Liar, Liar - Volume 4 - Chapter 3.2

Not long after our victory over Senri Kururugi and Team B, I contacted Libra to see how things were going in other areas. As if to provide an answer, I found some new opponents waiting for me just ahead.

“Hey there, Seven Star.”

One of them, a good-looking guy with slicked-back hair, took a step forward. He was the leader of the Shinra School team, the Six Star Demigod Dictator. Enomoto had told me that more than a few players had left the Academy entirely after fighting him. That’s how horribly this battle junkie thrashed his enemies.

“My name is Toya Kirigaya. Sounds like you’ve been having some fun with my Shinra friends.”

“Maybe? I didn’t really bother to check what school everyone was from,” I said.

“Nice. I like guys who’re all about the Game. I don’t care about my teammates, either. I’m not here to get revenge for them. I’ve just got a glorious reputation to uphold, you know? And you’re gonna be how I do it.”

“Yeah? I heard you were pretty aggressive, but you don’t pull any punches with trash talk, either, I guess.”

“Hya-hoo! You’re right about that. Can’t waste too much time. My job is to take down you and the Empress.”

…?!

My eyes widened at Kirigaya’s remark.

His job? Defeating Saionji and me is his job? If that’s true, then there’s no doubt he’s in league with Mikado Kurahashi.

I clenched my fist slightly, making sure to keep Kirigaya from noticing. The United Force was all about recruiting people from other wards, so it wasn’t surprising that he’d placed his schoolmates into other groups. However, if he was working with Kurahashi, he’d been meant to team up with the Chameleon from the start.

And that’d explain why he’s here leading the United Force around… It’s just like Kururugi said. Ugh… This has suddenly gotten a lot more annoying.

Kirigaya was the de facto commander of the United Force, the number two in charge after the Chameleon, a guy working for Mikado Kurahashi, and now I had to face him. The danger and vital importance of what was about to happen were staggering.

“Kururugi!” I quickly turned and shouted her name. “Please go on ahead. Things will still work out more or less like I told you. Try to avoid leaving the United Force until you absolutely have to. It’ll affect the final standings.”

“Huh…?” she answered, blinking in surprise. “Wh-what about this fight?”

“Your LP’s at one. If you die here, we’re done for. Don’t worry about it. Just get moving!”

“…! Okay. I’m on it!”

Kururugi looked me in the eye, nodded, and cast Stealth. There was no guarantee she wouldn’t betray us. I could only trust that my talk with her had been enough. Kirigaya and the rest of Team C being here could only mean that Suisei School’s and Soken School’s teams had been crushed. We had to stop this now before the whole operation fell apart.

“Hya-hoo!”

Unbothered that Senri Kururugi was gone, Kirigaya let out a ferocious laugh as he pulled out his device. While clearly enjoying every moment of this, he declared to the world:

“No more stupid talk… Let’s go.”

So began the avalanche.

Toya Kirigaya rushed at us, accompanied by a cool, mature-looking girl. Her name was Shizuku Minami, and according to Kagaya’s research, she was a Four Star from St. Rosalia Girls’ Institute in the Fourteenth Ward. Kirigaya’s job was Spy, while Minami was a Mage, which probably made them Team C’s main attackers.

Seiran Kugasaki joined the charge, sporting his usual silver-framed glasses and black cloak and a daring smile. I was a little surprised to see him take the rear, given his aggressiveness and typical spot as the leader, but he was a Guardian, so his focus had to be support.

“Oh, wow… I knew the Phoenix was in the United Force, but this is really an all-star roster. Guess it was too optimistic to hope our enemies would hold back a little, huh?”

I understood what Kagaya meant. These three were bound to work well together. Their power as a team was naturally going to be off the charts.

That only became more apparent once the battle began.

“Ah, whoa! What the hell! Quit it! You’re pissing me off.”

Asamiya took advantage of her Soldier job to attack Minami with a few Sword Flash Spells. However, each one was stopped by a Defense Wall, even though Asamiya only attacked when Minami was on a cooldown.

“Aww… I thought this girl was cute, but she told me I’m pissing her off… I should just throw myself off a cliff…,” Minami muttered.

“No! I didn’t mean it like that! And thanks for calling me cute! But curse your Defense Walls!”

“You react fast… That’s kind of a pain.”

Minami sounded pretty sleepy, yet her moves were refined. Asamiya should’ve been able to outclass her in mobility, but they were a pretty even match. Whenever Minami looked like she was in danger, a sudden Defense Wall appeared to save her.

There was no way she was putting them up. There was only one guy here who could.

“Heh-heh… You know some people like to call me the Phoenix, right, Shinohara? I didn’t pick up the moniker for this, exactly, but a role like this is where I shine. I’m never going to die…and I won’t let my allies die, either.”

Kugasaki pushed up his glasses with a finger as he delivered his statement. His pretentiousness was getting beyond annoying, but he could definitely back it up. Presumably, he was using a coordinate-shifting Ability to cast long-range Defense Walls. Those incredibly tricky Support Spells kept Asamiya from landing a hit on Minami.

Worse, Shizuku Minami wasn’t even their main offensive force.

“Hya-hoo! Launch Compound V2!”

Kirigaya’s voice was a mixture of composure, ecstasy, and wickedness. Thrusting his device in my direction, he kept talking, like he had a special present to reveal to me.

“The special Ability Compound V2! This one’s a blast, you know? It was once just a boring general-purpose Ability, but I modified it with my black star’s special effect. Now this thing’s beyond good. It can even hold its own against the Abilities of Unique Stars!”

