Sasaki and Peeps - Volume 7 - Chapter 4

<Bonds, Part One>

The day we returned from the amusement park, Peeps and I held off on our usual trip to the otherworld. We’d decided to gather more data in an effort to figure out what was happening to the time flow difference between the two worlds. For now, our plan was to travel to the otherworld only once every two or three days. That meant Lady Elsa’s trips home would be less frequent, as well.

For this reason, we stayed the night at Ms. Futarishizuka’s villa.

Normally, we would have gone back to our temporary residence at the hotel. But I’d grown too used to our posh lodgings in the otherworld, and now staying in a cheap hotel seemed like a pain to me. That cramped bathroom was positively criminal.

So when Ms. Futarishizuka asked us if we were staying over, I found it extremely difficult to resist. We decided to take her up on the offer, along with Lady Elsa. Getting to stretch my legs in a nice, big bath was the best. It was quite late, so I went to sleep immediately after that. After taking Miss Hoshizaki back home, Type Twelve returned to her UFO, as well.

The next morning, we all gathered in the villa’s living space just like we had the day before.

“Type Twelve is taking a while,” I remarked.

“Yesterday must have hit her hard,” said the villa’s owner.

“I suppose that’s true.”

It was time to start our bureau work—in other words, our pretend family activities. Miss Hoshizaki was already present; she’d sent us a message earlier, and Peeps had gone over to pick her up. Until today, Type Twelve had always wanted to be the one to do it.

“You didn’t do anything weird to her, right?” she asked.

“We did nothing to deviate from Ms. Futarishizuka’s plan,” I assured her.

“Oh?” said the villa’s owner. “Tickling the old maternal instincts, is she? Are you feeling protective?”

“N-no!”

We’d already finished breakfast, and we were now relaxing on the couches. Miss Hoshizaki hadn’t put on makeup today and was once again in her school uniform. She said she’d told her sister she was going to school. Our senior had been spending work hours with us for several days in a row. I was a little concerned about her academic career, with how many days of class she was missing.

“Perhaps we’ll get lucky,” said Ms. Futarishizuka, “and she’ll simply go back to her home planet right away.”

“I hope so, yes. Once all parties have come to an agreement, of course,” I replied.

“……”

Miss Hoshizaki watched us, her expression conflicted. She knew logically that there was no other way to handle Type Twelve, but she was still averse to the idea. Naturally, her focus began to wander.

“What do you think about her, Elsa?” she asked.

“Am I free to give my personal opinion?” returned Lady Elsa.

“Sure. I’d like to hear it. After all, you were with us at the amusement park yesterday.”

“In that case, I feel that Sasaki and Futarishizuka’s decision is far too kindhearted.”

“Uh. Really?”

“I heard she came to this nation of her own accord to attack it, and that she has caused significant unrest. If she were in my homeland, she would likely be executed along with her entire family.”

“Wow. Execution? That’s a word you hear a lot in historical dramas, but I didn’t know people still did it…”

“In my homeland, death by sawing and burning at the stake are quite common, apparently.”

“Wait, um, you mean…”

“It would depend on the balance of power between you, of course, so I can’t make any sweeping generalizations.”

“……”

Miss Hoshizaki looked astonished; she probably hadn’t expected anything so brutal. She’d probably hoped the girl would have a little sympathy for Type Twelve. If so, she’d been utterly betrayed.

Our mismatched viewpoints really made the group feel like the pretend family it was. Everyone had a totally different level of resolve.

A short time later, we heard a light rapping on the glass sliding door leading out into the yard. At some point, Type Twelve had arrived. The villa’s owner had already disengaged the lock, and the alien threw open the door and addressed us.

“It is time, and so I have come to pick you up. We will now leave for the dwelling.”

There was no change in the way she spoke and acted. She was wearing one of the outfits we’d bought at the department store, too, just as she had the day before.

Today, however, she’d added an unfamiliar accessory—a cute-looking water bottle hanging from a shoulder strap. The strap passing through it was relatively long, going from her shoulder to the front of her body. Given her short stature, she reminded me of a little kid walking to elementary school in the summertime.

“What’s that hanging from your shoulder?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“As you can see, it is a water bottle.”

I’d considered the possibility it was some sort of alien weapon in the shape of a water bottle. But apparently, it was exactly what it looked like.

“Did you have plans to go out somewhere today?” asked the girl in the kimono.

“No outings are currently planned, save for my visit here.”

“We won’t be able to go to an amusement park if that’s what you’re after. Your father’s wallet is now empty and gathering dust. It looks like you’ll be joining the thirty-thousand-yen allowance club. Time to start saving.”

“Grandmother, I have no such intention.”

“Oh yes? Well, okay.”

“Correct. I have not considered it whatsoever, in any capacity. This water bottle is for another purpose.”

“I understood you the first time, dear. No need to repeat yourself.”

“……”

I couldn’t help but feel like Type Twelve was trying to get us to ask more about the water bottle. Beneath her cool attitude, she could be quite a handful. But the grandmother, who liked to give her grandchild a hard time, asked no further questions.

A water bottle, huh? I thought. Miss Hoshizaki’s psychic power involves water. Is this about her?

“You know,” said Ms. Futarishizuka, “I wonder why thirty thousand yen is the norm for allowances.”

“I think I remember a married coworker at my old job saying five to ten percent of your income is standard,” I replied. “If you include the cost of lunch and things like that, I think thirty thousand is a fairly realistic estimate.”

“What about you?” she said, turning to Miss Hoshizaki.

“We don’t really do allowances at my house…”

Ms. Futarishizuka took the initiative and changed the topic. We continued exchanging casual conversation as we left the villa. At the front door, we changed into our outdoor shoes and boarded the terminal parked in the yard.

In just a few minutes, we had arrived at the house that served as the set for our pretend family, and promptly headed inside.

The striking house, with its tiled, hip-and-gable roof was exactly the same as it had been when we visited the day before. The incredibly realistic blue sky was still being projected onto the space’s ceiling, and the breeze continued to brush our cheeks. Several sparrows were perched on the roof, tweeting away. I wondered where the crow we’d seen at sunset the other day had gone.

We entered through the sliding front door and headed for the living room. On the way there, we discussed the day’s plans.

“I have an idea of what we can do today,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“I will hear Grandmother’s viewpoint.”

“The appliances I ordered the day before last have arrived. Shall we go ahead and get them installed?”

“Do you mean the washing machine we were talking about the other day at the department store?” I asked.

“We were lucky,” she explained. “They had some in stock. And we can’t exactly let the vendors in here, can we?”

“Understood,” said Type Twelve. “I shall adopt Grandmother’s viewpoint.”

And so, that morning we brought in all the furniture and appliances Ms. Futarishizuka had procured. Steadily, we finished setting up everything we had put off. We started with the washing machine, then set up the bedding and the microwave. We also installed a warm-water bidet in the bathroom.

Since none of the suppliers could come to the house, we did all the setup ourselves. I tried my hand at installing the bidet, only to fail spectacularly. When I wound up flooding the toilet, Miss Hoshizaki’s psychic power and Ms. Futarishizuka’s DIY skills bailed me out.

Between our shopping trip the other day and our current efforts, we finally had everything we needed to live in the house. A little while after lunch, we met up with my neighbor and Abaddon, who were back from school.

When all the work was finally finished, it was time for a snack. We all gathered around the wooden table in the living room and chatted. On the table were bowls of anmitsu—syrup over agar jelly with fruit, mochi, and ice cream—that we’d procured from the department store, along with matching cups filled with steaming hot tea. For a time, we enjoyed ourselves.

Once the conversation died down, my neighbor straightened up and broached another topic.

“Umm, excuse me. There was something Abaddon and I wanted to talk to you all about.”

“What is it, dearie?”

Ms. Futarishizuka reacted right away. Abaddon’s inclusion had probably gotten her attention. Like her, I assumed the matter had to involve the death game.

“It’s just, well, I’m not sure how to say this…”

Despite being the one who brought it up, my neighbor seemed hesitant. Her gaze flitted over to Miss Hoshizaki and Lady Elsa.

“Should Elsa and I leave for this?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” replied Ms. Futarishizuka. “We’ve explained everything to you already. In fact, I think it would be more dangerous for us to keep you out of the loop. You could get caught up in something unexpectedly.”

“I share her opinion,” I said.

“Then I’ll go ahead,” said my neighbor, taking a phone out of her uniform skirt; I’d heard Ms. Futarishizuka had lent her one.

After tapping the screen a few times, she placed it face up on the wooden table so everyone could see. Naturally, our attention came to focus on the website she’d just opened.

