No Game No Life - Volume 7 - Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 
HOWDUNIT 
 
The 204th space—the fifth move. Dice remaining: three. Ino Hatsuse looked down at his hands, which were the same as when he’d been thirty. This space, lit by a moon so red it looked made-to-order, inspired a nostalgic chuckle. Yes…even the season had been the same when he’d met her on a night just like this. These islands that, at the time, weren’t even yet called the Eastern Union were where he’d first encountered that raging storm… 
 
“A nice moon, eh, Hatsuse? On a night so pleasant as this, what say we go and amuse ourselves a bit?” 
Over half a century earlier, under a night sky lit by that same red moon, that small two-tailed fox had stained the night red more violently than the moonlight. The powerful storm that had laid waste to the East called Ino’s clan’s name in a voice like bells as she stood before him. He was then only the chief of a single island and had heard tell of this girl, the last survivor of the oppressed golden fox tribe—a girl capable of bloodbreak who had clawed her way up from the bottom of the island of Kannagari that oppressed her until, at last, she controlled it. 
Using her staggering senses, intellectual agility, and cunning wiles, she had flown from Kannagari to bare her fangs at every tribe on every island of Werebeast. She’d become known as a storm that had engulfed the East, blocking off the sea, severing crucial trade lines, undermining and subverting the structures of rule, leaving her opponents no choice but to acquiesce to her games—through which she would crush them, without clemency or compromise, and subsequently seize control. 
Before such a storm, Ino had no right to refuse. 
“…I had hoped us to be kindred spirits in our grievances with the status quo…but it seems my hope was misplaced.” 
Ino only sighed and stepped firmly onto the ground. 
At first, the storm had brought him hope, anticipation, yearning. Finally, someone had come to put an end to the foul and fruitless strife among Werebeast. 
But. The ground onto which he had stepped split and cracked into the air as the red forms that stained the night became two. One of the red monsters, blood boiling, tearing through the shackles of cosmic truth, spoke. 
“Surely you do not believe that such power is your sole province. Not to mention…” 
She thought that with such power she could bend all Werebeast to her will, her authority, her control—and then. 
“…it is difficult to overlook the possibility that someone stronger will destroy the entire race—!!” 
No one planned it. It was just a nauseating consequence…but, hard though it was to admit, the way the disparate Werebeast tribes fought endlessly among themselves was part of the premise. If Werebeast was united by force, under the whim of a single agent plenipotentiary— 
—when someone stronger came along, Werebeast itself would vanish in one move. 

It was a grim approach that allowed for the possibility that another race might conquer and enslave a segment of Werebeast as part of a game. A philosophy that gave them the freedom to say, Who cares about that tribe? It’s not our problem. They even delighted in this. Power alone was insufficient to unite the race and overturn this theory. Something more was needed. This was the dismissal that Ino tossed at the storm of his hope, anticipation, yearning, and—ultimately—disappointment. 
“Guh-ha-ha-ha! You talk well of tribes and the like, you mutinous dickhead who just wants all the pretty ones!” 
…The storm laughed. 
“?Dear me, what is this of which you speak?” 
“Mate, there’s no need to put on airs… You would defy the tribe under the basis ‘I can’t shag who I want,’ and thus, you seek to build your harem while purporting to eliminate discrimination among tribes… ’Tis a breath of fresh air, perhaps the purest motive I’ve heard!” 
Hmm, so she knows everything? 
“Then let me be forthright. Hands off my bitches, or I’ll rip your throat out, you little shit.” 
Ino abandoned all pretense of keeping up appearances. The beautiful storm let out a sultry laugh and plopped down cross-legged. 
“Then beat me. If you do, I won’t lay hands on your bitches or your island ever more.” 
And in exchange— 
“If you lose, you become my underling. Not that you’re free to refuse, of course. Sorry ’bout that. ?” 
Ino subsequently regretted his earlier idiocy. The violent senses and speed of thought imparted by the power of the bloodbreak couldn’t create a storm capable of swallowing up all of these islands… Nor had it. The girl had played her fellow bloodbreaker and knocked him down like a baby. 
“This theory that ’tis better for Werebeasts to fight… That’s the first thing we’ll smash.” 
She introduced herself to Ino, now her underling, as the “Shrine Maiden” and remained scarlet even as she dropped her bloodbreak. 
“We’ll snatch everything up, then dangle before them the opportunity to self-govern by forming a tribal union.” 
The golden fox girl would have outshone any treasure as she spoke of a future for which Ino had hoped, anticipated, and yearned. 
“We’ll found a federal Werebeast government—the Eastern Union… That will be our first overthrow of convention.” 
Ino gasped for breath at that all-engulfing storm’s vision. 
“…But that will merely invite someone else to overthrow us.” 
He was saying that after they’d united Werebeast, another race might make a lethal move. 
“We’ll overthrow them right back! If you speak of means to battle other races, I’ve already thought ours up.” 
First of all, she declared, looking beyond the union of Werebeast to the inevitable confrontation with other races: 
“At the end of that eternity, once we’ve overthrown everything there is to overthrow, there should lie a certain convention I seek.” 
Her eyes gazed far off into the distance as she spoke. 