“Sounds like a pretty big threat,” I replied. “You’re mass-producing Abilities on the level of †Jet-Black Wings†?”

“You could say that, sure. Among Unique Stars, mine is probably the most versatile.”

Kirigaya smiled. I guess I’d reacted as he’d hoped.

“Compound V2’s a helpful kind of support Ability that takes an Attack Spell you can normally use once and shoot it over and over again on the same cast. As long as it’s the same type of Spell, I can power up the strength and range all I want, and I can even mix a few different Spells to create new ones. Here, lemme give you an exclusive demo. Magic Missile and Sword Flash, combined… I call it Magic Sword. Hya-hoo! Have fun trying not to die, Seven Star!”

A-a combo Spell?! Wow, that’s so cool…I mean, so devious!

I couldn’t help but marvel a bit while Kirigaya bragged happily. Compound V2 let him combine multiple Attack Spells to create new ones, and he could pour a bunch of Spells in at once to boost the resulting attack’s strength, expand its range, and strike at the weaknesses of any job he chose. The Ability was a creation of his Unique Star and was every bit as powerful as that suggested.

“Look out, Master!”

One of Kirigaya’s many Magic Swords zipped by me, raging like a storm. It missed by inches. Had Himeji not pulled me aside, I definitely would have been hit.

“…! Sorry, Himeji. Thanks.”

“I’m just glad you’re all right, Master. This Ability is quite a handful, though…”

Himeji had her head close to mine to whisper in my ear. She was right. And Magic Sword had to be just the beginning. If Kirigaya crafted Traps with extra concealment, we might be done for.

Crap. I wasn’t expecting this…

I silently cursed my bad luck. This had come at the worst possible time. I had known Toya Kirigaya was a tough enemy, but my priority had been to win over Kururugi. That had taken so long that we hadn’t prepared any real strategy (or cheats) for Kirigaya. Plus, I wasn’t really a Seven Star or the strongest on the Academy. Without any plan, I was entirely at my opponent’s mercy.

If I just had a little more time…

“Hmph…”

Enomoto, who’d been supporting Asamiya, suddenly turned around and walked straight for Kirigaya. It was so abrupt that it even made Kirigaya glare at him.

“Huh? You’re Eimei’s student council president, right? What’s a stupid Mage like you doing on the front lines?”

“Well, you’re just a stupid Spy, aren’t you, Kirigaya? I don’t see how that sets you above me.”

“Oh, here we go. You just don’t get it, do you? Bein’ a Spy’s the most stable job there is. You have access to the most Abilities, and in ASTRAL, Traps are way stronger than the three other Spells. Don’t underestimate the Spy, or you’ll pay for it.”

“I disagree. It all depends on the talent of the player. There’s no clear hierarchy among the Spells. Don’t you realize that in a clash between a Mage and a Spy, the Mage is far superior? It’s a classic rock-paper-scissors-style weakness setup.”

“So what? My strength overrides type advantages like that. Here, I’ll show you.”

The two of them stared each other down. Each was in range of the other. Both sides talked a big game as they readied their devices. When Enomoto spoke again, it was to me rather than Kirigaya.

“Shinohara… You need time to consider how we’ll make it out of this, right?”

“…! Y-yeah… Yeah, I do.”

“Then I’ll get it for you. Make sure you do your job.”

“…”

Enomoto spoke quietly and kept his face turned away from me, revealing nothing. He’d known I was in trouble and stepped in. What keen intuition. It left me speechless for a moment. However, I quickly grinned and replied confidently.

“Right… Thanks. Don’t lose too quickly. It’ll make the rest of us look bad. Got it?”

“You could say please, at least. I keep telling you to mind your manners around upperclassmen, Commander.”

Enomoto couldn’t have been more direct. Having said all he cared to, he fired Magic Missile with a sweeping motion of his arm. Kirigaya, on the other hand, relied on Kugasaki to block with a Defense Wall, then used Compound V2 to place hidden combo Spells around himself. Normally, that would’ve made our situation much tougher, but they didn’t stop Enomoto at all. He deduced where they’d been placed and avoided all of them to go on the offensive.

Two top-ranked students, regular participants in events like this one, were locked in a fierce battle. I watched their fight from the corner of my eye while puzzling over how to proceed.

What are we going to do? How can we beat these guys?

That was all I needed to think about. It was clear that we had a significant disadvantage. We had fewer Spells and viewer votes and worse Action Levels.

But…

All we need is a single moment. Team C has two attackers. We definitely need to defeat Minami, but we only need to stop Kirigaya for a second. A decisive opening like that will be enough to win.

I felt confident that was our best shot. Beating Toya Kirigaya wouldn’t be very difficult if I used a certain trick I’d set in place before ASTRAL began.

That was a tall order, though. No matter how many attacks we threw at Kirigaya, Kugasaki’s Defense Walls blocked them. Even without the help, Kirigaya would probably dodge.

If we could make Kirigaya use up all of his Compound V2 resources… Hmm. Speaking of…

Remembering something, I took out my device and sent a message to Libra. Really, it was just an emoticon, but it was the signal to execute a plan we’d discussed earlier. I’d originally prepared this for a different situation, but I was pretty sure it would work here, too.

My device’s vibration was all the reply I needed.

“…………… Get that, Himeji?” I whispered in her ear.

“Huh? But they… Oh. I see.”

Himeji gave me an understanding nod. She ran a finger across her device’s screen and activated her Replace Ability rather than a Spell. It allowed her to swap one Ability with a teammate. During our battle against Kagurazuki, she’d passed my Predict Behavior over to Akizuki, who’d worked some incredible magic with it. Himeji was using her Ability a little differently this time, though.

