Chapter 105 : 【Epilogue】The Game Development Department and the Students of Eden! (Part 1)

A place adorned with electronic embellishments, resembling the world I had once lived in—or rather, a place even more advanced than that world. The Millennium District, home to Millennium itself.

Since the Student Life Support Club's room was in this vicinity, the place no longer felt particularly unfamiliar.

"Monorails really are convenient, aren't they? They're fast, stylish, and..."

Even so, convenience was convenience. Things like this still served as a powerful reminder that the world around me was fundamentally different from my everyday life back then.

At first, those rail lines spreading in every direction like capillaries had confused me countless times. How nostalgic.

"...Wouldn't Suou be faster if she just ran?"

"That's the romance of it, Misaki. The romance. Besides, I couldn't transport this many people."

Being able to transport large quantities of goods while consuming relatively little energy was essential to the advancement of civilization. It was no wonder Millennium had developed so far... Ah, it seemed I'd gotten a little too lost in my thoughts.

"Hiyori, how much farther do we have to walk?"

"A-at this pace, we'll be there any moment... Ah, I-I can see it!"

Accompanied by a slightly squeaky voice, Hiyori pointed toward a building with her slender fingertip. It was a large, tower-like structure that had been hidden from view by another building until just now.

"So this is the club building... It's enormous."

"No, rather than its size, this is..."

"...It's tall."

It wasn't so tall that we couldn't see its peak, but it was still an absurdly large building for a single school to own.

Thinking of it as just one school must have been a remnant of the time when I'd lived in another world. Somehow, it made me feel a little nostalgic.

"According to Mayumi, we're allowed inside as long as we're accompanied by a Millennium student..."

The plan had been to meet in front of the club building and enter together. However, our contact hadn't shown up yet.

"...Well, we still have a little time before our meeting. Let's wait a bit."

"That makes sense!"

If I remembered correctly, the person Mayumi was sending to meet us was…

"Arisu has discovered the target of our quest!"

"Mm."

Tendou Arisu. A first-year student who, at least officially, belonged to the Game Development Department.

"Wh-what!? A-a quest...? I-I think you've mistaken me for someone else..."

"Oh, is that not the case? Arisu was looking for a party of six..."

"W-well... If you don't mind, we could..."

Not knowing what to do, Hiyori glanced in my direction. Arisu had a knack for being liked by others—or rather, for bringing out their protective instincts. Apparently, Hiyori was just as susceptible to it as anyone else.

"Ah, Hiyori, it's okay. She's the right person. Nice to meet you, Tendou Arisu."

"So that was it! Ta-daa! Arisu has joined the party!"

"...Saori, do you understand what she's saying?"

"Not at all..."

...It seemed everyone would need a translator to communicate with Arisu.

"The quest is at its halfway point. Everyone, follow Arisu!"

"I'm your guide. Let's go together. ...That's what she's saying."

"...I kind of understand her."

Oh, right. I'd heard that Atsuko had picked up sign language almost immediately, so she was probably quite adaptable when it came to things like this... Should I have asked Mayumi to send Midori as our guide instead?

"Arisu selects the 'Talk' command. Where did you come from, Siona and the others?"

As we followed Arisu, who seemed to skip along so lightly on her feet, she suddenly asked us that question. She used the false name Shiona while gesturing toward our group.

There was no hint of suspicion in her question. She was probably just genuinely curious.

"We're from a branch school called Areios, near Trinity. We're interested in Millennium's games."

Arius, transformed into Areios. It was a rather straightforward name change, but it should be enough to keep our identities hidden. At least as long as our audience consisted of Millennium students like Arisu.

"...Do Shiona and the others like games?"

"What do you think?"

"M-me?"

There wasn't much point in answering that question myself... And besides, I was curious, too. I wanted to know what Saori and the others thought about games.

"...Well... At first, I thought they were just things you played for fun. But some of them weren't quite like that."

"Urgh."

Suppressing a slight wave of nausea brought on by the nightmare that was Tales Saga Chronicle, Saori continued speaking.