“—A convention by which no one will be dominated by anyone—a convention no one needs to be sacrificed to achieve.” 
Ino Hatsuse knelt before the one who challenged an unfinished dream—and an end that lay yet beyond it—and solemnly declared to devote his remaining life to her. 
“If you but promise to incorporate into the legal system the institution of polygamy, I shall devote all my spirits to assist you.” 
“Eh-ha-ha-ha! Such is a man who woos all the pretty young things regardless of tribe or standing!” 
The Shrine Maiden laughed and needled Ino, who knelt with an expression of absolute seriousness. 
“What a relief. If you were the monstrous sort to attack more than just the pretty ones, I’d have to fear for my own chastity.” 
“If you will, madam—might I ask you to retract that statement?” 
“…Eh?” 
“It is undignified for a beauty to debase herself.” 
“………………Mate, I can see you must be popular.” 
“I am proud to say I am. Also as a matter of pride, madam, I must inform you that I am, in fact, quite cognizant of matters of standing.” 
Ino, having resolved to dedicate himself to her goal, smiled at the young girl who cast her eyes so high, who was so noble as to make the moon withdraw in shame. 
“I shall forgo wooing you till I am a man worthy, O Holy Shrine Maiden.” 
From that day began half a century of turmoil that felt like several centuries. Just as the Shrine Maiden had declared, they took on four digits’ worth of islands and nearly as many tribes. They spent night and day using games to resolve complex challenges—legal, economic, judicial—officially labeled matters of discussion and negotiation. 
Meanwhile, they gathered experts to their provisional government and established a national research plan demanding a way to fend off other races: a game that left no room for interference by spirits or magic. The Shrine Maiden’s eyes fell upon the power that flowed from Kannagari’s shrine, now called “the Shrine.” At the time, no one (including Ino) knew what that power was. Thinking back…it must have been the power of the Old Deus. But the Shrine Maiden used it as an energy source and sought a machine that operated using code. There would be no point if other races were able to easily ascertain what was behind the root of their scheme and intervene, she said. So she created a program operated by switching that power on and off—the first video game. It took another twenty years before they were able to transform the algorithms to enable video and audio. And when almost sixty years since that day had passed…… 
“…’Tis been over half a century… So, Ino Hatsuse…” 
Kannagari, the capital of the actualized nation of Werebeast—the Eastern Union. Who could have imagined their dazzling, gleaming developed city half a century ago? The golden fox sitting on the railing in the Shrine Garden downed her sake and suddenly grumbled. 
“…where was it—that I went wrong…?” 
Ino didn’t understand what she meant. The theory under which the Werebeast had quarreled had been overthrown entirely. Their game for other races, too, had been cultivated into a total-immersion experience that even routed the Elves. 
“If I may speak, Holy Shrine Maiden, I believe you have achieved what no Werebeast could, overthrowing—” 
“’Tis been over half a century. Look where I’m still stuck…” 
Interrupting Ino, the Shrine Maiden laughed at herself as she spoke with her eyes. She’d broken one convention after another, pursing that end, running without ever looking back. 
…You can’t govern through lip service. In order to alleviate discrimination among tribes, they had adopted the policy of scorning other races. There was no counting the times they’d abandoned the few for the sake of the many, no calculating the lives they’d taken indirectly. 
And now, of all times, she had shaved down her life from two hundred years until only ten or so remained. 
“…This won’t get us there, to the convention I wanted, without sacrifices…” 
She realized all they’d done was change who was sacrificed. 
“I was wrong… It must have been the first move… That ruse I used was wrong.” 
Ino still couldn’t understand her. 
“But still, what should I have done…? I don’t know…” 
The Shrine Maiden laughed derisively as she played with that pawn woven in light—the Werebeast Piece. 
“That’s why—this is the end of my dream.” 
The Shrine Maiden flicked the piece, saying she no longer had the right to the dream of that day, but the man who had been close by her side for over half a century demurred. 
“…Such idle courtesies you utter. With that face, they will persuade no one.” 
“…If that’s…so—I’ll choose words better suited to a sore loser.” 
She chewed the corners of her mouth as she struggled to smile. She had the face of a gamer, still wholly unconvinced of anything, unable to fully give in. 
“What should I have done? I’ll save the match until I’ve found an answer… How’s that?” 
He saw that face for the first time. Neither crying nor trembling, it was aloof and firm as ever. 
That was what Ino decided to do…… 
 
“…There you are…” 
Sensing a presence, Ino closed his eyes on the past before slowly opening them to the present. 
The 204th space. 
Ino had paused in thought there, fifty-two spaces from where he had bathed with Sora. He’d been quietly waiting on the spot where Sora had mentioned he’d land next. 
“—Oh? Is this, like…a sorry to keep you waiting kinda situation, Gramps?” 
“…Nghh…I never…wanted to see, this old fart…again…” 
“I’m sick of this. Can’t you drop out of this game? Will I feel better if I die?!” 
Ino cracked a smile at the three who’d turned up, flippant, grudging, and noisy. 
“Yes, I have been waiting for you…for quite a while, in fact.” 
