No Game No Life - Volume 2 - Chapter Ep

FAKE END 
…It had been one week since their incursion into the embassy of the Eastern Union and their declaration of hostilities. 
The rumor that Sora had bet the Race Piece had started somewhere and spread all at once. Considering that Sora had beaten an Elf spy in the tournament to decide the monarch and then even defeated a Flügel, a notion was growing—“What if Sora himself is a foreign spy?” The nobles who had already had a bone to pick with Sora fanned the flames, and protests broke out. The Elkia Royal Castle was surrounded by crowds, and day after day words of abuse rained down. 
—And so, with weary steps, Steph appeared in the throne room and mumbled: 
“Sora…I cannot control it any longer…” 
The doubts being cast on Sora had spread even to the ministers. There were even some ministers participating in the protests. 
“Even the nobles who had been on your side have said that they cannot defend you now… And now the ministers are going on strike, leaving Elkia in a de facto state of anarchy…” 
Though Steph must have been just as mistrustful of Sora. She’d apparently done everything to try to keep things steady. As if out of options, she dropped on the floor, reporting. 
“Good work, Steph. But everything will be resolved once we finish our game with the Eastern Union.” 
As usual, as he sat on the throne playing a game with Shiro, Sora praised Steph’s efforts, but at the same time gave a wry smile. 
“They’re saying we’re foreign spies? It’s kinda late. Shoulda thought of that when we beat Elf’s spy.” 
—Indeed. Before Sora, laughing at his people, Steph could not wipe away her mistrust, after all. 
“…What are you planning to do? They’re even holding a demonstration outside.” 
“Whatever; let them do what they want.” 
In this world, it made no difference if they held a demonstration. If they had a problem with Sora’s decision— their only option was to seize the authority of the agent plenipotentiary . 
—But no one had come to challenge them. In other words, that was all the nerve they had. 
“…Then, may I ask you what you have been doing in this last week?” 
Her question was half ironic and half genuinely seeking an explanation. But the answer that returned was terse. 
“Waiting.” 
That was all. 
“…For the Eastern Union to answer that they accept, you mean?” 
“Mmm, nah, not really ready for that yet; I want them to wait a little longer.” 
With this cryptic reply, Sora continued. 
“There’s one more ‘piece’ I want to come first—jeez, what’s taking so long…” 
As Sora vented at some unknown party , Jibril came from the side at which she’d been waiting and reacted. 
“—Master, this…” 
But before Jibril could finish, Sora cut her off with his hand and spoke. 
“Oh, you’re finally here . You ever heard of timeliness?” 
—Everyone tracing Sora’s line of sight. But at the end of that line was no one. Jibril might have just felt the presence of something. Yet, to the entity invisible to Steph—and even to Shiro —Sora talked. 
“Yeah, I know why you’re here. I’m ready anytime, of course.” 
—With this, he picked Shiro up from his lap and stood her on the floor. Then he got up himself and looked around. 
…Glaring audaciously at Shiro, Steph, Jibril, and that entity visible only to him, Sora, after a long exhalation, said to Shiro: 
“Shiro, listen closely.” 
“…Mnn?” 
“I believe in you.” 
“…I believe in you, too.” 
While Shiro responded without hesitation, he returned only a smile. 
“Shiro, we are always two in one .” 
“Shiro, we are bound by a promise .” 
“Shiro, we are not the main characters of a boys’ manga .” 
“Shiro, we are always victorious before the game starts .” 
At Sora’s calm spelling out of these statements of obscure meaning. Somehow— 
“…Brother…?” 
Getting a sickening feeling. Shiro called her brother with unease. Sora, glowing in response, rubbing her head, said: 
“—Let’s go grab the last piece we need to swallow up the Eastern Union.” 
And then—facing that , he smiled and spoke. 
“—Come, shall we begin the game?” 
…— 
…… ? 
 

The sun slid through the window and her eyelids. 
“…Mm…nngh…” 
But, her consciousness resisting wakefulness in favor of further dozing, Shiro just turned once to sleep again, faithful to her desire to sleep more. Grasping her brother’s arm as usual—but. Her hand, groping around while her eyes remained closed, flailed vainly without grabbing on to what should have been there. 
“…Ngh?” 
Perhaps—she’d fallen off the bed again. But through her sleep-dimmed head she remembered that she was not sleeping in the bed of the royal bedchamber anymore. Reluctantly, she opened her dazed eyes to look for her brother and grab on to him, but—. The person—who was supposed to always be there—… 
 …… 
The Kingdom of Elkia: the capital, Elkia. In this city, now the last bastion of Immanity after losing territory in one failed bid for dominion after another. In a corridor of the Royal Castle, a girl walked unsteadily. Stephanie Dola. A red-haired, blue-eyed noble girl of the finest breeding, granddaughter of the previous king. 