Immediately, I noticed the header text, which said that a death game had begun. The whole thing was set up like a teaser site for an event. With its eerie design elements, it looked just like a promotional website for a horror movie.

My neighbor scrolled down to reach a sequence of several grotesque images. All of them showed people who had met violent ends. None of them were censored, either; I was overcome with the urge to look away.

The distinctive remains were, as the website’s text pointed out, likely participants of the death game who had lost. When a participant died in an isolated space, they died in the real world, too, and their corpse would reflect the actual manner of death.

“Oh, this is that site everyone was talking about a little while ago,” remarked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“The one that got criticized for all the horrible pictures, right?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

The two of them seemed to already know about it. I’d never seen it before; I was too wrapped up in my otherworld life, and woefully ignorant of goings-on in modern Japan. I knew there were blogs like this floating around on the internet that used shocking images to attract views, but this one was particularly bad. No wonder it’s getting lambasted.

“You two have already heard about it?” my neighbor asked.

“Yes, but I don’t know much more than that,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“You’re not involved with this thing, are you?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

“I remember one of the bodies in these photographs,” my neighbor explained. “I was there at the time.”

To be honest, the pictures were difficult for me to look at. I did not like gore. Everyone else seemed fine with it, though, and I couldn’t be the only one looking away, so I tried my best. Ms. Futarishizuka was one thing, but I was shocked that my neighbor, Miss Hoshizaki, and even Lady Elsa were able to remain calm.

Are all kids like that these days? I wondered. Then something dawned on me. Come to think of it, all of them have had it pretty rough, huh? I’m probably the one who’s led the safest, most peaceful life out of all of them. Looking at things in that light, I started to feel a little guilty. This was becoming a common occurrence for me.

“I was curious, so I looked up the domain’s registrant,” explained Ms. Futarishizuka. “I didn’t find anything, though. The site itself is protected by bulletproof hosting from overseas, so I couldn’t get anywhere.”

“Elder Sister, if you ask the youngest daughter to do so, I will immediately acquire the data from the server.”

“Could you? I’d appreciate it.”

“Very well.” Type Twelve nodded, then started hacking into the site.

She didn’t appear to be doing anything, of course. While her point of contact sat in the living room with us, something else was doing all the work—perhaps one of her terminals responsible for redirecting the internet connection, or some machine in charge of computations. We sat in silence, waiting for her report.

In a matter of minutes, she gave us the information. “I’ve analyzed the target. I could not find any data pointing to a specific organization or individual within the information on the server, nor in the payment information linked to the website. From the data’s structure, I have concluded that the deployment server is frequently changed.”

“I suppose they’d have to go at least that far,” mused Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Do you want to bring the website down? Is that it?” asked Miss Hoshizaki, looking to Abaddon and my neighbor for confirmation.

As bureau employees tasked with covering up supernatural phenomena, it seemed unwise to simply leave a site like this up. With Type Twelve’s help, we could wipe out the entire data center hosting it.

“About the site,” my neighbor said, “it updated just the other day…”

She poked the screen, and the website jumped to another page. We’d moved from a news feed to some kind of event announcement.

The text on the page was advertising a “new daily quest.”

“Aim for the bonus! Anyone who kills a Disciple will receive a prize of ten million yen. All Disciples are applicable, regardless of their allegiance. Plus, players who entertain with their eccentric style are eligible for additional rewards!”

It read like an ad for a limited-time event in some mobile game. Despite its peppy tone, the announcement was literally promoting murder. A shiver ran down my spine.

The page also contained a map. In the center was a scarlet pin, pointing to a lone island in the middle of the sea. You could just barely make out the southern half of the Izu Peninsula near the top. That meant we were looking at a volcanic island within the Izu chain and one of Japan’s designated remarkable geological sites—Miyakejima.

The mostly circular island was about eight kilometers across, centered on an active volcano called Mount Oyama. Even now, and despite the volcano, it boasted a population of two or three thousand people. I remembered it featuring on the news every so often in the past due to eruptions.

A date and time were visible right below the map—indicating the game would start precisely at eight PM today.

“I don’t recall seeing this page when I checked yesterday,” remarked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“It was just updated this afternoon,” my neighbor explained.

“Seems a bit far for a sudden gathering, don’t you think?”

I used my phone to check transportation to the island. It was over six hours by ferry from Tokyo’s Takeshiba Pier, or fifty minutes using a small passenger aircraft from Chofu. The former made one trip per day, while the latter made three.

Naturally, we wouldn’t make it if we started now. Checking the map again, I saw that the journey was about two hundred kilometers over water. Even if you measured straight from the tip of the Izu Peninsula, the closest land to the island, it was still about eighty kilometers.

The place was basically out in the open ocean. Obviously, we couldn’t just swim there. If we wanted safe passage, we’d need a pretty sturdy ship. Trying to make the journey in a swan boat would be suicidal.

As I mulled this over, Abaddon quickly picked up the thread.

“That’s a pretty reasonable distance if an angel or demon is carrying you.”

“Maybe that’s why the site updated so close to the start of the event,” mused Ms. Futarishizuka.

“And if there’s already a Disciple there, the isolated space will trigger right away.”

The information presented on the site required a knowledge of the proxy war and how it worked. Anyone unrelated to the death game would have no idea what it meant. The ridiculous ten-million-yen prizes would have made the whole thing seem like a joke. I’m curious what the site’s creator’s real intentions are.

“As for me, I’d like to take advantage of whatever opportunity I can.”

“That’s Abaddon’s view, but I’m not sure what to do,” said my neighbor.

“If you two want to take part, I could help you out,” offered Ms. Futarishizuka, fixing them with a loaded look. She was probably eager for more opportunities to earn rewards.

But this was, without a doubt, a trap. Why thrust ourselves into such a situation?

“Don’t you think this sounds a little too dangerous?” I asked. “We should at least find out what side the site’s admin is on first, shouldn’t we? Abaddon could end up having to fight a whole host of angels.”

“If we waste time like that, the event will be over,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“If the idea troubles you, mister, then I’d rather not do it at all,” said my neighbor.

“Wait, hold on. I think this is a good chance to attack,” objected Abaddon.

“Who was it who saved us when you got in over your head?”

“When you put it like that, I’m not sure how to respond…”

“Hey, Sasaki?” said Miss Hoshizaki. “I’m not quite following all of this.”

“There’s going to be a large event this evening centered around the death game we explained before. If we play our cards right, we could earn some major benefits. But the likelihood that we will end up putting our lives on the line is high.”

“I mean, did you forget what we do for a living? Seems a little late to be worrying about that,” she pointed out.

“I suppose so, but…”

When it came to my neighbor, I always found myself getting overprotective. In my mind, she was still a little kid wearing her elementary school backpack.

Wait, no. Hold on.

She was still a child. She was only thirteen. Weren’t the ones trying to send her into a battle to the death like it was nothing the real problem here? It was scary how fast my values were turning on their head.

“Sasaki,” said Lady Elsa, “if there’s anything I can do to help, you only need to ask.”

“I appreciate it,” I replied.

Seated around the table, the entire family gave their opinions in quick succession. It was all very easy to understand—their viewpoints represented their personalities perfectly. And nobody said anything that didn’t make some amount of sense.

I could understand Abaddon and Ms. Futarishizuka’s viewpoint as well. With how the death game worked, taking out enemies early would directly secure one’s future safety. And because wins allowed a Disciple to level up, going on the offensive from the start would prove extremely important later. It felt sort of like a MOBA game to me.

After a short but lively debate, the one family member who, up until now, had been silently listening, straightened up and made herself heard.

“I understand everyone’s viewpoints.”

It was Type Twelve. She looked at everyone in turn as she continued.

“I would like you all to recall the family rules. For our household, the family rules are absolute.”

I thought of the eight rules we’d drawn up a few days ago. Everyone else was probably doing the same. Miss Hoshizaki put a hand to her chin and squinted at the ceiling. Perhaps she’d forgotten a few.

“Rule six states that when a family member is in trouble, the whole family must work together to help.”

“Does this really count as being in trouble?” wondered my neighbor aloud.

“You are troubled, so you are in trouble.”

“I suppose that’s true…”

“If Elder Sister and Elder Brother are troubled, then it is the family’s duty to help them.”

“You know, every once in a while, you say something good,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Father, I would like to confirm. Is the source of your concern the safety of the elder sister and the elder brother?”

“It is,” I replied.

As a bureau member, I was also charged with covering up supernatural phenomena. In that sense, however this conversation played out, I was considering checking on things for myself, if and when I could secure Peeps’s help.