“Gimme a break… That was five hundred and twenty kilometers. Even a Harley runs out of gas, man…” 
In hindsight, I should have stuck on a fuel trailer, Sora groused. 
Whatever had happened along the way, Sora was now wearing a straw hat, holding a bamboo spear, and panting. Shiro similarly bore a bamboo spear which she pointed, trembling, at Ino as if comfronting a terrifying dream. Steph, meanwhile, was on the ground in the throes of a tantrum, wearing rags. Assembled in this manner, the Task was read to the trio: 
—Shred your thing for the sake of the world. 
Sora snickered at what was Ino’s own Task. 
“…Hmm, so each of us just has to shred some random thing, then we’ll collect three of your dice, leaving you with zero and a view of the ‘game over’ screen… You waited to see us off, Gramps?” 
“—Wha…?!” 
Passing through the 204th space where Sora and company were to land and seeing the Task, Ino had decided to lie in wait. Sora ignored Steph’s reaction and subsequent speechlessness as he disdainfully assessed the situation. Ino just smiled at himself, though. Sora’s contempt was natural. Not only had he failed to specify when, but he hadn’t even specified what. 
Just like Ino’s other Tasks, this one failed pretty hard. 
Even allowing that he had lost himself in the wake of the Shrine Maiden’s death and was convinced Sora was the killer, such incompetence was indefensible, so he didn’t even try. 
“I am mortified. I should have contemplated calmly, accurately, and surely a means to kill your ass, sir.” 
“D00d, that’s the wrong thing to apologize for! And enough with declaring your intentions to murder me already, okay? You’re gonna make me cry!” 
Sora howled tearfully at the intimidation tactics for which Ino had opted. 
—Yes, it was a Task that lacked specificity. 
But it was still fulfillable and therefore valid. 
By all accounts, it should have been utterly meaningless. 
“King Sora…or rather, should I ask Queen Shiro?” 
Fffp… He lowered his center of gravity while exposing his fangs and claws. 
“You remember the Task rules word for word, do you not, madam—?” 
It was clear to everyone that Ino was poised for battle. Shiro furrowed her brow suspiciously in response—but only for an instant. 
“??!” 
Her eyes bulged, the blood drained from her already stark-white face, and she opened her backpack. 
07: 
A die-bearer who landeth upon a space with a T ASK may be forced to carry out any instructions. 

The Tasks of this game had binding force despite clearly violating the Ten Covenants. Forcing action was, by definition, a violation of rights. Even so, if binding force was active, it was because they had all agreed to it. Because of this, though indirectly—they could take one another’s lives. If a time were specified—as in “Kill yourself immediately”—they would die. It was as if someone had asked “May I kill you?” and they’d answered, “Why, certainly.” Meaning… 
“Now you see. Though it may be a foolish Task…as long as I am here—” 
At that moment, the earth shook and the air cracked. The ensuing dust cloud obscured Sora and his companions’ vision. When they were finally able to reopen their eyes… 
“—I can shred your thing, King Sora…!” 
The crimson beast—spraying blood, baring his fangs—looked absolutely murderous. Shiro had caught on early and was rifling through her backpack, at which Ino sneered, declaring: 
“I shall allow you a handicap.” 
If they could find something to shred, thereby fulfilling the Task, they could stop Ino’s incipient homicide. 
But. 
“I wonder…which will take longer…” 
“You shredding something…or me counting to five and then shredding King Sora?” 
Five. 
“Uhh, err… What is the meaning of this?” 
“…Hurry… We have to, shred something…before Brother dies…!” 
Shiro’s urgent direction seemed to drill the message into the dumbfounded Steph. Like Shiro, she started rifling through her backpack, shrieking. 
“…Hey, what—? Why is Mr. Ino going to kill Sora?!” 
“Why? D00d, he’s been writing ‘die’ and shit in his Tasks since the beginning. He’s dead friggin’ set on doing me in, for cripes’ sake… I mean, I don’t expect him to like me, but when did I do anything to make him to hate me so much?” 
“On a million or so occasions! Wait, that’s not even the point! Come on—!” 
“…Come on? Come on and what?” 
Four. 
“Look at Gramps. If we fulfill this Task, he’s the one who’s gonna die. We’re in the same boat.” 
“Look at you! Why are you so calm?!” 
The two girls retrieved food they’d procured at the inn and moved frantically to tear it apart. Meanwhile, Sora sighed placidly, as if exhausted, and cast his gaze to Ino. 
“…Well, there’s no point. In the first place, there’s not even enough time.” 
Three. 
Having wrestled natural law to its knees with his bloodbreak, the time it took to count to five felt like hours to Ino. Shiro and Steph, ransacking their backpacks, seemed motionless. Meeting the gaze of the man calmly staring him down set the Werebeast down the path of memory… 
 
It seemed like only yesterday Ino had just returned from Oceand, the trap laid by Siren and Dhampir. In the Shrine Garden, the golden fox perched on the railing downed her sake, just as she had that day… 
“Ino Hatsuse. To tell you the truth, I was of the opinion we should abandon you.” 
