party for you, tee-hee! ? You want food? Or you want… me? ? ” 
Foop —twisted the seductress Amila. Ready or not, behind Sora, Ino seemed to be heating up in more ways than one— 
“Take me to your queen first. Save the hospitality for after we wake her up.” 
At Sora’s curt dismissal, Ino somehow couldn’t believe his ears. But Amila said, not seeming to take it personally: 
“Oh, you’re so serious, juuust like they said! But you know what? Amila kinda admires that, aha!” 
“…I see… Well, okay then, let’s go.” 
“Surrre! Let’s gooo! I’m gonna swim to the castle! Follow me, follow meee, tee-hee-heee! ? ” 
Guided by Amila, Sora’s party descended from the vista in the direction of Oceand. 
Ino whispered into Sora’s ear. 
“…Sir, I am impressed at how promptly you managed to refuse.” 
“Unh?” 
“Well, even we Werebeasts have our senses limited under the sea, so I cannot ascertain your inner thoughts, Sir…but to show no hesitation when faced with such an enticing lady, Sir. You have self-control that exceeds all imagination—” 
His eyes half-lidded, Sora spat back at Ino. 
“Gramps, are you out of your head? I may be a virgin, but what am I supposed to feel for that…? Let’s go, Shiro.” 
“…Mm…” 
Leaving Ino behind to gape, Sora grabbed Shiro and headed driftingly for the city— 
 
Upon entering Oceand, they were greeted with ear-splitting cheers. Every Siren was bursting with smiles, dancing, seducing, playing off-tempo music. Their words—it perhaps not being necessary for them to speak Immanity—were a complete mystery, but their welcoming intent came through. Scattered here and there among these bustling Sirens could be seen some girls who appeared to be Dhampirs. Their expressions, though, in contrast to the Sirens’, tended to resemble Plum’s. With miserable…smiles, their tired demeanors told Sora and his crew, Thanks for coming all this way . 
—The Sirens provided a stable supply of blood, and the Dhampirs helped the queen reproduce. This symbiotic relationship had worked perfectly well until the queen went to sleep and was now as a candle in the wind—and yet— 
“Hey, why are these guys so cheerful when they’re a step away from extinction?” 
Indeed—the Dhampirs aside, the Sirens showed no sign of melancholy whatsoever. 
“…What, didn’t I tell youuu…? They don’t understaand it.” 
Jibril added to Plum’s answer with a weary smirk. 
“The foolishness of Siren reaches the status of legend. Siren has become a synonym for fool in the idioms of every race’s language, and in fact, it is even used as a verb in some.” 
Sora’s party walked the ocean floor as they followed Amila. 
—Underwater ambulation. Confused as to whether it was swimming or walking, Shiro proceeded on Sora’s arm. As for Ino, Izuna, and the Shrine Maiden—what would you expect of Werebeasts? They had already figured out how to move in these circumstances and were advancing with languorous, bouncing strides. Meanwhile, Jibril, despite being underwater, was still “flying.” 
“—Hey, so Immanity is supposed to be beneath this globally recognized race of idiots?” 
It was true that right now the ones most obviously struggling were Sora and Shiro, but still. 
“Before I met you, my masters, I would have answered, ‘Yes’—but perhaps this would be a better way to put it: They are ranked one above Immanity purely by virtue of having a special nature, but they are the race that represents the extreme of stupidity.” 
Plum followed the smirking Jibril with an ephemeral grin. “They have no skills other than to eat, sleep, screw, and play, you seeee…You know how fish contain things that make you smarter, but fish themselves are stupid…? It’s a mysteryyy.” 
This world really doesn’t have any races that get along, does it? Sora thought with distant eyes. 
“…Well, when you consider that the de facto agent plenipotentiary is her …” 
“Oh, no… Her Highness Amila is actually far and away one of the best, if only by virtue of being able to speak the Immanity tongue…” 
She was one of the best—. Sora glanced at Plum compassionately. Plum accepted his look with one of infinite, long-suffering forbearance. 
“Well, we’re in the same boat, as they sayyy… The plan and methodology for you to help us—as well as the idea of intervening in the queen’s dreams itself—were all concocted by uuus…They don’t even have the concept of work. About the only thing they’re good at is matiiing, ha-ha…ha…” 
“……Must be rough, kid…” 
Guided by Amila, they entered a building that was tall even by Oceand standards. While being guided, suddenly Sora mentioned something that had crossed his mind. 
“Speaking of mating, Jibril… Sirens have kids with men of other races, right?” 
“Yes, that is so.” 
“Are there any ‘half-breed’ Ixseeds crossing races?” 
—It hadn’t been long since Sora and Shiro had come to this world, but, in fantasy worlds, there were often “half-elves” and stuff—but he didn’t remember hearing of any such “half-breeds” here. That was as it should be, Jibril declared. 
“ There are not. The Ixseeds do have some similarities in appearance, but their souls are completely dissimilar.” 
—There was that “soul” again. This entity that had not been demonstrated in Sora and Shiro’s old world apparently was common sense in this one. It must be like chromosomes, Sora decided on his own as he continued. “But Sirens mate with other races, right? So doesn’t that make half-Sirens?” 
“No, what is born is strictly a Siren.” 
“Even though you’re using two souls?” 
“Just as Dhampirs obtain soul from blood, Sirens obtain soul from mating and transform it to create copies of themselves. It is because this is less efficient than the reproduction of ordinary living things that the partner is sucked dry.” 
“…Still pretty sick.” 
“I wonder? Strictly speaking with reference to literature—it is said to be a pleasure that ascends to the heavens.” 
“You mean the ‘ascend’ part literally, don’t you…and it’s a one-way trip.” 
But, all right—in any case— 
“This is why half-breeds—children inheriting the traits of different races—cannot be born.” 
Hmm…Sora pondered. I guess it’s because they’re indivisible that Tet designated them as “sixteen seeds.” 
“—Jibril, is there something on my face?” 
Sora noticed Jibril staring at him. 
“I believe I mentioned that Flügel are not ‘living things.’” 
“Yeah…you said they’re ‘living beings’ or something.” 
“Therefore, our souls are amorphous . It would theoretically be possible to intake a bit of soul through copulation and synthesize it with my own to form a child into definite shape. It would only be virtual, mind you, but in a sense, it would be possible to have the child of an individual of another race.” 
“—I’m not really seeing what you’re getting at.” 
Lowering her head reverently, moving her halo to the back of her head, folding her wings—a posture of loyalty shown only to her lord—Jibril clasped her hands together as if in prayer and spoke. 
“All you must say is ‘Bear my child,’ and your humble servant, Jibril, will be ready at any time to become great with—” 
“…Jibril…STF, U…” 
Jibril found herself forcibly silenced by one sharp word from Shiro, but their guide was oblivious. 
“Weeeeeee’re! Heeeeere!” 
Sora raised his head at the high-pitched voice that subsequently rang out. 
“Here we arrre! This is the chamber of the queeeen!” 
Amila put her hand on the door, slowly pushed it open— 
—and light spilled out. 
The chamber of the queen was quite expansive and draped with a pink ceiling curtain and carpet. On the walls, seaweed emitting soft light was woven into regular patterns to illuminate the room. Stained glass canopied the high ceiling, which allowed what sunlight reached as far as the ocean floor into the room. But even this faint light seemed unnecessary due to the giant crystal on the throne below that emanated a presence that was almost blinding—. No, it only was beautiful and clear enough to look like a crystal…it was actually a mass of ice. 
“ ? ……” 
All who laid eyes on it were lost for words. Solemnly—or at least doing her best to attempt solmenity—Amila announced: 
“May I introduce—the queen of Siren…Her Majesty…Queen Laila Lorelei.” 
