Chapter 7: Primediteit Unconscious

Night. The outskirts of the city.

The sparse lights of distant buildings barely reach here, leaving the area in deep shadow. A desolate place, where even the moonlight fails to touch—swallowed by darkness.

And within it—blue, glowing, monstrous aberrations.

...Even if the protagonist were to find me, the actions of my "army" wouldn't change.

A torn bandage flutters loose.

I release a crimson slash from my hand, striking down a supernatural eyeball entity emitting that sickly blue glow.

『g■w■o——!!』

A distorted shriek—somewhere between a wail and a scream. The aberration flees.

Scattered eyes remain, still twitching, but with their main body gone, their coordination crumbles.

Beams of cursed light shoot toward me. None land. I weave through the barrage with ease, then ready my Materializer.

"Reproduction rate—30%. Utility knife, manifest!"

A box cutter materializes in my grip. One by one, I snap off the blades and launch them like bullets.

Each disposable blade pierces through the swarm of floating eyes. They drop, dissolving into wisps of blue smoke.

The area falls silent. The battlefield is clear.

...I’ve been in good form these past few days.

Somehow, my mind feels lighter. My vision is sharper, like something that once clouded it has been wiped away.

I prepare to pursue the fleeing aberration—

"————"

—only to come face-to-face with a man in a suit.

His pupils glow the same eerie blue as the supernatural entities. He writhes, sparks crackling around him, his expression twisted in agony.

Tears spill from those light-filled eyes.

And then—

A laser, bright as lightning, streaks toward me—

"Damage Bullet—Slash Zan! Shoot Shūto!"

Before it can fire, I cut down the aberration lurking in the shadows.

The eerie glow vanishes from the man’s eyes.

He collapses, gasping for breath. A shaky thanks escapes his lips.

I offer him a reassuring smile, direct him toward the cleanup team, then move on.

...Really, I’ve been in such good form lately.

It must be because I can feel it—that things are finally moving in the right direction.

Even after all this time, Moribe’s responses have been… decent, I think.

I’m a little troubled by how often other students approach me now, but—objectively speaking—that just means I’m doing something right.

But how should I put it? I don’t just want to raise his favorability—I want to boost his friendship level a bit more.
Of course, purely for strategic reasons.

Just thinking he seems nice or he's kinda cute isn't enough to feel secure.

If I reveal now that I’m an agent of the Army, he might actually distance himself from me.

In that game, if you recruit someone as a combat unit before fully developing their drama events, raising their friendship actually becomes harder.
The points you gain from battle are nothing compared to the ones from story events—and once they’re a combat unit, their opportunities for drama events plummet.

That’s just how the system works.

It often leads to absurd situations where someone you’ve fought alongside dozens of times ends up less close than a classmate you hung out with twice.

That’s why I need to clear the drama events quickly—otherwise, I won’t even be able to reveal my true identity.

At worst, Nishizaki might overtake me in friendship points later.

…Well, that said, we still haven’t talked much at school.

But I’ve finally started getting used to it.

Lately, he’s even been the one initiating conversations, so his friendship level must be rising. I can’t check the numbers in this world, but it wouldn’t be strange for an event or two to trigger soon.

(…An event…)

I recall the in-game cutscenes.

Scenes where Misora Gotendō or Nishizaki walked home from school with the protagonist. Enjoyed festivals together. Went out alone on weekends—

…Dates, essentially.

I imagine myself in their place, standing where they stood, and—

"Ghhhaaaa—!!"

『GWA■HH!?』

A bandage snaps.

I unleash a burst of stored wounds, finishing off the aberration I thought I had let escape earlier.

No…! That’s not it at all!

I mean, even if it did happen—
Even if I had to—
It’d be purely out of necessity!
Just to save Misora Gotendō!

Purely out of obligation.
Reluctantly.
As a last resort.

…Playing the role of a—a heroine or something…!

『■■■——!!』
"Whoa—"

I spin just in time to catch the aberration lunging at me. One final energy slash cuts it down.

…Weird.

At this level, that should’ve been enough to finish it off for sure.

Was it a high-VIT build?
Or did it have some kind of last-stand or damage-nullification skill?

Or maybe…

"…Was my damage output lower?"

I lower my still-outstretched hand, murmuring to myself.

Either way, that’s it for tonight.

The ending was a bit messy, but I wrapped up faster than usual. If this keeps up, I should be in good shape tomorrow, too.

I should just head back and sleep. Secure rest while I can, and all that.

…Wait.

At this hour, that store Nishizaki mentioned might still be open.

Back when I told her I didn’t own any casual clothes, she recommended it.

I tried to brush it off, saying I didn’t need any, but she insisted. And—maybe she had a point.
If I’m going to be spending more time outside school with them from now on…

Maybe I should check it out.

After all… I might end up going out with Moribe-kun, too, and—

"…Ngh."

The earlier fantasy threatens to resurface.

I shake my head violently, shutting it down.

…Yeah, no.

I’m going straight home today.

With my mission complete, I quicken my pace and disappear into the night.

---

"Hey, Zaijou... You free this weekend? Saturday or Sunday’s fine."

"Hweh?!"

Peeking timidly into the neighboring classroom, waiting for him to notice and come over—this had become our usual lunchtime routine.

Moribe-kun held out two tickets as he spoke.