Ino had spent over half a century with the Shrine Maiden and knew her well. Were it for the sake of Werebeast…she wouldn’t hesitate to cut off the few for the sake of the many. Her awe-inspiring decisiveness and ability had built the Eastern Union, but even so, she was not immune to emotion. Every decision was awash in pain and turmoil, yet still she did not bend. She faced what lay far ahead, reliant on no one. But that day, she’d revealed herself a “sore loser,” asking where she’d gone wrong. Since that day, when she said that she’d seen the end of the endless dream… 
“A man who stayed true to himself, abandoning you not though I would have… Are you game to give him a chance?” 
Hell no, Ino had thought. Though he didn’t understand Sora, there was one thing he could say about him. At the very least, he was a man not to be trusted. 
“—If it would allow you to once more dream.” 
Lowering his head…that had been his reply. 
Because, since that day—that day she’d stifled her bitter tears and stopped herself from breaking, that day she’d declared I’m putting off the match and turned her eyes from her dream—her smile had been so stiff. 
Now it wasn’t. Now she had what she’d had when first he met her, that girl looking out toward the end of endlessness. That smile before that precious jewels would fade. 
The girl who’d put off the match until she could find her answer must have found it somewhere in Sora and Shiro…which enabled her to dream again. Ino had spent over half a century with the Shrine Maiden and knew her well. 
Or at least…so he’d thought…… 
 
Zero. 
“—With that, my friends…this is good-bye.” 
The company still frantically poised to tear up their belongings, Ino bid his farewell. Ignoring Shiro and Steph, who opened their mouths to scream, Sora interjected: 
“…Look, Gramps…I hate to break it to you, but that’s?” 
Ino’s feet kicked the ground, cutting Sora off, warping space, and splitting time itself. The laws of nature yielded to the violent energy of Ino’s bloodbreak. One hundred meters became zero meters. Zero seconds became one hundred seconds. Sora, Shiro, and Steph, each with a different expression on their faces, were suspended in time as Ino flew through the gap opened only to the bloodbreaker. 
A step forward. An outstretched hand. 
That was all it would take for Ino’s strength to vaporize an Immanity. His claws instantly ripped through the silence toward— 
“?no use… You gotta pick your gaming genre well.” 
—Sora, stopping at the very tip of his nose. The inexorable power of the Covenants, which governed all things physical and paraphysical, halted them in their tracks. After a few instants’ lag, time seemed to finally remember it was supposed to flow. Everything Ino’s actions should have set in motion—the boom, the gale, the shock wave—happened simultaneously. 
“If you wanna match bluffs with me…you’re in way over your head.” 
Sora’s voice cracked, but still he did his best to sneer. Ino smirked back, put down his hand, and dropped his bloodbreak. 
“No specifics means you can do anything… What kinda bullshit theory is that?!” 
…True, the rules by which they’d agreed life could be exchanged were binding… However. 
“All that means is nothing’s on the table…right?” 
“…Hmm, so you were aware. Perhaps it was an overreach to match wits with a devil?” 
Ino chuckled. Sora lazily set about tearing up an herb, ignoring Shiro and Steph, who were frozen in place. 
Ino couldn’t use this Task to kill Sora. If Ino himself knew that, thought Shiro… 
“……Oh…” 
Realizing a little late the true intent behind his actions, she cried out softly at what was in her hand. 
“—Huh? Then…then, Mr. Ino, you…didn’t intend to kill Sora?” 
“Miss Stephanie…I entreat you not to disparage me.” 
To the one or so persons who didn’t get it, Ino responded forcefully: 
“I, Ino Hatsuse, have the mettle to kill King Sora anytime, anywhere!” 
“Hey, old fart!! I know you’re bluffing, but you’d better apologize to my now modestly wet pants!!” 
“…Uh… Huh? What? But—” 
Why bluff if he knew he couldn’t kill him? Steph’s face, a picture of befuddlement, elicited a pleasant smile from Ino, who—half earnestly, half in jest—enlightened her. 
“If I am unable to kill him, surely the God will indulge me causing him grief?” 
Tee-hee! He stuck out his tongue. It was an effect entirely ill-suited his chiseled physique. 
“…Gramps, you really don’t need to be that type…” 
“Wh-what…?” 
Steph was exhausted to the point of collapse, but Sora’s groan held her back. 
“If all three of us fulfill the Task, you lose all your dice…” 
Sora regarded Steph and what she held in her hand as he spoke. 
“…You figured at least one of us would refuse, so you set this whole thing up.” 
“……!!!” 
Just like Shiro, Steph had shredded an herb, in exchange for which… 
She gasped at the additional die that appeared at her chest. 
“In other words, you wanted to give us your dice and let us advance.” Still slowly shredding his herb, Sora said sarcastically, “A tsundere musclehead? Do not want… No one wants that. It’s gross, so knock it off, all right?” 
…… 
…………Hff. Completely fed up, Ino muttered self-depricatingly. 
“You say you see through everything… That’s exactly what pisses me off, monkey bastard.” 
Ino had spent over half a century with the Shrine Maiden, and yet he knew nothing about her. What she’d faced as a girl, grieved over as a Maiden, lamented when she said she’d gone wrong that day her dream was crushed… Not a thing. He hadn’t even known about the Old Deus behind her or so much as suspected its existence. 