“Replace, target my master…and Mr. Toya Kirigaya,” Himeji said quietly, her voice cool as her silver hair swayed.

One Ability disappeared from my device to be replaced with Kirigaya’s Compound V2. The trade had been successful.

“Wha…what the hell did you do?!” Kirigaya almost choked as he angrily spit his question… I’m sure I would’ve been just as surprised. No Ability could steal others from opponents, even temporarily. No legal Ability could, anyway. It would’ve made strategizing impossible.

However, Libra’s assistance broke down the Game’s delineation between friend and foe for a brief instant. From the program’s perspective, it was a trade between friends, no robbery involved.

I actually prepared this to steal One-Shot Kill in case we couldn’t persuade Kururugi, but this works fine.

This wasn’t how I’d envisioned using this trick at all, but I didn’t really care. I took a step forward while meeting Kirigaya’s irritated gaze with a bemused smile.

“It’s exactly what it looks like. I used Replace to swap Abilities with you. Usually, that’s restricted to teammates, but…”

“Then why did it work?! I don’t remember you joining the United Force!”

“You can blame your boss for that. The United Force Ability is constantly left open. Any player participating in ASTRAL can join anytime they like. It makes the whole concept of a team pretty vague.”

“Ahh! This is all too damn cryptic for me!” Kirigaya complained, clearly irritated.

Whether my explanation made sense or not, the exchange had happened. He had no choice but to accept what I said. By the way, the Ability I’d sent to him couldn’t even be used right now. Its conditions hadn’t been met. I had no worries about him using it against me.

Anyway, after taking Kirigaya’s Compound V2, I tapped my earpiece and got to work supporting Asamiya, firing Sword Flashes off like rockets, setting Traps that triggered Magic Missiles from behind, and trying whatever else I could think of.

“Haah… You’re wasting your time.”

Minami remained unbothered, only sighing in annoyance as she fended off my attacks and Asamiya’s.

“I’ve seen all this before, okay? You can’t beat me like this. And that goes for Compound V2 stuff as well,” she said.

“But you’ve never even fought me!” Asamiya replied.

“Mm. Yeah, that’s true. Hey, you’re fast. Real tough, too. And those glimpses of your belly button I’ve been getting are cute. One hundred and twenty points.”

“Stop embarrassing me! You gotta pay to see that! Argh!”

The two seemed evenly matched, for the moment, but Asamiya was having a little trouble. Perhaps it was because Enomoto had left to confront Kirigaya. If this continued, Minami would win out.

Come on, come on…

“…Okay, Hiro! Mods complete!”

Just as I started to panic, Kagaya’s voice came through the earpiece. The job I’d requested was finished. The Company sure was efficient. I couldn’t help but smile a bit.

When Asamiya and Minami reached a short break in their clash, I stepped forward.

“Hey, Minami,” I called.

“Huh? Why do you know my name? Creepy…”

“I’m the Seven Star. I can see anyone’s info. Anyway, you mentioned earlier that Compound V2 isn’t a problem to you because you’ve seen it all before, right?”

“Sure,” she replied. “I mean, I know about it. And I can avoid anything I know already.”

“Wow. Quite a bold statement. But I think you’ve forgotten something important.”

Minami gave me a questioning frown. Kirigaya, still busy with Enomoto, paused to look at us. I watched him from my peripheral while I continued.

“Every Ability has its own level. If someone with a low star count uses one, the effect will be modest. But on my device, an Ability’s full power is unleashed. Basically, the same Ability can have a huge difference in power depending on whether Kirigaya uses it or I do.”

“Right, yeah. Everyone knows that.”

“Good. In that case, let me show you that difference in action. Invisible Magic Sword!”

The moment I spoke those words, Minami was blown backward like a rag doll without any warning. Neither Kugasaki’s Defense Wall nor her own evasion skills were quick enough for this punishing attack. Minami looked stunned. She had no idea what had happened, but all her LP was gone, and she disappeared from ASTRAL.

“Simple logic. See?”

I tried to gloat as much as possible to provoke Kirigaya.

“Unlike you, I’m not stuck at Six Star. I can maximize the effect of all my Abilities. The Compound V2 you created actually carries the latent power to forcibly combine all Spells, not just Attack ones. So I fused two Magic Missiles, three Sword Flashes, and a Stealth. This created the most powerful attack ever, like nothing ever seen in this Game.”

“Damn, you’re a real piece of shit!” Kirigaya shouted furiously. Losing his strongest asset in the Game undoubtedly drove him up the wall.

Of course, I wasn’t being entirely truthful. I definitely thought that a Seven Star with Compound V2 would be able to fuse anything, including Support Spells, but I was technically only a Three Star. In actuality, Minami had been defeated thanks to some meddling from the Company.

“Aghhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

I didn’t know whether he was enraged over losing Minami or my provocation, but an incensed Kirigaya began to overwhelm Enomoto, hurling Spells at him faster than before. Maybe he’d taken it easy until now, thinking this would be a breeze. This upset had broken his composure, and now he attacked almost blindly. The crystals representing Enomoto’s LP were rapidly vanishing.

“Shinji!”

Asamiya’s face paled as she beheld this tremendous onslaught. With Cornered Mouse activated, she had extended range and firepower, so she hurried to step in front of Enomoto. However, Kirigaya was completely unfazed.

“I never thought you’d make me use this one… Dual Wield!”

