They were right, and I nodded, despite that not being at all what I was anxious about. They didn’t need to know that.
“You’re right,” I said. “I’ll stop obsessing over it. It’s more important to focus on getting there safely.”
“That’s the spirit! Now let’s go grab some dessert!”
“Yeah!” Carol threw a triumphant fist in the air, Nattyan joining in. Despite only knowing each other for half a day, they were totally comfortable together. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were close in age. Mentally, at least.
I watched Carol grin, happily letting Nattyan and Sewatari hold her by the hands. I had the sudden urge to reach out and haul her back. Carol always kept it together really well, but she was still a child. She had to miss her mom, which was making her take to any female presence very quickly. I understood that, but I still felt a little left out.
“I wonder if we’ll finish up this journey soon.”
Provided nothing went wrong, we were due to meet the developers tomorrow.
This might be the last evening I spend with Carol.
Loneliness gripped my heart. For her sake, I couldn’t let it show.
I finished my bottled tea, stood up, and went to join them.
When I woke up at the hotel, there was a woman sleeping beside me.
Just kidding. I woke up with Destiny. It was snoozing comfortably in my arms but not offering much warmth. Destiny usually slept with Carol, but Nattyan and Sewatari kept her company last night. I sat up to make sure they were all accounted for. They were, thankfully, and still fast asleep. Sewatari and Nattyan had worn their yukata to bed, and I caught seductive glimpses of their chests and legs. As much as I would’ve liked to keep looking, I forced myself to avert my gaze.
It felt weird to let them keep sleeping, so I grabbed my phone and switched on the alarm. They woke with a start. I waited out in the hall while they got changed, then went in to change myself, before we all headed to reception to check out.
The sky was clear today. According to the weather forecast, we’d have perfect driving conditions all day. I hoped it was right.
We left the hotel with the expectation that we’d reach our destination before noon, but as I looked out over the landscape, anxiety overcame me. We’d seen nothing but trees for a while now. The road we drove along wasn’t even paved, and it was a wonder how our car even made it this far. The thick foliage blocked out the sunlight, turning the world gloomy, despite the weather. The road was so bumpy that I kept bashing my head against the car ceiling.
“Are you sure this is the way?” I asked.
“Of course! This is quicker than the highway.”
“Yup. I mean, Senpai’s got no sense of direction, but we’ll be fine as long as we follow the satnav. Modern technology, am I right?”
Nattyan’s reassurance had the opposite of its intended effect. Today, Sewatari was driving, and while she looked confident, I wasn’t. I peered at the satnav. This mountain road we were on wasn’t even marked. Why were neither of them worried? Still, they were the locals, not me, so I had to trust them. I didn’t even have a driver’s license.
Maybe I’ll try to get one once I’m back home…
I clung to my seat belt and looked out the window. The car was rocking so badly it felt like we would run off the road at any moment. Oh, did I mention there was a steep drop to the left of the path? It was steep enough that we’d be lucky to make it out alive.
“Ah, whoops. Nearly skidded a bit there!”
“Man, this is intense!”
I was definitely going to get my license if I made it home safely. I added it to my list of ways to get my life together.
“There are so many trees here! It’s just like the village!” Carol said excitedly. Her face was plastered to the window as she watched the abundant nature passing by.
I hadn’t made the connection before, but she was right. The village was surrounded by trees just like this.
I wonder how my villagers are doing…
I checked the app. My Fate Points were still increasing, which I decided to take as indication that my villagers were alive. I needed to see them with my own eyes before that became anything more than hopeful speculation, though. I was avoiding talking about the village as much as I could, to avoid upsetting Carol. Sadness clouded her eyes as she looked out the window. It was clear what was on her mind.
“We’ll be meeting with the gods soon, Carol. They’ll be able to help you out.”
“Yeah! I know everyone’s safe!”
“That’s right. They’re safe and sound.” I injected as much certainty into my voice as I could. They were fine. They had to be.
“We’ll be outta the mountains soon!” Nattyan announced. “Won’t be long after that.”
Carol and I straightened our backs. A gap opened between the trees on the road ahead, bright sunlight streaming through.
“Past there, we’ll be out in the open,” Sewatari said.
Relieved that we were finally leaving these terrifying roads behind, I stared out through the windshield at the brightness ahead. I instinctively squeezed my eyelids shut, and when I parted them again, I saw a railway line. We were driving along a road parallel to the tracks as they curved to the right. Instead of the wide fields typical of Hokkaido, this area was dominated by several large factories.
“That railway runs along the industrial estate,” Sewatari explained. “A lot of major companies have their production lines here, so it’s a pretty busy area even this far from any big towns.”
Nattyan nodded. “Yeah, there’s a residential area not far from the factories.”
I spotted a small train station up ahead with a traffic circle in front of it and some shops and eateries on a strip nearby. I also saw a few chain stores, but most of them looked like independent local places. There might’ve even been more stores here than where I lived out in the countryside.
“Must be convenient, having all these restaurants and shops around,” I said.
“Yeah! You only gotta drive a few minutes to find most things.”
Right, that—wait. How would Nattyan know that?
“Ow!” I inhaled sharply as the car came to a sudden stop, and I slammed my head against the driver’s seat in front of me. I looked up to complain, only to find that the two of them had undone their seat belts and were looking back at me expectantly.
“We’re here, Yoshio-kun.”
“This is the company that develops The Village of Fate: Isekai Connection,” said Nattyan.
I followed their gazes. A four-story mixed-occupancy building stood next to us. I recognized it from the satellite image I’d seen when I looked up the address. It was even shabbier in real life than it had looked online. The outer walls were a drab gray, and the building looked decades old. This might not look like the dwelling-place of gods, but what else could the developers be?
“This is where they made the game?”
I climbed out after Nattyan and Sewatari. The building beside Isekai Connection housed a small boutique and café, drawn from the same old-fashioned design. Pedestrians roamed the streets.
Unable to believe the company behind such an impossible game was just out in the open, I checked the directory outside the building. The first floor housed a travel agency. The second, third, and fourth floors all belonged to Isekai Connection. Now that I was finally here, my nervousness grew.
If you compared my current experiences to a video game, everything that had happened up until now was just the prologue. This was where the real game began. Time to speak with the developers and find a way to send Carol home.
“You’re looking a little stiff,” Sewatari remarked.
“I’m just getting nervous thinking about what’s ahead.”
“Oh, about that. We should probably apologize.” Sewatari scratched her head awkwardly and averted her gaze. “The truth is—”
“You guys work here, right? Either as developers or something else.”
Her eyes grew round, and she stared at me. She clearly wasn’t expecting me to say that. Nattyan, who was playing with Carol nearby, overheard and looked over in surprise.
“You…knew?”
“It was obvious. I mean, you kept throwing hints my way, didn’t you?”
From all the conversation we’d had in the car, it had been easy to work out. They were way too familiar with this area, talking like locals. Anyone could work that out.
“Well, yes, we did. We thought it would be easier on you if you figured it out instead of us just telling you out of the blue.”
I should be grateful for that. It was like she said. Since I’d worked it out already, I could take the revelation in stride.
“Wait, we did?!” Nattyan looked shocked. Apparently, she hadn’t been in on Sewatari’s plan.
Carol and Destiny looked like they couldn’t care less, peering through the large window of the travel agency on the first floor. They noticed me looking, and I beckoned them back toward us.
Sewatari waited until we were all grouped together, then smiled. “Welcome, player Suenaga Yoshio. Welcome, otherworldly villager Carol. And welcome, basilisk Destiny. I am one of the game’s developers. I am the God of Fate.”