Professional Documents
Culture Documents
One of them would be regarded as a beauty by everyone that saw her. Fair
black hair, white skin like a porcelain doll, a clock piece device for a pupil,
and an elegant Astral Dress called Spirit Dress of God’s Authority No. 3
<Elohim>.
The other one was a white girl with lavender hair. Although the whiteness of
her skin wouldn’t lose to the previous girl, her eyes shining in curiosity stood
in stark contrast. Above all else, she was dressed in a pure white Astral Dress
that gave an illusory atmosphere surrounding her.
If the former girl was a diamond, then the latter girl would be a rose quartz.
The faintly red-colored crystal-like girl was snuggling close to the sparkling
diamond.
The girl jumped into the opened gate──Tokisaki Kurumi, as the other girl
followed after her──Higoromo Hibiki. Both of them departed for the
Seventh Region Netzach.
Hibiki vigorously approached Kurumi after having enough of the long and
monotone
<Shamayim Kaveesh>, but that girl was walking forward with her thoughts
focused on another matter.
Banouin Kareha was forced to die because of that love. In other words, the
The more she considered it, the more disgusting the premonition became……
the perception of an icy malice crawled up her spine.
If the White Queen was an inverse, then that would mean the awakening of
her love would also be twisted and distorted. ……What twists and turns
brought the Queen to this conclusion?
However, the danger the White Queen presented to that person was
imminent.
What should she do now? Even though she was moving towards the Seventh
Region Netzach, the First Region Keter was still so far away.
And her love was growing day by day. She wanted to hear his voice, to walk
beside him.
No, even if that was impossible to hold true──at the very least, she wanted to
be near him.
The problem she put on hold reared its head once again. Tokisaki Kurumi, a
Spirit, and also clone of herself.
What was the reason for her existing in this Neighboring World?
Did she fall into this world dying like any other Quasi-Spirit, or perhaps──
“Ku─ru─mi─san!”
“……”
For the time being, just out of amusement, Kurumi used both her hands to
pinch Hibiki’s cheeks.
“Nya! Stop that! What do you think someone else’s face is!?”
“I don’t know why I want to do this, but the voice coming from my heart is
telling me to do so.”
Kurumi clutched her stomach as she laughed. Hibiki adjusted her mood as
she returned to walking side by side with Kurumi.
Having been suddenly exposed, Kurumi turned her head around while
looking embarrassed.
“Please──stop──that──”
“I──won’t──stop──”
“Please stop.”
If she didn’t ward off that girl’s words right now, a picture like that might
actually be hanged in the future. Therefore, Kurumi quickly moved to stop
her.
After all, a long term friendship had been formed between the two.
After her revenge was completed in the Tenth Region Malkuth, Hibiki
became Kurumi’s partner.
She was the sort of girl who would never give up her goal and do everything
to her utmost ability.
If she ever spoke of decorating a picture frame, then that means she would
really do that──
“……I’m asking you as a reminder to never do this, but how big is the
picture frame size?”
So that was it. 1000/1 rather than 1/1000. Kurumi couldn’t help but imagine a
“Fine──”
“……Speaking of which, has Hibiki-san also not visited the Seventh Region
Netzach?”
──Degozaru!
──About the Seventh Region Netzach. To sum it up, it’s more or less like
this. First of all, the greatest characteristic of that region is the currency
circulation. In that world, money is eeeeeeeeeverything!
“It’s a representation of how one needs to make the best effort in knowing
how important money is……right?”
──As for why a currency circulation, the answer is simple, the region holds a
casino establishment for gambling. Slots, roulette, mahjong, playing cards,
everything that can be used for wager is there. It is the best paradise for some
people.
“Gambling.”
“Casino region.”
──Because it is like this, fraud and scams run rampant. Please be careful. My
master, a beauty in male clothes, who went first, recalls that it is absurdly
easy to be swindled and thus wrote those words in a hurry.
“Aren’t there too many attributes there? Hibiki is once again in pout mode!”
──I am presently heading to the Ninth Region Yesod from the Eighth
Region Hod to ask a request for an important Quasi-Spirit from Banouin
Mizuha. If something should happen to my master……I’ll be eternally
grateful if you’ll protect Carte À Jouer.
“Important……Quasi-Spirit?”
“Is it a lover?”
“Aah…… (understanding.)”
──Ah, also the Dominion Sagakure Yuri-dono is mad siscon scientist who
manufactures a mechanical doll little sister and sends her out to every region.
No matter what you think, please be careful because she is that sort of type.
“It’s true. No wonder that person always felt a little lacking in human
warmth.”
“Ace of Spades-san, she feels like a Quasi-Spirit that would frequently come
and go on Internet chats of the past.”
The letter ended there. Both of them sighed and folded the letter.
The door to the Seventh Region Netzach soon appeared right in front of
them. It wasn’t locked.
“By the way Hibiki-san, are you the type that is easily deceived?”
It would be impossible for her to be swindled through. After all, they were
only planning on passing through this region. In any case, it was difficult to
imagine Tokisaki Kurumi being obstructed by Sagakure Yuri.
Both the Eighth Region Hod and Ninth Region Yesod tried to safeguard
themselves by obstructing her. But on the other hand, neither of them chose
to confront her with violence.
She was likely the only Spirit currently in the Neighboring World.
Governing the laws of time and shadows, she was a monster that should have
been excluded from this Neighboring World.
“Right──!”
Here was a gambling house filled with various schemes. A vulgar world, a
place where the currency humans yearn for the most fluttered and interacted
with each other in the air.
Tokisaki Kurumi and Higoromo Hibiki have stepped into the Seventh Region
Netzach───
“──So that it’s just like that. With a payment of 100 million YP (Yui Points)
to open the gate to the Sixth Region Tiphereth!!”
“─────────Yes, understood.”
Her expression stiffened a little at the proposal, but ultimately she faintly
nodded at the two and flew into the sky without the slightest warning.
“No, it’s too soon to be certain yet. Let’s be careful. Even so──”
For instance, all of the clocks had the numerals I to V removed. When asking
for an explanation from Sagakure Yui, who was walking forward, she replied
with a faint voice.
“In this region, the day is always 6 hours from 6pm to 12 am. The day begins
at 6pm and ends at 12am.”
Moreover, no matter which buildings with those clocks, they were decorated
with neon signs that were shining brightly.
“A nightless city……”
Even though the scenery of the sky was indeed that of nighttime, the
buildings here were all rejecting the notion of the evening. Even the Quasi-
Spirits walking on the road, contrary to what they had seen previously, had
the illusion of a more mature style.
The Quasi-Spirits walking on the road held sake bottles in their hands. They
jugged the bottle down as they sang vigorously.
“There’s not much liquor in the other regions, but that’s different here. As
long as they have YP, residents can do whatever they please.”
“YP?”
“……”
Yui didn’t particularly responded, only slightly slanting her head. The
transparent gaze seemed to be lacking emotions unlike the Yui whom they
had met in the Eighth Region Hod.
“Yes.”
As Hibiki asked, the mass produced Yui only nodded. After some time had
passed, the other mass produced Yui also stared at Kurumi and Hibiki with a
stern look.
“This is the center of the Seventh Region Netzach. Master is in the Casino
IS.”
Hibiki raised her head to see a conspicuously tall building standing in front of
her.
While lab coat piled up with a white dress. It was a strange style for sure.
Each time she opened her mouth, her sharp and jagged fangs were seen
flickering.
Behind Kurumi and Hibiki, the mass production Yui were lined up awaiting
Yuri’s orders.
In the event that negotiations break down, a battle would inevitably erupt.
“I’m just asking you to listen. Whether you follow or not is another matter.”
“Money……”
“Well, you’ll understand looking at that gate before shooting me with that
gun. Is it too troublesome? Well, then I really can’t help you.”
Snapping her fingers, the video screen on display behind Yuri changed its
The familiar sight of a huge gate, that which connected the various regions of
the Neighboring World with each other.
“This the door to the Sixth Region Tiphereth──, as you can see on the right
side of the gate, there’s a coin slot.”
Indeed, it was just as Yuri had said. The gate was tightly sealed by chains that
were connected to a device similar to a coin slot.
“When you insert YP here, the chains unlock and the gate will open.”
“Don’t waste your time, Third Spirit! There’s no guarantee what will happen
if you destroy it.
“An all-out war can’t be avoided, that would be the conclusion led to.”
Behind the scenes, the Sagakure Yui already had their weapons ready. With a
sigh, Kurumi let go of <Zafkiel> and let it dissipate away.
It seemed that no matter what sort of person Sagakure Yuri was, she would
never relinquish her position as the Dominion protecting the Seventh Region
Netzach.
This was exactly just as they did in the Ninth Region Yesod.
Yuri showed off her jagged teeth as she smiled while informing them.
“Just pay 100,000,000 YP and the gate to the door to the Sixth Region
Tiphereth!!”
“Ah, that’s fine. For people who arrive at the Seventh Region Netzach, a non-
interest loan of 1
million YP can be obtained at the very beginning. It’s your choice whether to
treat it as capital or make more money through it by gambling.”
Yuri flicked a coin that came out of nowhere with her thumb. After receiving
it, Kurumi frowned upon inspecting the coin.
And expressionless and deformed image of Sagakure Yui had been engraved
onto the coin.
“Yes, yes, one more question. How much longer will it take to earn work our
way up through this?”
Hearing what Yuri had said, both Kurumi and Hibiki let out a shared sigh.
“Now do your best. Oh, if you earn a certain amount, there’s a way to make a
huge reversal to earn even more.”
“The route to earn money through working is completely out of the option.
It’ll be too foolish to spend 10 years.”
“And I also asked Yui-san, but it seems even the cheap hotels cost 300,000
YP here. So anyway, if we don’t do anything, we’ll be forced to sleep on the
streets after four days. Considering the money that we’ll also inevitably lose
gambling, that time will become even shorter.”
“Let’s work hard today to change that 1 million YP into 3 million YP.”
“How could that be? I don’t have any memories of that sort of thing. But, we
“That’s……”
“Hibiki-san?”
“Fumu.”
Hibiki looked into the map of the casino of the Seventh Region Netzach,
which was distributed free of charge.
“First of all, mahjong is bad. Even if the enemy’s abilities are lower than
yourself, there’s still the possibility of bad luck. Since it’s still too early to
compete with the dealer, it’ll be safer to head for playing cards or roulette.
Let’s head to a game with a machine first.”
“A machine……”
Hibiki grabbed Kurumi’s hand and pulled her towards a nearby casino.
The mass produced Yui didn’t reply back. While knowing this, Yuri muttered
to herself.
“If I had seriously refused, I would have seriously been killed. Even if I tried
my best, it probably would have been no good. As I expected, a Spirit is in a
different league.”
Yuri’s words rang true. Although Tokisaki Kurumi had lost some of her
power, she still had enough strength to kill her and the mass produced types
surrounding them.
Was the reason to suppress the potential damage as well, or did she merely
want to avoid turning other Quasi-Spirits into her enemies?
“Understood.”
The dolls stepped back one by one. Seeing them off, Yuri softly sighed.
Night will never end for the Seventh Region Netzach. The neon lights will
continue to shine the glory of both prosperity and decadence.
Sagakure Yuri called for her little sister while watching this scenery from the
window.
“──Yes.”
Very smoothly, Sagakure Yui appeared from the shadows. She was different
from the Sagakure Yuis that were in the room just now.
“Leave that to the mass production models. You will follow after them. Do
you understand?
Yuri gently touched Yui’s cheeks, raising her brow at the coldness.
“Yes.”
Her cheeks felt a little warmer. Yuri gave a satisfied smile while gently
stroking her cheeks.
“Now, go.”
Yui nodded, hiding in the shadows before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
There was no doubt that Tokisaki Kurumi was a foreign element. So for a
foreign element, it was necessary to prepare an appropriate interception
system.
Those words suddenly came to a halt. There were two girls standing behind
Yui. The mass production types turned around in a panic. It seems they didn’t
notice being followed.
Yuri had no intention of blaming Yui. In the first place, both of them were
anomalies comparable to herself and Tokisaki Kurumi.
One of them raised her chest as the other let out a sigh.
One of them was wearing an elegant dress, with a thin rapier at her waist and
a graceful folding fan to cover her mouth.
The other one was wearing a large winter coat and holding a book to the side.
“Eh?”
“No. Today is special for the Seventh Region Netzach. ──There still one
more person coming.”
Looking up to the sky, it was Ariadne’s favorite night sky. However, the
neon lights flashing on the ground emitted a sinister light.
Ariadne nodded to herself while recalling. Her request, the whims of her own
temperament, and the rumors heard about the Seventh Region Netzach, half
cautious and half wanting to have fun had brought her here today.
So when she arrived, she fell asleep early. The friend who was supposed to
accompany her seemed to have abandoned her.
“Rererenore.”
Ariadne stood up and transformed her Astral Dress into outing mode.
A light blue blouse and miniskirt to feign that she was a lively girl.
Ariadne spoke out as she stepped forward with footsteps as light as a feather.
The mass production type Yui trailed behind her. Ariadne wasn’t concerned
as she stepped into a nearby casino.
And also──
When the White Queen appeared on the scene, she was wearing a completely
white Astral Dress……this was the complete opposite. This girl had a black
and red Astral Dress covering her body──Tokisaki Kurumi was standing
there.
“Once you’re pulled in you can never get out. Putting it like that really shows
their full enthusiasm for doing something.”
Ignoring the playing cards and roulette, they had their eyes first on the slot
machines. From the lowest of 1,000 YP to the highest of 1 million YP, all
sort of slot machines were made available.
Over 90% of slot machines in this casino can only be played in such a way
that only pre-determined points are given.
90%.
Those were the slots that could be purely played through meoshi.
“Well, that is only the basic stage. The bigger problem is determining which
slots can be played on sight. Which starting amount is better?”
“Ah, that doesn’t matter. Just stake all of the 1 million YP in a single throw.”
“OH, are you crazy! ……No, are you serious, Kurumi-san, wouldn’t a single
out spell complete defeat!? Life debt! Destitution! Living life by the fire!
Two people snuggling by the Kanda River!
Four and a half tatami-sized apartments! Ah, actually I think the last one
would be nice too!”
After having her forehead pressed, Higoromo Hibiki regained her sanity.
“Ehh〜……”
Hibiki seemed to hear a distinct ticking sound from Tokisaki Kurumi’s left
eye.
“Well, that’s fine, but I would have started from the 100,000 YP.”
There were five slot machines in total with 1 million YP. It was a grand
occasion. Those that had earned YP through their previous gambling headed
back to the slot machines like an infinite stream.
Of course, most of them were defeated and had to go home. There were even
some customers that had thrown away all of their assets. There were also
some rare customers that made some money, but as a whole they constituted
for less than 10%.
Kurumi and Cistus were watching this situation unfold from behind.
Out of the five, four were already out of the question. After all, it was a
machine that displayed a pre-set role at a fixed interval regardless of when
the stop reel was pressed. Of course, if they challenged it at the right moment,
landing a 777 wouldn’t be just a dream. However, that would require tens of
thousands of trial opportunities.
But with only once chance, the meoshi strategy could be implemented to
perfection.
The spin of the slots were much greater than the other slot machines, with
each of the three individual slots also going at different speeds. Therefore, in
order to perfectly grasp this slot machine, it was necessary to have the
dynamic vision to simultaneously and accurately capture three high-speed
rotating objects.
On rare occasions, there were a few who could see the raindrops falling.
This girl obtained her eyesight from a baptism of bullets pouring down like
rain.
For this casino, in order to convey the false pretenses of equal opportunities,
they made the mistake of not putting one of these slot machines under their
direction control.
And also, they had the great misfortune of being selected by Tokisaki
Kurumi.
Towards a reel moving at 300 meters per second, Kurumi and Cistus pointed
their thumb and index finger forward like a gun and pressed down on the
button after determining their target.
7 (direct hit) 7 (hitting the mark) 7 (landing the mark) Tokisaki Kurumi using
a Tokisaki Kurumi style, even Hibiki looking on from close proximity could
only stare while completely stunned.
The spectators watching on the side couldn’t move as if they were frozen.
Those that came to the casino didn’t care for anything other than watching
the most expensive slots. They had been spectating ever since they saw the
coin being inserted.
At the same time, a burst of cheers came from the surroundings. A one-shot
game at the most expensive slot with a magical 777 wasn’t something
capable of coming from an ordinary person.
“Now I’ll hold on to this for you. It seems that it will be a while till the next
round.”
As Cistus informed them, she jumped into the shadows with all of the coins.
“What’s wrong?”
As Kurumi was about to slant her head, Hibiki started to pull on her sleeves.
Ariadne Foxlot opened her usually sleepy eyelids while watching those two
being taken to the manager’s room.
“……Um.”
“Please be quiet.”
Ariadne hushed the mass production type by pressed her index finger against
her lips and then leisurely strolled forward.
The Quasi-Spirit that served as the manager deeply bowed. While prepared
for high-pressure coercion, seeing this caused Kurumi’s defenses to falter.
“It’s the slot machine. I won’t call it a foul──but we can win against you.
Please refrain from using that machine later.”
Hibiki gave a look of asking Kurumi to pull back, but the manager quickly
grabbed Kurumi’s hand first while prostrating.
“Thank you! There is no issue with YP coins you’ve already earned before!
Please continue to enjoy the casino!”
──Soon afterwards, they were expelled from the manager’s room in no time
at all.
“……Hmm. Let’s go to the other casinos. This way, you’ll understand even
if you don’t want to.”
Following Hibiki’s suggestion, Kurumi left the Octopus Pot for other casinos.
However──
“Right?”
Kurumi looked on bitterly at the casino that was greeting her enthusiastically.
Being the third one, Kurumi also quickly picked up on the situation.
It seemed that she was on the blacklist for the Seventh Region Netzach. It
seemed that the casinos have decided through their internal network that
Kurumi cannot be allowed to proceed.
Likely they had contacted each other when she was taken to the manager’s
room. More or less, they had placed a clever disguise on their deception.
“I would guess that our fingerprints and irises are scanned the moment of
entering into the casino.”
Because of the large amount of mass production Yui types, the progress of
mechanical engineering of the Seventh Region Netzach is among the best to
the extent where analysis techniques for fingerprints and irises have
developed.
“Even when trying to play against the dealer, I couldn’t make much
money……”
They sat in the chair to play blackjack and roulette, but the dealer would
always withdraw early.
They wouldn’t lose, but even if they won they wouldn’t earn that much.
“Right now, we have a little more than 50 million YP. At this rate, even if we
live in the casino for 24 hours, it’ll take two months to make 100 million
YP……no, it’ll be around three months.”
“We’ve been wasting time running around in circles. Absolutely not. It can’t
be helped, there’s only one way to do this……”
“Yes.”
Cistus nodded as she took out her old fashioned rifle. Naturally, Kurumi also
took out her small pistol.
“Robbery……”
“Look here, I’m sure there should be at least one or two Quasi-Spirits doing
money laundering.”
“Uh, that’s.”
After all, there wasn’t anything wrong with Tokisaki Kurumi’s sense of
ethics. For her, the Seventh Region Netzach was secretly trying to prevent
her from going to the Sixth Region Tiphereth.
From Kurumi’s perspective, this made no sense unless they gave her a chance
for a comeback.
A voice suddenly sounded. Kurumi, Cistus, and Hibiki all turned to that
direction in turn. The two of them raised <Zafkiel> towards there. In that
While inquiring, Kurumi forcibly took control of her own survival instinct to
shoot.
Ordinarily, Kurumi wouldn’t have attempted this. However, her actions so far
did indicate being at an impasse.
However, the person being pointed at by <Zafkiel> didn’t take out a weapon
and simply raised her hands up in surrender.
This girl exuded a strangely relaxed atmosphere. Her cute eyes did look
sleepy. No, perhaps in this situation she truly was sleepy and yawning.
It was Higoromo Hibiki who cried out in response to that name. Hearing that
she was a Dominion, Kurumi once again strengthened her vigilance.
As if troubled by this act, Ariadne once again raised her hands up.
“That’s right. I don’t feel like fighting you. Only, I’m suggesting that you
don’t attempt robbery.”
“……Why?”
“Simply, it’s because the sacrifice would be too big. Of course, that means on
“Ara, ara. What you’re saying really is interesting. May I ask you for the
reason?”
“Well. Likely, the reason will be made clear soon. So, can I talk to you before
then?”
The other side had a gentle smile without any hint of murderous intent. But
on the contrary, this just made Hibiki feel even more uneasy.