Two Sword Flashes went off at the same time. One was aimed at Enomoto, while the other was for Asamiya. They moved no differently from regular attacks, but both targets were already so weakened that another hit would bring their LP to zero. Enomoto and Asamiya would have to dodge or defend, and the choice created a momentary delay in their responses. That hesitation proved decisive.

“Ahhh!”

“Oh… This is it?”

Two voices overlapped. A large blue aura, the visual effect for a player leaving the Game, followed almost immediately. A quick check of the Eimei team’s status in Sight Mode confirmed it.

“Tsk… Finally, they go down. What a workout…”

Kirigaya shook his head irritably from the other side of the blue aura. Then he narrowed his eyes at me.

“Hey, Seven Star… I gotta say, I thought it was shameless to call yourself the strongest, but maybe you deserve to. I assumed hunting you would be easy, but this has turned out to be damn tough.”

“You look pretty calm, considering,” I answered. “Seems like you hoped to save that Dual Wield Ability for me, right? A little surprise to crush my spirit.”

“Yeah, more or less. I love to win, but totally dominating from start to finish isn’t any fun. I like to string opponents along, and just when they think they’ve won, I smash them. It’s great.”

“Wow. That’s quite a hobby. So did you plan for Minami to be eliminated?”

“No, no, not like that. Losing Compound V2 was completely unexpected. I haven’t felt this way in ages. This is exactly why I can’t get enough of Games, man… Shizuku wasn’t some disposable pawn, though. She did exactly what I needed. Taking her out made you use up all of Compound V2’s uses. No more fusing Spells!”

“…”

“Hya-hoo! You see? This is what happens when you get carried away and start firing it all over the place. You might’ve had a chance with that Invisible Magic Sword, but not in a normal battle. All my Abilities are tuned for battle, unlike yours, which I gotta guess are spread out to cover a bunch of situations. I have a ton more resources than you. There’s no way I can lose!”

Kirigaya wore a belligerent smile as he raged at me. Just as he’d claimed, my last attack had used the final charge remaining on Compound V2. I had known that while using it, but that didn’t change the fact that I was going to have a tough time against Kirigaya.

“…”

“Ohhh, nice. It’s kinda fun to see you act all tough and above it all, even now. That won’t save you, though. You’re gonna be my stepping stone to the top. It’s a pretty big honor to be involved in such a grand moment in my life!”

Kirigaya approached me with absolute confidence. Himeji stood in front of me with her device ready, but he obviously didn’t care. With his Dual Wield, he could ignore a Guardian entirely as he hunted me down.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, another figure inserted itself between us and Kirigaya—one with a small frame and hair in twin ponytails. She had been laying Traps and supporting us during the fight with Kirigaya’s group under the cover of a Stealth Spell. It was Noa Akizuki, the Six Star Little Devil.

“Wha…what are you doing, Ms. Akizuki?!” Himeji exclaimed. Surprisingly, she seemed the most astonished. “It’s dangerous here. Why did you remove Stea—”

“Eh-heh-heh! No you don’t, Shirayuki!   You can’t act all cool and hog all the time protecting Hiroto! That kind of responsibility belongs to me, his rightful wife!”

“I don’t know who’d be the wife and who’d be the mistress, but please step aside!”

“Uh-uh!   Hey, Hiroto! Will stopping this guy for a bit help you out?”

“Huh?” I froze for a moment when faced with this abrupt question. The answer was obvious, though, and I gave it quickly.

“Of course it would. It’s what I need more than anything.”

“Really?! Woo-hoo! Now I’m Hiroto’s number one…  ”

“I’m not sure that’s the case, Ms. Akizuki… What are you trying to do anyway?” Himeji asked.

“Oh, you just watch, Shirayuki!  ” Akizuki gave me an alluring smile before turning her attention to Kirigaya. “Toya Kirigaya,” she began. “The ace of the Seventh Ward’s Shinra School, a Six Star with a black Unique Star… You’re not all that great with these action-oriented Games, are you? I think you prefer ones where you use your brain more, psychological warfare stuff.”

“Huh? Oh, I never really thought about it… Hey, what the hell? You tryin’ to seduce me with all this praise?”

“Bzzzzt! I’m really cute, so I get why you wanna believe that, but you’re wrong. Last summer, I think it was. There was this one girl in my class. We weren’t really friends, but she was sweet to me. She was really nice and respectful…but after she played a Game with you, she left the island. I never saw her again…and, um, that’s the end of the story, I guess.”

Akizuki spoke rather quietly. She claimed that was the whole story, but for someone like her, who’d had no friends at the time, that girl’s departure must have been a real shock. Toya Kirigaya, the Demigod Dictator, had been responsible. I wondered if there were a lot of students who held grudges against him for similar reasons.

The guy himself didn’t care at all.

“Oh, really? Hey, sorry, but I can’t remember every little thing. I don’t see the need to get sentimental about that stuff.”

“That’s fine!   I’m just mad, so I thought I’d get a little revenge. That’s all!  ”

“That right? Well, die, then.”

The moment he said that, Kirigaya took out his device with a natural motion and used Dual Wield to fire two Magic Missiles at Akizuki. After using Cancel to eliminate his cooldown time, he moved in close and followed up with a Sword Flash.

“M-Ms. Akizuki?!”

Akizuki didn’t defend against any of them. All the damage went through, and her LP crystals all shattered. Akizuki fell to the ground, looked up at me, and smiled a little. A moment later, she was just a bunch of luminous blue particles.

As I stood there, stunned, Kirigaya let out a disappointed sigh.