—Inside the ice, a beauty slept. Blue hair, rolling like the sea, draped over her young, almost translucent face. Her white limbs, decorated in dazzling gold, faded to seductive scales from the thighs. Reflecting the light that illuminated the room, they seemed to sparkle with a rainbow. The queen, wrapped in light and gold inside a coffin of ice, had her eyes quietly closed on the open-shell throne. At the back of the speechless party, Plum spoke with Amila. 
“Oh, Your Highness Amila… It’s about waking Her Majesty, buuut…King Sora and the others heeere…say they want to all try the game togetherrr … Is that okaaay?” 
At Plum’s words, Amila briefly made a face but repled: 
“Whaaat? I don’t miiind! Is it okay with youuu?” 
“Yeeess…S-sooo, I’d like about thirty assistants to help compile the riiite.” 
Amila nodding, mmm-hmmm . “Okay! Then I’ll go do the things to wake up the queen, all righhht! Since you’re all going to do magic, you’ll need blood, too, won’t youuu, tee-hee-hee! Amila’s going to go get some more girls for you, so please do your best, Pluuum!” 
“Righhht… O-okay, then, I’ll be off to get the rite ready to enter the queen’s dreaaams…” 
With a bow, Amila and Plum made their exits from the room. 
Seemingly oblivious to this exchange, the rest of the party stood staring at the ice in which the queen slept. 
“Wh-what a comely lady…” 
Steph went off heatedly as if she’d forgotten they were the same gender. In fact, the queen’s alluring figure made not only Ino, but even Jibril, the Shrine Maiden, and Izuna all gawk, entranced—but— 
“Hmmg…? You think she’s all that pretty, Shiro?” 
“…I…dun-no…” 
“Whaaaaaat—?!” 
As Sora and Shiro muttered quizzically together, everyone else gaped at them. 
“A-are you two out of your minds?! Wh-what would you call her if not beautiful?!” 
“…Hey, you’re the one who needs to chill. I’m just saying she’s nothing to get all worked up about.” 
Sora groused and knitted his brow, annoyed by Steph’s outburst. He looked at the queen again. 
—Laila Lorelei, the mermaid princess sleeping in a coffin of ice. Her appearance was, sure, pretty nice. But, Sora could clearly assert—she wasn’t all that. It wasn’t like, for example, Jibril’s violent beauty capable of silencing works of art. Nor did it resemble the divinely bewitching attractiveness the Shrine Maiden had displayed under the moonlight. It didn’t have Izuna’s innocent cuteness, not to speak of— 
“…? Brother…?” 
Addressing the searching expression of his sister beside him, Sora declared, “Yeah. —Not even worth comparing. I mean, even Steph’s better-looking than that.” 
“…! Y-you can’t appease me with such transparent flattery?!” 
“No, what would be the point of me trying to flatter you now…” 
Behind the incredulous Sora, Ino quietly patted his shoulders. 
“King Sora……… Ah, never mind. It’s quite all right.” 
And he continued in a gentle tone. 
“There is no cause for concern—impotency can be cured. I recommend softshell turtle stew—” 
“That is not how it is! Don’t slander me!” 
Shouting and jabbing a finger at the ice as if to say, I mean , Sora howled: 
“Stop and think about it!! I’m not saying she’s ugly, but is she anything to get worked up over when we’ve got the Shrine Maiden, Jibril, Izuna, and Shiro? Our beauties are all literally off the charts!” 
Steph and Ino still glared as if looking at something sad—but at Sora’s words, Jibril and the Shrine Maiden alone came around. 
“I-indeed my master is wise… That is the special characteristic of Siren I mentioned earlier.” 
“—Huh?” 
The Shrine Maiden and Jibril averted their eyes from the ice, and Jibril continued. 
“Sirens, though lacking the traits of physical excellence and magic, are able to survive principally thanks to their one weapon, on display here…namely—” She took a breath. “As long as they are in the sea—they can attract anything. 
“Siren is a race beloved of the sea—the reason that they live in the sea and cannot leave the sea is that, in their bodies, they possess a plethora of spirits…water spirits capable of attracting any other spirits.” 
“…Oh…” 
“Oh, it’s like that.” 
That makes sense , nodded Sora and Shiro, as it finally came together. How Siren, who, before the Ten Covenants, reproduced by devouring the men of other races, was able to survive without leaving the ocean and without possessing outstanding powers or magic. In other words—they just had to charm potential threats. That explained how they were able to swim with the schools of fish and how they were able to withstand the water pressure of the deep sea without magic. 
“And this charm we’re talking about isn’t a magical charm?” 
“It is not. It is simply a matter of the flow of spirits—a sort of magnetism that works on spirits. It is simply a feature of the race… Under normal circumstances, this would be no matter for concern, but—” 
Glancing at the queen and looking away again. 
“This fish-woman—seems to have a quantity of spirits that is truly exceptional.” 
Jibril muttered, apparently unnerved by the fact that she could not escape the queen’s effects. Likewise, even having known that—the Shrine Maiden scratched her head with a look of weariness. But then— 
Hmm , murmured Jibril. “On the other hand…why does it not affect you, my masters?” 
“…Mmm…? Jibril, you said, we…don’t, have, spirits.” 
“Yeah, you said all living things in this world have spirits in their bodies, but Shiro and I don’t.” 
When they first met, they’d let Jibril check Sora’s body for spirits as proof that they were from another world. If it was a magnetism that worked on spirits, it should have come as no surprise that it didn’t work on Sora or Shiro—but. 
“No, if you have a soul, you undoubtedly have spirits. They must simply be unknown to me or somehow evade my detection. But then why would you be unaffected? Let’s see…” 
Jibril mumbled on, the object of her interest seemingly having shifted back to Sora and Shiro, as she surveyed them with sparkling eyes. 
—Meanwhile, Ino suggested offhandedly, “Could it not be more simply explained in terms of King Sora’s virility?” 
“You shut up, old fart. You’re just a dick-thinking horndog, whereas I am a model of reason.” 
“Thaaanks for waitiiiiiiiing!” 
—Amila and Plum burst back into the chamber. They seemed to have finished preparing the rite to enter the queen’s dreams or whatever. This having been accomplished—the two approached the ice in which the queen slept. 
“’Kay, now we’re gonna use the spell Plum and everyone made to take you into the queen’s dreaaams.” Her disarming smile unchanged, Amila continued casually. 
“Everyone who’s going to wake up the queeen, wager everything by the Covenants and then touch the crystal, okayyy?” 
 …… 
“What? Um, what are you saying?” 
The one who broke the silence was Steph, but Amila replied vacantly. “Huh, is there a problem?” 
“Of course there’s a problem. What are you saying?!” 
…Wager everything? In other words, bet all your property, status, rights, and life—literally everything? 
“Why do we need to do that?! I thought you were the ones who asked us to come save you?!” 
“Whaaaa…? Plum, didn’t you explain it to them before you caaame?” 
“Nghh…I-I’m sorry…” 
Plum desperately apologized to Amila as she put a finger to her dismayed face. But they were interrupted— 
“Cool it, Steph. The one who’s confused is you .” 
—Sora interceded calmly and plainly. At his improbable composure, Steph turned back and looked around at everyone. Sora and Shiro—the Shrine Maiden and Jibril—even Ino and Izuna—all looked as if the situation was obvious. 
“They called us here—to beat the queen’s game and wake her up. 
“Third of the Ten Covenants: Play for wagers that each agrees are of equal value. The queen set up the game when she went to sleep, by the Covenants, saying ‘make me fall in love with you if you dare,’ so if we wanna win the queen’s love, we have to put our money on the table—right?” 
“Yeah, yeah, that’s a hottie for you! Not only is your face handsome, your brain’s handsome, too!” 
Amila nodded with a girly laugh—but the Shrine Maiden and Shiro smiled, subtly, thinly, and Sora was the only one who noticed. But Steph, completely missing this subtle exchange, continued as if unconvinced. 