The place in question was an isolated island out in the middle of the ocean. Out there, I could afford to let loose a little without causing too much of an issue. That was probably why the event’s sponsor had chosen Miyakejima in the first place.

“Then we only need to prepare sufficient combat power,” stated Type Twelve. “The youngest daughter would like to ask the eldest brother this: If everyone here worked together and helped you and the elder daughter, would it be enough to resolve the issue we face?”

“If everyone helped out, we could handle an entire swarm of angels!”

Abaddon flicked his gaze to the distinguished sparrow on the table. Noticing this, Peeps spread his wings and fluttered into the air. He then landed on my shoulder and gave a measured response.

“I am part of this family as well. I agreed to the rules, and should my assistance be required, I promise that I will do everything in my power to help. I do not know how strong these angels and demons are, but should worse come to worst, I shall protect your retreat to the end.”

“Sorry for dragging you into our problems, Peeps,” I said.

“It is nothing for you to worry about,” he assured me. “For this is what family means, is it not?”

No way, I thought. Peeps is treating me like family. I felt happier than I could have imagined. It was just an offhanded comment, a natural extension of our pretend family, but it still made my heart skip a beat. And he was even concerned for my neighbor, too. I couldn’t thank him enough.

I wondered what his true family was like, and if they were still alive in the otherworld.

“Then it is decided,” said Type Twelve. “The family will rally as one and resolve the issue facing Kurosu.”

“You’re normally so shy,” pointed out Ms. Futarishizuka. “What changed?”

“I am only following the family’s rules. There have been almost no changes.”

“But if you do this, it’ll be like when we were searching for our esteemed senior in the mountains of Chichibu. Your—what did you call it—your point of contact will have to be in standalone mode for a long time. Are you sure you won’t run away at the first sign of danger?”

“There…there should be almost no issues. It is for that purpose that I possess standalone capabilities in the first place.”

“Oh? Look at you, acting all tough.”

I thought about the way she kept using the words “almost no” to skirt the truth. I guess mechanical life-forms have certain strategies to avoid lying. I bet she was feeling uneasy at this very moment. I didn’t miss how she grimaced for a second. Meanwhile, Ms. Futarishizuka’s grin grew wider and wider.

I began to wonder—would Type Twelve have suggested this before what happened yesterday, even if it was for my neighbor’s sake?

“Then we’re decided?” asked Abaddon, summing up our opinions. “We’ll take part in the event tonight?”

A moment later, my neighbor bowed to me and apologized. “I’m sorry for causing trouble for you, mister.”

“Don’t be,” I replied. “We’d have to fight them sooner or later. I know we have the advantage, and that we should take the chance to collect a win. It’s just that I can’t make decisions as easily as Ms. Futarishizuka.”

“You can’t, eh?” said the girl in the kimono. “I bet you were thinking of going behind our backs, sneaking onto Miyakejima with that pet sparrow of yours, and hogging all the rewards for yourself. After all, if everyone goes, you’ll get less.”

“No, you’ve got it all wrong.”

I would be lying if I said I hadn’t considered it—the reason being Prince Lewis.

In order to revert his flesh-lump form back to normal, we’d need to gain a few wins in the death game ourselves, just like Ms. Futarishizuka had implied. This event was the perfect opportunity. I bet Peeps was thinking the same thing. Besides, I couldn’t leave things be—not when my neighbor might suffer for it.

If an isolated space appeared, then no matter how long the game took, the flow of real time would snap back to zero once the space collapsed. And with Peeps’s help, we’d be able to reach Miyakejima in the time it would take me to get to the bathroom.

“The scheduled time approaches,” said Type Twelve. “We should all prepare to set out.”

“Then let’s go back down to Earth for now,” suggested Miss Hoshizaki.

“Ms. Futarishizuka’s mansion does seem a better meeting place than this,” I agreed.

“Oh, so my home is your hangout spot now?” muttered Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Understood,” said Type Twelve. “We will move to the terminal in order to adopt Mother and Father’s viewpoint.”

At the alien’s direction, we all nodded and began our preparations for the death game.

A little later, we left Karuizawa to pursue the truth behind the website’s event announcement. Just as when we went to the amusement park, the whole family was in attendance: my neighbor and Abaddon, who were the main actors when it came to the death game; Type Twelve, who had taken charge at the meeting; Miss Hoshizaki; Ms. Futarishizuka; myself and Peeps; and even Lady Elsa.

I had to admit I had reservations about how “participating in a death game with the whole family” sounded when put into so many words, but that was neither here nor there.

Type Twelve allowed us to use her terminal to reach the destination. We all stood inside the invisible saucer, surrounded by displays showing a view of the outside. As usual, the terminal departed Ms. Futarishizuka’s villa and rapidly ascended, then moved parallel to the surface at an extremely high altitude. We could see the landscape rapidly descend below us, followed by views much higher than those of a typical airplane.

“What a beautiful sight,” said Lady Elsa. “If we had time, I’d like to stay aboard for much longer.”

“Elsa, weren’t you impressed yesterday when we were traveling to the theme park, too?” asked Miss Hoshizaki. “Have you never been on an airplane?”

“Huh? Umm, I…”

Everyone was still wearing Type Twelve’s translators in their ears and on their collars. This allowed us to share information with Lady Elsa easily, and ensured we wouldn’t have any problems communicating with Disciples who spoke other languages once we arrived.

“Perhaps it’s because we’re so much higher up than a normal airplane,” I suggested.

“Oh, um, yes. That’s it.”

“Being so used to air travel must make the difference quite conspicuous,” added Ms. Futarishizuka. “And it’s a lot quieter in here than in some jet. It’s the perfect place to do some deep thinking.”

“Right,” said Miss Hoshizaki, “I guess Sasaki did mention she was some kind of royalty.”

Lady Elsa was always on the verge of spilling the otherworld beans, which made it my job to back her up. Ms. Futarishizuka was casually helping out, too, and while I knew it was only because of her many ulterior motives, I was still grateful.

“Speaking of airplanes,” said Ms. Futarishizuka, “would you mind if I asked a question, young demon?”

“What’s up?”

“What happens to demons, angels, and Disciples who get caught in an isolated space while up in the air like this—say in an airplane or a helicopter? Last time, the people in the car I was driving suddenly vanished from the back seat.”

I’d been curious about that, too. When you were in a car or train, you wound up standing on the ground. It was like the game assigned you a fixed starting point. We’d figured that out from our fight with the Kraken—Himegami and Eriel had been deposited onto the road with zero momentum after being in transit on a highway.

But in that case, anyone airborne would start right where they were—up in the sky.

“Unfortunately, I guess you’d end up upside-down, plummeting toward the ground.”

Abaddon gave us the answer I’d been expecting. Considering the distance between Disciples necessary to create an isolated space, it didn’t seem very likely. The aircraft would have to be very close to each other, after all. Of course, I assumed that chance would go way up if you butted heads at the airport or something.

“Sounds brutal,” muttered Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Well, the last time we revised the proxy war’s systems was right after humanity started flying. Considering how fast technology is advancing now, we’re all wondering if we should adjust the rules again.”

“You’ve never mentioned that to me, Abaddon,” said my neighbor.

“Changing the rules in the middle of the game is strictly forbidden, so it’s nothing Disciples need to worry about. Even if we did decide to change them, the new ones wouldn’t go into effect until the next war.”

“Strictly forbidden? I don’t like the sound of that.”

“This may sound weird coming from a demon, but humans are tricky, crafty characters. Occasionally one will show up, exploit a loophole in the rules, and go undefeated. So it’s up to the angels and demons to close the loopholes, right?”

I found myself a little curious how many revisions the rules had gone through.

Ms. Futarishizuka spoke up right away—maybe she was thinking the same thing. “In that case, I’d like to announce my availability as an advisor for when you do revise the rules.”

“You’re going to get in trouble if you keep poking your nose into strange places,” I commented.

“But they’ll need someone on humanity’s side who knows a lot about humans, right? Come on.”

“I don’t really think there’s room for a human to interfere.”

“Well, that is unfortunate.” She sounded sincerely disappointed.

For someone as long-lived as her, it was certainly possible to participate in the next generation’s death game. In fact, I could even imagine her angling to represent humanity as one of the game’s supervisors.

Abaddon, however, brought the topic back around. “Anyway, that’s why most Disciples use their rewards on flight near the beginning.”

“Then there’s something of a standard strategy for the game,” commented Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Though I think it’s a lot more common for Disciples to pop out of an isolated space only to be run over and killed by a moving object speeding around the real world. Whether by coincidence or on purpose.”

