Liar, Liar - Volume 4 - Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1

The Signal for the Comeback

It was nine in the evening when Suzuran Kazami’s message arrived.

All it said was I want to explain the rules of MTCG to you. Libra did the same for everyone eliminated from ASTRAL. She asked that I report to a meeting room on the hotel’s second floor, different from where the Eimei team had held its meeting.

“Um… Have a seat, meow.”

Although smaller, the room wasn’t too different from the other one I’d been in. This one had single plush seats instead of a sofa.

Suzuran Kazami sat at the far end. She was a Three Star and attended Ohga School with Saionji. A cap rested on top of her chestnut-colored hair, and she had on her armband with the words Ace Reporter written on it. Kazami was an honest girl who put her all into everything. Her boyish style and energetic demeanor gave her a cute charm. Pretty much anyone would’ve enjoyed having her around.

That usual bubbliness was conspicuously absent today, however. Something downtrodden lurked in her eyes, and she rested both hands on her lap. She stole little glances at me like a wary animal. It was extremely out of character.

“Um… Aren’t you gonna sit down? L-like, if you wanna stand up, Shinohara, that’s fine, but…”

“I guess I can sit, then.”

Kazami timidly offered me a seat, showing none of the revved-up excitement I’d come to expect from her. I took a chair across from her and got down to business immediately.

“So…you were going to explain the rules of MTCG to me, right?”

“R…right. Yes, you’re free to join, of course, and if you win, you’ll be allowed back into ASTRAL. Oh, but you already know that, right? We tell this to everyone who qualifies…”

Kazami flipped through some papers. My simple question had really flustered her. She pretended to act unaffected, but her face was quite obviously tense.

“Kazami…is there something else you want to tell me?”

“…!”

Her shoulders twitched at my question. I couldn’t blame her for the reaction. Right before I dropped out of ASTRAL, I had given Libra a pretty direct message. Kazami had to know I was here with some kind of ulterior motive.

“Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about… Heh-heh…”

She shook her head, refusing to make eye contact with me. It was a pretty feeble lie, but she was clearly trying to tell me not to press any further.

But your being here must mean you want to help, right? I thought as I watched Kazami.

That had to be the case. Her message claimed she wanted to explain MTCG rules, but plenty of other people besides Kazami herself could do so. Had some unknown Libra member greeted me in this room instead of her, I would’ve known she didn’t want me to get involved. Surely she knew that as well as I did.

So she’s refusing to help on the surface, but there’s some part of her that wants to be persuaded. She wants to tell me everything. Okay… If that’s her wish, I’ll make it come true.

“…Shinohara?”

I smiled and slowly stood from my seat. Kazami looked confused, but I paid that no attention. I maintained my composure as I walked to the door. The latch clicked as I pulled it open.

“Oh, Shinohara. I sure didn’t expect to see you here.”

Sarasa Saionji, the greatest (fake) rich girl on the island and former Seven Star, had arrived, just as planned. She was my partner in crime. I lied about my rank and she was pretending to be a different person. If either of us got exposed, we’d both go down together, a situation that had resulted from a very unusual string of situations that had forced us to make an alliance. Saionji needed to defeat the Chameleon to prove her identity, making that imposter our common enemy.

However, Saionji was here primarily because she was a student at Ohga School and friends with Suzuran Kazami. That’s why I’d asked Himeji to send a note inviting Saionji over.

After greeting me with her typical superior act, Saionji looked around and whispered, “Just let me in, Shinohara. What’ll you do if someone sees us?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

I shrugged at those ruby-red eyes staring at me from point-blank range and beckoned her inside. It was a little unfair for her to complain after she’d kept me waiting for ten minutes outside her room early this morning, but whatever.

Saionji’s shoes tapping on the floor provided the only sounds in the room for a while. She looked at the glassy-eyed Kazami from across the glass table and rested a hand on her hip. Ultimately, Kazami broke the silence.

“S-Sarasa…? Um, you can’t just come in here. Libra members aren’t allowed to talk to ASTRAL players…”

“So what? That’s not written in the rules. Besides, I just want to have a fun chat with my friend, and I don’t think anyone has a right to stop me.”

“F-friend? O-okay, but…”

“What’s wrong? Do you not think of me as a friend?”

“O-of course I do! You’re very dear to me…”

“Oh? Heh-heh! I am, huh? What an honor.”