“That-that’s absurd,” she insisted. Her voice swelling even more shrilly, she went on. “They’re the ones who are in trouble! Why should we bear such risk when we came to save them?!” 
But Sora still took it in stride. 
“Plum said meddling in someone’s feelings and dreams would normally be disallowed by the Ten Covenants, but we can do it ’cos the queen allows us—but her consent only goes as far as the game .” 
—i.e. 
“If we don’t start the queen’s game first, we can’t use our spells, and, of course, we can’t wake her up. So the ante the queen’s demanding for us to play her—” 
Looking at Plum and Amila, Sora clowned. 
“It’s like, ‘If you want my love, you’d better be ready to give up everything!’ …Right?” 
Steph was stunned into silence, and the faces of the rest each assumed their own shocked expressions. Amila alone tore into Sora with a surfeit of praise. 
“Thaaaat’s righhht! Ohh, can’t I have you instead of the queeen!” 
Sora ignored the boisterous Amila. “Well, we’ve got a spell that will make the queen fall in love for sure, so I guess it’s fine.” 
“Y-yeeess! I guarantee iiit; leave it to meee!” 
“B-but that’s—I mean, what if for some reason the spell doesn’t work?!” Steph was still unable to shake off her unease. 
“Then you can just leave it to Amilaaa,” Amila decisively declared. 
“Even though the queen can play the game, she’ll still be asleep if she wins, and Amila’s the one in charge of her stuff! Even if something goes wrong, I’ll just give it all back to you, so there’s no risk!” 
“Wait, we can’t count on—” 
But Sora cut her off. 
“Sure, no problem, then. So, shall we begin the game?” 
—This is weird, Steph thought to herself. Something about this was definitely off. In the first place, why would such a high-risk condition only be brought up at this point? Why do they think nothing of it, Steph wondered, looking at Sora. It wasn’t like him. To go along with such a fishy game—. But Steph looked around again. Seeing that no one else seemed to think anything at all of it, she closed her lips tightly. Wh-what is this…? What is going on! 
Now, then , began Plum as she started explaining the rules. 
“Everyone, please swear by the Covenants that you wager everything and touch the iiice. Then I’ll cooperate with everyone downstairs to deploy the rite and magically lead you into the queen’s dreaams…then I’ll be coming along to help you with the ‘cheat,’ okayyy…?” 
As Plum steadily wove together the rite, she elaborated: 
“Since it’s a dream, the situation can be anything you waant… Your representative—it’s King Sora, righhht? King Sora’s imagination will form the foundation to build the situation in the queen’s dreaam… Regardless of the situation—there is only one victory conditiooon.” 
Continuing on Plum’s theme, Sora took over. 
“If someone makes the queen fall in love and wake up, they win, and if they get rejected, they lose—and the losers are out of the game and have to pay up everything they bet. That’s what we’re swearing by the Covenants, right?” 
“Y-yeeess… B-but.” 
But. I know , Sora interrupted. 
“We’ve got Plum’s cheat, and even if we lose, we can get it all back from Amila—right? Relax.” 
Sora delivered this with a bold—yet to Steph, somehow off—grin. 
“With this crew, under these conditions, there’s not a chance in a million we’ll lose, so let’s get this on.” 
“O-okayyy. Then, King Sora, please imagine a situatioon, and—” 
At her words, Sora imagined the single game you had to think of when it came to the romance genre. 
“Please make your declaratiooon!” 
“—Aschente!” 
Sora, Shiro, Steph, Jibril, the Shrine Maiden, Ino, Izuna, and Plum. Together, the instant they said it, found their consciousnesses going white. 
 
—Soon the white was repainted in blue. As if waking from a dream, their cloudy collective consciousness floated up. Blood flowed through all the slack parts of their bodies, and feeling returned—and then. 
“Urbrbrbrbubrbugabrb?” 
…They were drowning. In the middle of the great blue sea, Sora and Shiro, Izuna, Ino, and even the Shrine Maiden were being overwhelmed by the waves. The burning taste of brine. Pain stabbed through and past their nostrils. Calm thinking went out the window—yet, in their brains, a different vision played. 
—As there are beginnings, so there will be endings… 
Sparkling, gaudy visuals. With sound effects like spewing stardust, the monotone of a narrator somewhere coolly continued. 
As there are meetings, so shall there be part— 
“Is this the time to be chilling with the opening movie?!” 
Desperately thrusting his face out of the surface of the sea, Sora raised a cry. 
“In what world has Tok*meki ever started with you drowning? ‘Heartbeat,’ my ass!” 
Well, it was true that his pulse was significantly raised. But he would have preferred not to describe the palpitations of imminent death as “Heartbeat Memorial.” 
“Oh, s-sorryyy… Your image and the queen’s got a little mixed up, and it’s taking some time to build the environmeent… Hold on just a biiit—” 
If you thought about it, it wasn’t surprising. Even if they were able to meddle in the queen’s dreams, it wasn’t as if the kind of school stories that existed in Sora and Shiro’s world would exist in this world. It was only natural that work would have to be done to make Sora’s image compatible with the queen’s frame of reference—but— 
“…Brother…it was, a good…life…” 
“Pluuum! My sister’s already giving up on life! Get it dooone!” 
Shiro closed her eyes with a beatific smile in his arms as Sora screamed. 
“—Uh, uh, rite build complete, configuring setting, now applying changeees!” 
—That instant. The setting in which they had been drowning in the sea was overwritten as if turning the page of a book. From the surface of the sea to the ocean floor—the scene shifted. The unwanted parameter of breathing was gone. As if turning over cards one by one, the changes optimal in the dream world for the administration of the game were gradually added, and things became more convenient. 
“—Master, are you all right?!” 
At Jibril’s strong voice, Sora came to. Before he knew it, ground had been put under his feet. 
“…Y-yeah… Damn, that was close…” 
In the transparent blue sea, Sora let out a “deep breath” and wiped the “sweat from his brow.” Holding close Shiro, who was quivering from the fear of almost drowning, he muttered as if groaning. 
“If you get off on weird scenarios like endings where you die right after the game begins, I’d really rather you do it somewhere else.” 
“…I knew it, going to the beach…sucks…” 
“This sea which has placed my masters in mortal peril—I suppose it must be eliminated outright.” 
“Why can’t you just learn to swim…?” 
Steph, apparently the only one who had been fine so far, chimed in with half-closed eyes. Beside her, though, the Shrine Maiden and the other Werebeasts irritatedly agreed with Jibril. 
“…Right you are. What’s this ocean for? Who created this big, outlandish puddle?” 
“For once, I must agree with Miss Jibril. We would all be better off if the sea were dry and gone.” 
“And the sea stinks, please… It should just go away and leave us the fish, please.” 
Now fully immersed in the dream, each took their turn at revilement as they gradually regained their composure. 
—Sora, Shiro, Steph, Jibril, the Shrine Maiden, Ino, and Izuna. Each now having his or her feet squarely on the ground, they watched as the setting was constructed before them. Despite being at the bottom of the ocean, the blue sky shone overhead, and clouds floated across the shimmering surface of the sea. The undulating terrain was flattened, and, on the ocean floor previously littered only with rock and coral, a school appeared. The tropical fish that wandered around them were transformed into nameless NPCs. In just about the time it took to blink, the fictional setting of an ocean-floor school was created before their eyes. 
A high school built in Oceand’s architectural style… As Sora regarded this bizarre scene, a voice piped up beside him: 
“I’m most surprised that Her Majesty knew what a school was at alll… She must have read it in a book, I suppose,” conjectured Plum, apparently having likewise finished diving into the dream. She grasped the meaning of Sora’s gaze and announced with a tired smile tinged with bitterness, “Ha-ha… There’s no such thing as a school in Oceeeand… What would they studyyy?” 