"...But including those games... They gave me something I'd never experienced before. Something warm... No, something that might even be called burning hot. So... Yes. I can't say I dislike them."

...She hadn't quite gone so far as to say she liked them. Still, it seemed she'd enjoyed both the garbage games and the masterpieces.

"...I see. Arisu... Arisu loves games! They're what brought Arisu together with her beloved friends, what connected us all! Arisu loves games! That's why..."

Arisu suddenly stopped in front of a door along the corridor. She grasped the doorknob, then took my hand as though inviting us into a new world and pulled us toward the door.

"Arisu wants Shiona and the others to love games even more! Let's play lots and lots of games together today! It's a promise, okay?"

With a pure, heartfelt smile, she lowered the doorknob and pulled the door open…

"Hey, Big Sis! Shoving everything into a corner doesn't count as cleaning!"

"But we're running out of time! Argh, what are we supposed to do!?"

"Ta-daa! Arisu has completed the quest!"

...What awaited us on the other side of the door wasn't a new world. It was simply a messy room.

 

---

 

After giving everyone a moment to calm down, we followed Arisu to one corner of the room. Apparently, they hadn't anticipated having to accommodate a party of six, because the space was a little cramped.

"All right! This should at least give us enough room to sit...!"

"Honestly, this is all because you suddenly decided, 'Since they're coming anyway, let's arrange things so nine people can sit comfortably,' right before they arrived..."

"M-Midori, you agreed with me!"

Right, thanks for the explanation. I could pretty much guess what had happened.

Come to think of it, the Game Development Department only had enough seating for about five people... Still, they'd even prepared cushions for us, so this was more than enough.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Um, shall we start with introductions?"

"Ah, yes."

After a short while, the sisters seemed to have finished their argument. Midori approached us hesitantly.

"..."

"Is, is something wrong?"

...Thank goodness. At least I was taller than Momoi and Midori. Being shorter than Arisu alone had nearly shattered my spirit.

"No, nothing. Well then, I'll start. I'm Hakari Shiona, student council president of Areios Branch School!"

I flapped my mechanical wings with a sudden flourish, striking a pose as I introduced myself.

"Oooh..."

Heh. Arisu and Momoi would probably love this sort of thing...! It was a little embarrassing, but if it helped make a good impression, I'd gladly endure it...!

"Ow!? H-hey, Saori!"

"Whatever your reasons, is that any way to behave toward someone you've just met?"

"...I-I'm sorryyy...!"

Saori gave me a light chop on the head for a perfectly reasonable reason. It didn't hurt, though.

"I'm Joumae Saori, also of Areios Branch School. Officially, I'm Shiona's subordinate."

"And in reality, she’s my little sis—"

"I'm not a member of the student council, but you can think of me as something similar."

"...N-nice to meet you!"

Saori hadn't even reacted, let alone denied it... Big Sis is sad.

"I'm Imashino Misaki, also from Areios Branch School. I work under Saori here, more or less as her assistant."

"O-okay... Nice to meet you."

Misaki wouldn't even give me an opening to work with. But that was fine. I had other ways to get what I wanted.

"Let's skip the school affiliations. I'm Shirasu Azusa. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise, I'm Hakari Atsuko."

"Hakari...? Does that mean you're sisters with Shiona?"

Heh, good question, Midori. I'm glad you asked. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. If I introduced everyone here as my little sisters…

"Yep, that's right."

"Exactly! Everyone here is my little sis— Huh?"

"...? What's wrong, Big Sis Shiona?"

"...Huh? N-no, it's nothing!"

"Oh, so you're the older sister."

...I never expected her to say it herself.

I'd missed my chance, but that hardly mattered. Today was a day to commemorate! We were having sekihan for dinner tonight. Big Sis was going to pull out all the stops…

"That's just the setting we’re using, though."

"A-Atsukooo...!"

She smiled mischievously as she added that little qualification, making sure to speak at an angle where only the Game Development Department could hear her. I could've done without that last part.

"Ohh, now that you mention it, the corners of your eyes do look alike!"