Kazami’s reply prompted Saionji to cross her arms haughtily. Although she maintained her better-than-you tone, I caught the hints of a pleased smile on her face.

“…Don’t get too worked up, Saionji. You usually act a lot more like a queen.”

“Sh-shut up! I can’t perform as well as you. And I only act that way around you.”

With our eyes still on Kazami, we held a whispered conversation.

“So…why are you here, Sarasa? Did Shinohara invite you…?” Kazami asked.

“Yeah, I called her over,” I answered with a nod. Normally, I wouldn’t volunteer that information, but there was no need to keep it hidden this time. “I’m sure you know that the Chameleon declared war on the Empress, creating a ridiculous race to see who can beat me first, right? I have no intention of losing to anyone, but the Chameleon is getting obnoxious. It hardly feels like she’s even playing the same Game anymore. So Saionji and I decided to call a truce for now. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all that.”

“Right. I can’t even begin to explain how reluctant I am to join forces with Shinohara, but my hands are tied, so…”

“I—I see…”

Kazami nodded, accepting the story we pushed on her.

“Basically, we need to do something about the Chameleon. Regardless of whether she’s cheating or not, it’s on us to beat her. And I think your help will be indispensable,” I explained. “I suspect you know something about the Chameleon, perhaps even her actual identity. It’s the only reason why a historically neutral group like Libra would favor that imposter so heavily.”

“…”

“Tell us, Kazami,” I urged. “Are you in trouble? Has the Chameleon got something on you, too?”

“…! N-no, not really. I appreciate the worry, but you’re barking up the wrong tree.” She shivered a bit, and her hands were clenched tightly. Kazami looked as though she was in pain, yet she still shook her head.

“We…we just can’t! I can’t let you get involved, no matter what. This is strictly our problem…Libra’s problem. You guys are very nice, but accepting your help would be cheating. We can’t do it!”

Kazami’s refusal unintentionally revealed that there was indeed something going on with Libra and the Chameleon. She obviously wouldn’t give us any specifics, though, so it was time to move to my next tactic. However, Saionji took a step forward before I could say more.

“Listen, Lily…” Saionji ran a hand through her gorgeous hair.

Kazami’s eyes went wide. “…! That was my nickname in middle school… Why do you know it?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I was your fan well before I got to know you at Ohga. I watched you commentate on my device all the time, even back in your earliest days with Libra. I’m still pretty fond of your old nickname.”

Saionji wore a nefariously disarming smile as she approached her friend. She leaned forward to look Kazami straight in the eye. Her red locks swayed in the air.

“But don’t insult me, okay? You don’t want to involve us? It wouldn’t be fair to let us give you a hand? Don’t be silly. Who decided all of that for you? That guy over there and I aren’t the types to get crushed simply because we chose to help with your problems.”

“B-but…”

“No buts. Weren’t you listening? Shinohara and I have to do something about the Chameleon…and we need your cooperation, all right? We’re the ones making a request. All you’re doing is helping a friend. So how about it?”

“That…that’s not fair…”

“Heh-heh! Maybe not. Outside of Games, I don’t really care how unfair people are.”

Saionji reached out to wipe a tear off Kazami’s face. It was a rather bold thing to do, but it seemed perfectly appropriate when she was in Empress mode.

“…All right, meow.”

I don’t know if that gesture was what sealed it, but Kazami finally nodded.

“If you promise to trust Libra…I’ll tell you everything.”

We gave Kazami a little time to collect herself. Once she was ready, she walked us through the whole story, bit by bit.

“So…first off, the Chameleon is an illegal player.”

Kazami lowered her head as she spoke. She was sitting with Saionji while I leaned against the nearest wall, arms loosely folded. Saionji had jokingly invited me to sit next to her, but I’d politely turned her down.

Kazami stole a glance at me before continuing.

“The account name is unknown. It’s written as three question marks. The owner’s not from any ward on the Academy. She’s got no right to join a Game with stars on the line, but she created an account and forced her way into ASTRAL.”

“That’s kind of what I figured,” I said.

“Right? But…it’s not like there was nothing to be done about that. Fake accounts are a violation, and Seijo School had already announced it wouldn’t participate in the May Interschool Competition.”

“So why is the Chameleon still allowed to participate?”

“Well… Heh… I hate to admit it, but it looks like the Chameleon has some allies among the administrators running ASTRAL. The Academy’s Event Management Committee answers directly to the Board of Regents. Some bad guys must’ve wriggled their way in at some point.”