The scenery having finished changing, now Sora and crew found themselves being gradually modified. First—in their vision, countless icons lit up. 
“…? What is this?” 
As Steph tried to touch these oddities in her vision but found her hand sweeping through empty space, Sora explained. 
“It’s the user interface…the command menu.” 
—It was just like the status bar in a romance simulation game. Considering the scene that recalled Tok*Meki , just as he’d imagined, Sora continued. 
“…If you’re capable of recreating this, I wish you wouldn’t drop us in the sea.” 
“Well, it’s only recreated for the playerrs… To build the setting, it took a little more work to get your image and the queen’s memories working togetherrr… And now that you mention it.” Plum asked, suddenly suspicious, “Sir, where did you pick up that image? I’ve never seen the likes of iiit…” 
Not knowing that Sora and Shiro were from another world , Plum was bothered by the source of their information—but was ignored. 
“So, things that only affect the players are easier to change, huh?” 
“Uh, yeeess, and I’m still building the riiite…so if you would please continue imaginiiing. 
“However,” Plum added as she went on, “you cannot change your appearance, age, or seeex…so please take nooote…” 
—The queen slept, hoping for the appearance of a prince. If she was to wake up and see the one she had fallen in love with, only to find that his profile pic was totally fake—she’d probably go back to sleep. That was fine. The real issue was— 
“If we can change our names , make mine Kon*mi Man.” 
“…Brother, starting…with all stats at 573, is cheating…” 
At his sister’s chiding through half-closed eyes, Sora grinned boldly and shook his finger, tsk, tsk . 
“Easter eggs are part of the game. Plus, with that trick, as soon as you try to do something, you get sick and end up taking the whole first year off and missing all the events… See, there are disadvantages, too, right?” 
“…Okay, then, I’m…gonna be, Sem*ponume…” 
“…Excuse me, what do those meaaan…?” 
As they jabbered—now the players’ outfits changed to match Sora’s image. Sora was just wearing a blazer over his usual “I ? PPL” shirt. 
“…Hmm, this clothing is a bit constricting.” 
Likewise dressed in a boy’s school uniform—the ninety-eight-year-old sinewed geezer complained next to him. 
“…A uniform stretched out by bulging muscles…I think I’m gonna have nightmares.” 
With this grumble, Sora turned his gaze from hell to heaven—in other words, to the ladies. Shiro, beside him, was dressed not in her usual all black—but a brightly colored girls’ uniform. 
—Mixing Sora’s image with the queen’s, it was a sailor suit a bit on the revealing side. And, surrounding her, in the same sailor suits, were Izuna, Jibril, and the Shrine Maiden— 
“…The Shrine Maiden in a sailor suit. Gotta say that’s awesome, but…” 
“What, have you a complaint?” 
Sweeping up her long, golden hair, the Shrine Maiden spoke, clad in the same brilliant sailor suit as Shiro. Her two tails swaying, the legs that peeked out from under her lifted skirt were nothing short of dazzling—but. 
“…Hey, Shrine Maiden, come to think of it, how old are you?” 
“Did no one teach you it’s rude to ask a lady her age?” 
“I guess… By the way, you’re the one who created the Eastern Union, right?” 
Flinch. The Shrine Maiden reacted. 
“You even said yourself it was from as far back as you can remember. Izuna’s eight, and she remembers things. The Eastern Union’s meteoric rise over half a century—even if we don’t take into account the time it took to establish the Eastern Union, that makes you at least fifty-eight—” 
“Let me teach you something interesting, you hairless monkey. Werebeasts—especially bloodbreak individuals—age slowly.” 
Interrupting Sora’s on-the-mark reasoning, the Shrine Maiden spoke with a dazzling smile. 
—That suddenly turned dangerous, and in an entrancing voice, she warned: 
“If you try calling me ‘old lady’—you know what’ll happen. ? ” 
“— Hf… Shrine Maiden, let me tell you something interesting, too.” 
But Sora took it head-on and countered. 
“ Looks are everything! You give the feeling of being older from your behavior and tone, but, looks-wise, you’re a hot twenty-year-old at worst—in which case, your actual age is of no consequence. This is one of the basic precepts of Immanity.” 
“…It’s your precept.” 
Blatantly ignoring Steph’s contribution to the conversation, Sora pointed to the side. 
“Anyway, we’ve got an over-sixty here, too, so it’s nothing to worry about.” 
“Oh, Master, to be precise, I am 6,407 years of age.” 
Having examined her own clothes with curiosity, Jibril answered with a smile. In Jibril’s case, the wings at her hips pulled up at her top, flashing her belly button, which was also subsequent description omitted. Meanwhile— 
“…By the way, may I ask one question?” 
“Mm—what is it, Steph?” 
“Why am I the only one dressed like you and Mr. Ino—in the boys’ uniform ?” 
—Yes. Shiro, Jibril, the Shrine Maiden, and Izuna were all wearing the girls’ sailor suit, but Steph alone wore the same blazer as Sora and Ino. Nodding deeply, Sora revealed the mystery. 
“Good question—there’s a saying, ‘To shoot the general, first shoot his horse.’” 
“…What?” 
All eyes were suddenly focused on Sora, who explained with a serious mien: 
“—First, why I didn’t dress everyone up like guys: two reasons.” 
He raised a finger, ticking off his reasoning— 
“One, if you’re going for the main heroine, you wanna get her friends—so having girls helping you is important.” 
“…You sure know how to talk like a cad with a fine placid expression…” 
The Shrine Maiden spoke for everyone rolling their eyes as she offered this feedback. Paying her no mind, though, and raising a second finger, Sora continued. 
“And two—you gotta consider the potential trap that the queen isn’t interested in guys in the first place.” 
“…Didn’t I say that the queen is looking for a man with the ability to reproduuuce?” 
“You presented no compelling evidence.” 
To Plum, looking cynical as well, Sora declared this decisively and went on. 
“Now, as for the reason I put Steph in drag—Steph has high social skills and will make a fine informant.” 
Had it been a matter strictly of political ability, the Shrine Maiden could also have been a candidate—but. Sora’s intuition told him that Steph would be better in terms of personal relationships. 
“I wanted a guy friend who was as in the know as Yoshio , with the friending chops, too—but…” 
Sora turned back to Steph and heaved a deep sigh. 
“…If I gotta compare…you’re more like Ijuuin …” 
“—What? I don’t really follow…” 
—Indeed, with red hair and balanced features, a dashing young man appearing to be of a higher social class— (The cross-dressing Steph was utterly puzzled.) Free of sarcasm, seemingly unaware of his appearance but accomplished in both physical and literary feats, while even appearing to have a domestic side. Skilled in conversation, bold in practical action, and even—strong willed, his gaze clear. Still, behind it all, showing a glimpse of deep kindness, even forbearance—such a fine young man. 
—Frankly speaking, Sora had the impulse to punch such an enemy of the unreal world—a good-looking guy with a life—and again he sighed. 
“…Ijuuin? Who is that?” 
“…From the first game…don’t, worry about it…” 
“…Come to think of it, wouldn’t it be faster just to seduce her with Steph instead of Gramps?” 
“Huh? Wait, I can’t seduce a lady—and, I mean…So-Sora—” 
“…Ah, it seems the rite has been fully buiiilt!” 
 
“Ahem, now let us play the opening once more—and then we will bring in the queen’s consciousness as wellll.” 
Simultaneous to Plum’s pronouncement, a giant screen was projected before them. The crappy trailer that earlier had been injected into their brains played along to a bouncy soundtrack. After showing pinups of the school and classrooms along with narration, the scene moved to the courtyard, where a giant crimson coral formation extended countless branches radially, the camera capturing it at a slightly upward angle. The narrator explained calmly: 
Kagayaki Marine High School… It is said that those who confess their love under its legendary coral find true love— 
At the familiar phrasing, Sora groaned, his eyelids at half-mast. 