“I experienced something similar the other day,” remarked my neighbor. “It was very scary.”

“Leaving an isolated space is one of the things you have to be extremely cautious about in the proxy war.”

“I see…,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Umm, so were you okay?” I asked, a little taken aback to learn that my neighbor had been messing around in the death game on her own.

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but hearing about it like this made me feel guilty for enjoying a life of relative peace and luxury. Is this what it feels like to send your adult children out into the world?

“I’m sorry, mister. I’m babbling now. Please forget what I said.”

“She got sniped right after leaving an isolated space,” explained Abaddon.

“What…?”

“Abaddon, you don’t have to tell him everything.”

“That sounds like quite the predicament,” I replied. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m totally fine. The bullet only grazed me, and Abaddon healed my wound, too. You can’t even see it anymore. But thank you—I’m very happy to know you’re worrying about me.”

“I mean, I think anyone would be worried in this case…”

“Besides, I remember her pointing a gun at me the moment we met,” she went on in an attempt to change the subject, glancing at Miss Hoshizaki as she spoke.

I suppose she’s right about that. We had been in that posh hotel suite Ms. Futarishizuka had secured. I remembered how the window glass was shattered, letting in a nice, healthy breeze. My neighbor, Miss Hoshizaki, Lady Elsa, and Magical Pink were at a standoff, their weapons at the ready. Actually, I guess my neighbor was the only one unarmed.

“Urk… Look, I’m sorry about all that, okay?” said Miss Hoshizaki. “I really am.” Seeming to remember the events herself, she hastily tried to apologize.

Beside them, Ms. Futarishizuka continued questioning Abaddon. “Were there any rule revisions between the previous game and this one?”

“We reached the decision to make positive changes to help the game progress,” he replied.

“Then you had to speed things up a little, hmm?”

“While I feel bad for the Disciples, I can’t exactly deny that.”

Futarishizuka had earned us yet another nugget of information about the death game.

At this point, however, Type Twelve made an announcement.

“This terminal has arrived over the destination. We are currently thirteen thousand meters above the surface.”

We’d gone from Karuizawa to Tokyo Bay and then all the way to Miyakejima in a matter of minutes. Everyone turned their attention to the display at our feet, which showed the ground below us.

Normally, the dark of night would have prevented visual confirmation. However, the image had been put through what looked like a night-vision filter—no doubt another product of the mechanical life-forms’ superior technology. Through the scattered clouds hanging in the sky, we could make out several islands in the open sea below.

One of them had a roundish shape, just like the one we’d seen on the map earlier.

“I will yield to Elder Sister and Elder Brother on the timing of our landing,” said the alien.

“We have a few more minutes before its scheduled to start,” mused Ms. Futarishizuka.

“So. What’s our move?” Abaddon asked my neighbor.

Displaying a degree of levelheadedness far surpassing a girl in her first year of middle school, she replied, “I’m curious what kind of reach that website actually achieved. If several isolated spaces occur one after the other, those caught up in them right from the beginning may run out of steam partway through. I think a lot of Disciples will be aiming to arrive late and take advantage of that.”

“I will use another terminal to verify the number of angels and demons on the island,” said Type Twelve.

“They’re hidden most of the time, so you might not be able to,” pointed out Abaddon.

“Then in accordance with Elder Brother’s suggestion, I will suspend verification.”

The mechanical life-forms’ technology seemed omnipotent, but right at the critical moment, it failed in the face of the angels’ and demons’ mysterious powers. The whole thing reminded me of trying to communicate across cultures. I guess the same’s true of the otherworld’s magic and Earth’s psychic powers.

“Would we be able to bring this terminal into an isolated space?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“I’m sorry,” I replied. “I don’t have any experience with something of this size…”

“We merely need to erect a defensive barrier around this round vehicle, yes?” said Peeps.

“That’s right. Could you do it?”

“If that is all, then there will be no problem,” he replied immediately.

He was so reliable. He’d wrapped a barrier around the Kraken before, so I felt confident leaving the job to him. The light touch of his talons on my shoulder gave me an incredible sense of relief.

“If we can manage that, then we should be able to hop back on and run away if we need to,” pointed out Ms. Futarishizuka. “Should we just charge in right now? Even if we make a mess of this thing, I’m sure you’ll be able to whip a new one up lickety-split.”

“The grandmother’s viewpoint is correct. The cost of manufacturing a new terminal is low. In addition, I maintain extras in reserve.”

“It feels a little sloppy,” I said, “but it will be a nice option to have in case of an emergency.”

I wondered what would happen if we used Peeps’s teleportation spell inside the isolated space. I realized then that I’d never been involved in a death game battle with Peeps before, so we hadn’t ever tried. If we could use magic to escape an isolated space, it would be the perfect trump card for getting through the proxy war alive.

But that meant we also had to consider psychics who could do something similar. Third parties weren’t supposed to be part of the death game, but they were and that made it more complicated. It was like shogi pieces or Othello pieces had invaded a chessboard, putting our queen—who had been dominating the game—on the back foot.

These days, in fact, it was more like we had tiles from the Game of Life sprinkled over the chessboard. A car packed with children was next to the king, running over the knights and bishops.

“Then there’s no need to hesitate, right?” asked Abaddon.

“Okay,” said my neighbor. “Could you please descend toward the island?”

“Understood. Now lowering the terminal toward the destination in accordance with the elder sister’s request.”

“Peeps, would you put up the barrier?” I asked.

“It is already deployed,” he responded. I should have expected as much from the Starsage.

At Type Twelve’s announcement, the terminal began to move. Through the display at our feet, we watched as the island’s geography grew closer and closer. Unlike our ascent, we were moving fairly slowly. The right side of the display showed our current altitude.

Just as we passed the five-thousand-meter mark, it happened.

“All connections lost, excluding links to this terminal and the space within it. Now constructing an independent network while maintaining links to all remaining units. All sensors malfunctioning. Based on prior data, I have confirmed entry into the area you call an isolated space.”

“Looks like we got in as one big family,” said Ms. Futarishizuka, glancing around the terminal. Everyone was there.

“Does that make us the first ones to arrive?” wondered Miss Hoshizaki.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell,” replied Abaddon. “When an isolated space appears, it covers a larger area than the distance between the Disciples required to produce it. We could have entered an already existing space.”

“Right,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “Otherwise, the whole game would consist of one-on-one fights.”

“Oh, I see,” said Miss Hoshizaki. “It just shows up when you get close enough to each other.”

“Shouldn’t that have been obvious ages ago, even to a modern high school girl?”

“I… Well, maybe I should have figured it out earlier, but… Ugh…”

Despite our senior’s fancy new powers, Ms. Futarishizuka didn’t hesitate to criticize her. I wondered what was driving her bullying.

“In real time, death games only take a moment,” pointed out my neighbor. “The first round could have already ended. We might have gotten caught in the second or third.”

“Yup, that’s right!” agreed Abaddon, nodding enthusiastically.

Looking very pitiful, Miss Hoshizaki watched the two of them with frustration.

“Elder Brother, the youngest daughter would like to know specific values for the conditions to create an isolated space.”

“Unfortunately, it all depends on stuff you can’t put into numbers, like how strong the angels and demons in the area are. Quantitative measurement is basically impossible, since not only the Disciples’ partners, but all the angels and demons nearby factor in.”

“This whole thing is turning out to be very complicated,” remarked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“If stuff like this was too easy, humans would immediately start coming up with clever schemes to manipulate it.”

That made me think something had happened in the past.

All the while, we continued descending toward the surface. The bare ground spread out below us on the display. The caldera was nearby, and almost no plants were growing in the vicinity, so we had a good view of the surroundings. We were in the center of the island, too, far from human settlements.

“Choosing a vantage point near the south of the island as our landing point. I would hear the elder sister’s thoughts.”

“I don’t have any idea what this place is like, so could I leave the decision to you?”

“Understood. In accordance with Elder Sister’s request, I will now have the terminal land at the chosen point.”

Our craft touched down exactly where Type Twelve said it would. The perfect inertial dampeners completely nullified any bouncing around we might have otherwise experienced during the landing. If the display beneath us wasn’t showing the ground, I would have thought we were still in Karuizawa.

There was a change in the terminal, and the door we’d used to board appeared once again, right where it had before. It opened with a hiss, leading outdoors.

“All righty, then,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “Let’s go show all those angels and their Disciples who’s boss.”

“Grandmother, why are you assuming leadership?”