The problem was that Ariadne didn’t care about this in the slightest.
“Because she is my counterfeit. If you wish to knock her down, please by all
means do so.”
“──You have continued to advance from the Tenth Region Malkuth. How
far do you intend to go?”
Hearing those words that would trigger Kurumi, Hibiki could feel every hair
on her skin being raised.
This was unmistakably provocation, with words that should never be spoken
in front of Kurumi.
Sure enough, Kurumi narrowed her eyes. This was more than enough
evidence to completely regard this person as an enemy. But Ariadne stared
back at Kurumi without any fear.
Her transparent eyes were neither turbulent nor hollow. Simply, it was as
stable as the calm sea.
“The common point shared between you and the White Queen is your
indifference towards this Neighboring World. Because you don’t care,
correct?”
“That’s──”
Although Kurumi tried to refute that point, her killing intent was slightly
shaken.
“I also know about the rumors. Does that happen during the Compile?
Children in my region occasionally come across it──and then fall.”
……Kurumi reflexively opened her mouth but then immediately closed it.
For some reason, she felt the need to refrain questioning this. But more
importantly, Kurumi didn’t want anyone else to discover this.
“Kurumi-san?”
“……No. It’s nothing. Even if there is no such thing, I will go to see for
myself. If that person isn’t present here, I will escape from this Neighboring
World. Please do not hinder me.”
Rather it was a perceptual attack. Therefore, only Tokisaki Kurumi, who had
encountered countless battlefields, could react to this. Needless to say, Hibiki
and even Cistus couldn’t respond in time.
The attacks of two Unsigned Angels came from both behind and front.
In front of her eyebrows was an Estoc sword and from behind her head was a
huge Shinigami scythe that emerged from a book. Kurumi pulled the trigger
In a flash, the situation had reversed. Both Hibiki and Cistus didn’t even
move.
The reason those two stopped their attacks at the last minute was due the
premonition of death that fell on both of them. The two likely sensed that
they would be killed if they took another step forward.
“Me (Cistus) does not need to get her hands dirty. Please, I will handle
everything here.”
Listening to that command, Cistus took Hibiki and jumped into the shadows
without any further comment.
“──To say it bluntly, there’s the high possibility of Hibiki-san only dragging
behind.”
“……”
Silence. Hibiki understood that those words rang true. Neither her ability nor
Reiryoku could compete against them. If she had stayed there, she would
have only hampered Kurumi, No matter what I do, I can’t help her.
Hard to swallow.
“You don’t have to be so sad. That is definitely not the intention of me.”
Cistus using the same tone and voice as Tokisaki Kurumi just added another
layer of sadness for Hibiki.
On the other side, Kurumi, who was in a stalemate situation, pierced her gaze
across her surroundings.
Maya replied──“In any case, we must know more about the White Queen.”
All four of them were growing impatient. None of the four wanted to go to
war in the truest sense. However, if any party gives in, that was the
equivalent of defeat.
Or rather who would be the one to pull the trigger? In this tense atmosphere,
a fifth girl opened her mouth.
“……Can you not do this now? Here is still my region after all.”
“Ara, ara. Even though I just saw you earlier, what is the matter now,
Sagakure Yuri-san?”
Ariadne sighed. In that instant, all of the murderous intent of everyone on the
scene faded.
The thick odor of death didn’t leave behind any remnants. Now, it was a
relaxed atmosphere spreading around.
“──My apologizes, but I don’t feel sorry at all. After all, you have power
comparable to be called another White Queen. It’s natural to do our utmost to
avoid a rampage.”
Then, Yukishiro Maya pointed her finger at the book floating in the air.
The book closed as the Shinigami’s scythe floating in the air disappeared.
She pulled the book towards her, hugging the hardcover book tightly.
“I’ve heard about you from Kirari Rinemu. But I can’t trust you without
looking at you with my own eyes first.”
“She’s fine. She still speaks her mind without any consideration. I was
hoping that wound to her heart would make that stop. But now I think it’s
impossible for her to mature in the slightest.”
Not only Maya, but Oka and the other Dominions nodded in agreement.
Even though she wasn’t a battle type, Kurumi somehow understood why
Kirari Rinemu was chosen to be Dominion.
Of course her talents as an idol need not be said. However, against tough and
rigid Dominions, perhaps the type of Quasi-Spirit that spoke whatever was on
her mind was ideal against that.
Giggling, Yuri held out her hand. The Yui, who was a mock genuine little
“A gambling match held for the remaining 50 million. If you win, you can go
to the Sixth Region Tiphereth. If you I win, please stay here for a while as an
experiment. Of course, living expenses will be provided and you can go to
the Sixth Region Tiphereth after the experiment is over.”
“……By the way, although I don’t really want to ask, what is this experiment
specifically?”
“I don’t want to do this either. But after all these preparations and Oka’s
request, I had to listen.”
“……Oka?”
Kurumi turned to gaze steadily at Miyafuji Oka. Startled, Oka took a strong
step back. Judging from her response, Kurumi took a step forward which
further pressed Oka to take another subsequent step back.
“Please don’t mind. This is my habit. I like to keep a larger personal space.”
“In spite of that, I feel you’re drawing closer to those on the side.”
“And me?”
Despite saying she was feeling shocked, Ariadne stretched out an elongated
yawn.
“──Anyway, a poker match with the five people present here. Is that okay?”
After hearing Maya’s calm voice, Kurumi considered quickly, shaking her
head in disagreement before deciding to nod in agreement.
“The contents of the game have changed over time. Well then, I won’t be
able to win without defeating all four of you.”
“……I’ve heard that Tokisaki Kurumi is the type to be quick to anger, but it
seem her head is also quite good.”
“Are you looking for a fight, do you want a fight? Then I promise that I will
come after you mercilessly.”
……However. Maya quickly said, “eh, why has the atmosphere suddenly
change?” while twisting her neck.
“How rude, I was just praising her. Ferociously strong and a good head and
face on her shoulders.
“So you really are asking to be killed!! Hand over your head immediately!”
Finding time passing too slowly, Cistus and Hibiki peeked out their heads to
find everyone present to be completely exhausted.
“Roughly, the agreement is not too different from before. I also have no
reason to fight against you all.”
“I see. So now that there’s three more, we’ve reached this antagonistic state?”
Those words caused Yuri to awkwardly fall silent. However, Kurumi didn’t
miss the moment where Yuri’s gaze turned to the other Dominions.
…….She roughly grasped the situation. Even though Yuri was not absolutely
confident in winning a game of poker, one of the other three must have
absolute confidence.
“With all due respect, do think you can bluff your way out of this.”
“……”
──However, Kurumi had to accept this game. Although the risk was high,
the potential return was also considerable. Second, fourth, and fifth, she could
make three Dominions recognize her
power and clarify her position. Doing so would make the second half of her
journey go all the more smoothly.
“I am willing to accept this game, but I have a condition I need you all to
accept.”
“Condition……?”
“Mu……come over.”
Kurumi frowned at the ambiguous reply. However, if she could easily pass
through the Sixth Region Tiphereth and Fourth Region Chesed, it should be
fine.
“I hope the detailed rules will be written and not verbal. Please sign this
document along with all of the Dominions. Naturally, I will also sign this.”
Yuri rubbed her exhausted face. If there was just a single mistake, the
Seventh Region Netzach would have turned into a battlefield. It was an
extraordinary high level of pressure.
“It’s over. Then let’s all take a nap, good night, Zzz……”
Ariadne, who had used up all of her strength, turned her Astral Dress into
sleep mode and entered into her sleeping bag.
“No, you can’t tell it at all. I swear on the name of the Dominion of the Sixth
Region Tiphereth.”
“Yes, yes. You completely can’t read it at all. To imagine you would describe
Cistus asked a nearby Sagakure Yui. The difference between the special
models and the mass produced type was obvious. It could be understood at a
glance if there was any polish to their eyes.
“Um, actually……”
Cistus could help but clutch her head after hearing Yui’s explanation.
“Our reputation is at stake, me! And Hibiki-san, don’t you think so as well!”
Hibiki approached Maya with a steep expression while pointing and shouting.
“Yes, that’s right. As expected of Hibiki-san. Yes, yes, you go tell her.”
“Hibiki-san.”
“Why did you go for such a weak analogy!? Focus on what’s important!
What’s important!!”
Because of her connection to Hibiki, the situation grew even more and more
chaotic.
After the contract was delivered by Sagakure Yui, the meeting spot here was
temporarily dissolved.
“That’s right. To choose to make a legitimate gambling match, that can only
be done with a strong power backing her.”
“On the contrary, those girls cannot also show their shameful side of being a
Dominion. We are also as of this moment cannot turn back.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, yes. Perhaps they’ll consider the results of the game fair……but is this
game fair in the first place?”
“Yes. It’s not difficult to imagine those three have something like that in
mind if they’re confident Kurumi-san will lose.”
“I’ve only heard rumors, gossip, and hearsay from information brokers.
Among the Dominions gathered here now, at least Ariadne Foxlot and Oka
Miyafuji are battle-type Dominions. The Unsigned Angel of Yukishiro Maya,
the Dominion of the Second Region Chokmah, is unknown.
“Rather than fighting directly with an Unsigned Angel, it’s the type that
fights through something created with the Unsigned Angel. In her case,
perhaps──”
“That book, right? She sent out a Shinigami from the book to deal with me.”
“That can’t be it. In that case, there would be no point in choosing a poker
match.”
Cistus, being ever the pragmatic realist, refuted. The other side had proposed
the game, so it should be taken as a given cheating would be involved. Her
accusation was cold but full of veracity.
“……Ugh.”
“Here is the Seventh Region Netzach, the mass produced Sagakure Yui types
that serve as an extension of Sagakure Yuri’s limbs are everywhere.”
“In fact, haven’t you already noticed the one behind us?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not too familiar with the Seventh Region Netzach, so I can’t
find a reliable information store. ……And when the opponent is the
Dominion.”
Hibiki shoot a quick glance behind at Yui. Yui hid in the shadows as if
ashamed but still didn’t leave this spot.
“……Fufu, well that’s about true. Anyway, let’s head to the hotel first. Yui-
san, can you please guide us there? I won’t cause any ruckus in the hotel
suite.”
Yui jumped out from the shadows and rushed to guide the three of them.
What they had said had largely landed on the bull’s eye.
The poker match──although she didn’t personally know too much about
it──without a doubt attempts at cheating from the inside would ensue.
Tokisaki Kurumi will be captured and used to fight against the White Queen.
Or perhaps, she will be dissected to find the White Queen’s weakness.
But.
In the first place, what did her older sister even desire?
Each time she was born, Sagakure Yui recognized her identity as Sagakure
Yui and looked up to Sagakure Yuri as her older sister and master.
She recalled Kirari Rinemu once muttering that. When she used to be
Dominion, she was dispatched to monitor her and gather information.
Sagakure Yui also thought it was twisted. And sometimes, those thoughts
would terrify her.
Why think like this──to be able to have thoughts just like a normal girl.
And so, she envied the mass production Yui types they passed by.
In other words, it means a place where people can enjoy luxury without any
inconvenience.
Kurumi looked around the hotel room and gave her rating. Yui’s choice was
undoubtedly selected a top-notch hotel in the Seventh Region Netzach.
Valuing privacy, as long as they stayed in this room, they couldn’t hear any
noise from the outside world.
In fact, Kurumi and her little sister Cistus (?) were also terrifying, but Hibiki
thought that this was scary in a difference sense.
Neither fanaticism nor obedience, it was a hollow girl staring at the world
with transparent eyes.
Fighting against her, she wouldn’t lose. If including her <King Killing>, she
wouldn’t lose even once out of 100 times.
But.
“So then, Yui-san. Since this is a rare opportunity, why don’t we chat?”
“No, no. Haven’t we once fought against each other in the Tenth Region
Malkuth?”
“That wasn’t me, but rather the same model. At that time, she was destroyed
by Tsuan-san.”
“Ah, yes......yes.”
“In other words, Yui-san has been dispatched to various regions. Sure
enough.”
“Yes, of course.”
……Yui knew of course that this conversation was a means of probing the
other side.
They sneaked into hostile organizations and brought back information even if
it meant dying.
Since there was no hesitation of them dying, torture wouldn’t work. Because
of being a mechanical doll, brainwashing abilities were ineffective. However,
everyone was still wary about information leaking into the Seventh Region
Netzach.
The Seventh Region Netzach didn’t threaten any other Dominions, nor did it
sell such information.
Sagakure Yuri was only intently obsessed with improving Sagakure Yui’s
performance.
Despite having said that, Yui also couldn’t disclose any information about the
other Dominions.
“Ha……eh……me……?”
“Ah, do you think I was going to ask about Yuri-san and the other
Dominions? I wouldn’t do something so inefficient.”
──I am just a mechanical doll, nothing more nothing less. Why would the
opposing side ask about such an existence?
“Your interests?”
Continuing on, a deep part of her heart where she wanted to avoid contact
was touched.
“Yuri-sama is my older sister and creator. I definitely like her. I was a little
upset. I offer you my apologizes.”
Feeling of danger, Yui tightened up. After all, the next question seemed to be
what was needed to win at the casino.
“Ara, ara. That was a lie. You are a respectable Quasi-Spirit. And by
respectable, I mean that you have a very upright personality. So then fighting
and being hurt……are you scared?”
Kurumi’s words, more powerful than any bullet and sharper than any sword,
deeply engraved a scar on her heart.
“It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be. Right now, you’ve been on alert against
us. If you weren’t afraid, you wouldn’t be on alert. Without that alertness,
you would be incompetent as an espionage agent.”
“I don’t know what the ratio is. Some are afraid of dying. Others are afraid of
something else.”
“Something else……?”
“Rather than not wanting to die, it’s the regret of having to die here. And that
has become the source of your fear.”
“Uh……”
“Wasn’t that the case for the Sagakure Yui-san that was killed by Tsuan-
san?”
Hearing those words, Yui remembered the moment she told them that their
memories were synchronized.
She had gone to the Tenth Region Malkuth to investigate about Doll Master
for the sake of the princess Banouin. And then she was killed without any
effort by Tsuan.
But right now Sagakure Yui could understand that regret even if she didn’t
want to.
“Right?”
“That’s right. Yes, yes. That’s exactly correct. Well, we’ll take a rest after we
get our room service dinner. Ah, please also accompany us Yui-san. It would
be troublesome if it’s poisoned.”
Dinner brought by the mass production Yui types was first class. The dish
was Amirstan lamb’s thigh meat with bite sized avocado, cucumbers, and
tomatoes all wrapped in lettuce and garnished with Greek yogurt sauce. But
the word Amirstan didn’t seem to have any meaning or so Kurumi thought as
it looked like ordinary sheep. This preference appeared to be a joke in poor
taste.
“Your impression is too rude to the person who cooked this. Who is the chef
that made this?”
“I’m sorry. At the chef’s request, the name and face will not be disclosed.
Another chef will be responsible for cooking tomorrow.”
“Ara, ara. That’s not surprising. But if we ever stay in this hotel again, I
would like the opportunity to taste this again. Can you make a reservation?”
Hibiki laughed as she spoke to the three of them. Although there wasn’t any
need to do so after dining together, Kurumi also nodded.
The mass production type Yui gently took out a letter from the dinner cart.
As Yui stood up, the mass production Yui shook her head.
“This is my job.”
“……R-Right.”
The mass production type took only a step forward, then spreading out her
hands to read the letter in a flat tone.
“1. The game will begin at 20:00 in seven more days. The game is Texas
Hold’em. The players are Sagakure Yuri, Tokisaki Kurumi, Miyafuji Oka,
and Ariadne Foxlot.”
“2. Yukishiro Maya will be the dealer since her abilities are necessary for
keeping the game fair.”
“4. The ranking of two of the players, Miyafuji Oka and Ariadne Foxlot, will
not determine the result of the game. The game will be decided on whether
Sagakure Yuri or Tokisaki Kurumi ranks higher.”
“May I ask a question? Who will win if Sagakure Yuri and I are equal in
YP?”
“……5. In the scenario where no victory of defeat occurs, each player will be
provided a loan for a rematch. In this case, it will be a game only between
Sagakure Yuri and Tokisaki Kurumi.”
“I see, I see. This is not the end, correct? There should be still many
important details left.”
Kurumi received a green colored rulebook from the mass production type
Yui.
“……That is all.”
Kurumi smiled, estimating that Sagakure Yuri must be listening through this
mass production model.
“I would like to add these additional conditions. First, Higoromo Hibiki and
Cistus are allowed to compete as members.”
“Second. Everyone must vow in front of the cards that the cards won’t be
altered in any way. In particular, Yukishiro-san will be in trouble if this
responsibility isn’t taken care of. I will not accept a victory obtained through
cheating in cards.”
“……”
“Third. Regarding funds. We currently can offer 500,000 YP. This should be
regarded as the limit that everyone should equalize their funds to. We will
accept a little extra, but if you use 100
million YP to start an endurance war, there are no chances for our victory.”
“Finally. Let us investigate the playing field three hours before the start of the
match. We won’t compete unless we can confirm that there isn’t stage
equipment that could assist in cheating.”
Although the mass produced Yui was silent as if frozen, she nodded in
response.
Kurumi stood up and stared at the mass production Yui’s expressionless eyes.
The mass production Yui opened her mouth──as Sagakure Yuri’s voice
could be heard.
“How scary. If I resist, you’ll start pointing your gun. Okay, I understand.
There are no problems with requests 2 and 4. Originally, there was no
audience planned. As for 5, naturally we will also be present. You could also
set something up then on the contrary.”
“And now for 1──that won’t be allowed. This game is meaningless unless it
is competed by Dominions. Even if it is your companion, it won’t work. Of
course, the other Tokisaki Kurumi is also rejected.”
“Eh, that’s……”
Kurumi grinned.
“Carte À Jouer. I will compete against you with her as my partner. Despite
losing to the White Queen, she is a former Dominion of the Third Region
Binah, so there should be no issues with that?”
“But here’s my condition. She will share the same YP as Tokisaki Kurumi. In
Hibiki was about to complain that this was too much, but Kurumi pulled her
back with a stare.
Moreover, the amount wasn’t too much of an issue. Regardless if the amount
was a billion YP or half a billion YP, it will be gone in a split second. It was
poker game after all. Rather than focusing on the amount of money, just
having one more member playing will increase chances of victory, or so
Kurumi thought.
The mass produced Yui suddenly trembled. She opened her eyes and looked
around. Then, probably realizing the situation, she lowered her head.
“Um, sorry, I don’t understand what happened at all. Ah but, I think the rules
are important……but the subsequent exchange……”
“If there’s something secret to discuss, please do so. I’ll stay here.”
“……Yes. Then Sagakure Yui-san, please stay here for a moment. I have
something I need to explain to Hibiki-san.”
After saying that, Kurumi jumped into the shadows with Hibiki.
“Eh……!”
Yui rushed over in a hurry, but Cistus stopped her in her tracks with an
antique pistol.
“In the Seventh Region Netzach, there is nowhere you cannot see……did
you imagine it like that?
Unfortunately, no one can peek into the realm of shadows and darkness that
we control.
Leaving behind Yui and Cistus glaring at each other, Kurumi and Hibiki
began secretly talking within the shadows.
“──First of all, there are eight or nine chances out of ten that our opponents
will be cheating.”
“……Really?”
“Please remember the request made by the other side. When cheating is
discovered, you will be punished. If cheating isn’t discovered, you can cheat
as much as you want.”
“Ah……that’s right.”
But here in the Neighboring World, a world where physical existence carries
little meaning.
There were also many ways to lie. However, since their opponents did do,
which was tantamount to already confessing to cheating.
“I wasn’t intending on it. But I’ll make them regret looking down at me.”
“……Fufufu.”
Within the bottomless shadows, the two of them were plotting out a sinister
scheme……or rather Hibiki was enjoying this as if whispering something
“Kurumi’s desire is to have control over how the other side cheats……is that
right?”
“Yes, yes. But nevertheless, there will definitely be cheating present. On that
basis, we’ll have to prevail against whatever cheating takes place.”
“In terms of earning money, we should look for other ways besides gambling.
It’s impossible for the entire economy of the Seventh Region Netzach to run
entirely on gambling. Like this hotel, there must be another way.”
“No. It’s probably the other way around. They’ll overlook us until we get 65
million YP……after all, pretensions of fair play should extend at least until
there.”
Hibiki looked a little annoyed, but she then turned away to avoid showing
“……”
Hibiki.