“…Hey. A legendary tree is one thing, but ‘legendary coral,’ what the hell is that…?” 
Confessing under an old tree made sense. The sound of bells and a hill swept with flittering cherry blossoms, okay. But under the “legendary coral”? Are you freaking kidding? 
“I don’t know what to sayyy… There aren’t any trees in the ocean, you seeee…” 
— And, actually, coral’s pretty gross when you look at it closely, right? Sora thought, but, regardless of his opinion on the matter, the opening continued. 
—After a while, the boring narration ended, and now pop music played. Against a pink background, under the “legendary coral,” there could be seen a mermaid with long, billowing blue hair. 
—The queen. The sailor-suited queen—Laila—swam under the giant red coral formation as if quietly dancing. The brilliant uniform enwreathing her supple limbs flapped in the brine, further eliciting the queen’s seductive charms, as even the scaled tail that extended from her short skirt gave off an impression of luster as it moved the water. The queen, her gaze somehow melancholic, stretched her hands toward the sky as if longing for something, and— 
“La ? ? ” 
Sang. 
—All who heard her voice drew a collective breath. 
“Gracious…!” 
“Hmm, this is something… A beauty is a beauty even in her voice.” 
Steph and Ino voiced their astonishment. The queen who could entrance most anyone who merely saw her visage—. Her singing voice possessed a beauty to make the souls of listeners tingle with narcotic pleasure. 
…All except for Sora and Shiro. The two watched the screen with disinterested demeanors. “I’m starting to get the feeling we just have weird tastes…” 
Her voice aside, the pop song and the video did not remotely complement the queen’s sensual poses and wistful expression. Well, in the first place, she was entirely too sexy not to look ridiculous in a sailor suit. It was like one of those “thirty-something” women (ha) trying to cosplay as a high school girl— 
“Well, to each his own, I guess…but you’re telling us to conquer that?” 
Just can’t get the motivation… Sora subtly sighed. 
 DAY 1 ? 
—Suddenly, a field displaying “Day 1” appeared in everyone’s vision. It was a familiar sight to Sora and Shiro, but Plum explained for the sake of the rest. 
“Umm, I think you should see several ‘commands’ displayed. These can be used to select from a certain range of actiooons… For instance, you can give giiifts.” 
At Plum’s words, Sora tilted his head. “I thought you said this was a real-life romance game? And there are no hidden parameters like Affection…?” 
“…Brother.” Shiro held something out to the mumbling Sora. “…‘Gift’…command… Brother, did your, Affection, go up?” Shiro asked with anticipatory eyes, but Sora responded with a wry smile. 
“Sorry, Sister. My affection for you is already maxed out; it’s too late—” 
“Then, Master, if I may be so bold—” 
Jibril jumped in. Averting her eyes from this exchange, Plum continued her explanation. 
“Um… Among the commands displayed, you should see two heart icooons.” 
They all checked and found them immediately. Lower left-hand side of the command panel. There was an ordinary heart symbol, and then there was another with a plus sign added. 
“These hearts represent the ‘Confess’ commaaand… It is up to you how to confess your love, but, if you select this and are rejected, it will be considered a loooss… And the one with a plus sign—” 
“Is your ‘love spell’—the cheat command, right? Okay, I get the setup…so.” 
Sora, having quickly grasped the game system, turned to Ino. 
“Okay, Gramps, if you’ve wedded thirty brides, you’ve got to have banged a few more, right? Go show us your accursed technique that would put Taka Kat*u to shame and, whoosh, snap up that queen for us.” 
“The manner of your wording irks me to no end, Sir, but…” 
“I’m looking forward to seeing these romancing techniques you pride yourself on, Ino Hatsuse,” said the Shrine Maiden to the sour-faced Ino. 
“…Grampy, go for it, please.” 
“Understood! If the Holy Shrine Maiden commands…!” 
Ino responded deferentially to the two voices of encouragement offered, and he turned again to Sora. 
“…Sir, I have till now been listening in silence, but your talk of shooting the horse to shoot the general and of collaborators and informants escapes my understanding entirely.” 
“…Say whaaat?” 
Ino raised his hands and continued despite Sora’s furrowed brow. 
“…Sir, surely you are not considering ignoring the tastes and preferences of a lady and imposing one’s own inclinations—not to speak of feigning the personality the lady seeks—as love ?” 
…Frankly, yeah, he was. “Well, that’s what I consider a love sim , at the very least.” 
Ino directed a serious grimace at the choked-for-words Sora. “Hff…I see. In that case, it was indeed wise to entrust this to me. Just as mastering fighting games does not make one a master fighter, mastering romance games does not make one capable of real-life romance.” 
—That was quite right, but somehow the fact that his confidence was based on a mountain of actual sexual achievement was irritating. 
“Sir, I wonder if you see why it is you are a virgin—an unpopular, socially incompetent, hopelessly pathetic young man?” 
“…Old fart, I’m gonna have Jibril warp you beyond the stars.” 
Sora looked at him with a stormy gaze, but Ino paid no mind. 
“There are those who say that romance is a mind game— but then why do you not succeed, Sir? ” 
“………Mnrg?” 
—If it was a mind game, Sora ought to have been able to play it far better than Ino. At Ino’s well-reasoned, all-out implicit defense of Sora’s intrinsic ability, Sora swallowed his words. 
“I see. Love takes on a different form for each individual. However…ultimately, it comes down to conveying one’s feelings.” 
Ino fixed keen eyes upon Sora. 
—What lay in those eyes, though, was not the color of disdain. Nor irony, nor hatred, nor pity, nor spite. With eyes that—Sora knew them well, eyes that he had seen directed at him more than he’d cared to admit in his old world —Ino spoke. 
“The words of a charlatan such as yourself, who lives atop a stack of lies, cannot possibly accomplish such a thing.” 
Yes, they were—eyes of distrust. 
“However, there is one thing to be said. It may be a mind game in just one respect—specifically—” 
With these words, Ino looked at his controls and continued. 
“—The first one there wins.” 
Unhesitatingly selecting the “Confess” heart—Ino ran off. 
““Wha—?!”” 
Leaving the stupefaction of Sora & Co. behind—with raging speed that did justice to the physical prowess of Werebeast—Ino charged. The gaze of the dashing Ino, with steps resounded like explosions, fixed on just one thing: the queen on the verge of entering through the school gate—Laila. Toward her back as she walked with an entourage of several NPCs, Ino bellowed: 
“Oh, beautiful young miss! Please pause to hear my tale!” 
At the great voice that evoked thoughts of a knight on a battlefield announcing his name and particulars, the queen slowly turned. The aquamarine of her eyes took in Ino—and she responded. 
“Are you calling me…?” 
—Even these few words were like notes of a melody from heaven. 
“……! Of course!” 
For a moment, Ino forgot the game. Each little word and movement of the beauty before him rushed inward to melt his soul. But, shaking his head, no, no , Ino put strength into his belly. 
—He could fall for her. In fact, he’d have to fall for her. He gritted his teeth and steeled up his eyes. 
—But he couldn’t be sucked in. He must be the one to swallow her…! 
“Fair maiden, forgive me for interrupting you so suddenly. If you have a heart—I would have you hear my words.” 
“My—what’s the matter?” 
The queen flashed a soft smile. It was enough to make Ino feel as if his heart had been grasped and squeezed. He wanted to grab and throw away everything—such was the temptation. The queen’s gaze, the queen’s voice, the queen’s expression, her fair nape. The angle of her fingers nonchalantly put to her chest, the shadow cast by her silkily swaying hair—These things could not be perceived but as an ineffable crown jewel…! 