“You really get hung up on the small things, you know that?”

“As the eldest daughter,” said my neighbor, “I’d like it if the grandmother and the youngest daughter could try to get along.”

“Understood. I will respect the elder sister’s viewpoint as we proceed with the death game.”

Though I didn’t intend to expose anyone here to life-threatening danger, if I got the chance, I figured I’d contribute to this proxy war just enough to undo the curse on Prince Lewis.

I glanced at the sparrow on my shoulder and saw him nod. After I returned the gesture, we followed the rest of the group.

According to Type Twelve, our landing spot had a local name—Shichitou Lookout, the first part of which meant “seven islands.”

She’d obtained map data for the local area off the internet in advance. When we asked her for more info on the lay of the land, she produced a midair display showing all of Miyakejima, much like what we’d seen while searching for Miss Hoshizaki in the Chichibu mountains

We located ourselves on the map to find our current position. The name Shichitou Lookout was easy to find; in fact, the location was already pinned. Just as Type Twelve had told us in the terminal, it was on the south side of Miyakejima, about two kilometers from the shoreline. We could see Mount Oyama at the center of the island, about the same distance away. It was kind of like the close-up view of Mount Fuji from the Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station at the base of the mountain.

Because of the repeated volcanic eruptions in the past, there was less vegetation the closer you got to Mount Oyama. The root cause was volcanic gas, and there was a time when everyone entering the island was given a mandatory gas mask.

Even now, nobody was allowed near the crater. While the terminal had landed outside the restricted area, most of the surrounding land was still barren, with only a few ankle-high plants scattered here and there. You’d have to be at a significant elevation to see anything like this on the mainland.

Casting my eyes in the other direction, I was greeted by a great expanse of ocean. The settlement along the shore looked a lot like any other port town, which only made it seem all the more mysterious.

Miss Hoshizaki was apparently thinking the same thing. “Ever since I buddied up with you, Sasaki” she muttered, “work has taken me to some really crazy places.”

“Oh,” I said. “I apologize for causing you so much trouble.”

“No need. This is great! I can’t wait for all the overtime pay.”

“Ah. I see.”

Come to think of it, how does our pay work while we’re in an isolated space? The other day, our boss had put together a template for working in outer space. But since it wasn’t clear whether Mr. Akutsu even knew about the angel-demon proxy war, all of that was still up in the air.

I bet it’ll wind up as unpaid overtime, I thought, watching the sparkles in Miss Hoshizaki’s eyes.

“Sasaki, what should we do about the flying thing?” asked Lady Elsa.

“I was curious about that myself,” I replied.

“I recommend keeping it concealed and stationing it underwater,” said Type Twelve. “From our earlier conversation, I have learned that angels, demons, and their Disciples fly around in the sky. This option should greatly decrease the probability of an attack when compared to stationing it on land or in the air.”

“Oh, that’s perfect. Thanks!” said Abaddon.

“Thank you,” said my neighbor. “Please go ahead.”

“Understood,” replied Type Twelve. “In accordance with Elder Sister and Elder Brother’s request, I will move the terminal to the seafloor on the southeast side of the island.”

The terminal was still optically camouflaged. With the exit door closed, you couldn’t physically see it, and considering the mechanical life-form’s superior technology, I assumed it was protected against non-visible light as well.

On top of that, Type Twelve—our point of contact—could communicate with it even inside this isolated space. She explained that if she called for it during an emergency, it would come right away. That’s sure a handy feature.

“It can move on its own?” said Lady Elsa. “It sounds very smart.”

“Elsa, that evaluation is excellent,” replied Type Twelve.

“Oh, um, is it?”

“If you’d like, you may repeat your praise.”

“Huh? Oh. Well… Yes, I think it’s very smart.”

“Mechanical life-forms are smart. Yes. Very smart…”

It seemed the terminal liked praise just as much as our point of contact did.

Type Twelve had been getting some harsh treatment from humanity recently, so maybe she was feeling emotional at the friendly compliment. Unlike Ms. Futarishizuka, whose words were always suspect, Lady Elsa was totally honest. It didn’t surprise me that even a mechanical life-form was moved by her praise.

Abaddon looked over our group as we stood next to the terminal staring with wonder at the scenery, and said, “If you want my earnest opinion as the eldest son, I think we should move somewhere else and quickly. Don’t you?”

“I agree with Abaddon,” replied my neighbor. “The view here is too good.”

They were right. It would be very easy to spot us here—the perfect chance for a sniper. I had a barrier spell around the whole group, so I doubted anyone would suddenly go down without warning. Still, any situation where they could see us but we couldn’t see them was less than desirable.

“There are no heat signatures detected in the area,” said Type Twelve. “However, I agree that we should move.”

“If we’re after a hiding spot, perhaps the settlement would be a good bet,” suggested Ms. Futarishizuka.

But just as we were discussing our next play, we heard a voice in the distance.

“This is the Office, announcing that the death game will begin shortly. We are happy to see how many angels, demons, and Disciples have gathered here today. We’d now like to reveal the additional bonuses to all those participating in this daily quest.”

The voice sounded a bit crackly; it was probably coming over a loudspeaker, like one of those town-wide broadcasts. But it wasn’t just crackly—it was also being distorted to an unnaturally high key. It reminded me of when they used voice changers on TV shows to hide an outside collaborator’s gender and natural voice when dealing with potentially dangerous topics.

“Sasaki, I can hear a voice from nowhere!” exclaimed Lady Elsa.

“No need to worry,” I assured her. “It’s made with a machine, and quite common.”

“They must have brought in a loudspeaker or something,” said Futarishizuka.

It was probably best to assume that others like us had entered the space using methods besides forming a contract with an angel or demon. Plenty of psychics could probably do something similar to me, after all.

“Anyone who kills the angels or demons whose names we are about to announce, or their Disciples, at this venue, will not only receive the ten million yen promised on the website but an additional ten million yen as a bonus.”

As we stood there, I sharpened my ears and listened carefully to the voice from afar. They were framing this just like an amusement park attraction. The fact that the “Office” was making their broadcast within an isolated space made the ten million yen sound a lot more convincing. Going by what Abaddon had said, you didn’t have to be present to verify which Disciples died—you could ask your partner angel or demon for that information. In fact, that was how he verified that Ms. Futarishizuka had earned her reward.

“The angels eligible for the additional bonus are Cassiel, Ireul, and Arael. The eligible demons are Sitri, Bifrons, and Dantalion. I repeat. The angels eligible for the additional bonus are Cassiel, Iruel…”

A few of them sounded like names I’d heard in novels, manga, and anime before. That said, I’d never actually met any of the ones listed. While I was curious about the Office’s intent, I didn’t know enough to make any guesses.

Everyone’s attention turned to Abaddon.

“Huh,” he said. “That’s a curious group.”

“Are you acquainted with them, Abaddon?” I asked.

“We’ve been warring so long that we know a fair amount about each other. I might not have talked to them, but I’ve heard about them from other people or seen them from afar. I guess in your terms, we’re kind of like students who go to the same school but belong to different classes.”

“Are they singling out the superstrong ones?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“It doesn’t seem like it. It feels indiscriminate,” replied the demon.

“Then I’d guess it’s more the Disciples they’re worried about,” she mused.

“Yeah, I think so, too. Or maybe they’re just a screen for someone else.”

It was nice having the smart people here—Abaddon and Ms. Futarishizuka—to move the discussion along. The rest of us naturally quieted down, forming a kind of audience. I was a little curious about Miss Hoshizaki’s frustrated expression as she watched the latter, though.

“How about this,” offered Ms. Futarishizuka. “Why don’t we search for this ‘Office’ or what have you?”

“I agree,” I said. “I don’t know how these battles have gone in the past, but based on what I’ve experienced so far, this seems different. The thought of charging straight ahead makes me a little anxious.”

“Then what about you?” Abaddon said to my neighbor. “Though I suppose I don’t need to ask.”

“You’re right. I agree with him.”

Knowing someone of unknown identity had the initiative in this isolated space put me ill at ease. We’d already followed the bait on the website and come this far; I wanted to gain some sort of foothold here while we could, whether that meant getting directly involved or something else. At minimum, I wanted to know who was behind this.

“I have a suggestion to that end,” I said, glancing at the sparrow on my shoulder. “Could you leave searching for this ‘Office’ to the two of us?”

My neighbor seemed surprised. “Huh?”

“Is that okay with you, Peeps?” I asked.

“It is. I see no issue,” he answered immediately.