Ah… Maybe that’s how Kurahashi got involved?

Kazami wasn’t in a position to give names, but her explanation left me confident Mikado Kurahashi still held influence with the Academy’s Board of Regents. Sticking his own handpicked player into the Game must have been simple for him.

“An extra player should’ve been fine. That’s what I thought anyway… But that was a big mistake.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah. We…edited a lot of the ITube video, so I don’t think anyone’s picked up on it, but the Chameleon’s account data is completely bugged out. Her Action Level is one. One! And her job’s listed as ‘Transcendent,’ which is basically a combination of all the perks of Commander, Soldier, Mage, Spy, and Guardian. Plus, her bases give her new Spells every sixty seconds… All her parameters are broken.”

“Huh…?” Saionji blinked in surprise. “Th-that seems a little…”

“We had no idea about any of this!” Kazami protested. “Libra’s only operating in a support role. The event committee is running ASTRAL. Some of its members are connected to the Chameleon, and they’re letting everything she does slide. They’re providing the video data she uses for her transformations, too.”

“Are you the only one who knows something’s up?” I asked.

“No, the rest of Libra definitely knows.” Kazami gave us an empty, resigned smile. “The Tokoyo School team’s breakdown on day two made it pretty obvious that the Chameleon was going too far. We all watched that with our mouths wide open—the committee, too. I couldn’t even do any announcing! We all just sat there panicking…”

“Hmm… Okay.”

That would certainly explain why Kazami had sounded so frantic on the live feed.

“So you and the other Libra members became aware that the Chameleon wasn’t playing the Game fairly by that point. Why hadn’t you done anything about—”

“We can’t,” Kazami interrupted, her voice weak. “By the time of the trouble with the Tokoyo School team, the Chameleon’s pals in the committee were already long gone. I guess that’s when we realized how serious this is. But it got even worse. So much worse…”

“How so?” I questioned.

“Um… Well, what about you, Sarasa?” Kazami’s eyes went to her friend. “What if you were the leader of the event committee, and you discovered that some of the other members were involved with a rule breaker in the middle of a Game?”

“Me? Well…I’d kick the rule breaker out of the event, for one. Then I’d root out anyone involved with them while keeping the Game going with the remaining players. I suppose I’d try to make up for any damage caused by the cheater as best I could, too.”

“Exactly the sort of strong response I’d expect from you. That’d be the perfect solution…but the event committee can’t do it. The Game’s already underway. If its members banished the Chameleon now, how would they explain it to the other players? How would they calculate the amount of damage done to each team? And how would they treat the Eighteenth Ward now that its participating school has been eliminated? I think it must be too difficult to really create an appropriate response.”

“Hmm, I guess I understand… What will you do, then? Because it’s only going to get worse if you don’t act,” Saionji replied.

“You’re right. Normally Libra would remain neutral, but that’s clearly not an option. There’s no fixing what’s already done, but we’ve gotta stop it from getting worse. That should be a given, right? But, Sarasa, you have to understand that we can’t. The Chameleon’s got us trapped.”

“Huh? Oh. You mean…”

Saionji went quiet upon realizing the full scope of the situation. Meanwhile, Kazami laid it out for us, her voice no more than a whisper.

“Libra’s carrying everything now. It’s all been pushed on us. The post-Chameleon cleanup, the criticism from the public—everything. The event committee’s definitely frightened. The Chameleon’s done too much. Banning her won’t solve the problem. Had she been removed on day one, it’d be a different story, but things are too far gone. The event committee knew that people would complain no matter what action it took, so the members have abandoned their duties. They’ve left Libra to run this huge Game by itself.”

“…”

“We couldn’t think of anything to do but keep the Game running. The Chameleon’s completely screwed up ASTRAL, but we decided to make it look like it was still going as planned. We played the Chameleon off as this exciting contestant with mysterious and exciting Abilities. ‘Look at her go!’ and all that. We made sure to silence anyone who brought up the Chameleon’s cheating. Heh… It was the worst possible choice. All it’s doing is delaying the inevitable.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Well, if the Chameleon wins, it’ll only be because the committee running ASTRAL allowed her to get away with a bunch of illegal stuff. And what do you think will happen if that gets out? It’ll be the worst mistake in May Interschool Competition history. There’ll be a huge outcry, and Libra will get all the blame.”

The picture Kazami painted of the future seemed positively grim. And if things didn’t change, her prediction would come true.