"Is that really a particularly convincing resemblance...?"

The corners of our eyes, huh? Come to think of it, I wondered how closely Atsuko and I were related by blood. People didn't often say we looked alike, so I had a feeling we weren't all that closely related.

"Come on, Hiyori. Your turn, too."

"Y-yes! I'm Tsuchinaga Hiyori...! I-I'm not very confident when it comes to games, but... um, it's nice to meet you...!"

"...All right. That's everyone on our side."

After observing us carefully several times, she seemed to have gotten a good grasp of who we were and put a little distance between us.

"I see! Well then, once again... Welcome to the Game Development Department, everyone from Areios Branch School! I'm Momoi, a first-year student and the scenario writer!"

"I'm Midori, also a first-year. I handle all the visual aspects of our games."

"And I'm Arisu, the Hero!"

"And I'm the programmer. Including Yuzu, who's in charge of planning but isn't here today, the four of us make up the Game Development Department!"

...She wasn't here today, huh? Well, we could drag her out later. I already had a pretty good idea of where she was.

But now that I was looking at them all together again…

"...They all look like little children."

Saori said it before I could.

"Wh-what!? H-how rude! We're a perfectly respectable club!"

"I mean, I think it's more that the one over there, Saori, is just really tall..."

"Yeah! What she said!"

"...Why are you getting along so well with them!? Get back over here!"

Mm, she'd caught on. Well, jokes aside, it was about time we got down to business.

"Anyway, thank you very much for inviting us today! Have you heard from Mayumi?"

"Yes, we have. Um, she said this was to see whether we could get along with students from other schools..."

Hmm, it seemed Mayumi had conveyed the situation more or less as it was... Good. That made things easier for us, too.

"Mayumi helped us out the other day! And apparently, she's going to buy us a new game once this is over... Besides, we'd be thrilled to have more gaming buddies!"

"Ah, I see..."

As expected, Mayumi had a soft spot for younger children... Now that I thought about it, she'd acted similarly toward Ashiri.

But that explained it... The incident the other day. It was probably related to what had happened with Arisu... So that's how Mayumi had become connected to the Game Development Department.

"...Suou? Why are you staring at Arisu?"

"Ah, no..."

...The head of Seminar, Tsukatsuki Rio, had disappeared. If you lived in Millennium, it was the sort of news that would reach you.

The incident involving Arisu must have been resolved while I was unconscious. I'd heard that some of my little sisters had helped out, too. I'd even given Sensei a warning, but perhaps it had been unnecessary...?

"...I really think there's such a thing as going too far when it comes to recruiting little sisters."

"Huh?"

"S-she's trying to add another little sister to the family..."

"...That's not it!"

Just when I was thinking about something so serious, what on earth were my little sisters talking about? It wasn't as though I'd make just anyone my little sister.

"W-what are you talking about? Does it have something to do with Arisu?"

"It's all right, Arisu... You don't need to worry. You haven't done anything wrong."

"Arisu, come over here. Let's keep our distance for a while."

"Hey!"

Was this what they called getting what you deserved? Fine. I'd show them just what it meant to have me as their big sister...!

"U-um! Shall we get started now!!"

Midori stopped me just as I began wiggling my fingers.

 

---

 

And so began the Game Development Department versus Arius Branch School: an unprecedented six-round showdown.

"The opponents for each round will decide which game to play by playing rock-paper-scissors. The victory conditions for each match can be discussed between the players. Our victory condition is to win three rounds first. That all sound good?"

"Yep! So, who's going to be your first challenger?"

"...What should we do?"

"Urk..."

Momoi had put on a bit of a show when announcing the rules, so Suou's unexpected answer left her slightly bewildered. The Game Development Department had already decided on their first player.

"Arisu, you're up!"

"Understood! Arisu will achieve a perfect victory!"

Tendou Arisu. A student who had recently joined the Game Development Department and was an android whose appearance and behavior were almost indistinguishable from those of a human.