“What nonsense are you saying now!? Well, seeing you like this, I already
expected that it would end up like this!”
“If it is just exchanging faces, I should be able to hold that up for half a day.
But then I won’t be able to make a copy of the Unsigned Angel. In other
words, I would have nothing left to use for a fight……”
“That is enough.”
“Eh!?”
“They should already know about <King Killing>. If Carte-san appears, that
would likely be their first assumption.”
“It’s fine to leave that point alone. Once the game begins, it won’t be
stopped.”
“……Huh?”
“Listen, when I put forth my request about an audience, Yuri-san said ‘there
is no audience’, In other words, there will be wagers held via video over who
will win.”
“……Aah!”
“──So, even if the other side has Higoromo Hibiki use <King Killing> in
order to participate; we won’t be able to refuse──”
“……Isn’t it fine? Because the name and abilities of the Unsigned Angel of
that former Empty has been seen through. Isn’t it a power that can be used to
cheat in poker?”
There are too many unknowns in her ability. I don’t know if I’ll be able to
handle it.”
“Don’t joke about that. At most, it will be the Empty that joins the game.”
“……If Tokisaki Kurumi wins, can that be used as a means to deny her
victory?”
“No, no, no, Mayamaya. That’s not a good move. Forget about it, that’s not
okay to do in the Seventh Region Netzach.”
In the Seventh Region Netzach, all of the gambling was done on a massive
scale. Although viewers would accept the invalidation judgement if they
found the improper behavior during the real time video, invalidity proposed
after the fact would not be accepted by the YP operating tables gambling over
the match results.
If this was done, someone may even attempt to impeach the Dominion.
“Fumu. Then it’s simple. We will win fairly. There are three people here.
And isn’t Yukishiro-san still the dealer? If so, then we must win with
absolute justice.”
Clearing her throat, Oka proudly raised her chest. Maya clapped her hands in
applause.
“I intend to if possible……”
“Ah, I already told Yukishiro-san. But she said it was impossible for her to
act so recklessly as the dealer.”
“Understood.”
Without knowing that such an exchange was going on, Miyafuji Oka shouted
as her determination came to a boil.
After deciding on various matters, Kurumi and Hibiki came out from the
shadows. Yui glanced at them with a worried look, but Hibiki flashed a smile
and began idly chatting with her.
Knowing more about her might reveal her weakness. Even if it wasn’t a weak
point, it was meaningful to know more about Sagakure Yuri.
That being said, nothing had been gained so far from their previous chats
together.
“Cistus.”
Cistus blended into the shadows. She was now going to be involved in
information gathering.
Honestly, Kurumi thought about creating another clone using the Eighth
Bullet <Het>.
Cistus left the hotel without Yui even realizing it, all in order to gather as
much information about Sagakure Yuri as possible.
Kurumi and Hibiki were now speaking to Yui for another reason. Since this
Sagakure Yui was regarded as an individual, they wanted to see if they could
pull her away from Sagakure Yuri.
Not only in this hotel, but everywhere in the Seventh Region Netzach was
being monitored by the mass production Yui models.
……In turn, this created a plethora of information. And here was the crux of
the matter, from chatting with her Hibiki was able to conclude that this
special Sagakure Yui had an individual personality.
While serving her older sister Yuri, this Sagakure Yui was thinking,
worrying, and acting like an ordinary girl.
Then treating her as an individual would help separate her from Sagakure
Yuri.
Incidentally, this idea belonged not to Kurumi, but rather to Hibiki. Despite
having no experience being in the Seventh Region Netzach before, she had
already once gathered information about Sagakure Yui.
But──if she focused solely on shaking her trust in Yuri just a little, the
information Yui could bring about Kurumi would deteriorate in quality.
As a result, Hibiki kept talking to Yui until she was weary and fell asleep.
There was almost no real content, but the voice of a single person could still
Incidentally, the contents were 10% about herself and 90% about Kurumi.
Kurumi made earplugs to apply to her ears. While various forces were still
targeting her, Kurumi thought she should be relatively safe right now.
If she was on guard at all times, it would be long before her mind completely
breaks down.
Despite several nights having already passed in the Neighboring World, she
rarely dreamed.
──The next day. Despite having said that, it was always night at the Seventh
Region Netzach.
For the remaining seven days, Kurumi’s basic policy was to collect
information and earn money outside of gambling.
Kurumi and Hibiki read through the magazine that Yui presented.
“Making a cocktail. ……No, let’s put a stop to that. I’m still a minor.”
“Eh, um.”
“Alright.”
“Anyway, this is no good. Unless it’s a job that earns 2 million YP per day,
focusing on simplicity is tantamount to hard labor.”
Hibiki had learned that Kurumi only gave this smile when having to make a
choice between
“That’s right.”
“Eh?”
“Ara, ara.”
It was extremely rare for Hibiki to try and contact her. Perhaps Hibiki kept
her distance from Cistus because she was also Kurumi.
“Bunny girl……”
Seeing this perfect bunny girl dressed up, Hibiki stood crying while on her
feet.
“No, there’s nothing wrong. You will continue gathering information. The
two of us will continue earning as much YP as needed. Military funds will
likely be very important.”
Already Quasi-Spirits with wallets began gathering one after the other.
“……Everyone, welcome to the casino Octopus Pot. Thank you all for your
patronage.”
“U-Um.”
“……That’s right. I right now reaaaaaaally lack money. But if you raise
money for me──”
“If?”
“Well, Hibiki-san should also change clothes to work as well. You should
also try your best to earn YP. Let’s work together to earn money.”
“Uhh, this feels like something a gigolo would support……but it doesn’t feel
bad!”
Hibiki whispered as she transformed her Astral Dress into a bunny girl outfit.
If Kurumi was a bunny girl wearing a black corset, then Hibiki was the exact
opposite.
“Okay, please hold on. I’ll put on my most attractive face now.”
Hibiki rubbed her cheeks and then turned to face the audience.
“──”
In front of them was a beautiful silver haired bunny girl with a melancholic
expression.
“Uh. I don’t know if that illness is a lie……but I’ll still give you YP……!”
In any case, the two part-timers were on the main street advertising for the
Octopus Pot.
However, the twist was that the main source of income for those two came in
the form a money shower.
Of course, this was tolerable within their part-time job. After all, they
couldn’t complain that pedestrian Quasi-Spirits were simply throwing an
offering of YP at them while they were holding the sign.
In the first place, the audience size increased by 1.3 times each day since they
took this job. Even when deducting the 50 million YP Kurumi had already
earned from them, an excess of money was entering the casino.
“Kurumi-sama!”
As Kurumi was walking on the main street, there was a joyful cry. Hibiki
gave a look of disgust at the girl who appeared as expected.
Top hat with a sleeveless white blouse, this look seemed more suitable for the
Seventh Region Netzach than it did for the Third Region Binah. She had fiery
red hair and a teardrop and star marks on her face.
“Cattle Mutilation-san who ran away from the Eighth Region Hod!”
As of Ace of Spades nostalgically called out, there were other cries of “Long
time no see”, “It’s been such a long time”, and “I’ve missed you so much” as
the other trump cards jumped out in harmony.
“I’ve heard all about it, Kurumi-sama! It seems you’re going to compete in
Texas Hold’em! If there is anything I, Carte, can do, just mention it!”
“Yes, yes. There are two things I wish to ask of Carte-san. Can you hear me
out?”
“Yes!”
Carte replied immediately. It felt like she was going to follow no matter what
order was given.
Hibiki thought that the coordinated outfits between those two right now
looked subtly out of place.
“Gu, mu. But why shouldn’t I participate? I have some experience in Texas
Hold’em──”
“Although I’ve considered that, I have another important role for Carte-san.”
“Mu?”
“Actually──”
“I can’t believe that Spirit is earning money through working. Doesn’t that
Spirit have any pride!?”
Miyafuji Oka was biting into her handkerchief. Ariadne was giggling, Maya
was impressed by such a hand being played, and Sagakure Yuri was at a loss
for words.
Of course, it was easy to place pressure on the casino where they worked.
However, this was different than the order placed on not letting Tokisaki
Kurumi gamble. During that time, the casino was suffering a loss in profits,
so it gladly accepted Yuri’s order.
And that knowledge was passed on to the other casinos. If they placed
pressure on Octopus Pot, it would just provide a chance for another casino to
hire those two.
“It’s impossible to earn 50 million from that alone. At most it will be around
15 million.”
“Why?”
“It’ll get boring soon. There are not many people here obsessed with idols
like in the Ninth Region Yesod.”
“……That’s true.”
As Ariadne said those words, the atmosphere of the room turned frigid.
The mass produced Yui models doing chores here firmly clenched their
hands.
They are cheap mass produced models, almost like robots……but despite
that they had some degree of emotions left where they could still tremble.
Texas Hold’em was a type of poker game. Typically, poker is a card game
where five cards are dealt to form a hand and compete.
Texas Hold’em differs from this in that only two cards are dealt.
Of course, each player’s hand (hole cards) is not enough to constitute a full
hand.
The community cards are revealed face up to all players at the table.
♠9 of Spades ♦8 of Diamonds
Naturally, this wouldn’t make a good hand. However, suppose the three
community cards were displayed like this.
If another player’s hole cards are two club cards, then that player has a flush,
which means the other player would be defeated.
Naturally, there can only be one winner to gather all of the accumulated
chips.
So for example, if a player who was watching the five community cards
suddenly raised the wager of chips, everyone else would imagine that this
player would have a huge hand to play.
If the community cards contain 3 cards of the clubs suit, then the chance of
there being a flush with one of remaining players having at least two club suit
cards is high.
On the other hand, a player that can’t skillfully make use of a flush will only
get minimal chips.
“It takes a minute to learn the rules of Texas Hold’em, but a lifetime too truly
However, since this actually a three-to-two group battle, Sagakure Yuri’s side
was likely to use a similar method.
“Of course, we should decide on a signal. But I don’t want to use it every
round. We’ll only communicate when we have a decisive hand.”
There was absolutely no gambling. Just like in shogi or chess, the winner will
be the one who makes the best moves……
The only thing that could guarantee victory was a royal straight flush. But
there is no chance for a simultaneous royal straight flush in Texas Hold’em.
“I don’t mind. Refraining from playing your fullest on the battlefield will
strain our luck.”
“Cistus.”
Cistus’s head peeked out from the shadows, but her expression wasn’t quite
good.
“Just?”
“Sagakure Yuri rarely gambles and isn’t very strong in terms of victories.”
“……Interesting.”
“I tried searching for video records, but couldn’t find them. Anyway, she’s
regarded as very mediocre.”
“Well, the information will soon be available. Texas Hold’em is a game that
embodies human nature. Prudence, boldness, and cunning……as long as
those parts are determined, understanding their capacities will come
naturally.”
“That’s all there is to it. Then, let us go to the match, Hibiki-san. Let us be
graceful, bold, and──brilliantly seize control of victory.”
“Yes!”
Kurumi turned her face to Sagakure Yui, who was staring at them from the
background.
“Yes.”
“……Yes. I will watch over you. Because I feel that it will be connected to
your victory.”
……Hibiki was left confused by those words. This special model Yui was
rich in emotions.
It was so rich that she had to question if she was truly mechanical. Earlier,
Hibiki had touched her cheeks just in case, but it was so cold that she could
instantly realize her as a doll. It was as if she was a dead person.
The designated casino was not “Octopus Pot”, but rather “Ground Burner”.
The largest casino in the Seventh Region Netzach──over 1 billion YP
exchanged hands in just one hour here.
Kurumi, as they had previously agreed, visited the casino three hours prior to
the start of the game.
The mass produced Yui models lowered their heads. The casino, which is
usually in full swing every day, didn’t have even a single Quasi-Spirit present
today.
Hibiki had already plundered Carte’s face with <King Killing>. But because
she despises this face so much, she was constantly scratching it with her
hands.
“Eh.”
While saying that, Hibiki squatted down and pressed her face against the
edge of the table. With no time for the mass produced Yui to ask what they
were doing, Kurumi shot at the table and her.
At that moment, the memories rushed into Hibiki’s mind just like a high
speed slideshow.
But in the last few days, there were no signs of this table being used or
having been approached by one of the Dominions. Nothing strange was done
to this table. Nothing, nothing…….
“Okay, Kurumi-san, there are no signs of anything having been done to this
table.”
“Yes, then let’s investigate the cards next. I’ll do this investigation myself.”
“Just confirming the memories, my bullet can read the memories left behind
on an object.”
“……!”
If they were in her position, they definitely not tamper with the table or cards.
But──
If they could confirm this, all they had to do was pass that information to
Yuri through a communication device. Part of the gamble was how to prevent
this.
……In the end, they searched thoroughly for three hours and found no traces
of cheating.
Hearing those words, Kurumi looked back. Sagakure Yuri, Ariadne Foxlot,
Miyafuji Oka, and Yukishiro Maya, there were four Dominions present here.
They were four monsters that literally ruled over the Neighboring World.
But there was one more person here. Tokisaki Kurumi was also a monster
with Dominion-class Reiryoku.
Hibiki felt a little strange that such a small existence like herself was
mingling with five people that could shake the very foundation of the
After receiving the signal from Kurumi, Hibiki nodded and released <King
Killing>. Miyafuji Oka was startled as she stared at Hibiki……but Hibiki
didn’t shamefully look away as she stared back at them directly.
In the first place, the situation was much better than when she transformed
into Tokisaki Kurumi in the Tenth Region Malkuth. At that time, there was
no one she could have called a friend.
“……Yes, yes. It’s Higoromo Hibiki. I know, I know. That’s fine. Rather,
Carte would have been more troublesome. No problem.”
Yuri shrugged and accepted Hibiki’s participation. Only Miyafuji Oka was
staring at Hibiki in dissatisfaction, but right beside her Maya gently touched
her arm.
Even Hibiki could perceive that, and of course Kurumi was going to use to
this to aggravate her further.
“Ara, ara. Are you dissatisfied, you over there……what was your name
again?”
“My name is Miyafuji Oka. Does a Spirit have poor memory skills?”
Of course, it was the same ferocious smile one might show to prey.
“Pardon me. It’s because you are of no concern to me. So, what are your
complaints?”
“Oh, really? Is that so? Are you sure? If you have something to say, by all
means──”
“……Although I don’t know what you are thinking, I’ve planned for that
much at least.”
“Unsigned Angel……!”
As Hibiki put herself on guard, Kurumi raised her hand to stop her.
“……Hoho.”
“Feel free to not believe at your own convenience──but I’ll prove it right
now.”
After making that announcement, Maya raised her hand to make an oath.
The golden scales let out a rattling noise as if being unlocked. At the same
moment, Maya’s body was bounded by two chains that then mysteriously
disappeared.
“Tokisaki Kurumi and Higoromo Hibiki, please take to your seats. Don’t
worry, this is just an experiment.”
The moment when Maya handed two cards to Hibiki and Kurumi──it
happened.
It wasn’t the wind blowing or someone waving a sword, but deep cut
appeared on Maya’s cheeks.
“……”
Kurumi flipped over the second card that Maya had dealt.
Ace of Spades, it was arguably the strongest card. As long as one consciously
gave that card to someone, it is enough to put the others at a disadvantage.
“Well, I can constrain myself in this manner. Of course, I will impose heavier
punishments during the official game.”
“Yes, yes. Of course I will have to refuse. Although I swear to not cheat, I
honestly find it detestable to have a third party mechanism mediate the
process.”
“……Got it. Of course this side also shares the same sentiments. Then, let’s
have everyone take a seat. Let the game commence.”
Sagakure Yuri, Ariadne Foxlot, and Miyafuji Oka all took to their seats.
“Break the seal──The Fourth Book. After the match begins, I forbid all act
“──Oath accepted. If she cheats, Yukishiro Maya’s left leg will be taken
away.”
“Ask away.”
“……If I don’t have my hand, reading will become difficult. I can still live if
it’s just a leg.”
After hearing what Maya had said, Kurumi shook her shoulders as if stunned.
Maya slightly frowned upon seeing that expression, but Yuri coughed a few
times to bring the topic back on track.
2. The Small Blind and the Big Blind pay the bet (The two people to the left
of the dealer must pay a fixed bet. If the Big Blind wagers 10 chips, the Small
Blind must wager at least 5 chips.) 3. Hole cards are dealt in order starting
from the Small Blind.
9. The winner is declared when the dealer reveals all five community cards.
The cards used in Texas Hold’em are marked with their number and suit in
all four corners so that it is easily noticeable. Still, cautious about the
presence of surveillance cameras, Hibiki gently flipped the two cards dealt
face down.
“Unless you have a bad hand, keep fighting until I say it’s good. Don’t fold.”
First she needed to determine the outcome of this round. Hibiki placed her
wager in chips.
During a game of Texas Hold’em, the Big Blind (BB) and Small Blind (SB)
are responsible for paying the forward wager of chips. The other players will
then decide whether to bet or fold depending on the quality of their cards.
Each time a round is over, the roles of BB and SB will alternate (with the
initial pre-bets gradually increasing over time). It is impossible to evade the
game through constant folds.
Starting off, the Small Blind Miyafuji Oka paid 100,000 YP. Ariadne Foxlot,
the Big Blind paid 200,000 YP. Next up, right beside her, Sagakure Yuri
shrugged and declared a fold.
Despite only paying 100,000 YP, it was still a loss paying for the ante fee.
But Kurumi understood that such loses were tolerable.
Gathering information was the most important when gambling with other
people.
Kurumi considered this the most essential part as she thoroughly watched
Sagakure Yuri and the others.
After seven rounds, neither Kurumi nor Yuri’s side changed very much from
their initial positions. After a peaceful beginning, the strongest three cards for
Hibiki were taken out.
The basic tactics of these three Dominions were roughly understood. They
would lose if Yuri lost all her chips. Then regardless if she goes before or
after──
Her tactics are typical. Don’t fold when the hand is poor and fold when it is
poor.
Just like playing baseball, the difference between offense and defense was
obvious. There were no weaknesses in that regard.
It would be up to you.
Kurumi confirmed her hole cards and the watched Oka’s confident smile as
she joined the game.
“Raise. 2 million.”
Oka announced a raise. Earlier Oka only did this when her hand was good,
but to go so far──she must have at least a two pair or more.
“……Raise. 4 million.”
It was Tokisaki Kurumi who declared the raise. The amount raised caused
Oka’s eyebrows to twitch with an unpleasant look.
“Call.”
Then, Hibiki also quietly participated in the final decision. Yuri and Ariadne
announced their folds early. Oka gritted her teeth while staring at Hibiki.
“……Raise, 6 million.”
“C-Call.”
Right now, Oka, Kurumi, and Hibiki have put out 25 million YP out on the
table. Oka was now forced to make a choice.
That is to say, she needed to make a choice between a raise and a showdown.
Oka adjusted her breathing and looked at her cards. Her hole cards are ♥9 of
Hearts and ♥Queen of Hearts, and the community cards are──
Miyafuji Oka’s greatest hand contained a five card flush of hearts cards.
Usually, this would be enough to settle the match.
But──
There are also two cards with Jack suit present, which means that Tokisaki
Kurumi’s hand may be a four of a kind.
Oka gently signaled with a hand sign gesture. Unfortunately, both of them
responded with a no.
But──
Ariadne answered Oka’s question confidently. Oka believed this without any
hesitation at all.
(Even if you lose 32 million YP, Oka still has more than 40 million YP. Let’s
commence the game.)
“Raise. 7 million.”
Oka chose to raise the wager. Of course, Kurumi would also be forced to
make a decision.
“Aah, fold.”
“Eh?”
Maya and Oka both stood frozen. Ariadne opened her eyes.
“Oh, no. Sorry, it seems my cards have been turned face up.”
Maya gave an incredulous look to Kurumi. Oka, Ariadne, and Yuri were also
speechless staring at her hole cards.
Although there was the one fixed pair, there wasn’t much that could be used
with the community cards.
“Ara, ara. How could this be. 7 million YP remaining. But the game is just
Oka’s gaze was basically fixed on Kurumi. There was no response to Hibiki’s
attempts to call, raise, or fold. ……No, to be more precise, she was
consciously trying to ignore her.
If there was a weakness──now was the opportunity to close the gap and go
all out!
“All in.”
“…………!”
“……”
(I think it’s better to fold too. I didn’t even look at Higoromo-san.) Oka
wasn’t listening to Yuri or Ariadne’s proposal at all. If the opponent were
Kurumi, Oka would have already folded. However, she wasn’t dealing with
Tokisaki Kurumi, but rather Higoromo Hibiki.