“That’s…all I really know.” Kazami began to tremble, but she put on a bold face. Her eyes went to the floor as she said, “I have no idea why it turned out like this… The whole point of the May Interschool Competition is to make a fun and exciting event. Libra worked so hard to turn this into an Academy-wide party. We spent so much time preparing for it.”

“…I see.”

“We did our best, but…look what happened…”

Kazami’s words came out haltingly. She was struggling to keep herself together and wiping away tears with both hands. No matter what she did, they continued to run down her face.

“And I hate it… I can’t stand knowing this might destroy Libra. My happy little corner of the world is going to be ruined by all this unfair nonsense… I’d rather die! Shinohara, Sarasa… Please… I want you to help Libra!”

Her plea was straightforward, lacking all artifice. I wasted no time accepting with a nod.

“Kazami, you already know I have to take down the Chameleon, and Saionji and I are ready to work with you on this. If you don’t want Libra to be destroyed, then we’ve got to strike first, understand? You’ve got the Academy’s top player and a spoiled rich girl Six Star on your team now. All the Chameleon can do is change her appearance. She doesn’t stand a chance against us and the all-powerful Libra.”

“Ah… Y-yeah… You’re right…”

I tried to give off as much confidence as possible, and Kazami finally managed to smile through her tears. Meanwhile, Saionji leaned back in her chair and grumbled something about not being spoiled.

After so long, things were finally starting to look up.

“…Nnh!”

An alluring sound echoed gently through the dark, cramped space.

“H-hey, Shinohara… Just because it’s dark doesn’t mean you get to touch me wherever you want.”

“Huh? What’re you talking about, Saionji? I’m not touching anything.”

“Yes you are! What else could be hitting m— Ahh! H-hey! Cut it out!”

“I’m not anywhere near you! Himeji’s behind you, remember?”

“Huh? No way. Yuki wouldn’t do something like— Nnh! Y-Yuki?”

“Sorry, Rina. With all three of us stuffed in here, it’s unavoidable.”

“R-really…? I guess I understand, but… Ah! Nnh, ngh… It feels more like I’m being squeezed from behind than touched. And you’re sure it can’t be helped? You’re sure about that?!”

“Yes. Absolutely,” Himeji replied immediately, even as she continued to embrace Saionji. I had to wonder if things like this had been common when Himeji worked for the Saionji family. I needed to stay focused, though. I couldn’t let some squeaks and moans distract me. We were supposed to keep quiet.

The three of us were in the middle of a stealth mission. Our goal was to infiltrate Libra’s office undetected. A large shipping container was our choice for a hiding place, so Himeji, Saionji, and I were holed up in one. Kazami was disguised as a worker and hauling us in a cart.

Himeji had received permission from Kazami to join us after I gave the excuse, er, the very valid reason that she was my right-hand girl. We’d be meeting later to discuss whatever we learned after this operation, and I’d thought it best that the leader of the Company tag along for the infiltration.

When I’d suggested Himeji come with us, Saionji had complained, “So you mention her and not me? Hmph…” What did she expect? She wasn’t my assistant. Saionji was more like a fellow fighter who covered my back while I covered hers.

She was the top VIP on the Academy, the Empress, the strongest in histor—

“Ahn…! N-not there, Yuki… Ahn!”

“…” I did my best to shut out the moaning I was never meant to hear.

“Um, Sarasa? I can’t hear what you’re saying, but quit mumbling, okay? It’d really help if you could stay quiet,” Kazami whispered from outside the container. If not for that, I might’ve been in big trouble.

We reached the Libra office not long after.

It was on the basement floor of the Shiki Island Grand Hotel. You wouldn’t find it on the hotel map. It could only be accessed by tapping a special code on the elevator panel—real secret-hideout stuff.

Once we were free from the container Kazami had delivered us in, Himeji, Saionji, and I were met by a truly bizarre sight. An enormous monitor had been set up in the middle of the room with desks, computers, and other equipment around it in all directions. Honestly, it resembled a mission control center from some sci-fi movie, except it was dim. Most of the lights were apparently turned off.

Most bizarre of all, though, were the young men and women I saw all across this landscape. There were more girls than guys, all dressed in an assortment of school uniforms, but judging by the matching armbands, I assumed they were Libra members. There wasn’t a lot of life to any of them, though. Some were sprawled out on their desks; others were sitting on the floor, heads down.