— Could it be? Ino wondered. That the challengers of the past had been sucked in by the queen’s pulchritude to the point of being unable to express their love? Such beauty. Such violent splendor. Indeed, before such a woman, none of the youngbloods here or there could conceivably say a word. But Ino…returned a soft smile. 
—Not a comfortable smile. Comfort was out of the question. Love was not a mind game—no, it was a battle . The act of smiling was first and foremost a kind of attack—rooted in instinct not unlike a beast baring his fangs. 
Slowly, heavily, Ino went to his knees. 
— Love . He thrust his palms to the heavens as if praying and then smacked them forcefully upon the earth. 
— Love was —He glared at the woman powerfully with both eyes—not a threat. It was a silent declaration of war. 
— A thing to be won. To be taken with one’s own hands. He pressed his palms to the ground, neatly aligned with his knees, and bowed his forehead, his skull with it, deep down…! 
—It left no room for argument. A fine, formal— 
“Please! I beg you! Would you please make hot, passionate love with me for a single nighhht ? !” 
—genuflection. 
 …… 
““ ? Whaat?”” 
—Whose voices were these? Perhaps everyone’s. To say nothing of Sora and crew, the queen gaped, dumbfounded, while Ino heedlessly forged ahead. 
“Since the moment I first laid eyes on you, my heart has boiled like magma. Behold! My pride and joy has risen to the firmness of steel—!!” 
“Eegh…” 
The queen held her breath, lost her smile, and backed away. But Ino raised his voice still louder and pressed on…! 
“Please, please forgive me, queen of the sea! But it is your beauty that is at fault! The very instant I spied you, I have been helpless before this surging impulse to hold and penetrate you! Can you not find it in your heart to grasp the feelings that burn within me!” 
“He’s—he’s genuflecting so hard she doesn’t even have time to cringe?!” 
Sora shivered. Could this, of all things, be the perfect strategy of the man who had taken thirty wives?! As the entire assemblage withered to absolute zero, Ino’s passionate genuflection proceeded unabated. 

“ I beg you! I beg you! Let us make love! Let us make hot, passionate love!” 
“Uh, wait, no, I…um…” 
The queen had heard any number of declarations of love from those who had disturbed her dreams since she had consigned herself to slumber. Despite having brushed off every common sort of man, this must have been her first encounter with such a direct approach, for she panicked and scrambled to flee into the school. And yet—! 
“Please wait!” 
Grshh— Ino’s sinewed hand seized the queen’s arm and restrained her. 
“No, hey, let me go—!” 
“I shall not! I shall never let you go! I would that you apprehend the pounding in my chest, the fire in my loins! Though I be but a shriveled old bag of bones, I shall stake my life to ensure that you know true satisfaction!!” 
“Nooooooooooooo!!” 
 No words. This was verging on criminal—no, actually, this was some straight-up sick shit unfolding right before their eyes. If there were a temperature below absolute zero, that would describe the atmosphere among Sora and his fellow spectators. 
“……Hey, but.” 
Sora, keeping his distance as he watched, fearfully asked the Shrine Maiden… 
“You were saying the old man’s snagged thirty wives with that approach…?” 
“…No, I don’t know. What are you looking at me for?” 
“No, I mean, are Werebeast chicks into that…?” 
“(Are you daft?! I’m as repulsed as you!!)” 
“No, hey, let me go! I said, let me gooo!” 
Shrieking, the queen somehow managed to shake off Ino’s hand. With that, she turned straight around and vanished with a single stroke of her tail, through the crowd and into the building. 
“Please wait, fair queen! Fair queeeeeeeen!!” 
Een…een…—een…—…een—Ino’s heartrending wail resounded through the sea—and faded. The old man, left in the wake of its echo, drooped brokenly and made no move to leave his place. 
—At this sight, all held to their hearts the word despair . 
“…This is freakin’ hopeless.” 
“……” 
—No one refuted Sora’s assessment. 
“…W-well, he still hasn’t been rejected per se , right?” 
Despite Ino’s persistent approach by means of genuflection, the queen still hadn’t officially rejected him. Therefore, technically, the game—the dream—should not have been over… To Sora’s question, Plum haltingly replied: 
“…To begin wiiith, I think the real question is whether you could even consider that a confession of looove…” 
Nodding at Plum’s words, Sora moved on. 
“—’Kay, then why don’t we just go on and play normally for now? Command menu…‘Leave School,’ boop.” 
“—Huh?” 
Reacting to his wide-eyed companions, Sora responded quizzically: 
“What? I mean, this is school we’re talking about. It’s not fun. We’ll do our best tomorrow.” 
“… Nod, nod. ” 
“…You knaves, why’d you make a school the setting, then?” 
No one had an answer to the Shrine Maiden’s offhanded gripe… 
 DAY 2 ? 
When Sora awoke, the “Go to School” command was displayed before him. When he selected the command, his surroundings changed. Before he knew it, he found himself walking to school with Shiro. Everything that led up to this—eating breakfast, changing into his uniform, and leaving the house… All those things had been skipped, yet the memory of doing them lingered vaguely in his head. 
“…Brother, good morning…” 
“Morning… Hey, I guess we’re together from the morning ’cos we’re siblings even in the game.” 
Incidentally, they were also in the same year of school in the game. An eighteen-year-old and an eleven-year-old in the same class—explained away by inferring she’d skipped a lot of grades. As Sora and Shiro headed to school together among the NPCs, a voice announced itself behind them. 
“—Oh, Sora. G-good morning to you.” 
“Hmm…?” 
Turning, there stood Steph (in drag). Sora raised a hand to her greeting, and then knitted his brow. 
“…Morning. Ya know, it’s kinda creepy when you talk like a girl dressed up like that.” 
“Aren’t you the one who went ahead and made it so…?” 
Steph, eyes narrowed forbiddingly, produced a thick sheaf of papers from her bag and thrust it before Sora. 
“…What is this?” 
“It’s the queen’s profile and contact information in this game. And, also…I did a little digging for some data about the side characters who seem to be her friends at school.” 
“—What, already?!” 
Wide-eyed, Sora flipped through the documentation he’d received. Steph had said “a little,” but what he looked through now was documentation covering as many as dozens of characters’ info, from phone numbers to hobbies. 
—So much info by the second day… Half-appalled at this quick work that would have put the Yoshio to shame, Sora queried: 
“Hey, how’d you even dig up this shit?” 
Steph stared back blankly before announcing casually: 
“It’s just like making the rounds in society. All that is required is to draw close a few followers, and everything from interests to grudges to gossip to relationships between the sexes becomes transparent. And it seems that, unlike in the real world, here one can even delve into somewhat personal topics without severing bonds.” 
 Tsk. 
“What?! Why are you tsking at me?!” 
Those social skills were fearsome. Though it had been the role he’d expected of her, Steph’s social skills were so good that Sora forgot to be grateful and instead just got pissed. 
“Never mind, sorry… A-anyway, I’ll check it out. Thanks.” 
Then—Following Sora’s recovery and expression of appreciation… 
“—U-um, by the way, did that, well…raise your ‘Affection’?” Steph (supposed to be a guy in the game) asked, poking her fingers together bashfully. 
“…Whaat?” 
“Well, you see, I just tried touching the ‘Gift’—” 
“““Steeeph! ? ””” 
“—Agh?!” 
Sudden, saccharine voices accosted her from the rear, and Steph pitched forward with a cry. Flustered, she looked back to see a number of girls practically crawling over one another toward her, hearts in their eyes. 
“Oh, Steph! Please allow me to go with you to school!” 
“Hey, how dare you act so buddy-buddy with him! Oh, come, Steph, please—” 
“Wha, hey, I’m still—s-someone save meeeeeee—?!” 
Watching Steph dragged off by the throng of schoolgirls, Sora, eyes half-open, said, “……You just go get chased to the end of the world.” 