To begin with, Higoromo Hibiki wasn’t something that should belong in this
game arena.
“Call! 13 million!”
Hibiki had already gone all in and Oka wanted to offer the same amount of
chips as Hibiki’s bet.
Oka’s hand had a 9 of Hearts and ♥Queen of Hearts, which formed a flush
with the community cards ♥Jack of Hearts, ♥8 of Hearts, ♥3 of Hearts.
After the reveal of Oka’ hand, Hibiki’s hand was also laid open.
“……!”
Oka couldn’t help but involuntarily clench her YP chips. Her 45 million YP,
Kurumi’ 25 million YP, plus the amount added from Ariadne and Yuri’s
folds, it came to a total of 72 million YP.
From the perspective of a third party, Kurumi only had 7 million YP left and
was forced into a desperate corner. But for Miyafuji Oka, a tremendous sense
of shame enveloped both her body and mind. It was because this shame was
ultimately rooted in a fear of being thoroughly defeated.
Also caught off guard by this, Yuri and Ariadne also noticed themselves
“Fold……”
Despite having a hand good enough to compete with a two pair, Oka was
suppressed by Hibiki and Kurumi’s smile. Seeing that the flow was poor,
Yuri and Ariadne also choose to get out early.
With their side in chaos, Yuri’s group chose to fold this round to calm down.
Seeing that they were the only ones left for this round, Kurumi responded to
Hibiki’s 50 million YP wager by choosing to go all in. Naturally, Kurumi
won.
Both of them had nearly doubled their chips compared to when they started.
“……”
She should have recovered. She should have bounced back and taken the
challenge. Then, they would have won without any problems. Just one more
step away, they were pressed to the point where it was just a single step from
victory.
However, falling into the trap of being humiliated had distorted her actions.
“──Would you like to take a small break? Oka-san over there seems to be
quite exhausted.”
“Then, let’s take a ten minute break. However, you cannot leave this casino.”
Hearing those words, Hibiki breathed out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, she
couldn’t even remember the last time she could breathe out so casually.
“Yup.”
Kurumi and Hibiki had discussed dividing several tactics into parts. First is
observation, second is interception, and third is construction.
First, they needed to observe the enemy. Then, after setting up a counter for
an opponent examined as easy, they would build their foundation while the
other side was still confused.
The first thing they needed to avoid power showdown. Compete only when a
good hand arrives and fold otherwise during a bad hand. After all, the level of
funds was different on both sides.
But the two of them have now achieved results. Having their funding double
meant they had effectively plundered away one person’s share of chips.
Seizing 58 million YP was the equivalent of closing the gap by 118 million
YP.
Moreover, there was one more thing Kurumi was concerned about.
Staking it all in a huge match, having a flush meant Miyafuji Oka’s odds was
great. The probability of a flush in Texas Hold’em was around 3%.
However, when looking at the five community cards, there was the
possibility of a large hand appearing.
Her tension was eased. At that moment, she exchanged eye contact with the
other two. No doubt they were exchanging information.
That didn’t matter. The question is what made her feel relieved.
“Sagakure Yuri and Ariadne Foxlot. That means……one of them was the
true attacker. In the next round, one of them would definitely take the
initiative. “
Kurumi grinned.
“Does Yuri want to continue observing the situation? Well, anyway, I’ll be
Miyafuji Oka gave a smooth apology. Despite her being the Dominion of the
Sixth Region Tiphereth and assuming leadership there, Ariadne liked how
she could properly apologize at times like this.
“……Likely from now onwards that child will only be providing support.
Because things are already heating up.”
“Yup.”
If so, Yuri also understood that the deciding factor for this match will come
soon. Shaking off the fears of losing, she decided to challenge this game
positively.
On the other hand, Miyafuji Oka was thinking deeper than the bottomless
sea. She could also clearly understand from that experience with Higoromo
Hibiki.
Because she couldn’t stand Higoromo Hibiki’s presence here, she tried to
consciously ignore her.
Treating her as if she wasn’t here, they took advantage of that shortcoming
and launched an attack.
“Hmm……I can go. But I’ll have to concentrate on that. Won’t Yuri-chan
also have to do her best after this game?”
“It’s rare to see you this motivated Yuri-chan. ……I thought you were only
interested in your little sister.”
Ariadne wanted to confirm the truth of those words for a moment, but then
decided against it.
Right now she didn’t have the time to focus on exposing hidden secrets.
Yukishiro Maya, who had taken the role of refereeing, carefully observed
both groups.
Just at the moment where the observations finished, Tokisaki Kurumi boldly
moved forward with Higoromo Hibiki trailing behind her. On the other side,
Miyafuji Oka, who had gotten too hot-headed, had regained her calm
temperament.
But from here on out it would likely be Ariadne’s turn. ……Maya did know
how they were going to cheat, but she knew that cheating would occur.
It was clear by now that the role of attacker had changed. Yuri and Ariadne
had begun to move.
Oka was basically folding and only moved when her hand was good.
Moreover, only when she was completely confident……with at least a three
of a kind or more is when she choose to attack.
Of course, the signs that Oka was aiming for a big hand was transmitted to
Kurumi.
“Raise. 2 million.”
The three of them chose to fold as it became a one on one duel against
Ariadne. The raises were gradually accumulating.
……The air was heating up. Kurumi’s gaze began paying attention to
Ariadne’s every move.
What habits or openings did she have? Kurumi endured her mind boiling up
as she attentively kept watching Ariadne.
In the end, this game turned into a huge round worth 10 million.
Well, this would certainly lead to a defeat. Kurumi was prepared for that.
Rather, the issue was with Ariadne. What sort of hand did she play?
Kurumi was amazed. A pair of 2s was the weakest hand besides no pair. At
the same time, in Texas Hold’em with combinations formed from 7 different
cards, this hand had the highest possibility of showing up.
At the very least, it wasn’t a hand someone would wager in a 1 million level
round.
“Ah, terrific.”
While saying so, Ariadne narrowed her eyes and smiled at Kurumi.
The next round was also a match pitting Ariadne against Kurumi. Ariadne
chose to raise without hesitation. Kurumi also kept raising her wager.
After Ariadne raised for a third time, the amount of chips reached 8 million.
Kurumi also intended to raise as she reached for her chips──
“……Ah!”
A piece of glass flew out from Hibiki’s hand, shattering and letting out a
flashy sound as it landed on the ground. In that instant, Kurumi suddenly
stopped.
One of the mass produced Yui models in the distance quickly took out a
broom to clean up the broken glass.
“Let’s continue the game. Tokisaki Kurumi, what are you going to do?”
“……Fold.”
Kurumi quietly paid the 5 million YP while turning to look at Hibiki. Hibiki
nodded silently while tapping her finger lightly against her chest. A signal
indicating for── an abnormal situation.
Kurumi intended to adjust her breathing, but Yukishiro Maya wouldn’t give
her that opportunity as she started the next round.
In the next round, Kurumi’s hole cards ♥Jack of Hearts and ♣Queen of
Clubs. It was a good hand, but she quickly folded without even looking at the
community cards.
Something was done. Indeed, looking back, she had obviously lost control.
Just like when Miyafuji Oka made a mistake, she only thought about raising
her wager.
Certainly, she realized that this enthusiasm for fighting happened to anyone
every now and then.
After taking a deep breath, Kurumi began examining her entire body
carefully. This flame burning in her heart──it wasn’t heat attached to
victory. So what exactly was this? Love……no, this is different.
“……”
Was she simply sitting near the table acting on her on whims? Or was she
already within the range of her Unsigned Angel?
But this was certainly not as powerful as brainwashing. Just now, Hibiki had
noticed Kurumi’s strange behavior and purposely broke that glass to snap her
out of her fervor.
“……!”
The round had already ended by the time Kurumi had even noticed.
“Ah……”
“I’m sorry……”
Kurumi comforted her by patting her shoulders. Yes, it all happened quite
quickly. At this stage, there was only an ambiguous hypothesis. But Kurumi
could only believe in this and move forward.
It took less than a second for Kurumi to reach a conclusion and begin her
implementation.
“……Ouch.”
“Tokisaki Kurumi?”
The card that Maya had given Kurumi was indeed stained with blood.
Hibiki took out a Band-Aid from nowhere, but Kurumi shook her head.
The Fourth Bullet could rewind time to heal injuries. However, Hibiki raised
her eyebrows in confusion. Releasing the abilities of <Zafkiel> came at a
significant price. That was of course referring to time.
By regularly replenishing her time, she could launch a skill that completely
subverted the laws of the Neighboring World.
Upon a closer look, even Yukishiro Maya suddenly stopped after seeing
Kurumi’s ability for the first time. Taking advantage of this opportunity,
Kurumi finished her analysis.
Hearing those words, Maya hurried out to distribute the cards again.
Kurumi quietly looked at her face down cards while thinking it over.
Only fighting when there is 100% for victory and giving up when there is a
99% chance of defeat.
The first matter was Ariadne’s ability. It had to be some sort of physiological
manipulation.
There was no doubt that there were cards in her hand and the community
cards were also indeed correct.
But what felt wrong was playing that round with a one pair hand.
Even after understanding that her heart got too passionate, if it still happened
again she would still lose.
In other words, Ariadne’s ability was to heat up the heart of a target at close
range. That itself wasn’t too difficult to imagine. In the real world, there are
scenarios were a person’s brain would purposely secrete simulants.
Anyway, if assuming her ability was like this, there was one more thing about
this ability that couldn’t be ignored.
In that case, Ariadne’s advantage was tremendous. For example, her hole
cards right now were a pair of ♥3 of Hearts and ♣3 of Clubs. Depending on
the community cards, a 3 of a kind could possibly be made, which would
inevitably heat up Kurumi’s heart.
But if she could reach 3 of a kind from the community cards, her hand would
be one of the weakest pairs. The heat would disappear. If she could read this,
she could determine how strong or weak her hand was.
Just from this alone, the chances of victory would astronomically increase a
lot even when not adding the ability to control emotions.
……With this, she could cause her opponent’s cold heart to grow excited
from a poor hand and calm down the opponent’s passion during a strong
hand.
Ariadne herself realized her ability wouldn’t be able to 100% read her
opponent’s card values.
On the other hand, even if having a strong hand from the beginning, there
could be possibilities where a weak hand could cut through latter on without
hesitation.
In any case, Ariadne’s ability to increase her win rate was around 80%, but it
was not perfect.
That was why Ariadne was still fighting vigilantly. And that was more
terrifying than anything else.
Based on the community cards, her hand may lead to a three of a kind.
And when her mental state was too good, she would likely try to interfere
with her heart.
As expected, a chill struck her heart……the feeling of defeat filled her entire
body. Even with the chance of a three of a kind, it was only a high probability
rather than being absolute.
Still, her hands were shaking. As if there was nothing good in her hand.
“Fold.”
The three of them on Yuri’s side immediately folded. Hibiki also folded after
waiting for the signal.
(……Yes. My heat……)
……First, if thinking rationally, only wager when having a good hand and
folding when having a bad one.
Moreover, the difference of funding against her opponent has caused a self-
evident overwhelming disadvantage.
Intellect, logic, reasoning, those sorts of things wouldn’t win in this game of
poker.
For an easy to understand example, it was possible for her to induce a bad
premonition or make her opponents feel even more capable of themselves. A
power exceeding rationality and could manipulate the flow of the game
against the other side’s will.
It wasn’t suitable for games like shogi or chess that only depended on logic.
But gambling where people value intuition and flow more than anything else,
there was no trickier ability.
“……Raise.”
Although none of the numbers there had the same suit, having ♣3 of Clubs
leads to the possibility of a flush.
Perhaps Kurumi had also understood the situation. The feeling of something
being manipulated, but even then her intuition wouldn’t be able to function
normally.
Additionally, Ariadne also had a perpetual poker face on. It was a somewhat
“……Fold.”
Perhaps Kurumi had even seen through Ariadne’s ability. She had
experienced countless battlefields that Ariadne couldn’t possibly even
imagine, so this couldn’t be taken for granted.
After all, there was no specific way of coping against this. There may be
countermeasures for abilities tampering with physical objects, but she was
manipulating emotions rather than the cards.
Right now, Kurumi’s YP levels was much less than 50 million, sitting around
35 million. On the other hand, both Sagakure Yuri and Miyafuji Oka were
sitting around 50 million. Ariadne now had 70 million, more than double
what Kurumi had.
Since Hibiki also only had around 20 million left, there was no more room
for retreat.
“There’s only one way that I can fight to turn this around.”
This was only a guess. But perhaps Kurumi hadn’t even figured out her
ability.
Ariadne glanced at her hole cards. ♣Jack of Clubs and ♠Jack of Spades, both
already formed a pair. Depending on the community cards, the possibilities
were endless.
“……Tokisaki Kurumi?”
It was Maya who first recognized the abnormal situation. Tokisaki Kurumi
was remaining motionless since the very beginning.
Yes, she didn’t even use her eyes to confirm the hole cards in her hand.
“K-Kurumi-san!?”
“I don’t have any problems like this. Come, I’m choosing to raise.”
This was──the signal to go all-in. Hibiki was almost about to faint in fear.
Hibiki’s hand was bad enough for this to be out of the question. All-in on the
spot was tantamount to giving up. After giving the okay signal, Kurumi lived
up to her claims.
“……All-in.”
The scene fell into a riot. With all of Hibiki 19 million YP on the table, three
community cards were on the table.
“Raise. 6 million.”
Kurumi raised the bid to 25 million. If all of Yuri’s side folded, all of this
would go to Kurumi──but with the situation like this; no one was able to
confirm Kurumi’s hole cards.
“Fold.”
“All-in.”
She also responded with all-in. This was part of Ariadne’s instructions.
Hibiki’s hand was poor; right now it was even worse than Oka’s single pair.
If she was bluffing, she would have to fold here. How irrational would she
Ariadne restrained the slight anxiety building in her heart as she tried to read
her feelings.
“All-in.”
Yuri, Oka, and Maya all widened their eyes in shock. The trio desperately
controlled their desire to scream.
(Bluff)
(Should be a bluff)
She had been exposed. Kurumi was already staring back at her. It was on the
level of being observed through a magnifying glass or analyzed through
microscope!
“I……”
Call, call, say call. Absolutely this was it──the perfect chance!
“──Fold.”
In any case, Oka would find out Kurumi’s hole cards after going all-in. Oka’s
hand was a pair of 9s. Hibiki, Kurumi, and Oka had all gone all-in, so two
more community cards were added. The cards that appeared there were a
Jack and King.
“……!”
However, Oka’s hand had changed into a two pair with a King and 9. It was
no exaggeration to say that this hand was sufficient enough for victory.
Hibiki also gained a one pair, but that was of no concern.
“Yes, sure.”
She gave her cards to Maya. Maya’s finger tips trembled. The first hole card
was a ♥10 of Hearts which formed a one pair with the community cards.
“────────!”
With a startled sound, the second hole card was revealed. It was a ♣King of
It was just by a little. But the value of one of the pairs marginally surpassed
Oka’s hand.
“……Understood.”
On the other side, Hibiki handed her chips to Kurumi with a worried look.
Kurumi calmly accepted the chips──and then finally revealed her emotions.
A feeling as warm as summer, it could be described as a peace of mind.
……No. That was impossible. She must have been certain that her hand
contained at least one pair. On the other hand, she had no idea of knowing
that Ariadne’s hand had a three of a kind.
She would have lost if Ariadne went in with her three of a kind, and only she
could tell when she would choose to fold──
That wasn’t it. Kurumi knew. Even without looking at her cards, even
without caring about her cards, she knew Ariadne would buckle down under
this pressure.
The eerie feeling of the temperature of emotions not fluctuating, the fear of
being observed, and finally the temptation of being able to watch this game
from a safe zone.
Those conditions had taken away all of her choices besides folding……!
Before Ariadne could respond to Yuri’s suggestion, Kurumi struck the table.
“I’m in the flow of the game now. In that case, I would like to continue this
game without a break. We originally had rules two and three to prevent
unfavorable conditions. Isn’t this sort of suggestion agreeable?”
“But──”
“Yes, yes. Then let’s continue trying to kill each other. Ariadne Foxlot.”
Kurumi called out her name while staring at her with her clock piece marked
eye.
Laughter resounded.
Hibiki, after getting up and wandering aimlessly, sat down again and shifted
Hearing Hibiki’s words, Kurumi gave a faint smile before speaking. At that
moment, Kurumi’s vigilance on this game grew slightly lax. Or that is what
Ariadne thought.
While it was unknown what sort of cheating Kurumi had used──it would be
unlikely that it involved the little girl standing behind her.
Ariadne knew that this was the decisive battle. Tokisaki Kurumi’s emotions
went from the first day of summer to minor heat. In other words, she was as
high as the midsummer sun before the results were determined.
Both Ariadne and Kurumi had almost the same amount of YP left in their
hands. At this point, YP was almost meaningless. Unless she drew a bad
hand, Ariadne didn’t intend on folding.
For the two of them, there wouldn’t be a terrible draw that ruins this game.
Without such luck, it would be impossible to survive long in this Neighboring
World.
Ariadne expressed a ferocious smile. In response to that smile, Kurumi let out
a Kihihihi laugh just like a Shinigami.
“……”
Hibiki was trembling while watching Kurumi from behind. Kurumi lovingly
covered the face down card.
“No, no, just a little magic spell. This time I will look into the cards as well.”
Kurumi slowly flipped the corner of the card up. She didn’t seem to be on
alert. Or perhaps she didn’t intend to show it all.
Under this tense atmosphere, Kurumi slowly flipped her hole cards.
This act was nothing more than trying to look into a card that she couldn’t
see. Kurumi had already turned her cards face down. As a precautionary
measure, Ariadne read that Kurumi’s emotions had already turned back to the
first day of winter again.
However, it wasn’t complete disillusionment. After all, hole cards were just
two cards that couldn’t even form a full hand.
The problem was in the community cards. No matter how bad the hole cards
are, one could use those to turn back the tide.
Her cards are ♦Jack of Diamonds and ♠7 of Spades. The community cards
could drastically change the level of this hand. Following Ariadne’s
instructions, Yuri chose to fold without disclosing her hand.
“Check”
“Check”
Both Ariadne and Kurumi chose to check first. Hibiki’s emotions lingered
between restlessness and excitement.
Only one pair confirmed so far, but this hand certainly had its advantages.
“……Well, I think it’s already been exposed. But it was I who purposed
Texas Hold’em to decide the outcome. Therefore, if I lose, Yuri-chan will
declare defeat.”
Ariadne confessed this in order to keep Kurumi from easily giving up in this
game.
However, she had a hunch. If she added another card, this hand would
become even better. She was certain of this.
“Check.”
“……Check.”
In conformity with Kurumi’s check, Ariadne also chose the same option. A
fifth community card was submitted.
♠Jack of Spades
(It’s here……!)
Hibiki’s emotions remained the same as the first day of summer. Of course
there was still slight anxiety from nothing being certain in this game yet, but
she wouldn’t lose even if her opponent had a three of a kind.
But,
“Now──”
“Raise.”
Ariadne pretended to be lost for a few seconds, feigning being nervous as she
timidly declared a call.
“All-in.”
Hibiki’s emotions suddenly froze. The warm feelings of the summer solstice
suddenly fell into the major cold in one single gulp.
“Huh……h-huh……!?”
“……”
Hibiki’s emotions were in chaos. Even Kurumi, who had kept smiling, lost
her expression.
“Now, what do you want to do, Tokisaki Kurumi-san? Do you want to fold?
Or do you want to go all-in like me?”
Ariadne had the slight advantage in chips. The fact that she went all-in meant
with certainty that she had a fairly high level hand.
……But.
Not to mention, she was Tokisaki Kurumi. According to the rumors coming
from the Ninth Region Yesod and the Eighth Region Hod, she was a girl with
a queen-like temperament that moved everything at her own satisfaction.
“Alright.”
Hibiki was shaking at her anxiously. Kurumi sighed while pinching Hibiki’s
cheeks.
“I-I understand. But sitting still can’t be done. I am a lightest weight type.”
Ariadne couldn’t believe that Kurumi was chatting so leisurely. It was almost
as if she was convinced that she would win.
“……!”
“Judging from the community cards, it should be a full house of Jacks and
7s.”
Ariadne asked.
“U-Um. Why──”
How could afford to be so lax. Behind her, Higoromo Hibiki’s face had
turned pale.