“…They’ve been like this for a while now,” Kazami said mournfully, her voice strained. “We can’t stop ASTRAL now, but the longer it goes on, the worse it gets. No matter how hard they try, it’s never going to get any better… And we all know that, so they just keep losing more and more hope. That’s why it feels so awful in here…”

“I understand,” I replied.

If what she’d told me earlier was true, then honestly, this much was to be expected. Not all of the Libra members had completely passed out yet. A few noticed us and regarded us with disinterest initially. However, when they saw Himeji in her maid outfit, they blinked a bit, and then their jaws dropped at the sight of Saionji next to her. When they realized that the Academy’s Seven Star was here, too, they shouted, “Whaaa?!” Suddenly, the dimly lit room was bustling with concerned and bewildered voices. Naturally, all of this confusion was funneled at Suzuran Kazami, the only visitor they recognized.

All of Libra focused on her. She didn’t waver beneath the weight of the attention, instead taking a deep breath and steeling herself.

“Sorry, guys!”

She bowed her head so quickly that I was afraid her cap would fly off.

“Don’t tell anyone, but I told these three about what’s going on, our current situation, and stuff. And I asked them for their help!”

“Uh… But, Suzuran, that’s…”

“Yes! This was entirely my call. If this makes things worse, I’ll take the fall for everything! So…so please, you’ve got to let them help!”

“““…”””

Kazami was ready to shoulder all the blame. Maybe this was her way of taking responsibility. The other Libra members reacted in various ways. A few nodded, while others thought things over. By the look of things, I’d say around two-thirds of the audience were in favor of the plan and the remaining third were still ambivalent.

“Take the fall? You don’t need to worry about that,” Saionji declared, sounding invincible. She smiled a little as she took a step forward, her gorgeous red hair swaying. As usual, she had her right hand on her hip.

“Lily… I, Sarasa Saionji, fully recognize your determination to set this right. And I want to assure all of you that you’re in good hands now. No matter how complicated this situation is, it’s still just a Game, deep down… Heh-heh! Remember, I’ve got a perfect record excluding him.”

“Ah…”

I couldn’t tell who, but I heard one or two people gasp gently. I took that to mean they were coming around to our side. Saionji’s argument (pep talk?) had paid off. Now we had all of Libra ready to work with us.

Kazami gave us a quick tour of the Libra office, the so-called control room. The room was for the ASTRAL event team. All programs used in the Game were run from here, and the Control Section kept tabs on everything going on in the Game.

We decided to check all Chameleon-related data first.

“Whoa… This is just awful.”

Kagaya’s sad sigh came through my earpiece. I couldn’t blame her for being depressed. According to the information on the monitor, the Chameleon had the maximum Action Level the system allowed, and she accumulated new Spells fifteen times faster than other teams. She had all the advantageous features of every job in the Game, and the crystals representing her Life Points practically filled the whole screen.

“I know I’m in no position to protest since my entire job is to cheat, but I would have thought the Company would take a more graceful approach than this. Anyone who does a little video analysis is bound to pick up on all this cheating before ASTRAL ends.”

Kagaya sounded pretty exasperated. The Chameleon sure wasn’t holding back. Someone on the outside would indeed notice before long. I could only imagine how awful the Libra members felt as they watched someone trample all over the Game they’d been forced to take over.

One other element about the Chameleon caught my eye as well.

“‘United Force’? Is that an Ability?” I asked.

Apparently, it was—one directly linked to a question I had about today’s events. During our battle against the Kagurazuki School team members from the Ninth Ward, we (Akizuki, really) had completely wiped them out, yet we hadn’t been awarded any territory. Before the Kagurazuki School team members were removed from the Game world, they mentioned something about an affiliation with the Chameleon. United Force was the answer to that riddle.

United Force was an Ability that worked like an upgraded version of Truce, the ASTRAL in-Game option. It allowed the user to absorb another team’s members—with their permission, of course. It wasn’t a truce so much as a semihostile merger. All their territory was subsumed as well, along with their Spells and poll percentages.

Teams incorporated in this manner were allowed to leave the United Force as long as doing so didn’t immediately put them in last place, which was basically the same as being kicked out of the Game. However, there was little motivation to make that move. After all, if the leader with United Force came in first, all other affiliated teams would be treated as tying for second place. That was true even for competitors who didn’t survive to the end. In ASTRAL, where finishing in the top five was as good as winning to most, the temptation of such a deal was irresistible.