He tsked again and went ahead to school, abandoning her. 
—When he arrived at school, Ino was still on his hands and knees. 

 DAY 3 ? 
Izuna used the “Gift” command on Sora. What she proffered was a can of mackerel. But Izuna was drooling and staring at the can. It seemed she was in the midst of an intense struggle. Sora even started considering going for the Izuna route but just managed to stop himself. 
—When he went to school, before the gate, he spotted the queen and Steph. An event? But he hadn’t even met them yet, so he ignored the pair and went on to his classroom. 
When he got there—she was supposed to be his classmate, apparently—Plum approached him, wearing the girls’ uniform. 
“U-umm…Why are you all ignoring the queeeen…?” 
“’Cos it’s easier to earn affection points if you pump up the stats they want first.” 
“…In the early…game, you skip all the…generic events…and buff your stats for the win…” 
At these straight-faced, unanimous assertions from Sora and Shiro, Plum still uneasily inquired: 
“…Is that how it worrrks?” 
Ino was still at the gate, on his hands and knees. 

 DAY 4 ? 
The Shrine Maiden used the “Ask Out” command—on Sora. As he went to school, a voice suddenly called to him, and the Shrine Maiden began. 
“I’m a bit interested in this ‘cherry coral park’ business that’s said to be spring-only. Might you accompany me?” 
She seemed to be getting this info from the user interface she was examining, but it was news to Sora. 
“Huh, what’s that? Where’d you find it?” 
“What, did it escape your notice? There’s a sign like a little book in the lower right.” 
“Oh, no kidding. Oceand Journal —can’t believe you got ahead of me in a romance game…” 
“Heh-heh-hee… So, what say you? Cherry coral, eh, doesn’t it tickle your fancy?” 
“Sure, why not. Shiro’s down, too, right?” 
“…Mm, I’m…curious.” 
“Why don’t we invite the others while we’re at it. Izuna, Jibril, Steph—hey, Plum, you in, too?” 
“Master, I see ‘Make Lunch Box’ among my ‘Hobby’ commands. I shall prepare and bring the fare.” 
“…Excuse me, you aren’t all really forgetting the point of this game, are youuu…?” 
Ino was still at the gate, on his hands and knees. 

 DAY 5 ? 
It was the day to choose clubs. All unanimously selected the Going-Home Club. Only Steph joined the student council, but for some reason, this was frowned on by the others. 
—Leaving school, Shiro tugged at Sora’s sleeve. When he looked up— 
“…Brother, look.” 
There was the queen, apparently leaving as well. 
“…You can, walk with her…?” 
“Probably. But that’s a pain in the ass, so let’s just go.” 
“…‘If someone, sees us…and gossips…I’d be embarrassed,’ right…?” 
“My sister, could you please not say that out loud?” 
—His memories of the days of his youth were rekindled. That was the line, when you said, “Hey, we’re childhood friends. Why not walk home together?” 
“Now that I think about it, I kinda have a feeling that was the genesis of my distrust of people.” 
A restless Plum was saying something to him, but he brushed it off with a lol, cool story, bro . 
Ino was still at the gate, on his hands and knees. 

 DAY 10 ? 
There was an official discussion of the sports day that was supposed to happen the following month. Consensus was that Jibril had it in the bag, and everyone selected the “Leave School” command as soon as they arrived. As he exited the gate, Sora finally gave the date command a try. 
—On the Shrine Maiden. 
“Uhh, umm, you wanna ‘Go Shopping’ with everyone?” 
“Why do you say it so flatly?” 
“Well, it’s just one of those obligatory things.” 
“In any case, is there something droll about going shopping when there’s nothing you need?” 
“…Looks like, they’re having…a gourmet, fair…” 
“All right, let’s go. They must have sake, eh? Oh, Izuna, will you come along?” 
“If they have fish or meat, you don’t gotta ask, please.” 
“Oh, and of course I shall accompany you, Master.” 
They were going to ask Steph, too, but they didn’t see her leaving. Maybe she was busy with the student council. 
—They used up all their Money, but they all got to experience some impressive flavors. 
Ino was still—you know. 

 DAY 15 ? 
“—Hey, why do we even have to go to school at all?” 
Prompted by Sora’s insight, everyone finally experienced an epiphany. On the heels of it, they quickly concocted a plan to conquer all the date spots they could go to together. Sora and Shiro put in some extra effort and arrived at the spot they’d designated to meet all dressed up, but— 
“…Uh, whut…?” 
On behalf of the crestfallen Shiro, Sora put it out there. 
“…Shrine Maiden… Let me just ask, why are you dressed like that?” 
The Shrine Maiden had arrived on the dot in the most unfortunate attire of a tracksuit and sandals. In her getup, like some dopey dad lounging around the house, the Shrine Maiden raised her hands in explanation. 
“They didn’t have a hakama or waraji . These aren’t much to look at, but they’re comfortable to move in. Look at yourselves; isn’t it a little queer to go hiking in a suit and a dress?” 
“I would also like to ask Jibril why she is wearing a swimsuit.” 
“What? A selection of clothing arose, and I simply selected that which most resembled my usual attire.” 
…By the way, according to Steph, who was still going to school like a good girl, Ino was, after all this, you know. 

 DAY 20 ? 
—They were all finally starting to get bored. For a change of pace, everyone decided to actually go to school. When they arrived, for some reason, there was some rumor going around that Sora had hurt (male) Steph’s feelings. After tracking Steph down at lunch to ask what the hell was going on— 
“……!” 
As soon as she saw Sora’s face, Steph grimly changed color and bolted. 
“What’s this all about?” 
“…That’s just…how the, game works…” 
Getting the bomb symbol for doing nothing was, yeah, the design. But why was there one on—a guy (in in-game terms)? 
“Hey, Plum, this game’s engine is broken.” 
“…More importantlyyy, you really have forgotten the point of the game, haven’t youuu?” 
Sora objected, Debug your damn game , but Plum just sighed sadly with distant eyes. 
—Meanwhile—Ino. Still at the gate. Hands and knees…— 

 DAY 25 ? 
Nothing special happened. It was starting to look like an end of a summer journal. 
 DAY 30 ? 
Nothing special. 
 DAY 35 ? 
Nothing, etc. 
 DAY 39 ? 
—Why not try going to school tomorrow? After all, by now you did have to wonder how Ino was doing— 
 DAY 40 ? 
—The morning glow painted the sky. In front of the illuminated gate, there was a statue, gaunt and covered in barnacles, fused to the ground. This monument that exuded the impression of being some sort of solemn sacrament— 
“…N-no way… Is this, Gramps?” 
—made the party, after returning to school following a long absence, hold their collective breath. 
—Even Sora and the rest, all of whom had cringed at Ino’s display…now found themselves at a loss for words. The figure that seemed on the verge of being encircled by a halo was—unmistakably and above all else—manly. 
…Since the day the game began, that stolid figure had continued his vigil of genuflection before the queen, who every day passed silently by before him. Like a statue, without so much as a twitch. And now it had come to this. There were no words for it. No, more accurately, this form itself said it all eloquently, loud and clear. That is— 
G i v e  i t  t o  m e ,  b a b y ? !! 
At the noble figure before him, Sora, as a fellow man, had no choice but to respectfully admit the truth. I see now… Romance is not a mind game. 
—It is a demonstration of love. The old man embodied his own words. In which case—Sora was more than convinced that he himself had no conception of true love. Sora—staggering to the statue—no, the man—trembled. 
“How small—how very small I’ve been,” Sora whispered as he compared himself with this paragon. For his own love—so petty, it must be said—could he remain fixed to the earth for forty days? Sora could only answer no. But this man, Ino, had done just that. Without distorting who he was, without fear of shame, he pounded on a heart exposed for all to see. Could there be a truer love than this—? There could not! 