She'd only been playing games for a short time, so her skill was about what one would expect. However, her android traits—reflexes, judgment, and ability to learn—were her greatest strengths.

"Who should we send?"

"...Well, in that case, I'll go."

"No, I'll go."

Atsuko stepped forward, cutting off Saori's suggestion.

"...Are you sure? We don't know what kind of opponent she is."

"It's fine. There are games I'm good at, too. Besides..."

Atsuko walked toward Arisu, who had already taken her place. Along the way, she glanced back at Suou and the others and flashed them a small peace sign.

"I'm lucky enough to have met all of you. I'm sure I'll win at rock-paper-scissors, too."

"...! Hahaha! That's an argument I can't refute..."

And so, the first match began.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"I win. Then I'll choose..."

As she'd declared, Atsuko won at rock-paper-scissors. The game she chose was Momoiro Memorial 4, the fourth installment in a classic romance simulation series.

"Momoiro Memorial 4... I see. So all that practice wasn't for nothing."

Midori's assessment was correct. Of the Momoiro Memorial games that Suou's group could play on the game console they'd purchased, there were only a handful. And the latest installment among them was Momoiro Memorial 4.

"That's not all. In simulation games like that, differences in skill are less likely to affect the outcome... Well done, Atsuko."

"I-I'm sure Atsuko thought that far ahead, too...!"

It wasn't some halfhearted attempt to measure their relative skill levels. Atsuko was genuinely aiming for a win.

"The victory condition... Let's race to see who can reach the first date event fastest. Sound good?"

"No problem! What handicap should we use?"

"...You can't touch the controls for the first minute."

"...!"

In Momoiro Memorial, the first date event wasn't very far off. As long as you paid attention to affection levels, you could reach it after about ten minutes of gameplay.

No matter how advantageous your position might be, one moment of carelessness could leave you tripped up. That was one of the lessons they'd learned through their deep dive into the game with Saori and the others.

"W-wait, you're taking this way more seriously than I expected!"

"Atsuko can be surprisingly competitive..."

"You were the ones who proposed this. You won't go back on your word, will you?"

"Grrr...!"

Atsuko had proposed conditions that gave her an advantage without being so unreasonable that her opponent couldn't accept them. Naturally, Arisu had no grounds to refuse.

"All right, let's begin."

"Arisu is in a temporary loading phase..."

Arisu closed her eyes as though falling asleep. In the meantime, Atsuko started the game. She didn't enter her own name or nickname—not "Hakari" or "Atsuko"—and simply left everything at the default settings. She knew that was the fastest way to proceed.

"Once upon a time, a journey, king..."

"W-wait, you skipped all the narration!? How tasteless!"

"As the people making the game, that hurts a little..."

Ignoring the Game Development Department's pained cries behind her, Atsuko skipped through the entire prologue by repeatedly mashing the A button. And then…

"Arisu is activating!"

Tendou Arisu sprang into action. On Atsuko's screen, the protagonist was already being offered a hand by one of the potential love interests. The classic, obligatory first encounter.

Atsuko paid it no mind, casually skipping through the dialogue as she continued.

"Y-you can actually read the dialogue like that!?"

"I'm confident in my visual tracking."

Thanks to the relentless training she'd undergone at Arius Satellite School, she'd developed the ability to track even incoming bullets with her eyes. She spoke with a complicated smile, reflecting on how such a skill could prove useful in such an unexpected situation, and kept playing.

"I think I'll go shopping this time."

By the time Arisu finally finished the prologue, Atsuko had already reached the first weekend. Since this was a one-shot match, with no second playthrough, there was no point in prioritizing the academic ability required for the true ending. She would be better off raising her charm instead.

Arisu seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

"Arisu-chan, what are you...!"

"..."

Arisu reached her first weekend a little later. The option she chose was an event in which she consulted the protagonist's best friend. It wasn't an inherently bad strategy, but in this particular match, it did nothing but push her further away from victory.

However, Midori seemed to have realized that Arisu had a plan, because she stopped herself from intervening.

"...I don't know what you're doing, but I've won."