At his reply, I was struck by a pang of guilt. I was always dragging him into my affairs and using him as I saw fit. I felt crappy for always naively assuming he’d help, and pitiful for always having to rely on him. I’ll have to keep working hard at magic practice.

“Well, look who’s raring for a fight?” teased Ms. Futarishizuka. “What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Our family may not be real, but I’m still our breadwinner.”

If the death game continued like this, its effects might spread beyond just my neighbor and reach Miss Hoshizaki and Lady Elsa, as well. I’d considered taking a wait-and-see approach while Ms. Futarishizuka got involved, but I didn’t like the thought of leaving them to their own devices. If it just made a bunch of work for me in the end, what would be the point?

In that light, my only choice was to take the initiative and bring down our opponent. Everything was for the sake of my relaxing life with Peeps.

“I object,” replied my neighbor.

“You do? I think it’s a pretty good decision myself,” said Abaddon.

“Maybe it is, if we’re talking about winning the game,” she replied. “But if we lose him here, we may not be able to cooperate with Futarishizuka anymore. And wouldn’t that also sour our relationship with the bureau where he works?”

“Oh, not at all, dearie,” Ms. Futarishizuka assured her. “Even if this guy bites the dust, I’ll continue to help you out. And our esteemed senior and the mechanical life-form would be able to keep you safe from the bureau. It’s much better than a full family wipe, in my opinion.”

“But…but I—”

“She’s got you there, huh?”

“Please shut it, Abaddon!”

“Ahhh, a Disciple’s orders are always unfair, no matter what the era…”

“Then we’ll take a vote, just like family rules dictate!” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “All those who agree, raise your hand!”

Everyone responded, and the family permitted Peeps and me to go ahead of them by a majority vote. Peeps and I, Abaddon, Ms. Futarishizuka, and Type Twelve all voted in favor. That was enough not to have to count the rest of the votes.

It’s just like Type Twelve to casually agree, I thought. After all, her species can’t lie.

I turned to the others and said, “I think you should all either hide in the settlement or wait inside the terminal. Stick to defense. And this is just a suggestion on my part, but if we’re not back within the hour, I’d like you all to flee the isolated space.”

“Wait, mister, that’s going too far…,” said my neighbor.

“Gotcha!” replied Abaddon.

“Abaddon!”

“In that case, let’s agree to meet back here in an hour,” suggested Ms. Futarishizuka.

“All right. We’ll go with that,” I said. “If you have to leave the space without me, I’d like you to send some kind of signal once you’ve gotten far enough away from the island. Would that be possible?”

“Affirmative,” replied Type Twelve. “Your youngest daughter promises to send a signal to you at that time.”

“Thank you.”

Depending on how things went, we might want to use that beam spell on all of Miyakejima. It could work, if we got everyone onto the terminal and out over the sea before blowing the entire island away. Fortunately, anything that happened inside the isolated space would revert back to normal as soon as it collapsed. While I balked at harming anyone unrelated, I had to keep those in our group safe.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” I said, “and my apologies for going off on my own like this.”

Ms. Futarishizuka and Abaddon enthusiastically agreed, and nobody else raised any objections. Still, my neighbor was watching me with a worried expression. What a kindhearted girl she was, worrying about some old man who just happened to be her former next-door neighbor.

“You ready, Peeps?”

“Yes. Let us wrap things up quickly.”

At the Starsage’s dependable words, I nodded, and we took to the skies.

<The Neighbor’s POV>

My neighbor and the weird talking bird head off to investigate the strange announcement. Family rules are absolute, according to Futarishizuka, so I have to stand there and watch them go. In an hour, we’ll be meeting back where we landed, but for now we decide to board the terminal and have it sink into the ocean where we can safely wait.

Angels, demons, and their Disciples can hide their presence or make it known at will. As long as Abaddon and I don’t assert ourselves, no one else will realize we’re here, at least as far as angels go anyway.

“Sasaki always seems so unreliable,” says Makeup after my neighbor is out of sight. “But when push comes to shove, he’s oddly decisive. And, like, gung ho. He always says what he thinks, no matter who he’s talking to.”

She’s not wearing makeup today, nor is she wearing her suit, but I’ll still call her Makeup. I can’t help but feel irritated at how calm she is. What’s she going to do if something happens to him? I wonder.

“Well, he is the family breadwinner, after all,” says Futarishizuka.

“I’m not just talking about right now, with our pretend family.”

“Oh?”

“Father told me Sasaki and that little bird are very strong,” says Blondie. “If he says they’ll be okay, maybe we should believe him.”

It isn’t just Makeup, either. Everyone is calm. They’re acting the same as always. Do they not think he’s worth worrying about? Or do they just trust him that much? The latter would annoy me even more.

I know as well as they do that he has strange powers. But he’s the same as us—a person. Every time I enter an isolated space, I remember him getting cut in half by that angel’s sword. I’m beside myself with worry. It’s so bad that I can’t help speaking up.

“Are the rest of you not concerned about him?” I ask.

“Well, of course we are,” answers Makeup. “But whenever he says he’ll handle something, he does. And he does a good job of it, too. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“And he’s got that pompous little bird with him this time, too,” adds Futarishizuka.

“You know, my father treats that bird with a lot of respect,” says Blondie. “Though I don’t know why. Do you have any idea, Futarishizuka? And if you do, could you tell me?”

“I wonder the same thing, dear. I don’t know much about the creature.”

From their conversation, I can tell they probably know things about him that I don’t. I have my own thoughts about the bird roosting on his shoulder. I wonder if it’s controlling my neighbor in secret somehow. No, I’m probably just overthinking it.

“Excuse me,” I say. “I’d like to know more about him, too.”

Our plan is to spend a whole hour here, so I might as well ask about the things I don’t know. But right when I do, something happens.

“Multiple heat signatures detected approaching our location.”

Robot Girl, who we all know to be emotionally unstable, says something odd. Everyone looks at her in blank surprise.

“Activating shields around the terminal, including all surrounding family members,” she continues. “Please be aware I do not know how long they will hold against attacks from angels and demons. It would be wise to take evasive action as soon as possible. There is no time to hold a vote.”

“Oh no!” says Futarishizuka. “Bolts-for-brains can barely think. We have to respond as soon as possible!”

“Time for my partner and me to strut our stuff!” says Abaddon.

“Abaddon, reveal thyself as soon as possible.”

“Of course! You can count on me!”

In response to my instruction, the demon’s body loses its human shape. His skin splits open and his guts expand, and a moment later my partner has turned into a lump of bloody flesh. The clothing and accessories he was wearing are swallowed up inside, and in only a few seconds, the short boy has become a gory mass.

I hear the girl named Elsa let out a terrified squeal. I was surprised the first time I saw Abaddon’s transformation sequence, too.

“Grandmother,” says Robot Girl. “I vaguely feel as though my speech is being mocked.”

“‘Vaguely’?” repeats Futarishizuka. “There’s nothing vague about it. We’re all teasing you.”

“What? Elder Sister, as the youngest daughter, I consider you a precious member of my family, and—”

“She’s not trying to make fun of you,” Makeup assures her. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Mother, are those words true?”

All of them—Robot Girl, Makeup, and Futarishizuka—are criticizing me to my face. While I don’t like the idea of sitting down and taking it, I’m reluctant to talk back considering the situation.

“The elder sister isn’t happy about the father acting on his own,” says Futarishizuka to Robot Girl. “And when we asked for your vote, you were the first to agree. Can’t you figure it out for yourself? Your elder sister must think much less of you now.”

“I do not understand. Are you trying to deceive me again?”

“I suppose it’s going to take more time than we thought for you to get a grip on these new emotions of yours.”

“I will ask again. The youngest daughter wishes to know what Grandmother meant by that remark immediately. Elder Sister’s concerns had already been eliminated. Before that, she was the first to cast her vote agreeing that we should investigate the ‘Office.’ In addition, Father’s suggestion was sound and practical.”

“Come on, now. You really don’t get it? It’s love, all right? That’s what she’s feeling.”

“This ship has already accumulated sufficient knowledge on humanity’s lusts.”

“Then you must understand.”

“The chances of an unappealing middle-aged male receiving goodwill from the opposite sex is close to zero. If desired, I can confirm by submitting a picture of Father to the internet and holding a poll asking whether anyone would regard him as an object of romantic affection.”

“Okay, dear, I get it,” says Futarishizuka. “But please don’t do that last thing. For his sake.”

“I think she has a point,” adds Makeup. “The age difference is pretty severe.”

“Oh? Why, you make it sound as though you’re not in a similar situation.”

“B-because I’m not! Would you stop talking crazy already?!”