—However, the deep fatigue indicated by the dark circles under her eyes and her heavy steps robbed the young lady of her natural refinement. Clutching playing cards with a creepy smile, wobbling her way to the bedchamber of the king, she gave the impression instead of…a ghost. 
“Heh, heh-heh-heh… This is the day you get what’s coming to you.” 
As the newly risen sun came to reap her post-all-nighter consciousness. Stephanie—aka Steph—chuckled restlessly. 
“— Shiro , you’re awake, aren’t you?! It’s morning!” 
Bam, bam. Her hands preoccupied with cards, Steph kicked the door, rudely addressing the queen by her first name. But…Perhaps the door had not been shut properly. For her knock was enough to open it smoothly— 
“U-um… Could it be you’re awake…?” 
—and Steph peered into the royal bedchamber, but. What she saw— 
“Brother… Brother, where arrre you… I’m…sorry…it was my fault… I…won’t fall out, of bed…anymore…so pleaase come out…eugh…” 
—was Shiro, knees in arms, only trembling and crying big tears. 
“—H—uh—wh-what’s wrong, Shiro?!” 
Steph, who’d just a moment ago been snorting about Shiro getting what was coming to her. Was so shocked by the sight that she dropped the cards on the ground and ran to Shiro. 
“Wh-what’s wrong; are you sick?!” 
But, as though she didn’t even hear Steph. Shiro just went on crying and muttering: 
“Brother…Brother… Come ouut… Don’t leave me a…looone…” 
Steph, appearing sincerely troubled by her mutterings, said: 
“U-um… Whom do you mean by ‘Brother’? I-I just have to bring him to you, yes?” 
 Then. Steph’s words finally made it into Shiro’s ears. What was—Steph saying? Shiro only had one brother . Shiro took out her phone and opened her contact list—but. 
“…No way…” 
—That couldn’t be. There was only one number registered in Shiro’s phone: her brother’s. Yet. Why—. Why did her phone say— 0 Contacts ? 
“…That’s impossible… No way…no way, no way…” 
Seeing the blood drain from skin already white. Steph felt something of no small importance and spoke to Shiro desperately. 
“Sh-Shiro, please, are you all right?! Tell me what is wrong!!” 
But Shiro seemed no longer to even realize that Steph was there. As she furiously went through her phone’s e-mail records, game accounts, addresses, she opened her image folder, opening the subfolders—no. 
—There was no trace of her brother. 
“…No way… This…can’t be…” 
In a panic, Shiro checked the date on the phone. 
—The twenty-first. Her brother had been playing a game with her on the throne—on the nineteenth. Shiro instantly went back through her photographic memory , through all the portable game console, tablet, and phone displays she had seen, and checked that they said 19 . Yes, it had definitely been the nineteenth. But then it should be the twentieth. 
—So what had she done yesterday ? 
—…No. She had no memory—whatsoever. The memory of Shiro, able to read books she’d read five years ago backward from memory alone had a complete gap, as if she’d slept through a whole day. 
—Her brother was not at her side. He wasn’t in her phone’s contact list. He didn’t appear in e-mails or records or logs or anything. 
—Her brother could not be demonstrated to exist at all . Having pieced together the situation, Shiro could come up with only three possibilities. 
Possibility 1: Some unknown force had erased her brother’s very existence from this world. 
Possibility 2: She had finally lost it. 
Possibility 3: She had already lost it—and she was just now regaining her sanity . 
But, regardless of which of these possibilities was correct, none, to Shiro, was an answer sufficient to hold the darkness back from overcoming her vision. With a wavering voice, with difficulty, she opened her mouth. 
—To say what she hadn’t yet said, since she could guess the answer but by no means wanted to hear it. With the last of her hope—she said his name to Steph. 
“…Ste-ph… Where is Brother… Where is Sora …?” 
But the answer she then received was, as she’d guessed. 
—The answer she’d wanted desperately not to hear. 
“… Sora? That is someone’s name, correct? Who is that ?” 
—Oh. 
 Please. Let this be only a terrible, awful dream . Let me wake up and find my brother sleeping there as always. Let him just tell me—“Good morning.” That was all she wished for as she surrendered herself to the darkness that overcame her. 
—Shiro let go of her consciousness. 
TO BE CONTINUED