Meanwhile, Atsuko had already arranged a date for the next holiday. There was no making up for a one-minute head start. That was what almost everyone thought—until that moment.

"...Yeah, sure, whatever."

A low voice suddenly rang out. It was the voice confirming the date and announcing the start of the date event. And it came from…

"Arisu is victorious!"

Arisu's screen.

"...! How...?"

Until a moment ago, there had been a considerable gap between them. There was no logical way Arisu could have won from that position. Yet the scene before them clearly declared her the victor.

"It's a bug."

Midori explained, as though providing commentary.

"A bug...? You mean an insect?"

"It's something that interferes with a game's intended operation. What about it?"

"...The bug Arisu-chan used is pretty well-known. If you open the save menu during the best-friend consultation event, you can load an empty save file. Doing so takes you straight to the date screen..."

Normally, the game's behavior and graphics would collapse afterward, making it impossible to continue playing properly, so the bug had no practical use. The resulting graphical corruption was what had made it famous. Adding that explanation, Midori walked over to Arisu.

"In other words, Arisu-chan wins this match."

"Ta-daa! Arisu has gained experience points!"

She raised Arisu's hand and proudly proclaimed her victory.

First match: the Game Development Department wins. The score was now one to zero, with the Game Development Department in the lead.

 

---

 

"I'm sorry... I lost."

"No, don't worry about it... I see. So that's the Game Development Department... They're much more formidable than I expected..."

Feeling something stirring uneasily within her, Suou let out a deep breath.

"They're incredible... I never expected them to exploit bugs, too. I'll go next. Is that okay?"

"Misaki."

"Don't try to stop me. We can't afford to underestimate them and expect to win... I should go first and see what we're dealing with."

With that, Misaki placed a hand on Atsuko's shoulder, took the controller from her, and stepped onto the battlefield.

"Misaki... Be careful."

"...It's not exactly revenge, but I'll do my best not to lose."

Sitting down in the place Atsuko had just occupied, Misaki wore an unusually transparent expression. Her grip on the controller was a little tighter than usual.

"All right, rock, paper..."

"Scissors! Arisu wins!"

"...Suou, was that really okay?"

Azusa spoke to her while Arisu, in high spirits, began rummaging through the available games.

"What do you mean?"

"Arisu is strong, but she's not exactly the best player in the Game Development Department, is she? Wouldn't it have been better for me to go?"

For a more certain victory, sending Azusa, who was relatively experienced with games, had indeed been one of Suou's options. However…

"No, this is fine. ...Arisu will probably pick an RPG."

"...What do you mean?"

"In other words..."

"Arisu has decided!"

Just as Suou was about to explain her reasoning in earnest, Arisu pulled out a game.

"It's Moral Hazard 4!"

"...!"

"...I was going to say she wouldn't pick a game like that..."

It was something Suou hadn't anticipated in the slightest.

Moral Hazard. A classic horror-action game in which players fought their way through various corporate-harassment zombies to escape an office. And... it was one of the things that could trigger Misaki's fear of enclosed spaces.

"Arisu, why did you choose that game? I thought you'd pick an RPG."

"That's true! Arisu does like that game. But Arisu was told that an exchange event is supposed to be something everyone enjoys together! So Arisu will choose the game she finds the most difficult!"

"...Suou. You were completely wrong."

"Ugh...!"

It was a choice born of consideration for others, one that went beyond the bounds of their understanding and expectations.

Even so, Misaki's behavior was predictable. In situations like this, given her inherent kindness and her little bit of pride, Suou knew what Misaki would do.

"...I-It's fine. Let's play... the game."

No matter how sick she felt, Misaki would never refuse to fight.

Thus began Moral Hazard, with Arisu and Misaki facing off in a battle that was overwhelmingly stacked against Misaki.

"...What are the victory conditions?"

"Hmm... I've decided! A survival match in Survival Mode! The first player to get a Game Over loses!"

"..."

Misaki thought it over. In a survival match, she could move to relatively open areas. Setting aside the fact that she was afraid of zombies in the first place, it should still be considerably better than Escape Mode or Campaign Mode.