What a bunch of chatterboxes. I’m pretty sure it’s more important to do something already, whether that’s responding to the threat or getting into the “terminal” or whatever. Unfortunately, while we hesitate, the other party makes the first move.

Noticing this, Blondie speaks up. “Futarishizuka, I see them over there. They’re waving.”

“Ahhh, so they’re the heat signatures you mentioned, youngest daughter?” asks Futarishizuka.

“Their position and number are consistent. Grandmother’s assumption is correct.”

While we were wasting time on nonsense, the “heat signatures” Robot Girl mentioned moved into visual range. And when I look more closely, the way they’re waving is quite friendly. This disturbs me.

They quickly approach us, smiles on their faces. I find this confusing because Abaddon—now a hunk of flesh—is right next to us. Most people would turn tail and run as soon as they saw him, or at least grimace at the horrible sight. And yet this group looks happy as they approach us. At that point, even I can put the pieces together.

“Oh, would they happen to be allies?” asks Futarishizuka.

“Yup! Seems like it,” Abaddon replies, his familiar voice coming from inside the fleshy mass. He floats up into the air and flies toward them.

“Urk.” Not a moment later, he runs into an invisible wall and flattens up against it. It looks like someone threw putty at a glass window. I’ve never heard Abaddon make a noise like that before, and it cheers me up somewhat.

“What’s this? Something squashed the eldest son,” remarks Futarishizuka.

“There, um, seems to be a wall of some sort here.”

“Temporarily disengaging shields.”

Apparently, this is Robot Girl’s fault. It sounds like she engaged some shield to protect us.

While the other group—presumably Abaddon’s allies—looks surprised by our response, they still approach us. They consist of several Disciples and their demon partners. I can tell the latter are demons by the way they look and dress, unfettered by modern values. They’ve got horns growing from their heads and wings on their backs, and their skin ranges from pale white to dark black. Some seem to be men, while others look like women. Some have their weapons unsheathed, too, making them very intimidating. The Disciples, on the other hand, are all dressed like normal people.

“As the youngest daughter, I recommend immediately boarding the terminal and evacuating,” says Robot Girl.

“My partner and I will handle this,” replies Abaddon. “You all go ahead. But stay inside the isolated space if you can. I doubt we’ll be fighting here.”

“I can hear the eldest son’s voice coming from nowhere. Grandmother, what is happening?”

“Could you stop relying on your old granny for everything?” grumbles Futarishizuka. “It’s coming from that big hunk of meat up there, obviously.”

“Those people seem like they’re all on the demons’ side, so I don’t think we need to flee,” adds Makeup.

“Understood,” says Robot Girl. “The youngest daughter will now register that ball of flesh as the eldest son.”

Despite the confusion, we manage to come to an agreement. Abaddon and I go out in front to greet the group of demons and their Disciples. Futarishizuka, Makeup, and Blondie wait behind us.

Robot Girl is the only one to run toward the terminal, but when she notices none of us are joining her, she stops and turns back. She stands there, a little ways away, with nothing to do. After that, she seems to make a decision before returning to the group. If she’s that scared, she should just wait in her flying saucer.

“Well, hey there! Long time no see.”

“Heard the rumors, Abaddon. Doin’ pretty well for yourself, eh?”

A conversation begins between Abaddon and the newcomers. The first one to speak is the demon standing in front. He looks like an owl with really long legs. He has a crown on his head, and he’s about as tall as a person. His rough, familiar way of speaking takes me by surprise. The gap between this and his cute facial features is extreme. That, and his long ostrich legs make him very creepy.

“Is that boy your disciple, Stolas?”

“Yep!” says the demon, before turning almost all the way around to look behind him. “Hey, kid, introduce yourself to this very stylish demon and the lady next to him.”

Yep, definitely an owl, I think.

A boy stands there, even shorter than me. Did this demon choose an elementary school kid as his partner? It’s true that, if the death game drags on for a long time, the younger Disciples will be at an advantage later on. But this kid’s a little too young, isn’t he?

He takes a step toward us and greets us in a loud voice. “N-nice to meet you! My name is Oobayashi!”

“Pleased to meet you, Oobayashi,” I reply.

“Wow, he’s so well-mannered,” comments Abaddon. “Unlike my partner.”

“Abaddon, why would you put down your own Disciple in front of someone I’m meeting for the first time?”

“I’m just saying you could be a little more friendly, you know?”

He probably wants me to smile more, even if I have to fake it. I know stuff like that is important. My recently deceased mother absolutely hated how unfriendly I always looked. In her case, though, she’d criticize me even if I forced a smile, so there was no point.

“Hey, don’t push yourself on our account. Demons tend to pick real weirdos as Disciples.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Aside from this pair—the long-legged owl called Stolas and the boy who introduced himself as Oobayashi—everyone else stands behind them and silently watches. They probably decided in advance who would handle the negotiations.

Proving me right, Stolas makes his offer. “I won’t keep you long,” he says. “Wanna team up with us?”

“Should I assume that’s what all of you decided on? Demons and Disciples alike?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Well, you heard him. What do you think, Disciple?”

The giant hunk of flesh floating in the air lurches, as if turning to face me. His true form is utterly grotesque, but now that I’m more used to it…I don’t know, maybe it does look kind of cute. Or maybe not. The other Disciples have never met him before, though, and the motion puts them all on guard.

“I know it’s sudden,” says Stolas. “So if you’d rather, we could just join forces for this stupid event. Then, if things work out, we can decide where to go from there.”

“All right. I agree.”

“Yup! I think that’s best, too!”

We’d been hoping to make friends with other demons, so for us, their offer is perfect. I remember Abaddon once encouraging me to reach out, too. If we can build a good relationship with them, I feel like I’ll be able to sleep a little better at night.

Naturally, there’s no guarantee they’re trustworthy. But I’ll never know if I don’t try.

“By the way,” says Abaddon, “we’ve got some…well, interesting circumstances. Is that still all right?”

“You mean the ones behind you?”

“Exactly.”

Futarishizuka, Makeup, Blondie, and Robot Girl are still behind us. If we wait a little longer, my neighbor and his talking sparrow will return, too. We can’t afford to leave them out of the conversation.

“Sounds like we both have few people with us,” says Stolas. “While I’d love to get everybody introduced, why don’t we take ’em somewhere else, first? We can always trade info once we’re safe. This place is way too open.”

“Are you all okay with that?” asks Abaddon, turning around. Everyone responds quickly.

“I’d be perfectly fine with that, dear.”

“No objections here.”

“I’ll go along with whatever the rest of you decide.”

Futarishizuka, Makeup, and Blondie seem to agree, though Robot Girl is looking at me unhappily.

“Then it’s decided,” says Stolas.

Fitting his tone of voice, the owl demon seems pretty bossy. Us Disciples were meeting for the first time, but he kept the conversation moving at a very brisk pace.

I wonder if he’s as strong as Abaddon.

After parting ways with the members of our pretend family, Peeps and I flew through the sky toward the coastline. That was the direction I’d heard the announcer’s voice coming from—the one that called themselves the “Office,” and was most likely the website’s admin. Concealed from view with Peeps’s magic, we maintained an altitude of several dozen meters as we looked down at the ground below. According to the distinguished Java sparrow, an average magic user wouldn’t be able to see us like this.

We flew around for a while, but we never came under attack. I assumed there was little chance modern equipment like thermal cameras and radars had made their way into an isolated space.

“We’re near the settlement now,” I said. “But it’s too dark to see anything.”

“From my point of view, your former home was far too bright at night.”

“Yeah, I guess compared to your world, there’s a lot of artificial light.”

Like the other isolated spaces I’d experienced, this one was completely unpopulated. No illumination came from inside the houses, either, making the ground pretty dark. My only glimpses of the town came from a few scattered streetlights. Compared to the big city, it was, if you’ll excuse the pun, like day and night.

Under these conditions, finding someone hiding on the island would be backbreaking work. I’d told the others to give me an hour; maybe I should have asked for two or three.

“I talked a big game back there, but this might be really difficult.”

“Want to set some fires down there?”

“Umm…”

The bird’s suggestion sounded casual, but wasn’t that kind of brutal? Peeps does get pretty ballsy sometimes.

I didn’t want to cause any fires if we could avoid it—that would probably lead to unrelated angels and demons attacking us. My memories of the six-winged angel cleaving through me with her sword came rushing back. Not that I didn’t trust the Starsage, but I wanted to avoid unnecessary combat.