“Aw, man, she calls that stopping me? She didn’t even fight back, much less attack, huh? I was hoping for a little more, but I guess a wimp’s a wimp.”

However, as his laughter died down, the color began to drain from his face. That helped me realize that something was off. Kirigaya wasn’t moving from the spot where he’d defeated Akizuki.

“Cancel Action…! It’s exactly what was used on Shirayuki!” an excited voice squawked in my earpiece.

“Huh?”

“It’s Noa! I’m sure of it! I think she had some kind of retaliatory Ability in advance, the kind with a powerful effect when its owner is eliminated! It’s really limited like that, but super useful!”

My eyes opened wide at Kagaya’s explanation. I guessed that’s what Akizuki had meant about stopping Kirigaya. She’d definitely created a lethal opening for me. Now I could take him down.

I thought I could, anyway.

“Whoa, whoa, don’t tell me you think you’ve won.”

“…!”

Kirigaya’s voice never lost its composure. A translucent, spherical shell covered him. Akizuki should have stopped all action on his part, but he’d still created a barrier of some kind.

Internally, I couldn’t have been more upset. Kirigaya gave me a dauntless smile.

“I swore that I’d beat you, so of course I’ve got something to deal with a surprise attack. This is Canceling Barrier V2—an invincible wall that shuts out any attack I couldn’t block on my own.”

He was so matter-of-fact about it. Like Compound V2, he’d presumably created this Ability using his black star. He’d concealed it until now to break my will, like he’d said earlier. Breaking out another potent trick during a life-or-death struggle would definitely make most people fall to their knees in despair. However, the corners of my lips curled up in a smile, and I stepped forward.

“That’s number three, Kirigaya. Compound V2, Dual Wield, and Canceling Barrier V2. You’ve used up all your Abilities. No more hidden tricks.”

“Huh? Well, yeah, but Canceling Barrier V2 isn’t just for show, okay? As long as I have this up, you can’t land a scratch on me unless you have Senri Kururugi’s One-Shot Kill or something. Meanwhile, I can attack you all I want. Get it? I don’t need any more tricks.”

“You can attack all you want from within the barrier? Wow. Thanks for letting me know.”

“…Huh?”

Kirigaya scowled with confusion. No sooner had he done so than…

“Heh-heh…”

“?! Ah…gah…?!”

…a soft laugh caressed my ears. Before Kirigaya had time to scream, his body was blown away. Canceling Barrier V2 should have saved him, yet the attack treated it like it wasn’t even there. Of course, such a feat would be impossible under normal circumstances, but with the right Abilities, anything was possible. After all, if a player could create Defense Walls anywhere they liked, they could also trigger attacks from within the Canceling Barrier V2.

The blow came from the leader of the Otowa School team from the Eighth Ward and leader of the Self-Styled Holy Knights, the Academy’s largest unofficial organization. He was arguably the most famous Five Star in the history of the Academy, and definitely the strangest—Seiran Kugasaki, the Phoenix.

“Heh-heh-heh… Ahhh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

His shrill laugh climbed into the air as he looked down at Kirigaya on the ground. While pushing up his shiny, silver-rimmed glasses, he threw back his jet-black cloak. He smiled at me, the expression asking, “How was that?”

That’s right. Kugasaki and I were working together for this Game.

“Damn…it…” Kirigaya’s LP had been reduced to one by the sneak attack. “You’re gonna betray the United Force, you bastard? You’ll pay for this…”

“Betray? Me? What is this nonsense you’re spouting?” Kugasaki shrugged as he cast Kirigaya a mocking look. Spreading his arms in a pretentious gesture, he assumed his classic theatrical tone. “Consider the very premise of all this. Your United Force is headed by that Chameleon. She posed as the real Empress, and this whole group is meant to help her steal the Empress’s position during the May Interschool Competition.”

“Huh? What the hell? So what?”

“Heh-heh! Silence, you! Did you forget how I earned my nickname? I adore Sarasa Saionji—the current Empress—from the bottom of my heart. She has my utmost respect. That’s why I’m the Phoenix, the one who challenges her again and again. And I will have you know that I will never tolerate anything as abominable as a fake Empress!!!”

“Huh…?! Wait, so you… From the very start?!” Kirigaya gritted his teeth hard at Kugasaki’s impassioned speech. “…! You sure about this?! If you side with Shinohara now, all that talk about you becoming my partner is dead in the water, okay? Serve me, and I’ll even make your ‘Self-Styled’ whatever an officially sanctioned group—”

“Heh-heh! Such talk will not sway me!”

Kirigaya’s remark got me wondering what sort of behind-the-scenes negotiation he’d engaged in. Kugasaki, meanwhile, shook his head. He brought a finger to his glasses with a stylish gesture and grinned.

“Don’t you ever show your face around me again. Now, and for all time, my group shall always be mine alone.”

“…!”

Kugasaki’s attitude made it clear to Kirigaya that there was no talking his way out of this. Kirigaya lay there on the ground as Kugasaki approached to deliver the final blow. The Phoenix prepared a Sword Flash and quietly raised his device.

“Well, so be it… You beat me this time. I’ll just sit back and…” Kirigaya trailed off. Then something changed in his posture. “…What, give up? You think I’d do that? Hell no! You’re going down with me, you bastard!!”

Kirigaya lifted his head, revealing a victorious smile. Then he used Dual Wield to break out all the Magic Missiles and Cancel Spells he had left, unleashing a surge of attacks all aimed at me. Kugasaki finished Kirigaya off immediately afterward, but that didn’t stop his attacks. The many Spells were about to pummel me.