“……Kurumi-san……Kurumi-san’s……card……”
Rather than just stroking Hibiki’s head, Kurumi stirred her head with enough
force to shake her.
“……Huh?”
“Objectively, it was just a simple accident. You see, didn’t we change decks
because of my blood getting on those cards. At that time, mysteriously a
piece of that had stuck onto one of my hole cards.”
Maya turned over the cards with trembling hands. As she had said, there was
ripped card piece being stuck on there.
When the ripped-off part was removed, the two seemingly mediocre cards
The strongest hand that even a full house couldn’t bare it’s fangs against.
“……!”
Even Ariadne had to stand up and look at the hole card as it was revealed.
The ♥6 of Hearts was slightly stained with blood. It was a red victory. She
had lost. By now, she had been completely crushed. Nevertheless, Ariadne
was being shaken by pleasant emotions.
──How terrific.
For the first time, Ariadne experienced the sensation of her heart heating up
despite being defeated.
“……If the card was turned face up and been a fake, it would be considered
cheating. But this is not a fake. It was just an accident as Tokisaki Kurumi
said earlier. Because so long as it is recognizable immediately after it has
been placed on the table.”
“But!”
Sagakure Yuri crumbled her hair and threw away her cards.
“Hmm, but hey. There’s something that I don’t understand. Can you please
tell me Kurumi-san?”
“Hmm. Well, I think it’s already been exposed, so I’ll just say it. I can
explore and manipulate emotions. It’s possible to make a passionate child
calm enough to fall asleep and vice versa. So as a precondition, reading
emotions can also be done. But……”
Ariadne nodded as Kurumi finished what she was about to say. Indeed, it was
just like what Kurumi had said.
Hibiki also realized what she had been thinking. The feeling of being too
surprised caused her shoulders to shiver.
“I’ve been thinking of a certain male in my heart. So there was no extra time
that could be afforded in paying attention to the cards.”
“……Eh, really?”
“I am serious.”
Then, she stomped her feet and shouted from the bottom of her heart.
“Of course, I devoted part of my thought process to the game. That was how
it could be accomplished.”
Hibiki asked Kurumi while pulling at her sleeves. To summarize the situation
so far, Kurumi had used Hibiki watching behind her as a decoy to bait
Ariadne.
Kurumi asserted herself with her entire face giving a smile that would
bewitch any person looking at it.
Hibiki screamed.
“Indeed!”
“You are not angry, Higoromo Hibiki. You might as well be thanking her.
Isn’t it such a joy to come in handy?”
Truly she was an apologetic and simple woman that let others take advantage
of her, but she was also glad to be able to contribute to Kurumi’s victory.
That was Hibiki’s current thought process right now.
Still she couldn’t keep looking away and glance back at Kurumi’s direction.
“Eh?”
It was impossible for Hibiki to not let out a dull sound of surprise.
“………………………………”
Kurumi’s entire face was red as she looked at Hibiki with an embarrassingly
numb look.
Was this her way of teasing Hibiki? Of course, she couldn’t afford to back
down now.
──Still, Hibiki saw a rare expression that couldn’t be seen even after a
lifetime of searching.
“……Ahem. Anyway, with this the Seventh Region Netzach has been
cleared. At 100 million YP, the gates to the Sixth Region Tiphereth will
“Ariadne, Oka, Maya, you guys also come by my house. There are many
things I want to talk about.”
“I have talked with Sagakure Yuri a total of 21 times on topics other than the
regional conference.
Maya said silently while pointing her finger over her shoulder.
“Sagakure Yuri, there’s a piece of string on your shoulder. Wow, thank you.
That’s all.”
“That one doesn’t count. So in short there are no topics that don’t involve
your little sister.”
“No, no, no! I’ll come up with a different topic this time!”
“Um──”
Sagakure Yui was watching the Dominions with transparently clear eyes.
“I’m sorry about what my sister says, but could you please listen to her
request? I hope you will enjoy it.”
After a brief silence, Ariadne, who looked tired, opened her mouth.
“……Okay. Your little sister has been taking care of me during my stay here,
so I’ll listen this time.”
Maya and Ariadne’s lines of sight turned towards Oka. Oka nodded while
still looking reluctant.
“──────”
Later, Hibiki would realize that her intuition was spot on.
Guided to the mansion that Sagakure Yuri usually resided, Kurumi and the
others were taken aback by the sight.
“……Yokan?” (Tokisaki Kurumi) (TL Note: Yokan can mean a sweet jelly
dessert or a western house)
“……Haah. Did someone just make a pun with Yokan just now?” (After five
seconds, it was Higoromo Hibiki who pinched her cheeks to confirm this was
the pre-arranged place) Anyway, Sagakure Yuri’s mansion was box-shaped,
so the appearance of a box did feel suitable.
It had a dull, dark, and blue color that wasn’t very noticeable.
As Yuri pushed their backs, the girls accepted her hospitality with helpless
smiles.
“……W-Wel……come.”
The reactions of all five people seeing her outfit were all completely
different. Sagakure Yui was not wearing her usual simple and elegant sailor
fuku dress <Izuna>, but rather a maid costume.
Moreover, it was in a maid café style rather than a classical style. A miniskirt
with a looming garterbelt.
“No. But today is special, so. ……Even though I think my normal clothes are
better for me.”
“What are you saying; Yui is the cutest little sister in the world!”
Yuri proudly raised her chest. Hearing those words, Yui sunk her head down
even lower.
“Anyway, I hope everyone can get a good rest here today. This extremely
adorable maid Yui will satisfy whatever requirements you need.”
“Hey. Yuri-chan, Yuri-chan……I want you to lift up her skirt with a smile. Is
that service possible?”
“So it is possible……”
As Hibiki said while somewhat surprised, Yuri proudly straighten her chest
once again.
──Then, at this moment, Hibiki felt a strange feeling passing through her
head again.
(Huh?)
If she was a good friend, Hibiki would have pointed out without hesitation,
but they were as close as strangers.
Yui began leading everyone. While starting to climb the central staircase,
“……?”
Yui turned her head around and understood the meaning quickly from
Hibiki’s posture. She then hurriedly pressed her hand against her skirt.
“Sorry, but I’m about to vomit from this shaking, so please let go of me……”
──So then,
The room they arrived at under Yui’s lead was just as chaotic as the lobby
room decorations.
The beds were as luxurious as any first-class hotel, but the walls were
transparent glass bricks.
“If you say ‘Yui turn off, the AI will automatically activate to turn off the
lights in response.”
Yui’s words of course caused the lights to vanish and the entire room to be
submerged in total darkness.
Sagakure Yuri lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling, suddenly recalling
when Yui was still alive.
She and her sister lived through fighting. Although Yui had dropped out
midway through, Yuri recreated her as a mechanical doll.
But the more she recreated her, the more she noticed.
──I’m ■■■■■■■■■■!
And to this very day, this was Yuri’s regret. It was a lurking feeling of
separating and being left behind……even now.
However, regrets gradually disappear like letters drawn on the sandy beach.
While thinking about that, Yuri would sometimes ask this to her mechanical
dolls. But they would always reply like this.
“Come in.”
“I’m· so ·tired────────────!”
Hibiki screamed.
Maintaining a constant poker face was also quite tiring. Although they did
win in the end, the possibility of defeat was always present. Even the sweat
trying to ooze out had to be controlled by her willpower.
“Ah, Cistus was monitoring the casino’s cameras and Carte-san was watching
for any abnormalities around me. If anything went wrong, they would have
contacted me right away──that being said, nothing seemed to have happened
in the end.”
Of course, even though Carte took the task with confidence, she was a little
discouraged that nothing had occurred. Right now she was at a bar being
comforted by her four playing cards.
After hearing what Kurumi had said, the image of Cistus gracefully playing
card games and slots.
Honestly, it was a bit amusing. For other people watching, it would probably
be surprising seeing someone who was the splitting image of Tokisaki
Kurumi going around and doing that.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I can’t explain it too well. It just feels a little out of sync.
Probably it’s just my imagination.”
Inconsistent, although Hibiki also recognized that feeling, she didn’t think it
was due to the fatigue. Anyway, since good results have been obtained, she
didn’t think they should bother this too much.
“Finally, next up is the Sixth Region Tiphereth. This is the last region I can
teach about. From the Fifth Region and onward, it’ll be all unknowns. What
will happen now?”
“No way. I’ll follow closely whether if it is the Fifth Region, Fourth Region,
or beyond. ……But, before that, we must find a way to go to the First Region
Keter.”
“Yes, that’s why we’ll need to talk with the Dominions for that. At the
moment, it seems we have the most information.”
“Ah, I see……”
“The other side seems to want more information about the White Queen.
Although the information about around battle in the Third Region Binah has
been passed onto Jugasaki-san, the communication between Dominions
doesn’t seem to be perfect.”
“……If you think about it, if Retsumi-san contacted us properly at the casino,
we wouldn’t have to suffer that sort of mental torture.”
“It would be the same regardless. They wouldn’t be able to trust a new
Dominion that easily. “
After all, they probably all wanted to know. The girl named Tokisaki
Kurumi, how would a true Spirit compare to them who are ‘Quasi”.
And at the same time, determine if she was also hostile against the White
Queen.
“I didn’t use violence. Although I made some threats, it was within the
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Hearing Kurumi say that, Ariadne, who had narrowed her eyes as thin as
thread, opened the door.
“I am.”
Kurumi stood up. Hibiki also naturally wanted to get out of bed, but Ariadne
stopped her.
“Hey!”
“It can’t be helped. I’ll go alone. ……Hibiki-san, wait here for a while.”
“Guu.”
Now that Kurumi had spoken, Hibiki could only shut up and accept this.
“Well, what about it? There isn’t enough time to explain it.”
“Hmm……half a day?”
“Of course. If she can’t be trusted, then there wouldn’t be anything real in the
Neighboring World.”
“……That’s a lot of trust. ……Well, let’s end that topic for now. Today, the
topic that’s been given priority over everything else is──”
Ariadne nodded as she opened the door. Inside, Yukishiro Maya and Miyafuji
Oka were already waiting. Sagakure Yuri’s figure wasn’t present.
“Oka bluntly spoke out. Kurumi remembered about her in the Eight Region
Hod while staring sharply at Oka. Perhaps noticing Kurumi’s feelings,
“……A while ago, her region came under attack from the White Queen. So
her pride is a bit hurt.”
The reason why the White Queen could sneak into her region was through
manipulating the Empties.
Although the Sixth Region Tiphereth had purged the Empties and
temporarily restored stability, that loss still couldn’t be ignored.
“……I heard about Banouin-san. But she was a Dominion. That means she
couldn’t have been an Empty──”
“Yes. ……Perhaps the person who knows that bet in the world is me.”
“I’ll explain this in order. Of course, there are things I don’t want to talk
about. Is that fine?”
For example, things such as the nature of her own existence and Hibiki’s
painful wish.
Kurumi especially couldn’t say anything about Hibiki here. But for her
motivations of going to the other world, that could be said proudly here.
“Now then──where to start. Let’s begin with Malkuth as the starting point. ”
A lot had happened. Some parts were ridiculous and others were sad.
It was a rare long speech coming from Kurumi. However, most of it wasn’t
an emotional story, but rather information about the White Queen’s specs.
Defeating the Former Dominion Carte À Jouer in the Third Region Binah and
began invading the Spirits in other regions──no, Quasi-Spirits.
“Inverted clone. ……I see. Although this phenomenon hasn’t been seen in
Quasi-Spirits, it makes sense that the White Queen is such an existence.”
“I may or may not be the reason. However, the one thing I can say is my
determination to kill her.
Maya and Oka both turned towards Ariadne at the same time.
“Hmm……probably true. There was some passion in your words just now.”
“There’s──”
“What’s wrong?”
“……Your ability really makes it awkward. Really, it’s just conjecture right
now rather than being confirmed. Under that premise, do you still want to
hear about it even though it may just be speculation?”
After Maya said that, both Oka and Ariadne nodded in agreement.
“Alright then. It’s about how the White Queen is manipulating the Empty.
The answer is that she made them fall in love.”
“……Fall in love?”
“Yes, that’s right. Yes, yes, of course even I admit it’s a ridiculous notion,
but the events in the Eighth Region Hod have made me come to this
conclusion.”
Real love was taken away as she was implanted with a false love. Under that
pain and distress, Kareha chose to let herself disappear.
“No, that wasn’t for vain. Assuming what she says is true, I’ll make further
assumptions. There are different stages a Quasi-Spirit must go through before
becoming a slave of the White Queen.
Planting the feeling of love in the Quasi-Spirit and waiting for it grow until
they become an Empty and then finally her subordinate. As long as the first
and second stages are noticed, it may be possible to suppress this change.”
“……”
“There are no clues in the Sixth Region Tiphereth. However, my region is the
central hub of the Neighboring World. If there is information, it should come
to me first. If there isn’t anything, that means──”
“Library tower?”
“It’s the only building in my region. It’s where all the books in the
Neighboring World are collected.”
“……Is there any information about the First Region Keter written there?”
“No, I’ve already read everything. So when I say no, I mean no.”
“No clues.”
“The White Queen. Isn’t she also looking for the First Region Keter? If so, if
you find her, there’s bound to be some clues.”
“Ara, ara. Are those words intended for me to crush the White Queen,
Ariadne-san?”
“Completely correct.”
“……As I said earlier, we’ll have to settle the score eventually. But to be
honest, there’s not much I can do right now. In any case, the other side has
countless troops. So, do you want to assist me? Of course, I don’t think you
have the right to refuse.”
Oka nodded.
Hearing her question, both of them remained silent. Despite being friendlier,
she didn’t have their complete trust.
“Alright, then I’ll change the question. When I talked about the White Queen
earlier, didn’t I mention the three chess pieces following her? Rook is the
only one I have fought against──can you openly assert that you can defeat
her based only on my description?”
“That’s fine enough. For me, the last thing I want to see is being suppressed
by numbers when fighting against the White Queen. If it is just Empties, I
can handle alone. But having three opponents on the level of Rook would
be……”
Even Rook alone was enough to make her struggle a bit. Furthermore, the
White Queen was the one who stood at the apex. Even when discounting for
any possible betrayal or switching sides, it would be difficult to make them
succumb.
Even the ever reliable Hibiki was no match against Rook. Cistus and Carte À
Jouer would be enough for one piece each, but that still wasn’t enough.
“Leave it to me, or rather to all of us. Every Dominion will spare no effort
“Is that so? Wouldn’t it be difficult for the Ninth Region Yesod since there is
several non-combat type Quasi-Spirits there? The Eight Region Hod is still a
mess. The Seventh Region Netzach is also the same. Yui-chan has already
said that Yuri-chan isn’t good at fighting……”
“Ara. The person called Kagarike Haraka is in the Tenth Region Malkuth?”
“If that region is left in chaos, it’ll also have a negative effect on our regions.
All of the Quasi-Spirits in the Tenth Region Malkuth are bad guys. When
those who enrich their lives through killing each other enter other regions,
our security will become threatened. Furthermore, it would be problematic if
the White Queen took advantage of the chaos to take control of the region.”
“So then it’s almost over. Ah, that’s right. Tokisaki Kurumi-san.”
“──I’ll say good-bye as well. Ariadne Foxlot. Are you heading back
tomorrow as well?”
“……So be it.”
Maya also left the room. Only Ariadne and Kurumi were left. Those two had
just engaged in fierce battle not long ago.
Starting from tomorrow, the siege against the White Queen was about to
commence.
If they moved in unison with Kurumi, even the White Queen would have a
difficult time.
A while after opening my closed eyelids, it was morning the next time I
noticed. No, even though it was morning, it was still night time in the
Seventh Region Netzach.
Then, after being shaken up by Hibiki-san, I used a triangle sleeper hold. No,
I got up gracefully.
Well, Kurumi-san went out to the meeting. I had nothing to do, so I went to
go talk to Yui-san.
Um, Yui-san was trying to cover her legs by pulling on her skirt. But I told
her that gesture would be more stimulating eroticism instead.
Yui-san twisted her neck and called out into Yuri-san’s room, but there was
still no reply.
For a moment, Yui-san stared into the open space and opened her mouth. She
whispered out
Lock? Lock……there wasn’t a lock. Or at the very least, Yui-san opened the
door effortlessly.
……Yes. I did chat with Hibiki-san. The conversation with Hibiki-san was
mainly just gossiping.
It was very late when Kurumi-san returned, and I left the room around the
same time. Kurumi looked very tired and decided to hurry up and go to bed.
Shortly before the scheduled wake-up time, I was called upon by Hibiki-san.
I accepted her request to give her greetings to Yuri-sama.
Since yesterday, there were no records of Yuri-sama leaving her room. I had
a bad feeling as I opened the door.
……Yes, although I had forgotten at the time, the door was supposed to have
been locked. But even if it was locked, I can pry the door open, so the results
wouldn’t have differed.
Although the body was lying on bed as if still asleep, the room was covered
in blood. So at the time, it was already possible to judge that this was death
rather than a serious injury.
The tragedy of the room was of course seen with my own eyes. I also
confirmed the corpse.
It disappeared afterwards……
Tokisaki Kurumi really made a fine play. Thanks to her, I was able to see
Sagakure Yuri’s disappearance with my own eyes.
There is a time lag of about ten seconds to ten minutes from data so far of
when a Quasi-Spirit is killed before annihilation.
Conversely, with ten minutes at most, everyone only has the alibi of being
‘asleep’. So everyone is a suspect.
So, when confronted with the question of “who killed Sagakure Yuri?”,
everyone would have the same response.
Something doesn’t feel……right. The crime scene looks a little too terrible.
In that case, the sounds of a battle would have woken us up……
Also──why she didn’t participate in the discussion about the White Queen
yesterday is also a mystery. Even physical discomfort isn’t enough of a
reason not to participate.
The expressions of Kurumi and everyone else gathered in the reception hall
were all rigid.
Regardless, she was dead. The corpse disappeared and at the same time the
traces of blood were also wiped away, but no matter how one phrased it,
Sagakure Yuri was dead.
“So, staying just here is pointless. What are you all going to do?”
Kurumi opened her mouth to speak. Looking back at this attitude, Oka’s gave
a complication expression while staring back at her.
“……Of course, I’m not just going to stay here. It’s necessary to find the
culprit.”
Yui, who remained frozen after being overwhelmed, straightened her back
“Yes.”
Evidence of intruders──none.
“Please wait. That may not necessarily be the case. Did one of the Yuis break
down and kill your master in an accident?”
“But──”
“Miyafuji Oka. Don’t say any more. If it was an accident, they would have
reported it. We can only assume that the criminal did so with malicious
intent.”
“This has to be investigated. There are quite the foreign elements in the
mansion today.”
Maya stared at Kurumi. Feeling the intent behind that gaze, Kurumi lightly
smiled back.
“Eh, me!?”
“……I agree. If you had used your <King Killing> to replace a Sagakure
Yui, wouldn’t it have been not be suspicious to enter that room?”
Hearing what Oka had said, Hibiki furiously shook her head.
“Wh-what is it?”
“Eh……”
“Impossible, that’s impossible! Don’t look at me like that; I’m just a poor,
fragile little girl!
Hearing Yui’s words, Hibiki, who had a twitching smile, soon realized the
seriousness of the matter. Everyone here didn’t have an alibi and the one with
the greatest chance of committing the crime was herself.
“W-Wait a minute……”
Kurumi called to her. Ariadne didn’t move, but Oka and Maya were standing
together. The atmosphere grew tense. Both sides had faces that looked
irreconcilable to each other.
“Well, well. It’s still too early to draw conclusions now. If just talking about
possibilities, both I and Maya-chan won’t be exempt. Oka-chan……hmm, if
she has the ability to conceal herself.
Moreover──”
“That’s it.”
“For example, if Yuri-chan went back on the promise this morning, wouldn’t
you have a motive for killing her?”
Hibiki noticed.
Already, everyone was at the brink. Soon there will be no choice but to fight
and kill each other.
But, Hibiki pointed out the one thing that everyone had forgotten.
“That Queen, the White Queen. Can’t that person infiltrate everywhere?
Wouldn’t that Queen be the only person who could kill a Dominion without
any signs of presence?”
“……But, in this situation she has no reason to kill Sagakure Yuri. We also
don’t have a reason──”
“There is one. Because I am here. Hmm, considering her thought process, she
must be trying to stir internal strife. Once that happens, I won’t be able to
“That’s on the premise that you’ll win. You don’t even know my ability──”
Kurumi replied while straightening out her chest. Oka couldn’t help but
remain silent. But in any case, everyone’s thoughts were diverted from
immediate conflict at least for the time being.