Yet this man and his sister, who seemed to see through everything, knew far more about the Shrine Maiden than Ino before they’d even met her. What she’d suffered, where she’d gone wrong, what brought tears to her eyes. Even… 
…what had made her turn once more toward her dream, reigniting her smile… 
It was a mere annoyance, a half-truth, a childish jealousy that had compelled Ino, and even now, he opened his mouth with juvenile petulance. 
True, it was as though he barely knew the Shrine Maiden. But there is one thing I do know, he insisted. 
“If you plant something, it must be deadly, ensuring your victory no matter what. That was your assertion, yes?” 
That was what Sora would do. 
That was what anyone would do. 
And if that, too, was what Ino would do… 
“…We can therefore conclude that the Holy Shrine Maiden must have done the same…can we not?” 
Exactly, Sora seemed to say with a smirk. With that, he finally ripped apart the herb in his hands. As Steph gasped in bewilderment, Ino smiled. That does make sense, if you think about it. 
If this was a game that began with everyone’s consent with the Shrine Maiden’s life as the buy-in, then “everyone” must have included the Shrine Maiden… Moreover, by asking them to trust Sora, she must have intended… 
“…The Holy Shrine Maiden must have believed in you. She believed that you, King Sora and Queen Shiro, would certainly, better than anyone else—” 
Once Sora had shredded the herb, Ino’s Task was deemed fulfilled. Having lost his three remaining dice, a whirlpool of light engulfed him as he spoke. 
“—by means conceivable only to filthy, repulsive, twisted, broken lowlifes such as yourselves, so grossly defective in personality and deplorable in both mind and face—succeed in betraying and beguiling everyone to win.” 
“That was one…no, about seven…more words than you needed, old fart.” 
“……Brother…a-am I…deplorable…in face…?” 
“Agggh, Shiro! No, you’re not! He was talking about me!” 
Shiro, nothing objectionable about her face, had been censured alongside Sora, who promptly reassured her. Grinning as he faded away, Ino answered his own question. 
“And, on that assumption—she must have planned to set you up, do you not suppose?” 
A game in which the players murder each other was only possible with unanimous consent. The only reason Ino would agree to a premise otherwise inconceivable, the cost of Shrine Maiden’s life at the outset— 
“It must be the case that if you set things up to insure your victory…and succeed…” 
Ino now paraded before them the motive it had taken him so long to grasp. 
“That is the means by which the Holy Shrine Maiden will ultimately win…and this I knew.” 
One, two years were shaved off his life, and his body regressed. They’d all gone through this any number of times, but this time it didn’t stop. It kept going, down to zero—to nonbeing. 
What would happen if your dice ran down to nothing? Everyone now saw the answer for the first time. Watching Steph, in particular, cover her mouth and weep in a muddled mixture of fear and pity, Ino told them: 
“—Win. You must answer the hope on which the Holy Shrine Maiden staked her life. I shall tolerate naught else.” 
As if spitting, Don’t get cocky, he faced Sora and Shiro. I only end here to aid you asses in victory for the sake of the Holy Shrine Maiden’s triumph. 
“You don’t need to tell us that. Take care of yourself, Gramps—I mean, Kid?” 
“…Hasta la vista, baby…not that, I wanna, but…good night…” 
Though this was Ino’s desired outcome, the siblings flippantly sent him off to oblivion without so much as batting an eye. Steph ground her teeth, rather creeped out. Ino spoke once more. 
“At this final juncture…may I beg one answer?” 
“…Final juncture… Well, in that case, it depends.” 
With only seconds before he vanished entirely, he asked aimlessly: 
“…Why was I…not enough…?” 
Even now, as he went to his death, he did not understand what the Shrine Maiden had found. 
“…Why was it you…who made the Holy Shrine Maiden smile…?” 
Those two, not Ino, had discovered whatever returned her smile to her. What was it about those two monsters, so apathetically capable of watching a man die? Throwing his envy and remorse to the winds, Ino begged them for the answer. 
“…Gramps. Lemme fill you in on the fundamental secret to winning games…” 
Sora and Shiro regarded him with mixed expressions, as if unsure what to say. 
“It’s not letting your opponent do what they want and doing everything they don’t.” 
“…You say, we’re twisted…well…suck it…suckah…” 
That’s why… Sora’s frown deepened. 
“You might be a really great person…but you’re a suck-ass gamer.” 
At the end of the day, Ino was a good guy. 
“…I suppose I shall simply accept your kind intentions…” 
Don’t let your opponent do what they want and do everything they don’t. As gamers, they were saying, we have no interest in giving you a real answer. 
“On the other side with the Holy Shrine Maiden, I shall be watching you scream in her trap.” 
He smiled as if completely refreshed. 
“Kind intentions? What are you talking about? By the way, I’ve got something to say, too, at your ‘final juncture’ or whatnot, if you don’t mind?” 
Through his fading consciousness, Ino was sure he saw it. Something extraordinary, as per usual, just like always. It would make anyone want to punch the guy in his face. 
“This game. It’s supposed to be about taking dice, taking life.” 
Sora’s smile, just as Ino remembered, asking him… 
“…Why don’t your memories dwindle?” 
—. 
. 