"Okay, let's do that. As for the handicap... I'll have you use three healing items immediately after the match starts."

Rather than temporarily banning actions or firearms, she chose to reduce the number of healing items available. It was an important factor that would have consequences later in the game.

Anticipating a prolonged battle, Misaki had still chosen the best possible strategy for securing victory.

"Misaki..."

Moral Hazard began under the worried gazes of the Arius girls who knew the circumstances. The stage was chosen at random, and the game began inside a dark office.

"...!"

The scene Misaki was looking at existed only in an electronic world. It wasn't real. She knew that perfectly well.

But that didn't matter. For no reason at all, simply thinking about it was enough to terrify her. Even so…

"Sorry, but I'm not planning to lose."

"Arisu won't lose, either!"

A fight was a fight. More importantly, she had to avenge Atsuko's defeat. If she could just freeze her heart against the fear, it wouldn't be that much of a problem.

"Th-their shooting is incredibly precise... She really only started playing games recently, right...?"

"Well, we're good at combat because of our... unusual circumstances. More importantly..."

A shadow fell across her eyes as she shot at the zombies with a dark, unwavering gaze. Each shot was precise, not a single bullet wasted. At times, she even incorporated her knife into the fight.

"Misaki is strong."

She had considered the worst-case scenario. She knew she might be forced to play a game like this. What would she do if that happened? Would she simply give up and accept defeat?

"No. Absolutely not."

"Misaki, you're amazing...! Arisu won't lose, either!"

"Arisu! Don't get carried away and waste too much ammo, okay!?"

"Let's keep pushing...!"

A horde of zombies poured out. It was a sign that the first wave's boss was approaching. Fighting off a wave of dizziness, Misaki clenched her teeth and kept her eyes fixed forward.

"I absolutely won't lose...!"

It was just a game. Misaki understood that as well as anyone. But this was a battle to affirm her own worth.

"...Shut up!"

"Misaki!!"

In her haste, she accidentally attacked at close range a zombie that damaged the player when defeated.

It was fine, she told herself, using a healing item at the same time. That cleared one of the handicaps.

"Phew..."

Suou had come back. Back then, in that place, thanks to the cooperation of everyone—the squad that included Misaki, the students of Arius Satellite School, the former Arius students, Sensei, and the Remedial Knights—she had returned. Misaki's strength had certainly played a part in that.

Suou was here because she'd blurted out her true feelings, things so humiliating that speaking them aloud had felt like a death sentence. And now, here she was, making a fool of herself all over again.

That was when Misaki had first learned to like herself. To affirm her own worth. To think that perhaps even someone like her wasn't so bad.

"...All right. I'm fine."

The emotion Misaki felt now wasn't just fear. If anything, it was closer to a desire to improve.

She didn't want to believe she'd been a mistake. Even if this was just a game, never again. She didn't want to be the reason everyone else was held back.

"I can't afford to lose over something like this. I'll win."

So that she could continue to acknowledge herself and forgive herself. What good would it do if she couldn't overcome today's opponent?

"...! Arisu has taken damage!"

"T-the healing items...! She's almost out already!?"

"So that's where the handicap comes into play... Did she think that far ahead?"

"...Misaki probably did. But..."

Something was clearly wrong. Saori had noticed. She'd known Misaki longer than Suou or Atsuko had. She understood how Misaki thought better than anyone.

"Saori..."

Suou suddenly called her name. She was probably thinking the same thing. Misaki would…

"...Yeah."

Saori nodded in response to her words and stepped forward, recklessly entering the battlefield.

"Misaki, that's enough."

"...!?"

Saori suddenly put a hand on her shoulder, making Misaki startle in a way she rarely did.

"W-what are you talking about...? Ah..."

In that brief opening, Misaki took damage. Before she could heal herself, the screen announced Game Over, and the score appeared.

"...Sorry. I lost."

"It's fine... More importantly, are you feeling all right?"

"...Yeah."