“Certainly, if we all fall here, there’s no doubt that the White Queen would be
the happiest one.
“……She has the power to lure people into a false love, remember? If that’s
the case, there’s the high possibility that someone under that power is the
murder.”
“Ah──”
Certainly, as Maya had said, this would be the safer option for the White
Queen.
“Proposal?”
“Let Tokisaki Kurumi do the investigation. Let her investigate who killed
Sagakure Yuri.”
After hearing Maya’s proposal, both Oka and Ariadne blinked unexpectedly.
“It is you who told us what the White Queen is capable of. Logically, if you
were on the Queen’s side, there’s no point in revealing her abilities.
Moreover, you have given the most reasonable understanding of the White
Queen’s actions so far.”
At the very moment she saw where this conversation was heading, Kurumi
wanted to refuse.
No one was present, but a familiar voice was echoing from the ceiling.
“Yuri……sama……?”
“Hearing the conversation of everyone after the death. Judging that the
emergency is ongoing, this mansion will be closed off. Transferring authority
of mass produced type Yui models to Yuri.
“……Yui-san?”
The mass produced Yui models all gathered at the entrance door. Countless
inorganic eyes were watching them.
“The only energy source for the mass-produced models is a Nitro Dress. 103
mass produced Yui models are currently active. If exploded simultaneously,
regardless of what happens to Tokisaki Kurumi, there is a 99% chance of at
least Higoromo Hibiki dying in the process.”
“……”
“──I cannot tell lies like a Quasi-Spirit. If Tokisaki Kurumi intends to flee, I
will detonate them all.”
Then, Kurumi considered it for a while. She didn’t feel getting involved in
the matter of Sagakure Yuri was too good. But just like Yukishiro Maya had
said, the possibility of the White Queen intervening likely meant that this
wouldn’t go off without a hitch.
“Thank you. Then, I hope that everyone will stay in this mansion and not
leave. Of course, that won’t restrict everyone’s freedom in here.”
Hearing what Hibiki had said, Yui wondered what facial expression would be
good in response.
“Well, everyone. There should be no complaints, right? I will solve this case.
Let me investigate, interrogate, identify the culprit, and hang her up
indiscriminately.”
“──Stop it, both of you. Yuri is right. Here is where we need to have
Kurumi-san search for the culprit.”
All three of them had a different response. Hibiki nervously observed the
three Dominion facing Kurumi.
On the other side, the special model Sagakure Yui had a look that combined
both confusion and sorrow.
“It really feels a bit shameful to say this. But if the White Queen is involved
in this incident, we cannot turn back. Now then──first of all, Yui-san.”
“Y-Yes!”
“?”
“? What? Ah, before you used an Unsigned Angel to prevent cheating. Please
use that.”
“Monitor us for wrongdoing. And above else, make us pledge we have not
committed any crime.
Is that okay?”
“Break the seal──The Fourth Book <Light Law Apostles>. I declare that I
will not take any action to disrupt the Sagakure Yuri murder case. If I break
this vow, my cheeks will be cut by a blade.”
“──Oath accepted. Cheek will be torn if you take an action to impede the
investigation.”
“……Now, I’d like to start the investigation……but there’s one more thing I
want to say before that.”
Kurumi’s Astral Dress had changed form. What she was wearing today
wasn’t her usual black and Elegant <Elohim> or even the bunny girl outfit. It
was a deerstalker cap and a brown trench coat. That’s right; it was a cosplay
of the world’s greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes.
“I also want to change my clothes, but what should I wear for a Mr. Watson
cosplay? I wonder if Mrs. Hudson would be better instead.”
“Then let’s make a quick search of the room……but isn’t that right?”
There was nothing in Sagakure Yuri’s room besides a bed and a table
(accompanied by a single chair). Both of them were stunned at the simplicity
of the room compared to where they had spent the night. Of course, all of the
“But it’s true that she died here. Unless that was an illusion. ……Hibiki-san,
do you remember the scene at that time?”
“There was blood everywhere. Was she killed here, or was she killed
elsewhere and it was deliberately sprinkled here? Hmm, it’s a mystery.”
“If she died elsewhere, wouldn’t the blood have disappeared on the spot?”
A shadowy bullet passed through the pillow and Kurumi’s head. Sure
enough, even though it was the second time seeing this, Maya watched
attentively without changing expression.
The memories of the pillow were being reproduced right before Kurumi’s
eyes. The memories burned into Kurumi’s mind just like a roll of analog film.
Of course, most of the memories were useless and therefore skipped. Just as
Yui had said, this was always a place used for sleeping. At the very least, she
needed to focus on the memories of last night.
However──
A sudden chill, a silhouette was looking at the pillow. A huge eyeball, there
“Kurumi-san!?”
“What happened?”
“The criminal predicted that I would try to read the memory of the pillow and
prepared a trap for me. It seems to have been intended to destroy my mind.”
“……That means.”
Out of all of <Zafkiel>’s abilities, the Tenth Bullet <Yud> was the most
suitable for searching for the murderer. If the murderer’s weapon was left at
the scene of the crime, she just needed to shot at it to read its memory. No,
just shooting the remnants of the crime scene ought to be enough.
“It can’t be used anymore. It was truly a moment of life or death just a
moment ago and I may not be so fortunate next time. We’ll need to use
another method to find the culprit.”
If Hibiki-san saw it, she would have died after vomiting out all of her bodily
fluids.”
“I hope that this culprit can be defeated logically. Well, that sounds unlikely.”
“That’s right.”
Looking at the memo from behind Hibiki, Kurumi also agreed. Generally
speaking, the time it takes for a Quasi-Spirit to die and then disappear is very
brief. The shortest time meant immediately after death while the longest was
around 10 minutes. Moreover, it was confirmed that she was at least alive
seven hours ago last night.
“No one has entered her room since seven hours ago. It was me and Kurumi-
san who entered the room last──”
“Yes, yes. It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense at all. Why did this
person choose to kill her in this situation? Even if it was to stir internal
conflict, the risks are too great.”
“While we certainly were about to fight against each other, wasn’t it also
possible that the situation would go the complete opposite direction? Um.”
Going by the flow of the conversation, at that moment there was no chance of
fighting against each other when they were finally thinking about taking
down the White Queen.
“Maya-san, I have a question. At the time of the conversation, did you feel
any intentions guiding it?”
In order to let Kurumi see it clearly, Maya projected the conversation of when
Sagakure Yuri was killed into the air.
“You, Ariadne, I, and Oka, almost all of us were speaking under the drive of
emotion and reason.
There was only one point of unnatural guidance. That was what Higoromo
Hibiki said at the end.
But her goal was to calm us down, so that point can be ignored.”
Phrasing it like that, Kurumi could also understand. Speech exchanged during
communication was not the same as speech intended for guidance. During a
Kurumi had carefully observed everyone’s face at that moment. There was
nothing artificial, everything felt natural.
“……Hmm, indeed……”
“That means sure enough it must be the ability of an Unsigned Angel. Isn’t
that within the realm of possibilities with Maya-san’s Unsigned Angel?”
“So something like the Ninth Book can manipulate sound, is that right?”
“Hmm. That’s about right. Able to use all of the Quasi-Spirit powers in a
well-balanced manner, that is me.”
“Isn’t that the same as being jack-of-all trades and master of none?”
Miyafuji Oka said that while trying to sound intimidating. While that may
have been her intention, Kurumi felt it was a little cute.
“So then, let me change the question. Is it possible for you to kill Sagakure
Yuri without our knowledge?”
“That’s──”
“……It depends on the method. But if it were me……the corpse would have
become something different altogether……”
“Something different?”
“The main thing is that……it would have been more grotesque than what you
saw.”
“Hmm, so it was done, then the shape of the corpse would have been
different. Thank you for you answer, Miyafuji-san.”
“Ariadne-san, you──”
“Hmm……isn’t it impossible?”
Before Kurumi could finish, Ariadne had already given the answer. It could
be even said that she was the most suspicious candidate.
“If it is just killing. After all, I can control body temperature even through the
wall.”
“Whether you can’t or won’t do it are two completely separate concepts. And
there is one more problem remaining. Regardless of suffering from a surprise
attack, it’s impossible to not run into some level of resistance. Not to mention
“Well. Even if I were to try and kill Yuri-chan with my abilities, I would run
into resistance first.
The Yuri-chan’s Astral Dress is so durable that it would take around five
seconds (if worn), and that would give her enough time to plan
countermeasures.”
Ariadne said that in one second for becoming aware of the attack, in two
seconds for recognizing the attacker, in three seconds to think up of a
countermeasure, and the remaining two seconds are enough to put a fight.
“But if it’s through the wall, the precision won’t be particularly accurate. So
it’s difficult to say.”
Kurumi had innocently lied. Actually she could pass through walls by
manipulating the shadows.
But she wasn’t stupid enough to say that on the occasion where she was still
under suspicion.
Although Hibiki looked like she wanted to say something, Kurumi winked at
her to keep quiet.
Once, there was a miracle in the Tenth Region Malkuth. But they had mutual
consent then. One person abandoned what was seized and returned it. The
other no longer despaired and accepted what was returned.
Without this, Higoromo Hibiki was just a weak and helpless Quasi-Spirit.
“Hibiki-san is not weak at all. She has to be very strong. For example──”
“You wanted to say gorilla, but switched it at the last moment after I caught
on!”
Seeing Kurumi doing as she pleased and Hibiki flying into a rage, Ariadne
looked on at both of them with keen interest.
“Anyway, thank you Ariadne-san. That only leaves three more people.”
“Three? One of them is Sagakure Yui-chan, right? Who are the other two?”
And the special models even surprisingly had emotions. But on the contrary,
she didn’t even have any taboo code. Like a Quasi-Spirit that couldn’t
disobey, she had to follow her master’s orders.
That’s what Yuri first said to her after she opened her eyes.
In general, they were important assets and weapons for the Seventh Region
Netzach.
In order for the Seventh Region Netzach to survive, they had to undertake the
task of information gathering.
There was only the slight fear when death arrived. And even this fear
gradually faded through constant synchronization.
She loved both the mass produced and first class models.
While that certainly wasn’t ethnically correct, it was still logically sounded.
She was trying to fill up the feeling of sadness in her heart with comfort.
Separating them in first class and mass produced types, she let them play out
their missions. And let that consume them. That sort of thing──in any case
was already a complete logical failure.
Despite having already lost her little sister, she let even the one filling the
roles of that sister continually die.
Dozens of special class models have been produced and most of them have
died in their missions.
Some of them were killed by the White Queen’s minions, while others never
returned back from the killing games in Malkuth.
In the case of the mass produced models, they often died without any trouble.
Breaking apart, sometimes that happened when intervening between conflicts
of different Quasi-Spirits. In other times, they died simply because of
accidents.
Death, death, death──as her little sister, Sagakure Yuri died over and over
again.
That’s why Sagakure Yui felt it was strange. However, she seemed to be the
only one to recognize this. The other Sagakure Yui, regardless of type,
naturally believed that a “so-called little sister should be like this”.
Even when she saw the corpse, she was shocked rather than sad. Was that
because she was a mechanical doll?
She thought that she would cry. But the tears wouldn’t spill and there was no
stagnation in her testimony. Even wanting to catch the culprit came only from
a sense of duty.
That was what Sagakure Yui vaguely thought. Even the mass produced Yui
models that couldn’t feel sad wouldn’t have a reason to feel sad anymore.
……With the White Queen’s “replacement” for the first time in a while, they
had changed their strategical approach. Instead of actively promoting an
invasion, the concept was now focused on infiltration.
Lurking in the shadows, another person (Cistus) was prepared for any attack.
Therefore, this contact should have at least been done in a robust manner.
“What happened……?”
This led to a conflict between the Dominions and Tokisaki Kurumi, which
then led to a situation where she would investigate all of them as a detective.
Although she wasn’t the culprit, she was also a servant of the White Queen.
If examined, this may become revealed. This disguise may be seen through.
The envoy of the White Queen, the noblest out of the three
messengers──Bishop.
Tokisaki Kurumi was an existence that even the White Queen couldn’t kill.
She was by herself and it was certain that the other Dominions would also be
participating in this conflict.
That being said, it was impossible to just run away now. Not only would she
be mistaken as Sagakure Yuri’s killer, but her identity as Bishop may also be
exposed during the escape.
Right now, the White Queen’s army was scattered everywhere. The
Dominions were being led by the nose. Even half of the Fifth Region
Gevurah was already under the control of the White Queen.
This was all thanks to the information she’s provided as well as the
passageways she’s created.
If she was afraid of death, she wouldn’t be the White Queen’s subordinate. It
was the same for Rook or Knight.
Death was not scary. There were countless alternatives for herself.
Fighting and then losing, a meaningless death with what meager resistance
she could offer.
The White Queen only remembered useful pieces. But if she wasn’t
useful──it was impossible for the White Queen to remember a piece that
couldn’t do anything. It should be like this. Why would you remember
someone who did nothing?
I have to be useful.
I must be useful.
Ah, her head was confused. She couldn’t even concentrate thinking at all.
Even the memory of joyfully serving the Queen was becoming murky. What
should I do, what should I do……
“……!”
“If I am really against you, I would have informed Tokisaki Kurumi by now.
However, she is still focused on the investigation. If you still have doubts, go
out and see for yourself.”
Not an enemy?
Bishop was left bewildered. Of course, the White Queen often did things
without telling them.
But, but──
Sagakure Yuri’s last wish? Bishop frowned while holding her suspicion.
“In order to fulfill that last wish, there is one thing that must be done. I hope
you can make Tokisaki Kurumi──”
Bishop froze. What was she saying? Kill Tokisaki Kurumi in this situation?
“Of course, I will cooperate. I am in charge of the control system for this
entire mansion. So make a plan, and you and I will be accomplices from here
on out.”
She had already been threatened. If she was starting to doubt her own
identity, Tokisaki Kurumi and the other Dominions would no doubt come to
the same conclusion after investigating. If exposed as Bishop, everything
would end regardless if she wasn’t the culprit. And something useless
wouldn’t be remembered……!
I accept.
Sagakure Yuri was killed. A simple fact, but it was one that created
complexity in countless ways. She was a Dominion and the mansion was
under her close surveillance with many other Dominions present. And most
importantly──
Kurumi suddenly closed her mouth, grabbing Hibiki’s arm and throwing her
into the shadows without any questions.
“Fugya!?”
Besides that wailing noise, Kurumi gracefully fell into the bottom of the
shadow.
“It’s better than being eavesdropped on. Well, first of all, this is strange.”
“If it is suspicion, we are both the same. Rather, why doesn’t this AI point
out the culprit in the first place?”
“That’s──”
“Isn’t the story of starting up after death strange? What is that AI for
anyway?’
“……The three Dominions are indeed suspicious. But the most suspicious
person is undoubtedly Sagakure Yuri. I even wonder if she’s really dead.”
“A camouflaged suicide……?”
Certainly, Hibiki also agreed to this. That was the most questionable thing.
“Yuri-san chose a sham death in order to achieve some sort of goal. That’s
why we became witnesses. ……Early in the morning, I wanted to say good-
bye and found the corpse. Even in the Neighboring World, that sort of thing
seems too unreasonable to be a mere accident.”
“I think so.”
They may have said their good-byes over breakfast (or dinner in the case of
the Seventh Region Netzach) or perhaps they would have waited out in the
hallway rather than going directly to her room.
Nevertheless, she died at the very moment where Kurumi and Hibiki could
testify that she died.
“……If that’s the case, then Yuri-san became Yuri through a fake suicide?
“But that also leaves us the question of why she made us the detectives.”
Was she convinced that Kurumi and Hibiki would never reach the truth?
No, then she won’t have pushed the detective role onto them otherwise.
The moment they reached a truth, there was an opposing fact about that truth.
Who was the culprit and the truth of how the walls in the room were
overcome.
Even if that person wasn’t the culprit, it was still a fact that she made Kurumi
and Hibiki act as detectives.
“Then there’s only one thing to do. Delve into the facts. To do that──”
After being identified as an assistant, she could escape playing the part of the
clueless helper. In any case, there was one more person now added. Even if
she (Yuri) might be standing opposite to them now……
Sitting across from the table, Sagakure Yui felt a burning sensation travel up
her face. Was she had maybe considered an alert look──or perhaps it was
viewed as a hostile one.
“……Um……uh…...”
Yui felt her words grow more incoherent as her eyes tried to glance away.
“I’m sorry to ask this of you so suddenly, Yui-san. Can you assist me in my
investigation?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“I’m a little puzzled, but what is the difference between you and an ordinary
Quasi-Spirit.”
“I’m not the same. My blood is artificial and I have no sense of pain. And
above all else we can synchronize with the mass produced and first class
types.”
“Synchronize?”
“……Yes.”
Was she really rich in emotions? That was something that even she didn’t
fully understand about herself. But even though it felt a little out of place,
Tokisaki Kurumi had asked if she was “rich in emotions”.
“Then let me ask you right now. Do you have a method or motive for killing
your older sister Sagakure Yuri?”
“Is that also the same for the mass produced Yui models?”
“They…… Do you feel yourself different from the mass produced Yuis?”
“I……”
“Well. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. You feel distressed
about their affairs.
Yui felt as if she heard a ticking sound coming from the clock on her pupil.
“?”
It was the feeling of being swallowed as something grabbed her ankle. There
wasn’t even enough time to scream or swing her weapon as she was
helplessly pulled into the shadows.
“Who!”
As Yui was preparing for pain, Hibiki lifted up her arms and shouted.
“Hibiki-san……?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry to have scared you. Usually I’m on the opposite end as well,
so even I wanted to do it once to someone else……”
“That’s saying too much! …...So, Yui-san, are you okay now?”
“I have a request.”
“A request?”
As Yui was still confused, Kurumi softly whispered into her ear. Yui’s eyes
widened upon hearing the request.
“……Yes.”
Although hesitant, Yui still replied. Regardless of her personal distrust, Yuri
was very responsible as the Dominion of the Seventh Region Netzach. She
couldn’t imagine a betrayal.
On the other hand, Kurumi’s findings were also very convincing. Indeed, the
theory that the other Dominions were the culprit felt like something was
wrong. And she did feel that Yuri was hiding something.
“This is not betrayal. To believe in her, you must confirm it for yourself.”
“Tokisaki Kurumi (me) has a single goal. In order to achieve that, we are not
afraid of death.
A clone was fine enough. For example, with Cistus, she had her own
thoughts and personality despite having the same face as Kurumi-san. She
could even talk about Kurumi’s charms all night with a different Hibiki.
However, it would be a different story if that clone was a mass produced
robot.
“The mass produced Yui-san has been treated quite roughly. How could she
do that to something with the same face as her sister? That is my question.
And during our discussion, I learned that the first class Yui-san also had the
same question.”
“Of course, it is also a gamble. But doesn’t that somehow feel suitable for the
Seventh Region Netzach?”
This has always been the case since arriving at this mansion.
As Yuri had said so, Bishop began to wait for that opportunity. Tokisaki
Kurumi rarely had any openings. But rarely didn’t mean never.
There are inevitably blanks that occur unconsciously, which then leads to
careless mistakes.
She would use all of the power of her Unsigned Angel to kill her relentlessly.
Yuri remained silent. Bishop followed behind Kurumi while suppressing her
anxiety.
Kurumi and Hibiki were having a conversation. She didn’t pay any attention
to that. She understood Hibiki’s ability. She knew most of Kurumi’s powers.
No problem, Bishop breathed a sigh of relief from her chest.
“By the way, how do you usually investigate a murder in the Neighboring
“……So you’re saying that the Neighboring World does a good job in
maintaining order.”
“How can I to describe it? It’s said that a person traveling from the Tenth
Region Malkuth to the Sixth Region Tiphereth can be rest assured. However,
it does feel like walking through a thin tightrope at times.”
Kurumi turned her head suddenly──her eyes turned to Bishop. There was no
awareness at all.
Although her face had a fearless smile, there was no hint of hostility. Bishop
didn’t take any action while looking naturally at her.
“Hibiki-san, please go along with Yui-san and Ariadne-san. I will act with
Miyafuji-san.”
Higoromo Hibiki didn’t even try to conceal her reluctance. It seemed that
Kurumi regarded Ariadne as the major suspect and intended to use Hibiki as
bait.
