Chapter 170

CHAPTER 2 HORIZONTAL THINKING Day Eight—Nighttime. Steph climbed up a long stone staircase that seemed to stretch into the starry sky. She was wearing the Eastern Union’s ungainly festival attire—a yukata and wooden sandals, the latter of which clacked noisily as she clumsily ascended the stairs. Eventually, she made it to the top, although not without tripping several times on the way. The sight before her was enough to take her breath away. It had been a garden bursting with flowers only hours before. Foeniculum had likely painted over the space—now numerous lights and crowds of people dotted the landscape, which had become an expansive, lively city bustling with civilization. The Eastern Union held three great festivals each year. When Werebeast unified as a single country, the individual festivals run by various clans and tribes gradually combined until eventually only three remained. One of the three was a summer festival held in the nation’s capital, Kannagari. Steph gazed in awe as one of the world’s most famous festivals played out before her very eyes: the Star Festival… She marveled at the countless paper lanterns illuminating every corner of Kannagari. The palanquin slowly parading through the main square, in particular, caught her eye—it was like a moving treasure hall. Food stands featuring a variety of delicious Eastern Union cuisine lined the road to the shrine. Some booths featured games, which were teeming with children who gathered to play them. Most spectacular of all, however, were the fireworks that lit up the night sky in a shade of crimson. Incandescent shards of light created by the Eastern Union’s artisan-grade gunpowder technology blossomed like flowers in the heavens… The incredible scene was greater than what Steph had heard about, let alone imagined. She exhaled a deep sigh. Even in the tumultuous world of Disboard, where racial tensions ran high, this festival was touted as one of the most beautiful in the land. Steph had always longed to visit it ever since she was small. In fact, now that the Eastern Union was part of the Commonwealth of Elkia, she intended to take advantage of her governmental powers and stop by Kannagari during the festivities—she’d already made the proper travel arrangements. And there she was, face-to-face with that very festival, even if it was something fabricated with Fairy magic. …There she was indeed, and yet— “I shouldn’t be thinking about the festival!! How am I supposed to enjoy myself knowing that the fate of Elkia is on the line?! We don’t have time to lounge around!!” The sight would usually have Steph starry-eyed, but she still couldn’t get over the news she’d been hit with the night before. According to Sora, Elkia—and multiple races—were at risk of being wiped off the face of Disboard. Despite these circumstances— “Chill out, Steph. We dunno for sure how much trouble the world is in yet.” Several more pairs of wooden sandals could be heard approaching the panicked Steph from behind, clacking up the stone path with each step. Hearing Sora’s nonchalant comment, Steph gritted her teeth and caught her breath. “…I—I suppose that’s true. That’s why we’re here, to stop it, and—” “Affirmative: Calculating based on available evidence and elapsed time. Chances that Elkia has already met its destruction estimated at fifty-two-point-three percent.” “It sounds to me that the party outside is just about over. Then shall we not enjoy the party here?” “Noooooo!! Somebody, please let me out of here!! I need to help my country!! Oh, the Immanity!!” The group’s harsh prognosis had Steph wailing and slamming her forehead on the stone path. There really was no time for them to lounge around. Steph wondered if she should find the quickest way out of there and go save Elkia. She knew that she wouldn’t serve much of a purpose in this game—or any games, really. As sad as it may be, Steph knew where she stood in the hierarchy of gaming prowess. If she was going to be of any help to Sora and the others, it wasn’t by winning games but by governing her country. Maybe she could slow down Elkia’s fall and buy the group some time? In which case, wouldn’t it be more prudent for her to couple up with someone and get out of here? Fortunately—just as Sora said—four of the group’s members could easily escape this space. However, what stopped them from doing so was that their fifth member wouldn’t be able to make it out alone. Nevertheless, if only two people escaped, that would still leave three behind—which should be enough to keep the love documentary stream going, shouldn’t it? Elkia—Immanity’s sole surviving nation—was facing an existential crisis. This was not the time for a young lady to be concerned with romance or her own personal shortcomings. She needed to fall in love with somebody, even if she had to Aschente her way into doing it!! Committing internally to this desperate determination, Steph turned and faced the group. “Wow, talk about pulling out all the stops. This is awesome.” “…B-Brother… D-don’t, let go of…my h-hand…okay…?” “” When she saw Sora and Shiro—no, Sora, to be precise—she froze in place and gasped. He was also wearing an Eastern Union yukata and holding hands with his younger sister. Being out of his typical sloppy attire made him look more dignified than usual. His slender body was by no means burly, but Steph got a glimpse of his hard chest peeking through his robe… It made her realize: Oh… Sora really is a grown man… Ba-dum… Steph felt her chest tighten as a quiet voice whispered to her from within the confines of her mind: Maybe it’s time to be more honest with yourself. You need to become a couple with Sora to get out of here. You have to couple up with him to save your country. That is your duty, Stephanie Dola. It’s the perfect excuse to get with him—you know this, don’t you? It doesn’t matter if your romance was manufactured; this little spark is the real thing— “Now’s not the time to be catching feelings!! You have to get out of here, Stephanie Dola!! These are personal feelings—and false ones at that!!” She was either trying to bring herself out of her trance or perhaps dig up an escape route. Steph’s forehead continued to chip away at the stone path. “Proposal: Lady Dol’s SAN confirmed as critically low. Recommending proper rest as quickly as possible. Suggested course of action—pair up with Irregular Number and remove her from the game. Strongly recommended. A brilliant idea. Gute idee.” “Master, allow me to make a suggestion as well. We should eliminate as many obstacles as we can ahead of time—namely by removing little Dora and that scrap metal from this space. ” The two ladies tried to throw each other under the bus when Steph realized something. Th-that’s it, she thought. I don’t need to pair up with Sora—Jibril or Emir-Eins will work just fine. Regardless of what the two were after, Steph knew she could couple up with one of them and escape. “” The moment she set eyes on them, however, she found herself captivated anew. A beautiful angel and a lovely doll, each dressed in a colorful yukata… The thin fabric emphasized their allure in a way that could only be described as otherworldly.