By now, the sun was high in the sky, and Midori had still not shown any signs of recovery. The buzzing static would come and go, such that it was impossible to tell whether it would stay like this forever or swallow her up entirely.
The boy shook his head to try to clear his mind of that nightmarish scenario.
The Pocket Piglet seemed to have nothing to do, and Kaname, who had heard boars ate just about anything, was boiling some meat snacks to burn off the excess fat and salt content before giving them to the animal. Just then, he received a call.
It wasn’t from Valencia. It was from his sister.
“Caught you in the act, kidnapper. What’s with you shacking up with Midori when you have a perfectly good little sister right here?”
“I can’t say I’m a hundred percent clear on the distinction, but isn’t this technically abduction, not kidnapping?”
“Oh, so you know what you did. And don’t worry, the Mind isn’t monitoring this call. I used my admin powers to pull a few strings.”
“What are things like at the campsite?”
“The police are here.”
Those four words snatched away any feeling of security the boy might still have felt. But his sister continued.
“They’re all wearing bodycams, and they’ve sent drones into the sky. I have to wonder if they really believe they’re thinking for themselves. They’re all slaves to ones and zeros. Even during questioning, they’re just looking down at their tablets, checking for eyeball sway or muscle twitches.”
Worrying about it wasn’t going to turn back the clock. Unlike hotels or traditional inns, a campsite didn’t keep precise visitor numbers. Even so, the boy’s timely disappearance would soon be discovered.
His sister told him everything. She revealed how she had gone back into the game and succeeded in tracking down and recruiting Takamasa’s Magistellus, Celsa. It was important to remember that these girls were also once part of the legendary team of Dealers, Called Game.
“You don’t sound too surprised,” she said when she was finished. “I’m telling you, we pretty much know Criminal AO’s motives now.”
“It wasn’t anything I hadn’t already guessed,” the boy replied. “It’s nice to have confirmation, though.”
“That’s so you.”
He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that.
“I think we’re entering a world only Kaname Suou and Criminal AO understand. You know your enemy, and he knows his. The next time you two clash, it’ll be the end of the world.”
“It won’t be that bad.”
“Oh yes it will.”
His sister was quite insistent.
“Oh, one other thing. Tselika asked me to pass on a few words.”
“…What about Meiki? Have you managed to find out what she’s up to?”
“I think if you don’t let me speak, that spoiled succubus is going to tear her handkerchief in half.”
The pair exchanged a few more pieces of information.
“First, the chapel where you wrote off your coupe. Tselika supposedly screamed when she saw it. She managed to retrieve the Legacy, you know, #vipersnest.err or whatever.”
“Oh, that wriggly one he was wearing under his clothes.”
“Wriggly…?”
If she didn’t know, then so much the better.
If Tselika was able to pick it up, that must have meant it became Kaname’s when Takamasa Fell. The boy wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of putting it on himself, but they needed all the Legacies to expose the code of Money (Game) Master.
“I also paid a visit to Jungle Park, along with Tselika and Cindy. The PMCs had taken care of any stragglers after they returned to their normal routines, but they left the Legacies alone. I just had to pick them up while staying out of sight. It wasn’t too hard.”
It couldn’t have been easy…, the boy thought.
Tselika and Cindy alone wouldn’t have been able to do it, as they couldn’t pick up objects that didn’t belong to them. Thus, Ayame’s human touch was much appreciated, even if the boy couldn’t help but shake his head at her reckless behavior.
Nevertheless…
“Lily-Kiska’s promised to hand over her assault rifle, #swallowdive .err.”
It seemed his sister had more or less guessed when the boy planned to reenter the game. As she spoke, he glanced up at a clock on the wall.
Noon. The Mind should be bringing the game back up any minute now.
The fact that his sister was calling him now must mean she had planned to finish her business and log out before everything came back online. As formidable as the Admin Without Sin was, she wasn’t omnipotent.
“Tselika just wants to know one thing. How are you logging in?”
“…”
“You’re allowed to pick between your hideout and the driver’s seat of your vehicle. Which one will it be? If you let us know, we can make sure your car is right where you want it, with any equipment you might need.”
Tselika would be all alone until then. Magistelli harbored many of the same worries and fears as humans, including loneliness. But even so, there was no doubt in her heart. She was happy to wait, to leave everything in the hands of her Dealer, as she sat exposed to the madness of Tokonatsu City.
The boy gave a deep sigh. This was a personal struggle, but he was not alone.
He steeled his resolve once more.
“You’re about to log out and rejoin the real world, correct? Will you still be in touch with Tselika after that?”
“Yup.”
“Then I have a favor to ask. And be careful. If we miss this chance, we won’t have another…”