“See ya! Let us know how it is on your precious ‘other side’—” 
“…Later…we’ll be, waiting…! ?” 
 
Ino was wrapped in light, regressing endlessly. In this game in which one’s time of substance, their physical age, was divided into dice, zero dice meant a denial of one’s existence. Back to a boy, to an infant, to a fetus, then to a cell, until all that was left on the ground where the one called Ino Hatsuse had once stood was the lie that no such person had ever existed. 
“That’s… kinda traumatizing…” 
“…I…hate it… It reminded, me… Nightmares, again…” 
It reminded them of a documentary about the origin of life or some shit they’d watched together once. Sora and Shiro disgustedly contemplated the spectacle unfolding before them. 
Educational or not, spare us the reverse playback of a developing fetus… 
“……How can…you two…be so calm?” 
Steph was in a fit of tears. 
“Have you truly gone mad?! You killed Mr. Ino—!” 
“Uhhh, maybe you could spare a moment now and then to consider how Mr. Sora was nearly killed…” 
Though she’d been led on, Steph had played a role in this. She felt wracked by guilt, but, horrified by Sora’s lackadaisical response, shrank back in abject terror. 
“…Remaining spaces, one hundred forty-seven… Consumption per move, six… Two more moves, by dice randomization analysis…! ?” 
“We’ve been through a lot of twists and turns, but now Ino’s safely out of the race. We don’t have many dice left, but hey, it’s all going according to plan! ?” 
Sora and Shiro merely fiddled with their dice as they assessed the situation. They eliminated Ino and one other player, just like they’d planned. At last, their path to victory was clear… The two smiled faintly. 
Ino, once he’d cooled off, hadn’t done a bad job reading things. 
If you were planting something, make it deadly. That’s what Sora—what anyone, even the Shrine Maiden—would do. That being the case, he was just one step away… 
“All right! Whaddaya say we gather the dice once more and travel in company?!” 
“…Okay…” 
Sora and Shiro ignored the remaining—correction, the persistent—problem of transportation as best they could and raised their fists in the air— 
“I refuse.” 
—but they had a false start. 
“I decline to travel in the company of individuals who can kill someone and smile about it!!!” 
… 
……Uh…okay? 
“…Brother, you’d better…tell her…” 
“Uh…huh? You mean…?” 
It was as if Shiro’s comment alone had tipped him off that the eyes fixed on him required an explanation. 
“D00d, don’t you get it? We can’t even see the ground for the flags we’ve set! If this was a video game, we’d be filing a complaint against the writer, saying, ‘How long are you gonna drag on this blatantly obvious foreshadowing?’” 
“…Brother…get…on with it…” 
His sister complained, and Sora whispered into Steph’s ear— 
—inducing a scream sufficient to rend heaven and earth. 
“Mr. Ino was right! The world would be better off if you two went and died for a chaaaange!!!” 
 
The Eastern Union: the capital, Kannagari. Somewhere within it was an organization called the Chinkai Tandai District (CTD). It had been established as a military arm during the ancient Great War to deal with menaces from the sea. Now that the war was over, its location and organizational setup had changed drastically, but its name and mission remained the same. It was a foreign office to deal with waterborne threats. 
Rumors of a ghost circulated within the present CTD. A perfectly preposterous story, especially in this world. It was an incontrovertible fact that ghosts didn’t exist. Life was composed entirely of a vessel and a soul, and the state in which a vessel, due to injury, disease, or aging, became unable to hold a soul was called death. Maintaining the form of a soul without a vessel would require magic on a divine level. All those so-called ghosts lingering after death were, without exception, hallucinations. But recently within the CTD, whispers of this rumor had grown quite serious. 
It was said someone could be heard groaning Raaaaaaaage… in a vacant room. Some claimed to have seen a beefy mass of sinew pass through a wall, a truly nauseating sight. They said it shone dimly through this world, that fearsome…fluorescent musclehead. 
In fact, it wasn’t even on the level of rumor anymore. Here it was, right in front of the woman. In the vacant reception chamber, it writhed on the floor, a mass of meat groaning indistinctly, a sinewy lump of translucent muscle. —Ohhh… Indeed, it was the fluorescent musclehead! The woman’s trembling lips parted as tears filled her eyes. 
“…Are—?” 
The one who’d spoken so gallantly… Oh, what was his name—? 
“Are you…Diplomatic Commissioner Hatsuse, sir?” 
“Raaaaaaaaaaaaagggge!!” 
His name was Ino Hatsuse, that ghastly apparition from which all averted their gazes, the fluorescent musclehead. Having determined his identity, the frightened woman asked again. 
“Th-the specter of Commissioner Hatsuse? P-pardon my impertinence, sir, but y-y-you’re not dead, are you?” 
“Err-hrr, err-hrr-heh-heh… No, no…for better or worse, it seems I am not!!!” 
Yes, Ino had gone on to his “precious other side”—or rather, he’d returned. Having accepted his death and spewed his corny lines, Ino Hatsuse had awoken at the Shrine, looking just how Sora and Shiro must’ve hoped… 
“I’m alive… What the hellllllllllll?!!” 