“…! Master!!” Himeji jumped in front of me. She’d been too surprised to create a Defense Wall, to even pull out her device. Instead she just stood in front of me with her arms outstretched. Before I could say anything, Kirigaya’s attacks struck her slender body.

“Ah…?!”

“Himeji!”

I finally sprang back to motion, stirred from my astonishment. It was already too late, though. Himeji fell into my arms. Her LP was already gone. As her body faded, she looked up at me, smiling apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Master… Forgive me for not remaining with you until the end.”

“What are you talking about? Why’d you do something that rash?”

“It’s hard to say why, exactly. Ms. Akizuki just looked so cool to me. Perhaps I wanted to be sure she didn’t steal your heart.”

“…Can you tell me the truth, please?”

“That…wasn’t a lie…but I think the reason is obvious. You’re the key to our attack on the Chameleon. The plan would fall apart if you were knocked out of the Game now.”

“…”

“And…even if I lose the Game, there are still things I can do.”

Those were Himeji’s last words before disappearing into a cloud of blue particles and leaving ASTRAL’s digital world. She was the fourth member of Team Eimei to be eliminated. I was the only one left.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt your tender moment, Shinohara, but can I talk to you one second?”

I slowly turned to face the guy behind me, forcing a calm expression. It was now me and Seiran Kugasaki, the Phoenix and Five Star.

“Thanks, Kugasaki. I couldn’t have beaten Kirigaya without you.”

“Oh? Well, you’re definitely right about that. You’ve certainly put in quite a performance, too, Seven Star. Just like my rival should! You’re not just some face in the crowd, you know!”

“Ha…”

“Heh-heh…”

“You two have really similar evil laughs,” an exasperated-sounding Kagaya remarked. Still, I didn’t see the harm in playing along with Kugasaki a little. We’d formed an alliance before ASTRAL began, after all. The Chameleon threatened the Empress herself, which made her a common enemy for us.

Naturally, I’d been surprised to learn that Kugasaki had joined the United Force, but he’d infiltrated it to get in close and launch a surprise attack against his hated enemy. Toya Kirigaya was the acting commander of the United Force, and considering his influence and how dangerous he was, having Seiran Kugasaki as an ace in the hole was a big help.

Kugasaki stood in front of me, his jet-black cloak fluttering in the air. “Looks like…you’re the only one left on your side?” he remarked quietly.

“…Yeah. Eimei and Ohmi were the groups covering the west side of the map, and now I’m the only remaining member. Suisei and Soken took the center, but they’re all gone. I don’t know what’s going on with Saionji to the east, but it looks like Murakumo was eliminated pretty quickly. I’m not sure she’ll hold out long enough for Kururugi to arrive.”

“I see. Hell’s Priestess is your secret weapon, then? We’ll just have to pray it works out.”

Kugasaki shook his head as he checked the state of the Game with his device.

“The United Force took plenty of losses, too. The only remaining members are me, Kururugi, and the Chameleon herself. If Seijo School is disqualified for its nonplayer participant, that means there’s only four schools left in the running—Eimei, Ohga, Tsuyuri, and Otowa. It looks like Kirigaya managed to drop out of the United Force at the last minute, meaning Shinra will make it in the top five. Now that I’ve betrayed the Chameleon, I suppose I shouldn’t expect any more Spells from Seijo School. I think I’ll follow in Kirigaya’s footsteps and drop out of the United Force. My team’s secured a top spot in the Game, so I suppose there’s nothing for me to do but drop out.”

“Fine by me. I hope you enjoy Libra’s commentary as you watch the final moments,” I said.

“Heh-heh… I hate that dismissive tone, but I can take a hint. Listen well, my rival… Since I can no longer protect my Empress’s good name, it’s up to you instead.”

Kugasaki took out his device. Grinning, he fired a Magic Missile at himself and disappeared from ASTRAL.

“…”

As I watched him dissipate into particles of light, I thought about Kururugi. She should have reached Saionji by now. Presumably they were battling the Chameleon.

It took a lot of sacrifices, but everyone who joined her United Force is gone. In other words, everything’s falling into place. Now I just have to hope Kururugi can defeat the Chameleon for me.

With little else to do but hope, I took out my device and contacted Libra.

“What…?” came a groan, colored with astonishment and despair. That would be her last word. By the time it faded, Senri Kururugi’s body was a mass of blue particles. She had been defeated. Hell’s Priestess, one of the most powerful players, had left the Game.

This…this is just…

Sarasa Saionji, leader of the Ohga School team, was at a loss for words.

Things had started out so well. By cooperating with her teammate Momo, she had somehow avoided the Chameleon. They’d even managed to defeat her allies with a few Ability-driven surprise attacks. It had been a great battle. Moments ago, Senri Kururugi had even arrived.

Yet things had rapidly taken a turn for the worse.

“Heh-heh! Betraying me, huh? How sneaky! I expected something like this, though.”

“Ngh…!”

Sarasa clenched her fists as the Chameleon smiled at her. Senri Kururugi hadn’t made any real mistake. She’d launched a Magic Missile at the Chameleon while Sarasa and Momo supported her. One-Shot Kill had definitely activated. Yet it had somehow failed to deal any damage to the Chameleon.

This final ray of hope had failed to reach the enemy. And if One-Shot Kill wasn’t enough, then there was surely no way to stop her. In moments, Senri Kururugi’s and Momo’s LP were obliterated.

Where did we go wrong? If we can’t beat her with that Ability, then how…?

