Chapter 22

“—The game has ended.” Maguma’s agent delivered the news. Maguma was on board a rescue ship sent by the organizers on the eighth day of Cloudy Beach, her forty-third game. Since she had cleared the game without noticeable injury, she had been guided directly to a cabin. She had been asleep when the sound of approaching footsteps awakened her, and upon opening her eyes, she saw her agent sitting in front of her. Those four words formed the first sentence out of her agent’s mouth. “Yeah?” Maguma replied. “Would you care to hear the outcome?” “Lay it on me.” “Essay has met her maker,” her agent said casually. “Apparently, she attacked Yuki but lost her life in the ensuing clash.” “Huh. And Yuki?” “She survived. In fact, she boarded this vessel moments ago and does not appear to have suffered any major injuries. I imagine this news must come as a relief.” “…What’s that supposed to mean?” “Why, haven’t you taken a liking to her, Maguma?” “Don’t put it like that…” Maguma pressed a hand to her forehead. “I just feel a sense of kinship between us ’cause we’ve run into each other a decent number of times and our playstyles are similar. That’s all. I don’t give a shit who survives. It’s me, myself, and I—that’s my motto.” However, Maguma couldn’t deny that, if she had to choose, she would have been rooting for Yuki to win against Essay. After all, Maguma had a strong distaste for the strategy Essay had adopted, which had come to light during the game. “I see,” her agent replied. “Well, it’s not like I wasn’t worried for Yuki. But if she managed to survive, that must not’ve been a problem for her.” “?” “Her right eye.” Maguma tapped below her own eyeball. “Looked a little whiter compared to the last time we met, so it got me curious. She never brought it up, though, so I guess it’s nothing serious.”