With Saori supporting her by the shoulder, Misaki unsteadily returned to the viewing area. The Game Development Department's room was cramped even under normal circumstances. Although the windows and doors were open, it wasn't a place Misaki wanted to stay in for long.

"A-are you okay? You look like you're feeling really sick..."

"I'm fine. Sorry the result was so boring..."

Brushing off Midori's concern, she trudged away. She'd lost. Lost at a mere game. Because of this accursed constitution of hers, she'd been unable to contribute anything.

"...Misaki."

This defeat and the discomfort she felt would probably leave a deep mark on her. They would become an obstacle to the reasons she'd found for affirming herself. Ah, how utterly pathetic.

She let the bitterness build up inside her and cursed under her breath.

"...What? Just so you know, I don't need any comforting..."

"Nice fight! You did great!"

And yet, as always, the other person spoke as though she had no idea how Misaki felt. No—or perhaps she did understand, and that was precisely why her thoughtless words of affirmation caught Misaki off guard.

"...I lost, you know? How could I have done great?"

"Misaki... You don't like horror games, do you? I think you did really well to fight as long as you did."

"Yeah. Honestly, that was beyond anything I expected of you... Ah, sorry. That came out wrong."

The others chimed in as well.

"I couldn't have lasted that long in that game, either. ...You did more than enough just by paving the way for the next match."

"Y-yes, exactly...! More importantly, Misaki, how are you feeling...!?"

"...What's that supposed to mean?"

Thinking about it, this wasn't the first time her condition had caused trouble for others. It had happened countless times before. Most recently, when she'd avoided the elevator at the department store.

And every time…

"You did your best! Leave the rest to your big sisters!"

"...Yeah, yeah. I'll leave it to you in my place."

There were people who could affirm her worth on her behalf, weren't there? She'd forgotten that for a moment.

Perhaps she'd simply become negative because of all the anxiety and impatience. She laughed at herself wryly and lightly tapped Saori's arm.

"I'm okay now. You can let me down."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine."

"...All right."

Saori carefully set Misaki down in a bright, relatively well-ventilated spot, then returned to Suou. At that point, Arisu, standing beside her, spoke up.

"Misaki, were you perhaps bad at Moral Hazard?"

"...Well, yeah. I'd rather you didn't tell too many people."

"Arisu is bad at it, too. But, but..."

Hesitantly, looking a little frightened, Arisu swallowed nervously before speaking with newfound determination.

"But Arisu had fun! So Arisu hopes that Misaki... um... had fun, too..."

"...Heh. What's that supposed to mean?"

In other words, Arisu had noticed that Misaki seemed unwell and had asked out of concern. That was all. Her kindness reminded Misaki a little of the way Atsuko and Hiyori had been in the past. Finding it heartwarming, she thought about it for a moment.

"It's okay. I had fun, too... Let's play again sometime. Preferably a different game, though..."

"...! Yes! Arisu recommends RPGs! Is there a game you'd like to play, Misaki?"

Surely this conversation, this battle, too, would be etched into their memories as a good experience. With thoughts running in the opposite direction, Misaki continued to indulge Arisu in conversation.

Meanwhile, back with Suou and the others…

"Our next opponent is... Midori?"

"What should we do? If we knew we'd win at rock-paper-scissors, I could..."

"No."

Misaki's impressive performance in the previous match and Atsuko's strategy before that had both made the Game Development Department wary of them, even though the department had won both rounds. That made it easy to predict which game they'd choose next.

In other words…

"...Hiyori. Could I ask you to do it?"

"...Huh? Wh-wh-whaaat!? M-me?"

"Yes... It's all right. You can win, Hiyori."

Midori would choose that game. Thanks to her memories of her previous life, Suou had already found it. A path to victory that no one else could see. And... the best move to make against Midori.

"...You have a plan, then?"

"Yes... All right, everyone, listen up."

Second match: Moral Hazard 4. The Game Development Department wins. The score is now two to zero, and the Game Development Department remains in the lead.

"Now it's time for our counterattack!"

Or so she declared.