She didn’t notice this fatal mistake. Oka nodded with a smile.
“Yes, of course.”
Being alone with Tokisaki Kurumi meant that she had lowered her guard.
Allowing someone to walk behind her with her back defenseless was proof of
that.
“Tokisaki Kurumi, this is Yuri. When scanning the entire mansion, there was
a response from a suspicious Sephira Crystal fragment. A suspected intruder
has appeared.”
Yuri must have reached the same conclusion. She was trying to guide them to
an unoccupied room. This was going as planned. Separate Tokisaki Kurumi
from Hibiki and the other Dominions and move her to a room where a
surprise attack can easily be done.
Immediately after entering the room, Yuri would replace the door with a wall.
The Sephira fragments were dummies planted by Yuri. The trap will be set
off the moment she approaches it.
Dazzle her eyes with a flash of dizziness, the moment her thoughts are
distracted──she would be killed mercilessly in a single blow.
“Yes. Apparently, she was hiding in the debris in the warehouse. Being so
camouflaged, it was difficult to discover her.”
Kurumi opened the door. She wasn’t even holding out her pistol. Oka sneered
at her carelessness.
She already summoned her Unsigned Angel. Of course, Kurumi believed that
this was to protect her from behind.
With her back turned, she approached the Sephira Crystal fragment.
“……Speaking of which.”
Kurumi said while turning her head. Oka, with her weapon out, froze. But
Kurumi wasn’t emitting any killing intent.
“I want to ask you. Miyafuji-san and the other Dominions have already met
the White Queen already, correct?”
She issued a declaration of war during the region meeting. If anyone asked
for the reason, she did it for Bishop.
The action showcased her solid foundation and also cleared her of any
suspicions.
But.
“I heard Miyafuji-san didn’t succumb to her pressure and drove her away
with intimidating words.”
That was an act. The White Queen couldn’t be scared away by a Quasi-Spirit
like herself. It was just an act; she was playing around, just──
Kurumi stared at Oka as if a little lost. Suddenly, her back was overcome
with a chill.
No……that wasn’t it. If she already knew, she wouldn’t have led herself into
this situation.
She was defenseless. She didn’t even have her weapon out.
In other words, was she getting suspicious? ……In that case, there would be
no chance for a second opportunity.
“No, it’s nothing. I was just a little surprise by how much you look like the
White Queen.”
In any case, there was unmistakable proof that Tokisaki Kurumi was similar
to the White Queen.
That was a fact she was absolutely reluctant to accept as Bishop, one of the
three executives.
But then Kurumi frowned sadly as she spoke with incredible incredulity.
“Yes, yes. I’m sorry this is all because of my failure. I let that sham survive.
Doesn’t it feel just like leaving spoiled leftovers on the table? Isn’t that
embarrassing enough to lose face over?”
For a moment, Oka’s brain refused to accept what Kurumi had just said. But
the moment she was able to understand the meaning of those words, her
entire body was trembling from anger.
“You──”
“Say, let’s focus on the investigation for now. Solving the mystery is the first
priority right now.”
“……………I agree.”
She couldn’t forgive, how could she forgive, she absolutely couldn’t approve
of those words.
She wanted to deny and reject all of her existence. To that end, she must kill
her right here.
Exercising the full might of her Unsigned Angel, raising the rapier──<Cold
Cruel>. Bishop’s joker, it was able to double both the mental and physical
gravity of anything it struck.
The moment she struck, her body would be crushed by the gravity of 500 G.
Although it was too cheap to kill her instantly, her frustration disappeared at
the chance of offering joy to the Queen.
That’s right.
At that moment, Oka lifted her Unsigned Angel above her head. A second
later, Tokisaki Kurumi would undoubtedly be ushered with a miserable
death.
The girl who had her back facing the attacker didn’t even bother to turn
around.
“Wha……”
Then Miyafuji Oka──Bishop suddenly let out a cry from the bottom of her
heart.
But that didn’t mean she was the White Queen’s opposite by being sweet and
gentle like an angel.
“Uh, gu……!?”
Rather it should be said that she was as crafty and cunning as a demon.
“Originally, I would have stopped your time with the Seventh Bullet <Zayin>
and killed you without asking any questions. Ah, but──”
Kurumi faintly smiled, gently stroking Miyafuji Oka’s face as she was lifting
up her rapier.
Her fear felt like a cotton rope slowly tightening around her neck.
“Ah, ku……!?”
Kurumi reached out for the pistol under her arm. Oka crudely collapsed.
Then, the moment she tried to get up, she felt a muzzle being pressed against
her head.
“Wha……”
“No, that’s not it. I have been set up as Sagakure Yuri’s AI to solve this case.
According to Tokisaki Kurumi’s request, I was to identify all three Dominion
suspects as the White Queen’s subordinate and request for cooperation. In the
end, only Miyafuji Oka agreed to the proposal.”
“……So……simple……”
A sense of shame scorched her body. If everyone was a suspect, then all they
needed to do was test everyone. That was the sort of logic that an AI would
use over a human being. From the very moment she had confessed, her death
had been guaranteed.
“It doesn’t look like you’re the type to excel in sneak attacks. Rather than
thinking about those useless things, it was even more dangerous for you come
out and directly attack me. So then, who are you?”
“……”
Silence, there was no obligation to answer. Rather than waiting for a chance
to strike back, her thoughts were preoccupied with thinking of anything that
could be done for the White Queen.
A clanking sound resounded. Kurumi was sitting in a chair with her legs
crossed, staring at her with contempt while speaking indifferently.
But there were openings in every regard. The effects of her bullet were
starting to weaken. For another five seconds, as long as the opening was still
there, she still had a chance to win with her Unsigned Angel……!
“I,”
However.
──It worked!
“……!?”
Oka overwhelmed the other Dominions not only in leadership, but also in
individual combat since her Unsigned Angel <Cold Cruel> had an
irreplaceable role there.
She could manipulate the gravity of an opponent that was cut and crush them
with it.
However.
“──────Huh?”
But.
Even a weapon capable of victory in a single hit was meaningless if the blow
couldn’t land.
“Ara, ara. What’s wrong, Miyafuji-san? Did you see in a dream of your
Unsigned Angel hitting me?”
Oka turned around with a startled look. Ariadne looked at Oka with a rare
look of extreme disappointment.
Not just her, Yukishiro Maya and Higoromo Hibiki were there as well. Maya,
who usually had a poker face, was frowning sadly. But for Oka, this scene
seemed strangely familiar.
“……That’s right.”
“A secret technique?”
“Because I won’t be trusted for having an ability like this, so I really didn’t
want to use it.”
Oka also thought that would be the case. If the necessary organs for obtaining
outside information were being manipulated, the difference between dreams
and reality would become completely ambiguous.
Who would ever trust a Quasi-Spirit that could accomplish such a thing?
“But I can’t let you kill Kurumi-chan. ──And above all else, you were the
one who deceived us first. Oka-chan……no, or rather it should be Bishop.”
The fact that she moved to attack with <Cold Cruel> was part of reality.
“Yes, yes. That’s right. You’re completely right. But your unsightliness is
nothing new. You have been hopeless the moment you as a Dominion
succumbed to the White Queen.”
“Fu, fufu, fufufufufu! The hopeless ones are you all! This Neighboring World
is a hysterically twisted and inevitably corrupt place! I just need to ask you
all!”
“……!”
“Yes, we are just shallow insects crawling forever. I’ve had enough of this
foolish life. In that case, I would rather work for that person. Fighting for that
person’s love is──”
As she said that, everyone went silent. The thoughts accumulating in the
abyss gradually came crawling out from inside Kurumi and the others’
minds.
We’ve died long ago and are only seeing our dreams here.
“……In the first place. What you’ve said is something that everyone has
considered once or twice. After all, isn’t there anything that can be done
about it? This dream-like world cannot exist at all. The more you understand
the other world, the more you will think so.”
Both Ariadne and Maya said nothing after hearing those words.
The thing they feared as Dominions was the false reality of this world.
“So it is understandable to think about that sort of thing. But someone once
told me this. Since this is a world of dreams, then it’s good to live like you’re
in a dream.”
This wasn’t Kurumi’s idea. Although she recognized that this place was
different than reality, she still believed that she was alive. It was for this
reason that she was aiming for the other world right now.
So perhaps those words came from someone Higoromo Hibiki once loved
from the bottom of her heart.
“Ah, you remembered! That’s right, those were her words. Thanks to her, I
can live a healthy life now!”
Between good or bad, it was good. From boring or interesting, it was quite
However, even she was at a loss for a moment after having her theory
strongly refuted.
“Miyafuji Oka.”
Yukishiro Maya approached Oka without any fear. She was staring coldly at
the traitor and summoned her Unsigned Angel without any hesitation.
“……”
“Was it when you became a Dominion? Or did you replace the real Miyafuji
Oka along the way?
Which is it?”
“……Let me first explain first. This flame will not only burn you, but also
As Ariadne added that point, Kurumi shrugged and stepped back to watch the
Dominions’
performance.
“……”
“If you don’t confess, we’ll torture you until you die.”
“But, forget it. Forget it. If there’s nothing that can be done, I’ll tell you. I,
Miyafuji Oka, became Bishop. Since……um, when did it begin? It must have
been a long time ago, so far away.
“Impossible. You were on the front line more than anyone else. When your
risked your life taking hits for others, you were already Bishop? Do you think
we’ll believe something as stupid as that?”
Kurumi thought it felt more like sadness than anger. Yes, probably Ariadne
also felt the same, a feeling of sadness over her being Bishop. And also a
hidden desire of wanting this to be wrong.
Miyafuji Oka laughed. Despite the serious warning just now, the corners of
her mouth were just like crescent moon. Her hand──was still holding onto
her rapier.
“Gah……!”
“This is──”
“I’m very sorry. Hesitating in this situation could be critical, so I took the
initiative to annihilate Miyafuji Oka.”
A girl was standing alone at the corner of the room. Hibiki, Ariadne, Maya,
and even Kurumi didn’t notice her.
“Mass produced……Yui?”
Without even giving her a chance to say her last words, the mass produced
All that remained was her Sephira fragment. However, the fragment that
should have been shinning blue had been bleached white.
“……Oka……why……”
Maya sadly lowered her head as Ariadne also looked displeased as she turned
her face to the side.
“──Now. It’s become clear that Miyafuji Oka-san was Bishop. Then is it
okay to assume that Miyafuji-san was the one that killed Sagakure Yuri-san?”
“……I……suppose……?”
“──No.”
“It couldn’t have ended like that. If asked why, it was impossible for
Miyafuji-san to kill Sagakure Yuri-san. Even though Miyafuji-san was
Bishop, she was not the culprit.”
“Huh……?”
“So what does that mean? Who is the one here that killed Sagakure Yuri? No,
no. That’s the wrong way to think. This series of incidents were all to pin the
crime of killing Sagakure Yuri onto Miyafuji Oka. Don’t you think that
makes sense?”
“……Hold on. She did admit to being Bishop and she wanted to kill you. In
that case, she can only be considered the culprit. Above all else……”
“If you view yourself as not the culprit, then only Ariadne-san would be left.
Wouldn’t it be even more painful to be further betrayed by your allies?”
“……”
“The blow that killed Oka-san was truly wonderful. Even I was caught off
“I have nothing to say about the first attack, but I do find the second attack
unacceptable. She was already at the point where her life would soon fade,
but you didn’t even leave her the chance to say her last words.”
“For an excuse, I didn’t expect a lame one like that. Were you afraid that,
Miyafuji Oka, after having her Sephira fragment hollowed out, would speak
the truth?”
“I don’t understand what you are trying to say. She was trying to fight
back──”
“Hibiki-san (Watson), thank you for your question. I have said it before. The
White Queen creates faithful servants by letting Quasi-Spirits experience a
false love.”
“……Ah……”
Maya and Ariadne reacted at almost the same time. They looked at Kurumi in
astonishment──and then towards the ceiling.
“Of course, this power is certainly much inferior to the Queen herself.
But──”
“But. For example, what about this sort of ability? Parasite. Like say being
able to transfer your memories onto someone else?”
“……Well, there are various puzzling things. But what puzzled me the most
was the reason Sagakure Yuri asked me, Hibiki-san, and even the other
Dominions to stay the night here.”
Yes, that was the most suspicious point from the very beginning.
The two of them fought in a struggle against each and shook hands after it
concluded. It wasn’t a scenario where the victor gained all of the spoils, nor
were they going to break out and try killing each other immediately.
However, there was an ambiguous competitive spirit boiling of wanting to be
victorious next time on both sides.
“Yuri-san must have felt that atmosphere. But she still begged us to come
over and stay in her mansion. This point is already strange. Yuri-san made
that request as soon as we made our intentions of quickly leaving the Seventh
Region Netzach. At that time──”
“……We had to talk about Tokisaki Kurumi and the Queen. But it’s
ridiculous to get everyone to stay in one place just for that. We were all
frankly nervous of having Tokisaki Kurumi nearby.
She can stop time and manipulate shadows. ……It was impossible to rule of
thoughts of a potential assassination. After all, Tokisaki Kurumi has already
killed Doll Master in the Tenth Region Malkuth.”
Kurumi shrugged.
“That act was justified. Well, I’ll leave that aside for now. Anyway, the next
strange thing is Yuri-san starting up after Sagakure Yuri’s death.”
Everyone knew what Tokisaki Kurumi wanted to say next. At the same time,
it was guaranteed to be quite the dangerous act. That was why the atmosphere
in the room grew much tenser.
“On the contrary, Yuri. I wanted to know what your goal was. But I finally
understand after Miyafuji-san’s death. She was a scapegoat, just a victim. She
probably just became Bishop recently. Or maybe it was just around last
night?”
“In the Eighth Region Hod, I saw a Quasi-Spirit turn into an Empty and then
even fall under the control of the White Queen. And she served as the
Dominion there. In that case, Miyafuji Oka is probably no exception. She
was……the one chosen to be the culprit and die here.”
If she was Bishop and providing information to the Queen, the other
Dominions would both understand and despair at the same time.
“Since the Sixth Region Tiphereth is the hub region, did you intend to divide
each region?
Yukishiro-san, you said that Miyafuji-san was the leader of the Dominion
Maya briefly thought for a while before shaking her head as if wanting to
forget the bad delusion that came to mind.
“In this Neighboring World, it may cause the greatest chaos since the
establishment of the Dominion system. Suspicion would take over and Quasi-
Spirits wouldn’t be able to tell enemies and allies apart from each other.”
After thinking over Kurumi’s question, Maya thought for a while before
answering.
If former members like Carte À Jouer are included, there were eight people
who could still be called Dominions. They are all extraordinary people
worshipped and admired by Quasi-Spirits for their pure power.
Even for the White Queen, a great sacrifice would be needed to confront
them.
Because they lived in this world to fight, kill, and sacrifice for the Queen.
It was a plan to target the Dominions’ weakness and destroy them from the
inside out.
In order to achieve that goal, it wasn’t just enough for Miyafuji Oka to die.
They had to let her, as a Dominion, commit an act of betrayal.
That was the motivation and the method of crime was simple. After all, Oka
had already come into contact with the White Queen. She was afraid of a
power that easily invaded her region.
The three chess pieces led by the White Queen are Rook, Knight, and Bishop.
The three executives in fact will not die for as long as the White Queen is
alive.
“So Bishop. Just use this bullet to hit her and she will become you.”
No matter how many times Rook and Knight are destroyed, they can be
resurrected by shooting the Scorpio Bullet <Akrab> into an Empty. In
addition to the Scorpio Bullet <Akrab>, Bishop can create a second or third
Bishop by parasitizing others.
The difference from Rook or Knight is that she can be anyone. Even if it isn’t
an Empty, Quasi-Spirit with a life goal can be insidiously eroded by the seed
called Bishop. So, unlike Rook or Knight, Bishop’s personality can vary.
“But even so. Although there are many Empties that have gladly died for me,
you are a little special. Wouldn’t you feel reluctant?”
The method of dealing the most damage to the Dominions would be having
Miyafuji Oka die immediately after attacking her allies in the name of
Bishop.
Even if meant another Bishop dying, that was fine for Bishop.
Two Dominions and two Bishops would die to spiral the Neighboring World
into chaos.
“……What is it?”
“Why are you still sane? Don’t you love me just like my dear Empty-chans?”
──Answering that question would no doubt cause her to die, so how should
she reply?
“This isn’t what you wanted to happen. Such a development is outside your
expectations. That’s why you tried guiding us while also hiding your own
existence. Isn’t that right, Sagakure Yuri-san?”
“Yes, that’s right. Sagakure Yuri-san……no, Bishop. Are you still alive and
pretending to be dead in front of us? Or is it something different? Regardless,
your goal was for us to believe your deception, the lie that Miyafuji Oka is
the culprit.”
“For example, she might have disguised a mass produced Yui as the corpse.
In any case, if you search the mansion inside out, you should be able to snuff
her out. Or──”
“Sorry, wrong guess. I am no longer Sagakure Yuri. I am Yuri, the one that
has full control of the AI running this mansion. That part wasn’t a lie.”
“Or you’ve transformed yourself into something else……I see, so it’s like
The mass produced Yui models, which had remained motionless since the
very beginning, turned their heads to stare at Kurumi. Everyone saw the
robots begin to assume different battle positions.
As she opened her mouth, Yuri’s voice leaked out from outside.
“Oh, so that’s it. From here on, it’s easy to understand. Actually, it’s very
easy to guess.”
“……! Kurumi-san!”
The mass produced Yui models leaped to attack with speed far surpassing
humanity.
“──────<Zafkiel>!”
The sound of loud gunfire. After a brief silence, there were the sounds of
parts being broken.
“Kill them.”
As the countless mass produced Yui models rushed in one after the other,
Kurumi’s night had begun.
Before Sagakure Yuri became Bishop, she hadn’t reached the position of
Dominion yet.
At that time, she was just an ordinary Quasi-Spirit living humbly in the
Seventh Region Netzach.
There were no memories of the other world besides seeing the irresistibly sad
and beautiful sunset while pushing her little sister on the swings.
It was always night time in the Seventh Region Netzach, so it was a shame of
not being able to see the sunset.
Life in the Neighboring World was difficult, hard, and ordinary. There was
no sense of time, with yesterday being the same as tomorrow.
In this Neighboring World, no purpose for living can be entrusted to the dead.
In that case, being absent also meant her own value for existence was lost.
A girl dressed in a pure white Astral Dress spoke softly and slowly to her.
Just like that would be fine, Yuri replied back to her indifferently. However,
this girl didn’t listen and reached out her hand.
“Because I fancy your talents. Your cruelty is simply of too great value to
wastefully disappear.
Isn’t that right? Because of your selfishness, you even killed your little sister
in order to prevent her from leaving you. That greed is truly praiseworthy.”
“You weren’t satisfied with just breaking the wings of a bird that was about
to fly away──”
If this wasn’t greed, then what was? Facing Yuri who had everything seen
through, the Queen offered her hand.
“Offer what?”
Yuri spoke while holding her hand back. The Queen affirmed so without
being upset.
“Yes. I will destroy this world sooner or later. Before the arrival of the King,
I must wipe out all of these pests.”
Who is King?
The identity of the King. What sort of existence he was. What his life was
like and how he had spent it.
──So dazzling.
That was the first impression. A sense of purity to cleanse her own shallow
and greedy self.
“The King is that man. But don’t you think there’s too much riffraff in this
Neighboring World?”
It eroded away.
All the desires she had for her little sister had gone to him.
Ah, that’s right. There was something like this? I had given up doing nothing
with my life, but this was──
“I understand. My Queen. You are the only one worthy to stand beside the
King.”
“Thank you. Starting from today, you will be my Bishop. Serve me until the
moment you die.”
“It is my honor.”
There was only one thing Sagakure Yuri had lied to Queen.
The mass produced Sagakure Yui models constantly sprung out. Although
they were also not afraid of death just like Empties in the White Queen’s
army, they didn’t charge in chaotically and recklessly. Rather, they acted
extremely efficiently while aiming to kill Kurumi and the others.
A single unit was a small-fry with decent individual fighting power, so they
were attacking together in the form of a ten-fold army.
It was no wonder that Hibiki screamed. Currently, nearing 100 Sagakure Yui
models were rushing towards Kurumi. Tokisaki Kurumi, Higoromo Hibiki,
Yukishiro Maya, and Ariadne Foxlot, these four people were facing a
countless and innumerable amount of Sagakure Yui.