Unlimited access passes to the mega mall in the neighboring city—a fortress-sized commercial complex built by that worldwide conglomerate. (Well, the public face of the Corporation. The secret underground base part wasn’t relevant right now.)

"W-wait, those are…?"
"I just thought... maybe we could go together. But if you're busy or whatever, it's fine—"
"I'll go! I'm not busy! At all!"

I answered reflexively, without thinking.

My weekends were absolutely booked. I’d have to skip visiting Misora Gotendō at the hospital. But even so—I could not let this chance slip away.

"But, um… Didn't you get those from Nishizaki-san...? Ah, no, I just kinda assumed—"
"Oh, uh—yeah, but she said I could invite whoever I wanted."

These tickets were basically corporate reward coupons, given to the Corporation’s agents for outstanding performance.

They were supposed to be used for a date event with her.

But… was this really okay? Using them on me instead?

Choosing me over Nishizaki-san?

A date.

A date event.

With him.

“…!”

No—that’s not it.

It’s not like that.

I’m not happy about this at all.

Getting asked out by a guy? No way that would make me happy.

Even if I were happy, it’d just be because I get to hang out with someone cool like the protagonist, that’s all.

Besides, that date event was supposed to require really high affection—no, friendship—points with the heroine. Normally, it wouldn’t even trigger until midway through the story. There’s no way I’ve raised his affection that high in just a week of talking.

This isn’t because I’m easy or anything—it's probably just a casual hangout! That’s all!

"So, about the date—"
"W-wait! I need to check with my, uh... family first!"

I bolted from the classroom and yanked out my smartphone-shaped comms device, frantically contacting my commander.

Explaining this in terms of "the protagonist" wouldn’t get me anywhere. No one would understand.

So instead, I pleaded.

As much as I could disclose without revealing too much. Begging for any possible adjustments to my schedule—

"—Yeah, yeah, got it. Your Saturday mission is now undercover reconnaissance and investigation at one of the Corporation’s publicly managed facilities. That work for you?"

"Y-yes! Thank you so much!!"

Even though he couldn’t see me, I bowed my head over and over.

"You were supposed to visit Hoshizumi that day too. What about that?"

"Ah, right! I-I think we’ll be done before the medical ward closes, but… just in case…"

"Fine. I’ll let the medical team know."

The call ended.

Thank goodness. Now I could go out with him without any guilt.

…Wait—what about my clothes?!

I didn’t have time to go shopping before the weekend.

I could’ve gone yesterday, but I blew it… Maybe if I finished today’s mission fast enough, I could still make it.

Returning to the classroom, I confirmed the mee—no, the outing details with him—time and place.

"So… 10 AM, north exit of the station?"
"Y-yeah…!"

I didn’t absorb a single word of the remaining classes.

Moribe-kun said he’d handle the itinerary, but my mind kept spinning with possibilities anyway.

Of course, I was nervous… but it’d be fine.

It’d work out.

In my past life, I was good at reading people. If I really focused, I could still pull it off now. No matter what choices he made, I’d make sure our interactions were flawless.

And if it went well… if his friendship level rose high enough…

Then, finally—

"…………"

Finally, I’d tell him everything.

And he’d help me.

Then, it would all be over.

Everything would be resolved.

I’d be saved.

I could atone to Misora Gotendō.

I wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

"…………"

…That’s how it should go.

But for some reason…

My chest feels tight. Uneasy.

Like I’m overlooking something crucial.

…It’s probably nothing.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

I grabbed my bag and sprinted, breathless, toward the Army’s base.

Instead of my usual route, I slipped through backways meant to avoid civilian attention, entering the facility without a hitch.

I headed straight for the commander’s office to report in.

I knocked. No answer.

…Huh? Odd. Even though I was earlier than usual, she should definitely be here at this hour.

If not her office, then maybe the command center?

Unlike other branches, our base rarely used its command center—it mostly functioned as storage for moderately important but seldom-accessed documents.

I hadn’t been there often, but I still remembered the way.

"Commander—?"

I peered inside.

There she was, clad in her usual black pantsuit, her expression unreadable as ever.

And beside her stood a blonde Caucasian woman.

"…?"

Who was that?

Definitely not part of our unit.

Dressed in a black blouse and a trench skirt—civilian clothes—yet she carried herself with the same quiet authority as the commander. Someone high-ranking, then.

A named character, maybe?

Even if she was in the game, civilian outfits made it hard to place her.

And… something about their conversation felt off.

Both of them paused at unnatural intervals, like they were listening to a third party I couldn’t see.

An earpiece? A hidden transmission?

"—Ah, Zaijou."

The commander noticed me in the doorway.

For just a fraction of a second, she stiffened—like someone caught in the act.

…What was this?

If this was a clandestine meeting, should I intervene?

Narratively speaking, interfering would be the correct choice, but—

"…………"

…No. Better not.

Her plans wouldn’t fully unfold until the mid-game.

The Syndicate’s extremists wouldn’t steal the high-risk supernatural entity—the catalyst for the final conflict—for another year.

Skipping this scene wouldn’t change anything.

And besides, it was better to leave it to the protagonist anyway.

Suppressing the discomfort curling in my gut, I made my decision.

"Uh, Commander, I’m heading out for the mission—"

"R-right. Go ahead. Contact me if anything comes up."

I nodded, deliberately avoiding the blonde woman’s gaze, and turned on my heel.

I left without looking back.

"…………"

It’s fine.

Everything’s fine.

…It has to be.

---