With this roar, he flattened himself on the ground, clutched his head, and rolled around in anguish. No, he wasn’t alive, exactly. Actually, common sense dictated he had to be pretty damn dead, but he recalled the rules… 
01: 
The seven are granted ten DICE that apportion their TIME OF SUBSTANCE . 

Time of substance. Yes, however long they possessed a body. 
That didn’t include the soul, which contained no mass. 
15: 
In the event that all players have lost their dice or perished , the game shall be deemed IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTINUE , and the game shall end. 
16: 
If the game is IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTINUE , the Old Deus hath the right to collect all possessed by all participants except the foremost. 

In the event they lost their dice, dropped to zero, or perished. It should have been obvious if you thought about it. If zero dice equaled death, there should have been no need to separate them with an or. As a matter of fact—!! 
“Where in the rules does it say that if you lose all your dice you die? Nooooowheeere!! The one who said you die if you lose them—was that monkey baaastard!!” 
So he’d lost his dice, his “time of substance”—that is, his physical age. The result was that his body (his vessel) had disappeared, leaving only his transparent soul. Normally, this would mean death, but under these thoroughly abnormal rules— 
—his life would only be collected at the end of the game. 
Ino remembered Sora’s and Shiro’s expressions as he’d faded away. They were mixed, as if they didn’t know what to say… Yes, that was it. Now he realized. They’d been stifling a laugh with apathetic stares. 
It’s supposed to be about taking dice, taking life. Why don’t your memories dwindle? 
The exchange of dice affected only the vessels. They’d realized that in this game, even if you lost your dice— 
—you wouldn’t instantly die. What bullshit rules—! 
But that meant… 
“So the Shrine Maiden’s not dead, either?!” 
He’d failed so abysmally that howling about it now was futile. Ino, having believed he was dying and subsequently gushing the corniest lines, finally caught up. Ah…at last, I see. That monkey bastard’s—no, that kind gentleman’s—response was quite tactful. The question had never even occurred to Ino… Would the Holy Shrine Maiden, the one who sought a strategy that wouldn’t require anyone’s sacrifice…actually sacrifice herself? Her gentle voice had called it out to him. 
It’s ’cause you’re an idiot. 
Ino put his spirit body to good use, sinking into the ground and clutching his knees below it. 
I see. I have failed…so abysmally that I only now begin to appreciate the depths of that failure. But…what to make of this situation? he wondered, raising his head to look at the enormous celestial sugoroku board crafted by an Old Deus. 
I see…the rules have consistently been explained misleadingly. 
I see…the game is about taking dice, which is not equivalent to murder. 
I see…that even if you lose your dice, you keep your life until the end. 
I see…that this must mean the Old Deus is maintaining my soul. 
But…why? 
00a: 
The game board is a simulation of reality, but all events that should transpire there, including death, are real. 

If this was true, then death other than by loss of dice would be instakill. Death inflicted by a Task or one’s own negligence would slay, whereas loss of dice would merely eliminate. Was there some reason for the Old Deus to specify such a rule? Couldn’t she just say, If you lose your dice, you die immediately? What would be the problem with that as far as she was concerned? Let’s say, for the sake of argument, there was some issue… Couldn’t she just lock up your soul somewhere? This eerie situation, these bizarre rules that let you wander around as a specter… 
…were they our ideas…? 
If one assumed that neither Sora nor Shiro nor the Shrine Maiden had the slightest intention of losing, this must have been what Sora and Shiro planted and what the Shrine Maiden intended to exploit. 
The setup for victory—!! 
…Probably……supposedly. Perhaps…surely? 
Still in a damp mood from his epic failure, Ino no longer had the strength to believe in anything. Staggering and groaning in shame, he made his way to the Chinkai Tandai District. Unfortunately, though, he caused a panic among the staff who, as Werebeasts, had the ability to sense his spirit. 
“…Hff, my apologies. It seems I have startled you…” 
“Startled isn’t the… We’ve been crushed under a pile of resignations and transfer requests… I—I mean, Commissioner Hatsuse, sir, are you all…right…? I’m not sure what’s going on, but it’s good to see you!!” 
…Inexplicable means just what it looks like, unable to be explained. Trying too hard to understand can lead to misunderstandings when one is confronted with a situation as inexplicable as this one. 
Those capable of reciting the most magical of words, Okay, whatever, are strong. Ino addressed the strong woman who’d accepted this situation with an I don’t get it, but sure. 
“Ma’am, your name and position?” 
“S-sir! Chitose Kanae, First-Class Secretary, Kagura Sea, Chinkai Tandai District, sir!” 
Hmm. Ino narrowed his eyes and nodded deeply. Though quite young for such a high position, she looked capable—and alluring. She’d had the wherewithal and insight to make appropriate judgments when faced with a ghost and the nerve and purpose to speak to him. Also—and this was the most important thing—for a petite squirrel-girl, she had quite the ample bosom. Its voluptuous bounce was, indeed, perfectly ripe for the picking. 
“…When things settle down, why don’t you come work at my office?” 
Ino executed his peculiar brand of mixing business and pleasure with a straight face. 
“—?! Y-yes, sir! I would be— W-wait! First…!” 
Chitose Kanae’s face sparkled at the out-of-this-world promotion, but then shook her head. 