“I see… This, this is love, true love…” 
“…In, your…dreams…” 
Shiro promptly smacked down the near tearful epiphany suggested by Sora’s muttering. But—suddenly. Upon that sacred statue. Obscuring the morning sun—a shadow was cast. Tracing the shadow back to its owner, who slid elegantly through the water on her way to school—there was—the queen herself. Her gaze cut right past Sora to the sacred image—no, to Ino—stared. 
—Could it be? 
“…You jest—could it possibly be…?” The Shrine Maiden, who had been watching from a distance, couldn’t help but whisper. But the queen edged forward, still closer to Ino, and placed her hands softly upon his cheeks. At that moment…the statue moved as if at long last remembering it was alive. The barnacles, the earth, the caked stone sloughed off. Guided by the queen’s softly applied hands, Ino’s face rose. And—with that voice that enraptured all who heard it, with a smile more beautiful than all the treasures of the world—she spoke. 
“…No way.” 
— Ah, of course … The hearts of all echoed harmoniously. 
“—Ngkh…” 
But Ino gritted his teeth as if to say, it’s not over yet . It was true—his love had been rebuffed. He had eroded heroically, to dust. But—in this of all times, he had only one choice—! To fulfill the duty with which the Shrine Maiden had charged him—Ino selected a command from the UI. 
—The heart icon with a plus. In other words—Plum’s cheat command. And— 
“—Forgive me, O Queen! Hrm, nghhhhhhrrrrrr!!” 
Soundly and with the power of a grappling sumo wrestler… 
…he squeezed the queen’s breast. Yes—he executed the command to complete Plum’s rite. 
“ ? Wha?!” 
Instantly, red light swirled around the queen, and her eyes opened wide. 
—In the same instant… 
“—Ah, ghk—!” 
A complex pattern etched itself in Plum’s retinas, and she released a strangled cry. Her power perhaps having been seized all at once, her black wings for a moment turned the color of blood, and then she fell to sit on the ground. 
“…Ah, ahh…” 
But the queen, her breast still in Ino’s grasp, raised a thin voice. Her face flushed vermilion—and even Sora and the others could see that her heart was pounding. 
“We—we did it—Now—!” 
Even Plum announced confidently, “N-nowww, however much Mr. Ino may be a creep who thinks with his nether regions, regardless of what emotion the queen experiences as a resulllt…she’ll interpret it—as having fallen in looove!” Plum took advantage of the chaos to speak her mind, but she still sounded tired. 
Even Sora thought it was a really twisted spell. But by whatever means, in the end, the queen was “in love.” Which meant the game was over. 
—And then. 
“—No, no-no-no. Fall in love with him? Yeah, right. Not happening. Sorry!!” 
—Thus decisively rejecting Ino, the queen—as if flying—headed for school with a flap of her tail. 
… 
 …… 
… Saaadneeess …—A bit of background music in that vein played through Sora’s mind. The man had burned out. Burned white—well, he’d always been a ball of white fur, but—pure white. The interface displayed the words: Ino Hatsuse: Defeated. But before the gate, having gone down—still, still—having burned out, but even still… 
—His figure still holding the posture in which he had squeezed the queen’s breast—Ino Hatsuse had turned to ash. Reeling…Sora approached. He could not find the words. 
—But, even so, he had to say it. 
“Old far—I mean…Ino Hatsuse. I had you wrong.” Voice quivering, Sora searched for the proper eulogy. “You’re the real thing…a big—man. Too big for her…a woman with no eyes…” 
However, Ino, as if on the verge of turning completely to ash and disappearing, even so, he managed a reply. 
“—No, King Sora… It was that my love was not enough. Love is no crime.” 
With these words—rejected, his rights stripped from him as he was ejected from the game—Ino gradually faded from the color of ash to become transparent—and then— 
“Ino…? Ino, hey, hold on! No way?!” 
Unaffected by Sora’s cry as Immanity’s king put his arm around Ino’s shoulder, the old man’s body vanished from the game. 
—With that, the curtain fell on the high school career of Ino Hatsuse—a life seemingly so full but, in reality, composed entirely of genuflection. If he could do it once more…this time, he would leave no… 
…It would be typical to leave some wussy lines like that at the end. 
“Heh…I have no regrets… If I could do it again, I would do the same—” With a self-satisfied smile, Ino instead decisively repudiated such introspection and vanished from Sora’s arms. 
—In the dead silence that lingered, Sora looked to the sky. Wetting his manly cheeks with tears. 
“Ino Hatsuse—how could you be so—ngkh!” 
Despite Sora’s one-man show, everyone else looked on coolly. 
—It wasn’t even worth chills. Ino wasn’t dead; he hadn’t even really vanished. He’d just been sent back outside the game. But Sora, as if having lost an irreplaceable brother in arms, trembled. 
“What…is this—?!” 
Sora shrieked at Plum, her eyes as disengaged as the others, as if about to cough blood. 
“What is this?! Didn’t you say it was a sure win?! That man went as far as to sacrifice his own sensibility!! He went as far as to use a ‘cheat’ for you guys, so why…?! Why—didn’t the queen let him put it iiin?!!” 
“—Uh, welll…you see, even with magic, do you really expeeect…?” 
Plum’s muttered reply was actually quite reasonable. The same thought had floated through the back of the Shrine Maiden’s mind. It seemed more realistic to fall in love with some rock than with that. Still —…she thought. Regardless of the Shrine Maiden and her thin smile, Sora, on his knees, pounded the ground and raged. 
“Don’t screw with me! Could there be any more of a man than that—?! I’m right, aren’t I? Shiro, Shrine Maiden, Jibril?! ” 
Responding to the voice that howled at them, the three whose names had been called just— 
—nodded. 
“…Wha-whaaaa?” 
Steph winced back a step. 
Meanwhile, squirming under Sora’s unbearable glare and flustered, Plum chided, “P-please calm dowwwn… Th-this was just an extreme caaase… We can retrieve Mr. Ino from Her Highness Amila, and, if you will just play normally once more , Sirrr…” 
With these words, peering into Sora’s face, Plum— 
“—…?!” 
—felt her heart snatched and squashed. Or rather, the illusion of it. Before her—the Sora who had been there previously was no more. The man who had just been raging, raising his voice, swinging his arms, was no more. The man who had smiled frivolously as he listened to Plum’s request, the rake, was no more. The man crouching there—was someone Plum didn’t know . Wearing an insolently thin smile… A man with the eyes of a hunter pitying the prey that had fallen into his trap. This man, in a voice that chilled to the bone, said only this: 
“Once more? —What for?” 
—After all… 
“We’ve, already…won…” 
“—Huh…?” 
It was Shiro who finished the thought of the man who slowly rose, his eyes devoid of the slightest warmth. And Shiro, too…had become a stranger to Plum. Her eyes were at absolute zero. Plum fell back a step at this transformation. She didn’t know these two. But Steph, Jibril, the Shrine Maiden, and Izuna…did. The only ones who tragically didn’t know these siblings—Sora and Shiro—were Plum and her cohort who of all people had made them an enemy . Standing before her with that bearing they had when they’d sprung a trap with no margin for escape— 
—was the worst of enemies: “ ”. 
“—That should be enough, right, Shrine Maiden, Jibril?” Sora asked, veering to face them. 
“Aye, I’ve had my fill of fun. You can do it now. ” 
“I have obtained confirmation. I am ready— at your command .” 
At the affirmations of the pair, Sora commanded hollowly: 
“Knock yourself out, Jibril.” 
“—As you wish.” 
Thus bowing once, Jibril opened her wings. 
—And with that, the rite constructed through the cooperation of dozens of Dhampirs—the game that meddled in the queen’s very dreams—was scattered as easily as the seeds of a dandelion as the group’s surroundings shattered.