Despair weighed heavily on Sarasa’s mind. No matter what route she considered, it always led to defeat. The Chameleon was only a few paces away, wearing her face. Before she could do anything, however, a bell chimed, indicating that it was five in the evening. The AR world vanished. The fourth day had come to an end. Somehow, Sarasa had skirted defeat.

But that’s… It’s like I didn’t even do anything!

It frustrated her to no end to survive thanks to a stroke of luck. She could hardly stand it.

Sarasa bit her lip with her face lowered. The Chameleon smiled at the sight.

“Aw, that’s too bad. I guess you can keep calling yourself the Empress until tomorrow, then.”

I was alone in the basement control room. Libra had vacated it for me. I stared up at the oversized monitor in the middle of the room.

The screen showed the results of the fourth day—Senri Kururugi’s defeat, most notably. Hell’s Priestess had failed to beat the Chameleon.

A lot had changed in ASTRAL following today’s all-out war. Almost all players in our alliance and the Chameleon’s United Force had dropped out of the Game. The United Force was no longer a coalition of any kind. The Chameleon was the only member left. Likewise, all schools but Eimei and Ohga were out.

Normally, we’d be safe among the top five already, but…

That was only true if the Chameleon didn’t finish in first. If Saionji or I won (I wasn’t sure whether Seijo would be added to the final ranking), Eimei and Ohga would be the top two, followed by Tsuyuri, Otowa, and Shinra. But if the Chameleon won, it would be a different story. With the way the United Force worked, all affiliated schools, like St. Rosalia, would be tied for second. Eimei and Ohga would be pushed out of the top five.

The situation was looking bleak.

“…Yeah, it’s about what I figured.”

I sighed while staring at the monitor… The Chameleon had been growing in strength throughout today’s battle. Her territory occupied around half of the map and nearly 90 percent of the nonneutral hexes. She also had 77.3 percent of the viewer vote, completely dominating Eimei and Ohga.

If asked whether this was unexpected, I would’ve said, “Not really.” Our enemy ruled the United Force. Unless we beat the Chameleon, we’d never be able to seize any of her Spells or territory. On the other hand, we were nothing but an informal alliance, so every time one of our teams was defeated, its territory became the Chameleon’s. Knowing that, we’d tried to win the Game quickly with a coordinated assault. That would never happen now.

“Man, this really is awful…,” a familiar voice remarked from behind me. Turning around, I saw Sarasa Saionji in her school uniform. She looked completely invincible, her long, luxurious red hair flowing and her ruby eyes shining in the dark.

She folded her arms beneath her chest and shook her head gently.

“I should probably apologize. Sorry we couldn’t beat the Chameleon.”

“Huh? How is that your fault, Saionji?” I replied.

“I know, but…” She peered up at me, possibly to gauge my expression. Whether it was this rare, vulnerable expression from her or the silence of the room, my heart skipped a beat.

“Hm?” Saionji looked confused for a moment, but continued, ignorant of my feelings. “I’m a little surprised. I thought you’d be a little more depressed after today’s failure.”

“Were you hoping to come mope with me about it down here? Sounds like you’re the one who’s depressed,” I said.

“Well… Yeah, I am, all right? Is that so wrong? I’ve never felt this completely helpless in my life. I almost want someone to pat me on the head and tell me everything’s going to be all right! Ugh!”

“…Should I?”

“! …N-no! Never mind. I mean, if you did, it might be okay…”

Saionji’s face shone red, and she looked away from me. She was acting unusually timid. Regardless, if she was here in the control room, it meant she was searching for a way to turn this all around, just like me. I met her ruby eyes, which seemed to be burning hot.

“Listen, Saionji. There’s actually something important I need to tell you.”

“S-something important? From you, Shinohara? To me? W-wait, wait. My heart’s not ready for this…”

“Sorry, can you go hide somewhere for a minute?”

“…What?”

Saionji’s mouth hung open for a second, but she recovered quickly to pout at me.

The other members of Eimei’s team arrived at the control room not long after.

“Um…Hiroto? Are you here? A Libra girl led us to this place…”

“Yeah, this way,” I called, waving from in front of the monitor. Four people walked over: Noa Akizuki, Shinji Enomoto, Nanase Asamiya, and Shirayuki Himeji. They were all part of the Eimei School team but had been eliminated from ASTRAL during the battle with Kirigaya.

“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you all that our assault on the Chameleon this afternoon to win ASTRAL in the normal way ended in failure. Not even One-Shot Kill could defeat the Chameleon… Meaning it’s probably impossible to defeat her head-on.”

“Mmm, yeah, probably,” Asamiya agreed, sounding distressed at my conclusion. “So do we just have to give up?”

“Give up? Why would we do that?” I replied.

“We’re not? You just said it’s impossible to beat the Chameleon.”

“No, I didn’t. I said it’d be impossible to do so head-on. Today, we kept things strictly within the Game, but if she’s playing this unfairly, to the point that One-Shot Kill isn’t enough, then I don’t need to worry about following the rules, either. We’ll go outside the Game and do whatever’s necessary to beat our enemy.”

“Wow… I like that. I’m getting pumped up just thinking about it!” Asamiya sounded a little more hopeful than she had a moment before, even smiling slightly.

By “our enemy” I meant the Chameleon, but it could also refer to Mikado Kurahashi, honestly. I really wanted to beat the Chameleon so I could focus on the battle against that man, but we had to handle one crisis at a time.

“But what’re you going to do, exactly?” Enomoto asked me, watching the monitor with a scowl. “Whether you take it outside of ASTRAL or not, I don’t think it’ll be easy to make up for the difference in power.”