The mass produced Yui models approaching Ariadne kept attacking in the
wrong direction numerous times. Ariadne kept avoided their attacks by
disrupting their vision. But being a hair breadth so close to the attackers, even
a single blow could prove fatal.
Maya opened her Fifth Book again──flames scattered around as she tried to
provide cover. But of course, the most critical situation was for Higoromo
Hibiki.
“……Hibiki-san!”
Kurumi kicked Hibiki away, allowing her to avoid the attack, while she also
continuously fired to scatter the attacking Sagakure Yui.
“O-Okay!”
Kurumi smacked her lips. She thought something like this would happen, but
didn’t expect it to be at this extent. Likely every Sagakure Yui in the Seventh
Region Netzach had gathered here.
The quality and quantity were completely different from the dolls that she
fought against in the Tenth Region Malkuth.
In any case, the number of Sagakure Yui defeated by those four had already
exceeded 100.
In other words, the 100 Sagakure Yui initially in the mansion had already
been killed. However, the situation hadn’t changed at all. Not only that,
Kurumi caught a glance of something that unconsciously made her tremble.
Sagakure Yui models were appearing from the walls of the mansion. That
Ariadne whispered while holding Yui’s Sephira fragment in her hand. In fact,
there are people who kill Quasi-Spirits to devour their Sephira fragments
after being victorious. This was especially commonplace in the Tenth Region
Malkuth. But for Dominions, they had a degree of disgust for this and
refrained from preying on other people’s Sephira fragments.
However, just a moment ago, the mansion had swallowed Sephira fragments
to create a new Sagakure Yui. In that case, they needed to devour them
to──”
“I think it is best not to do that. I feel like there could be a negative effect
from devouring these Sephira fragments.”
“I agree with Yukishiro-san. Their color has been bleached white to indicate
they have been specially treated. If you eat them, you may end up being the
one devoured in turn.”
Ariadne sighed while further accelerating her Unsigned Angel. Her Unsigned
Angel was a flexible thread of mercury. There was no handle for grasping,
but each end was connected to her fingertips.
However, one of the Sagakure Yui bit through the threads with her teeth,
which gave the chance for another one to jump forward.
“……!”
Just barely, the interception from the threads on her opposite hand came just
in time.
──However, another Sagakure Yui attacked while both hands were now
occupied.
“Ooh!”
Ariadne’s arm speed suddenly doubled. Rather than defend against the 16
kunai, she entangled 5
of them with her mercury wires and flicked back the remaining 11, instantly
killing five Sagakure Yui in the process.
For a deeper reason, Kurumi was also worried about the gaze watching them
from the very beginning. There were inorganic eyes, eyes, eyes, fixed on
them everywhere. But within those stares now──there was a hint of passion
in those pupils.
“Ah!”
“Too cruel!?”
“Sorry Hibiki-san, but please stay on the ceiling for the time being.”
“Destroy the main body, or that is to say, crush the main force behind all of
these troops. Either way, without defeating Bishop, our enemies can be
described as endless.”
“Ariadne and I will create an opportunity for you. So I want you to be the
one──who kills her.
Ariadne’s eyes rounded after she heard those rare passionate words coming
out from Maya.
“……With that being said, it’s unclear where the main body is hiding.”
Kurumi replied while still shooting. Maya closed the book she was using and
pulled out another book (a bulky mass market paperback edition) from the
bookshelf behind her.
Maya tore off a page from the book without hesitation. Then, she folded it
The mercury thread connected to Ariadne’s pinky tangled around the page,
causing it to begin flying like a real butterfly.
“This page can track Sephira fragments. I’ve set it to track Sagakure Yuri.
Follow that thread!”
“Got it.”
Hibiki released her hands clinging onto the chandelier and landed right
behind Kurumi.
“The goal is that butterfly. Keep your attention focused on it. You must not
lose sight of it. And I’ll intercept the Yui-san coming after you.”
As the two of them start running, Ariadne watched her leave while
whispering to herself.
“I don’t quite understand, but we can only place our hopes onto them.
Otherwise, it’ll just be a matter of time before we lose.”
Ariadne joined her hands together, entangling her mercury threads into the
form of a whip which she vigorously swung.
Breaking through the sound barrier, a sonic shockwave passed over Kurumi
and Hibiki. All of the mass produced Yui models standing near them were
shattered and disappeared.
Kurumi and Hibiki yelled at Ariadne as the passed through the corridor.
“In any case, if we are defeated, I hope you can at least allow me to survive.”
“Are the words ‘at least you’ something that should be said right now?”
“I have a duty that I have been entrusted with. So I can’t die until I have
fulfilled it. So if I end up stumbling, I’ll use you as shield to facilitate my
escape.”
Ariadne, who knew that Maya wasn’t the type to joke around, grinned.
“Okay. Then I guess I’ll need to work harder to survive. Here comes a big
move. <Hiō Yōei Kamikizuki>!”
The threads penetrated the bodies of the Sagakure Yui, connecting onto the
Sephira fragments they were using as a power source.
Five fingers x2, a total of ten Sagakure Yuri turned friendly. They attacked
the enemy with machine-like precision.
As Maya looked to the side, she noticed Ariadne was swiping away sweat.
Since it was such a big move, it wasn’t uncommon for it to waste Reiryoku
and require great concentration.
Certainly, she thought now was not the time to hold back. Now was no longer
the time where Dominions should hide their trump cards from each other.
For a moment, the dazzling light caused Ariadne to lose her concentration.
“Three valuable books disappeared from the Neighboring World. Ah, what a
waste, what a waste.”
While complaining, Maya casually swung the sword. Just like that, several of
the surrounding Sagakure Yui had disappeared.
“Amazing.”
“There’s no use other than attacking, so it’s inferior to the other books in that
regard. However, I think I can compete for a while with this. According to
However, Maya and Ariadne, after revealing their trump cards to each other,
grinned.
“Alright, let’s do this. Continue fighting and leave the rest to Tokisaki
Kurumi……!
Chasing after the flying butterfly, Kurumi and Hibiki rushed forward like
mad. Standing in front of them where the mass production Yui models whose
numbers had swelled to over 200.
Kurumi’s brain quickly made the judgement that there was no way to
overcome this. The mass-production types surpassed ordinary Quasi-Spirits
in quality and were overwhelming in their numbers.
There was one problem. Gradually, the Yuis were learning that Kurumi was
trying to protect Hibiki.
Of course, Hibiki also noticed this. She was obviously holding her back. But
it was too late. The moment Kurumi left Hibiki’s side, the Yuis would
annihilate her.
Kurumi answered that question with silence and gunshots. She couldn’t
afford to talk. She fired as many bullets as possible from <Zafkiel>.
“This……!”
No matter how made shots were made, there was no fear nor did they flinch
from seeing their allies being killed.
They waged a battle that mechanically ignored individual life for the sake of
efficiency. Kurumi tried to push Hibiki into the shadows──but that was also
prevented.
There was a fundamental difference when compared to the battle against Doll
Master in the Tenth Region Malkuth. No longer was Tokisaki Kurumi the
most vigilant in the Neighboring World.
Striking their shoulders, the mass produced Yui flew up. Then, she took the
chance to shoot them down with <Zafkiel>. She kicked away the Yuis before
they blew up.
This was a waste of time in both senses of the meaning. If she chose to use
the <City of Devouring Time>, she would come under attack the moment she
tried to concentrate. Also, Hibiki could also get caught in by being nearby.
And there was already no more chance to step back. Ariadne and Maya had
likely also switched from defense to offense.
A kunai stabbed into Kurumi’s wrist. She held back the pain and didn’t make
a sound.
“……Shut up.”
“Don’t give up, Tokisaki-san. Anyway, you can’t beat the White Queen. The
White Queen can easily turn this situation around, but it seems that you can’t.
It’s because you are impure. How sweet, do you intend to beat me while also
protecting Higoromo Hibiki?”
Her vision was blurred by sweat. The accuracy of her shooting also began to
decline because of her irritation.
Although the kunai were not worth mentioning in front of her Astral Dress
<Elohim>, harm couldn’t be avoided if the damage kept accumulating.
One point of damage was stacking up to one thousand points of damage. The
attacks that Kurumi were receiving were like this now.
“That’s……”
Her breathing grew ragged. Her vision seemed blurry as if drunk. There was
a tinge of pain coming from the kunai stabbing her wrist. However, Kurumi
still displayed a contemptuous smile.
“It’s coming.”
But she still couldn’t make the best of it. She was still using 30% of her
power to protect Hibiki.
“Kurumi-san!”
However, she could still move. She could continue fighting for a while
longer. An opportunity would emerge soon.
Endure for five minutes, keep on enduring. Blood and wounds were
everywhere, but Hibiki was still almost unharmed. Kurumi kept blocking
attacks that could kill Hibiki a hundred times over.
Please abandon me, she cried and begged──Kurumi kept rejecting that
firmly. But because of that rejection, the attacks made by the Sagakure Yuis
grew even more intense.
The attacks from the Sagakure Yuis were incredible, relentless, cunning, and
cruel.
Kurumi’s heart creaked and twisted. If she collapsed or retreated now, she
would lose.
A black pillar emerged passing through the first and second floors.
“……Compile……!?”
This was a memory from the other world left by the Spirits. For a moment,
Sagakure Yuri, confused by the unknown substance that just appeared,
suddenly stopped her own movements.
“Kurumi-san!”
But.
If the memory of the other world in this prism was related to him──
No matter what the situation, Kurumi had no choice but to touch it.
Both the characters and events were diverse. But Kurumi understood
immediately.
“Spirit──”
There are Spirits other than Kurumi. The first Spirit, the second Spirit, the
Fourth Spirit, the Fifth Spirit, the Sixth Spirit, the Seventh Spirit, the Eighth
Spirit, the Ninth Spirit, the Tenth Spirit.
They risked their lives fighting. They risked their lives trying to save
someone. Perhaps, it was for someone she didn’t know, perhaps it was for a
friend of the Spirits, or perhaps it──was for him.
The colorful memories continued, but there was no Tokisaki Kurumi there.
A single sigh, she let out all of the feelings boiling inside her.
Time came to a stop. The Spirits disappeared, the landscape disappeared, and
in the end only one person remained.
“■■-san──────”
She muttered his name, a name that she still couldn’t completely recognize
There were all sorts of memories, but she couldn’t record these thoughts for
long.
In her brain, there was a void-shaped cube. And this sense of nothingness
seemed to have taken something important from her. And the void was
increasing with each passing day.
Run through.
“But──”
Tokisaki Kurumi was selfish, with her motto being unparalleled in cruelty
and arrogance.
While saying that, Kurumi smiled──it was a smile Hibiki was familiar with,
but also one that gave her an ominous premonition.
“R-Really───────────────!”
Hibiki shouted loudly while shaking <King Killing>. This acceleration felt
like cheating. Her body felt abnormally light and fast.
Then, with a vicious claw as her weapon, Hibiki began tearing apart one mass
produced Yui after the other. Kurumi smile seeing this scene before moving
on.
Hearing Kurumi’s commands, Hibiki nodded with joy as she ran side-by-side
with Kurumi.
The Yuis rushing to pursue them could no longer stop Kurumi, who was no
longer protecting Hibiki, or Hibiki who had just been empowered by Kurumi.
“More reinforcements……!”
“Regretfully for you, this world is truly wonderful. As long as enough time is
stalled, the reward for that time spent will come from others.”
“──What?”
Kurumi turned to the direction of the entrance. Then, she gave a slightly
helpless shrug.
“Wha……!”
And.
“──Yuri-sama.”
“Because I was worried that this situation would grow out of control, I
invited these two who might be able to help. The former Dominion of the
Third Region Binah Carte À Jouer-sama and another Tokisaki-sama, Cistus-
sama.”
“That’s exactly my question. Yuri-sama, why are you trying to kill the
Dominions?”
“No, there was no need to ask anymore. For me, I only see this current
reality. I can no longer stand by your side.”
Silence, all of the mass produced Yui models looked at the first class
Sagakure Yui at the same time.
“Yes, I am a failure.”
This was still painful nonetheless. Yui thought it was as if being rejected by
the parent that gave birth to her.
However, that wasn’t all. As her creator, it was even more important to
correct her mistakes.
There were countless victims because she was looking away from this.
Taking a deep breath, she swallowed all of the uncomfortable and out of
place emotions she has had until now──
“There’s a decisive difference between the mass produced model and me.
Their weapons are just ordinary kunai. Mine has the different function that
you’ve assigned to me. You should know as the person who gave this to me,
but even so.”
Five kunai were being held between her fingers. Sagakure Yui took in a deep
breath. Her momentum delayed Yuri’s response for a few seconds.
“Sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, the five senses inherent within a
person. My kunai will sever all five. Thus is the authority of hell.”
“Wait……”
Yui’s kunai pierced the wall of the house. However, the moment the kunai
smashed the lighting, the entire mansion began to shake.
Immediately, the mass produced Yuis stopped their attack. They started
frantically looking around. It seemed they couldn’t focus on a target now that
Yuri’s senses have been sealed.
“Got it!”
It was impossible to not take this chance. She pulled Hibiki’s arm and ran
against the wall.
“Leave it to me! Look here, come on out! Ace of Spades, Nine of Diamonds,
Queen of Hearts, and Four of Clover!”
“Leave it to us!” “Aye aye ma’am!” “Look at us!” “Hold back the applause;
we are the four playing cards!”
“I don’t think we’ll be able to hold on with these numbers? So hurry up and
clean up quickly!”
Carte, with her team of four playing cards, and Cistus began their fierce
attack.
Kill everyone in front of you. Because of those orders, the larger those two’s
actions served as bait, the more attention they grabbed from the mass
production types──so they flashily moved without any reservations.
The situation had completely reversed. Moreover, Yuri had no way to retreat.
Carte À Jouer and her playing card subordinates brilliantly defeated the mass
produced Yui models, Cistus was steadily shooting them down, Ariadne
Foxlot was slicing or manipulating them with her mercury threads, and
Yukishiro Maya was using all of her books to form a solid castle wall.
They were defeating the mass produced Yui models without remorse or
mercy. By the time Yuri recovered from her senses being robbed by
<Shichihōgiyōjiya>, it was already too late.
“Yuri-chan’s abilities and wisdom is excellent. But our region isn’t above a
little bullying.”
Carte À Jouer said while resolutely holding her arm against her chest.
“I’m happy with this recklessness.” “Don’t underestimate the toughness that
survived in the Third Region Binah!” “Please don’t think you’ll have a
second chance!” “Die proud with how much trouble you have already
caused!”
“Well, even if we haven’t arrived, me would have found a way to deal with
you. But would that have made my work a little easier?”
“Let’s end this. Yuri-sama──no, sister. It’s over. Let’s finish this. You’ve
deceived everyone too much.”
“……………………Don’t……”
“……………………Don’t……”
“……Please. Don’t…...”
“………………Please, stop………………!”
“I refuse……!”
The butterfly rushed into a room. At the same time, Kurumi and Hibiki had
also arrived there. It was an empty, inorganic room.
The butterfly kept going until it violently crashed into the wall, falling down
as if completely exhausted. But even so, its role had been completely
fulfilled.
“She hasn’t taken a single step from the very beginning──so it turned out to
be like this. Really, I should have just done this in the beginning.”
“Here is……”
In the dark space, there was a table just like a science lab with a semi-finished
Sagakure Yui mounted on it.
And so, Kurumi and Hibiki were reunited with Sagakure Yuri.
Her back was connected to cable extending from the wall. She looked like
some kind of prisoner.
“……I won’t spare your life. And I won’t conduct a foolish interrogation by
asking you of what you know. There’s just one point though. Were you
planning on dying from the very beginning?”
“……Maybe.”
“Why?”
Sagakure Yuri smiled disdainfully. It looked like she held disdain for
everything. Then, she quietly opened her mouth.
Noise. She had said someone’s name, but she couldn’t recognize that name.
For a brief moment, neither Kurumi nor Hibiki could say anything.
The Dominion of the Seventh Region Netzach, the traitor, one of the White
Queen’s three executives Bishop, a girl in love had chosen to throw all of that
away.
A single chance. If she died in the Neighboring World, maybe she’ll be able
to return back to the other world. Waking up from this dreamland and return
back to reality──
She knew it was just a pipe dream. She knew that she just trampled on
everything for this.
“I’ve treated Yui horribly. I did something horrible to Oka. For the other
Dominions and Quasi-Spirits, I’ve brought endless trouble just gambling on a
possibility──”
The trigger wrapped around her fingers felt heavy, but Kurumi still pulled it.
Did Sagakure Yuri return to the other world? Or did her soul extinguish and
fade into nothingness? Either way, it meant a world that was unknown to
Kurumi.
Sagakure Yuri died and the title of Bishop would probably transfer to
someone else.
Hibiki gave a feeble smile upon hearing what Kurumi had said.
Suddenly, there was a feeling of silence. Looking back, a special model Yui-
san was standing there.
“……Certainly.”
“Traitor, I don’t have anything to fondly recall. You were domineering and
selfish. Even if I died, you wouldn’t spill a tear and say there will just be a
next one.”
She mass-produced her own little sister. That was an inhuman act for sure.
She abandoned Yui and continued to make one replacement after the other.
So don’t be sad. In fact, Yuri has never cried for Yui up until now.
“But. That person fell in love. And it wasn’t fulfilled. That──makes me feel
very sad.”
Sagakure Yui didn’t believe in that. She felt that everything will end once she
dies in the Neighboring World. All that can be inherited are the memories of
those that disappeared in the Neighboring World.
Because of that, she also felt sad. Being a loving sister, status, reputation,
loyalty, she discarded them all and ended up with nothing.
She lived for love, cried for love, and dissipated for love.
In response to that, Hibiki left the secret room and peeped at the corridor.
“Wow.”
All the mass production types were motionless. It was a space where time
had stopped. The four people who were still fighting took advantage of this to
run to their side.
“……Is it over?”
Hibiki nodded at Ariadne’s question. The mass production Yui models had
already ceased all activities. But the sacrifice was great.
Miyafuji Oka was killed and Sagakure Yuri had betrayed them. On the other
hand, the White Queen’s strength remained the same. A new replacement
Bishop would soon be made. And the next Bishop won’t betray the Queen.
“What’s wrong?”
“The White Queen’s goal is to open the door to the other world in the First
Region Keter. And she believes the Neighboring World must be destroyed
for this purpose. And──”
The words that Maya said shocked everyone that was present.
“Please, Tokisaki Kurumi. If the White Queen knows that, it’s all over for the
Neighboring World. The entrance must be blocked. One is in the Second
Region Chokmah. And the other is in the Fifth Region Gevurah.”
“Fifth Region Gevurah, if that’s true. Right now it’s being invaded──”
Ariadne replied with, “Eh, I haven’t heard about that”. But still she
reluctantly nodded. After all, this was a veritable──world crisis.
“That girl was thinking those sorts of sentiments. I feel like my own child has
betrayed me.”
Meanwhile, the White Queen began to forget that Sagakure Yuri was Bishop.
It was information that was no longer needed and trying to understand her
would only place unnecessary pressure on her brain. Therefore, she didn’t
hesitate to forget about this.
“You.”
She spoke to a nearby Empty. The White Queen pointed her gun at the
nervous girl who approached her.
The sound of gunfire──the venom from the scorpion flowed into the
Empty’s body, transforming her.
The other Empties looked on in envy at the girl who became Bishop.
Becoming one of the Three Executives was the ultimate promotion for the
Empties that served the White Queen. To be able to offer advice to the
“You mean──”
“Yes.”
“Let’s proceed to the Fifth Region Gevurah. The decisive battle will be on
that barren land. Upon arrival, my personality will switch to the real one.”
The fourth volume of Date A Bullet was released in the summer of 2018. But
that date passed by in the blink of an eye as this volume. By the time this
volume is placed in bookshelves, the third season of the Date A Live anime
will usher in the climax.
As you grow older, people often say that time moves quicker. But when this
is studied as an actual sensation, several hypotheses have been taken.
Now, based on the above, Date A Bullet has finally reached five volumes. In
each volume, I’m working hard to make the attitude of a girl named Tokisaki
Kurumi feel refreshing.
This time was a bunny girl & detective. And the genre is gambling &
mystery.
Also, the new volume of Date A Live is also being released on the same day!
But well, if you’re already reading the postscript for this book, I suppose you
must have already bought it as well!
Next volume, the Sixth Region Tiphereth is skipped in favor of the barren
land of fire and lava.
Higashide Yūichirō