“There is a matter that no one here but you can handle, Commissioner Hatsuse. Allow me to report, sir!” 
Hmm. Calm and collected as can be… I like her. Furthermore, when she shakes her head, her arms and bountiful bosom sway in a most appealing manner. She’ll have to be my personal secretary. I’ll make the arrangements. 
“The CTD is on Type 2 Alert. Today at ten hundred hours, in the west Kagura Sea—” 
“…An Elven Gard fleet appeared…is that it?” 
“—Y-you’re aware, sir?!” 
Ino, thinking he’d better put the secretary business aside for now, nodded at her shocked gasp. He was aware. Well…he’d seen it. Freed from his vessel, the old Werebeast’s senses were as keen as if he were using his bloodbreak. He had even been able to see past the horizon, where Elven Gard were advancing through the wind and waves. From the north to the south, the massive fleet filled out the western sea. 
It wasn’t even necessary to check flags. A fleet of flowers bloomed brightly across the water. Only one country could make those ships. How they operated was a mystery, but their purpose was not. 
“…A sea blockade, is it…?” 
“That appears to be the case, but there’s been no declaration… And those waters aren’t under Commonwealth jurisdiction, so we can’t really…” 
Indeed, the official agreement was that those were international waters. No one had jurisdiction, but to line up such a fleet right on the hinge of trade between the Eastern Union and Elven Gard, physically blocking it off… This sort of economic attack was a gray area quickly approaching black. But never mind that—why now? 
There was no reason right now for Elven Gard to impose a sea blockade on the Eastern Union, part of the Commonwealth of Elkia. The Commonwealth had marine resources from the Eastern Union, continental resources from Elkia, and submarine resources from Oceand. They were stocked to last. It would be years before such action impacted their economy, so it wasn’t much of a threat. It certainly wouldn’t force them into a game. On top of that, the details of the Eastern Union’s game had been reported to Elven Gard incorrectly. This, in fact, was perfect for the Eastern Union, whose victory was assured. 
What had Sora—or perhaps the Shrine Maiden—intended by inserting this rule that rendered you some kind of ghost when you dropped off the board? Ino had been wondering about this when the air in the reception chamber, noiselessly and without warning, shook. The next moment, two girls slammed onto the scene, each speaking in turn. 
“…My goodness! I never thought I’d see a ghooost. Why, you never know what will happen in life, do youuu? ?” 
“—?! F-Fi?! Wh-who are you talking to?! D—d-d—didn’t you promise me when I was a child that you wouldn’t scare me like that anymore?!” 
An Elf with fluffy blonde hair and a plump bosom widened her eyes slightly in a smile. 
Conversely, an Immanity with black hair and a piteous bosom looked around the room slightly teary-eyed. 
Fiel Nirvalen. 
Chlammy Zell. 
It was the first time Ino had been face-to-face with them, but he had seen and heard of them. They had conspired with “  ” to inaccurately report the specifics of the Eastern Union’s game. They were spies. 
“Why, yeees, but today we’re working. You mustn’t act too much like a chiiild! ?” 
Fiel snapped her fingers gently, and Ino felt the presence of spirits. She’d done something with magic, cast some kind of spell for the sake of Chlammy, who couldn’t detect him. 
“—Ee-eeeuugh!! I was so much better off not seeing him! What is this disgusting creature?!!” 
Boom. There was the formerly fluorescent, now sparkling musclehead. 
“Oh my, but the Ten Covenants are lenient… Why, is even existential violence tolerated?” 
“P-p—please don’t mind them, Mr. Hatsuse! I-I’d find your body burly—i-if it only wasn’t glowing!” 
What uncivil ruffians surround me! Ino’s muscles raged at the unheard-of insult, but the two newcomers calmed him down with a “Whoa, there!” and he addressed them both. 
“Am I to say…I’ve been waiting for you?” 
And here was the point of the rule that had turned him into some sort of apparition: enabling whoever dropped out during the game to meet these two ladies! Ino still didn’t know what was behind it, but—!! 
“Fi, let me just check one last time. He’s not a ghost…right?” 
“Why, no. He does look like a ghost sprouting legs and fleeing, but that’s how it’s supposed to goooo.” 
Supposed to. Chlammy stepped forward, murmuring affirmation of Ino’s conjecture. 
“Ahem, in that case… Mr. Ino Hatsuse, Diplomatic Commissioner of the Eastern Union, yes?” 
“And you are Miss Chlammy Zell, correct? I have heard of you.” 
“That will speed things up. This game accepts late entries—‘gate-crashers’—does it not?” 
Interference from outside the board is their strategy for victory! Ino smiled at the arrival of these reinforcements, and Chlammy smiled gently back. 
 

“Yes. Well then—shall we begin the game?” 
But she followed that with… 
“We demand all the territory of the Eastern Union and all the personnel and resources in it.” 
… 
…… 
“—What…did you just say?” 
Ino barely managed to get the words out, prompting Chlammy to muse, “Did I make that difficult to understand?” She smiled softly and reworded her position…to make it plain. 
“This is a declaration of war. Hand over everything in the Eastern Union, bitch. Is that better?”