“Right, true. That’s why I’m thinking that I’ll challenge her to a Game,” I replied.

“…A Game?”

“Yeah. A Game within the Game—one that’s linked with ASTRAL. There’s that difference in power like you said, Enomoto, but the big problem is that there’s no way we can win in ASTRAL. We can’t reduce her LP or take territory from her. Quite frankly, we’re cornered… But what if we change the rules so we can win?”

“…”

Enomoto went quiet. He spent a few moments thinking before addressing me again.

“I have three questions about that. First, isn’t the Chameleon already playing a side Game with the Empress from the Third Ward? You can’t take on multiple Games at once, an event like ASTRAL notwithstanding.”

“Ah, I think we’re okay on that front. Her account name’s three question marks, which probably means she’s not part of the whole star system. She forced her way into this, so those kinds of rules shouldn’t apply to her. And since her ranking is unknown, the Seven Star should be able to challenge her without an issue.”

“Hmm, yes, that sounds right to me… Okay, second question. If you do challenge her, what sort of Game will it be? You hardly have the time to devise a rule set right now.”

Enomoto was right. I could have the entire Company devote itself to this, and maybe they’d come up with something quickly enough, but such a thing was normally impossible. People devoted a lot of time to fine-tuning the rules of a Game. They didn’t just make one out of thin air.

But even so…

“That’s not a problem, either. We’ve got someone who can help us with that.”

I snickered a bit as I looked down at my device. I’d already reached out to the person in question—Natsume Ichinose, provost of the Fourth Ward’s Eimei School—before Saionji came down. Her relationship with Mikado Kurahashi ran really deep, and when I called her up, her side of the conversation had gone something like this:

“…Mm? What’s up, Shinohara? Aren’t you in the middle of a huge Game right now? I’m in the bath, by the way, and that’s far more important to me than your life.”

“…You wanna talk about something? Okay, I’ll hear you out.”

“Oh, I see… I see, I see! A Game within the Game that can stamp out Kurahashi for good, huh? You have such a creative mind, you know that?”

“In that case, I’ll expend every effort to help you. I’ve investigated Mikado Kurahashi so much, I could practically write a book on how to defeat him. I’ve been after him far longer than you have, y’know.”

“Right. In that case, Shinohara, let me provide you with a Game I created back when I was a student. You’ll need to adjust it a bit to make it compatible with ASTRAL, but I think you’ll find it to be a pretty neat Game.”

Basically, she agreed to help out.

“I’ll keep the details under wraps for now…but someone I trust has already given me a Game rule set. We need to adjust it somewhat, but there’s no need to worry about that part,” I explained.

“Ee-heh-heh! Great job, Hiroto!   This is perfect!  ”

“I see. I sense that old vixen’s presence…but okay.”

Akizuki gave me an alluring smile, while Himeji sighed, seemingly having deduced that the provost was involved. She didn’t look all that enthused, but she offered no objection.

“All right. One more question, Shinohara,” Enomoto said. “How will we make the Chameleon participate in this Game of yours?”

“Yeah… That’s gonna be the tricky part.”

I shook my head a bit at Enomoto’s hounding question. Himeji brushed her hair back as she indicated her agreement.

“Indeed… As of right now, the Chameleon will clearly run away with ASTRAL. All she has to do is run out the clock. Would she be at all interested in playing another Game with you?”

“Not normally, no. She’d need some kind of compelling reason.” I paused, turning my attention to Saionji, who was hiding nearby. “But I’m pretty confident we’re good on that front, too. For now, if you guys can trust me on that, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Sure, yeah, of course… What should we do?” Akizuki looked curious. Honestly, the whole group seemed unsure how they would accomplish anything after being eliminated from ASTRAL.

I gave everyone a confident smile, looking to each of them in turn. Tomorrow was the final day of ASTRAL. No matter what I did, Mikado Kurahashi was bound to get involved. He had to be desperate to win to make up for last time, and he would undoubtedly try whatever he had to. I needed to account for all of that interference in my plan and make certain he and Shiina lost. And I’d do it with this outside-the-box Game that would enable a side bet carrying enormous consequences.

“You’ll all be handling behind-the-scenes stuff during the Game tomorrow. There’s a few things you’ll have to take care of while I’m playing.”

After Team Eimei and later Saionji (who seemed peeved with me for some reason) agreed to the plan, I decided to head back to my room.

How to invite Shiina into the Game…?

Secretly, I agonized over the question. If I wanted to stage a miraculous turnaround, I had to pull her into a separate Game, no matter what. There were a few tools I could use to help, but I needed something that would give her that extra push to make it a surefire thing.

What should I do? Hmm…

Right as I passed by the first-floor restaurant, I spotted Tsumugi Shiina out of the corner of my eye. She wove around the tables, head swiveling around like she was searching for something. Seeing the Chameleon I’d just spent so much time talking about made me stop in my tracks.

“Ah… Oh, hey! Great! I finally found you!”

Ignorant of my internal turmoil and wariness, Shiina skipped right up to me. She looked no different despite my exposing her in MTCG that morning. I wondered if she might try something.

Yet as I nervously swallowed, Tsumugi Shiina said, “Hey, I want to play a game with you right now!”

“…Huh?”

It was almost like she’d read my mind.

May Interschool Competition: ASTRAL—Day 4 Complete

Largest Territory Taken: Seijo School, Twelfth Ward (4,828 hexes)

Most Votes: Seijo School, Twelfth Ward (77.3%)

Surviving Players: 3