“It wasn’t supposed to work this way…,” Kazami said regretfully as she pointed at a monitor. “United Force should only be able to recruit one team. But it’s been modified, and now the Chameleon’s got seven working for her… Really, it’s only four, though, since a few have been defeated.”

We watched as Kazami pointed out a list of players currently allied with the Chameleon. Currently, the number of active players totaled thirteen.

I wondered why she was operating alone…but I guess it never mattered to her that she started with no teammates. She can add as many as she wants.

Finally, I understood how it all worked. I ground my teeth from the frustration.

I recognized a few names on the list of United Force members. The first was Senri Kururugi, Hell’s Priestess herself. She was the leader of the Tsuyuri Girls’ Institute team and the girl who had nearly taken out our team a few hours ago. I’d been confused about why she’d used her ace-in-the-hole Ability to escape. Knowing how United Force worked provided the answer. Kururugi hadn’t run away without a plan. She had been determined to join up with the Chameleon. Even when things turned dire, she calmly considered how to win.

There was one other name I knew on the list.

“Wow… Not a person you want to see up there.” Saionji’s face tensed a bit as she spoke, her voice betraying her concern. She was pointing at the name of another major threat—Toya Kirigaya. He was a Six Star from the Seventh Ward’s Shinra School. People called him the Demigod Dictator because of how he crushed people’s souls as he beat them. Given his history, and the way he’d chased some players off the island entirely, he was clearly a guy to watch out for.

Despite Saionji’s reaction, Himeji remained calm, although a little puzzled.

“Is that so, Miss Sarasa? I didn’t think you had a particularly heated rivalry with Mr. Kirigaya,” she said.

“I’ve never personally played him in a Game…but he likes getting in my hair during group events like this a lot. He’s the kind of guy who hates it whenever he’s not number one at something, whether it’s test scores or star ranking. I think he kind of has it out for me. There were at least a few Games where Ohga missed a chance at winning because Kirigaya got in our way. He’s got a special color star, too. He might even be more trouble than Hell’s Priestess.”

“Wait. Kirigaya’s got a Unique Star, too?” I asked.

Saionji nodded. “Yeah. He doesn’t really show it off or anything…but he loves being at the top. That’s what he gets off on. He’s got the worst personality.”

I fell silent. A Six Star with a Unique Star. I needed to be just as wary of Toya Kirigaya as I was of Kururugi, perhaps more so. If I let my guard down, he could take me out in an instant.

And Kugasaki’s in the United Force, too…

I shook my head at the list of names. Kugasaki deigning to serve someone else was a little hard to picture, but knowing him, he was plotting something.

Senri Kururugi, Toya Kirigaya, and Seiran Kugasaki—a core team that was already extremely strong, and they weren’t even the only members under the Chameleon. That imposter had absorbed seven teams, making her territory absolutely massive. The area shown on the monitor totaled 2,245 hexes, 48.1 percent of all nonneutral hexes. Ohga School’s team was in second place, yet wasn’t even close to that figure.

That’s not good…

I had to think on this. From what Kazami had told me, the things we could do from this control room were actually rather limited. Cameras could be positioned as needed for streaming purposes, and we could review Game statistics and message players. None of that would stop the Chameleon, though.

Plus, if I want to take her on, I also need to join MTCG and earn that wild card. I’ll be out of ASTRAL in the meantime. If I win, I’ll have a chance to turn this around, but will the others be able to hold out until then? This might end while I’m wasting time trying to make it back…

I closed my eyes as I fought back a pang of anxiety while sitting in my chair.

“It’s all right, Master,” came a familiar voice.

I looked up and saw Himeji and Saionji standing there. Himeji smiled lightly at me with her hands clasped in front of her, while Saionji was scowling with a hand on her hip.

“Don’t wimp out now, Shinohara. That’s not like you.”

“Miss Sarasa is right. I understand if you have some concerns, but we’ll have Mr. Enomoto and Ms. Asamiya back in ASTRAL tomorrow…and I promise you that we’ll keep the Chameleon in check while you’re gone.”

“Right,” Saionji agreed. “So all you need to think about is winning MTCG as soon as possible, all right? Eimei and Ohga aren’t weak enough to collapse while you’re busy with other stuff… So make sure you come back, you idiot.” She blushed slightly during that last bit.

“How pushy of you,” Himeji remarked. Neither of them was offering empty encouragement.

Apparently, my worries were laughably misguided.