If our opponents were on the level of Himegami and Eriel, I’d be able to overwhelm them. But once a stronger one came out, like Abaddon or little Mika, I wasn’t sure how my otherworld magic would stack up.

“It was a joke,” he told me. “No need to look so troubled.”

“What? Come on. You were totally serious.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Past experience.”

“…Ah.”

See? I thought. You were serious after all! Man, this bird is dangerous.

“Even taking into account our time spent in the otherworld, it’s only been a year or so since I met you. But now that I think about it, perhaps the time we have spent with each other is not as insignificant as one might believe.”

“Yeah, we do tend to stick together a lot.”

As I chatted with my pet bird, we continued flying over Miyakejima.

A municipal road ran along the island’s shoreline. It went all the way around, circling Mount Oyama in the middle. Along it were houses, restaurants, supermarkets, office buildings, and an airport. We followed it overhead.

After a little while, we suddenly heard a noise. It was shrill, like metal against metal.

Skreee. Skreeee.

“I sense the presence of others,” said Peeps. “What shall we do?”

“Is it all right if we go and check?”

“Yes.”

This might not have been the Office we were after, but I decided to investigate, just in case.

Pricking up our ears, we were able to locate the source after a few minutes—a fishing port on the island’s west side. Fishing boats were lined up all along the berths, and I could see them bobbing gently in the peaceful waves. Past the breakwaters, I could see whitecaps coming in and out. It seemed very calm for open sea.

There were no port workers around, of course. A few cars were parked on the premises, but after descending to check, we found them all empty. As far as we could tell from the sky, at least, the place was abandoned.

The only exception was a warehouse near the market area. Its shutter had been twisted and destroyed, and the noise that had drawn us was coming from inside. After descending, I very carefully peeked inside.

“…Someone’s in there,” I whispered.

“Indeed.”

The warehouse was fairly large, and a fight was going down in the middle of it. On one side were two people with wings growing from their backs. Their fanciful clothes immediately gave them away as angels. Behind them was another group of two. They were young—probably around twenty.

Facing them was a single opponent. I wondered if he was a demon, considering the situation. But his clothes were far too normal for that. He was an Asian man who looked around thirty, wearing a leather jacket and jeans.

It concerned me that there was nobody in sight who looked like his Disciple. After all, moving around in an isolated space on your own, without your angel or demon, was extremely risky. There was always a chance they were hiding somewhere nearby, though.

“Those people look like angels, and it seems like they’re fighting a human.”

“I had heard that Disciples were far weaker than angels and demons inside isolated spaces,” said Peeps. “But as far as I can see, the one who looks like a demon’s Disciple is overwhelming the angels. Though I suppose it is possible he is not a human, but a demon.”

“Even Abaddon looks human until he has to change into flesh-ball mode, I guess.”

The only source of light was the moon shining in through the windows. From that, I could make out the people’s facial features.

If I could have used a smartphone, I’d have taken a picture and sent it to Abaddon to figure out. But all wireless functions were disabled inside isolated spaces. I’d checked as soon as we entered, but the terminal appeared to be out of range.

“Why are you doing this to us?! Do you have some kind of grudge?!”

“Who the hell are you?! No human should be able to fight angels!”

The two I assumed to be the angels’ Disciples raised their voices in shock and concern. They seemed quite lively standing behind their partners, who were taking care of all the fighting. As Peeps had pointed out, the angelic team seemed to be on the back foot. Was that why their Disciples were in such a panic?

One of the angels held a sword; he looked like a man about my age. His features were way more attractive than mine, though. There sure are a lot of beautiful angels, I thought. The other one was no exception. She looked about twenty or so, and she had a bow and arrow at the ready.

What really piqued my interest, however, was their opponent’s fighting style.

No matter how many times the angels attacked, they never reached their foe. One ran up with superhuman speed and swung his sword too fast to see, yet his opponent easily avoided it. Even the arrows from the other’s bow never came close to striking their target.

The unknown man, meanwhile, used his rather large knife to slice comfortably and easily at his opponents.

The angels didn’t appear to be slacking off. In fact, their movements were incredibly sharp. Their physical abilities far outstripped even Ms. Futarishizuka’s. So who was this man whose footwork surpassed even theirs?

His speed made me think he might be teleporting. That made me wonder—was he a psychic? From what the Disciples had said, it seemed they believed the man was a human rather than a demon.

“I don’t have a grudge against you,” said the possible psychic. “I’m not even interested in you. You’re not even worth my time.”

The two Disciples immediately recoiled.

“What?! Are you kidding me?!”

“Then why are you doing something so stupid?”

“That’s why I used your names like I did,” the man replied. “Don’t you get it?”

That caught my attention. Did the names in the announcement earlier refer to these particular angels and their Disciples? Had they gone out to look for the Office just like Peeps and me after being singled out?

If that was true, then there was a very good chance this man had something to do with the Office.

“I’d say I’m impressed you found our location so quickly, but I’m not very impressed with what you decided to do afterward. You may be relatively well-known angels, but there are always exceptions, I suppose.”

The two continued trading words, confirming my suspicions. The guy didn’t say anything about the Office directly, but I was piecing it together from the scraps.

“Of course we found you! Do you know how much noise you were making on an empty island like this?”

“That’s right! The other angels and demons will be here soon. You’re done for!”

“Oh, I’ll be long gone by then.”

There was another series of shrill, metallic sounds. Apparently, we’d been hearing their weapons clashing. The angels’ offensive grew fiercer, as if manifesting their Disciples’ panic. But their foe handled each attack with confidence and ease.

“You can’t run from my angel’s clairvoyance! You’ll never escape!”

“Ah, yes. I was wondering how you all managed to find me.”

One of the Disciples was getting desperate now. But the knife-wielding man only smiled in response.

And in the blink of an eye, both angels’ heads went flying.

“Huh…”

“Wha…?!”

The two Disciples were shocked. Their jaws were practically on the floor as they cringed away from the sight before them. I was no different, despite watching the scene from outside the warehouse.

Before I knew what was happening, the angels’ heads were detached from their bodies. The possible psychic had probably cut them off with his knife. It was just that I hadn’t seen it happen.

He had been standing several meters away from the angels only a moment ago. But then, somehow, he was in a different place. That was when the angels’ heads had flown off and tumbled to the ground. It was as though they’d popped off of their own accord.

They hit the warehouse floor with wet thuds. A few moments later, their bodies collapsed.

“Wha…? What just…?”

“This can’t be real! How could a regular person defeat two angels with a single strike?”

The two angelic Disciples had done their best to fight back, despite their opponent clearly displaying his advantage. But the loss of their partners had changed their tune. Now panicking, both of them backed away, trembling. While this was just speculation, I had a feeling they were both new to the death game. Otherwise, they would have had more allies. At least, that’s what it seemed like based on the legion of angels that had attacked my neighbor in the past.

“Good. That’s one-third of them. I should probably withdraw,” the possible psychic muttered to himself.

The names of three angels had been announced over the loudspeaker earlier, and it seemed the man had business with one of the two he’d just killed. And as for the term “clairvoyant”—I assumed that meant the angel could see things very far away.

A troublesome ability indeed for someone doing evil deeds on a daily basis. These days, a talent like that was a lot more dangerous than simply being skilled at combat. The man must have decided he needed to do something about it.

But was that the only reason for this event?

I was at a loss. As I thought about it, the one on my shoulder whispered to me.

“Is that man who fought the angels not the same as those you work with?”

“Yeah. I think that’s a pretty good bet.”

“If so, then I find myself quite curious as to what sort of phenomenon he produced.”

“I can think of a few different possibilities off the top of my head.”

“Oh? Now I am even more curious. Please illuminate me.”

I exchanged intel with Peeps as we stood outside the warehouse entrance, hiding against the building’s wall. In the meantime, things progressed inside.

“Ah, yes. To receive a reward from the angels and demons, it’s the Disciples I need to kill, not their partners.”

“Huh? Hey, wait a second. You’re just gonna—”

“Please, no! We’ll never go against you again! We promise!”

In their panic, the two angelic Disciples tried to flee the warehouse. They began running toward where Peeps and I were standing, though they couldn’t see us, since the sparrow’s magic was keeping us hidden. I had a feeling our gazes met, but they didn’t react. They would have at least made some kind of noise if they’d noticed us.

But after getting just a few steps away, they fell.

It wasn’t us—we hadn’t had the time to do anything.

Like the angels, all of a sudden, their heads were flying.

“…!”

The sudden, grotesque sight almost made me cry out. I just barely managed to keep it down.

Their heads hit the warehouse floor just as blood began to spurt from their severed bodies.

They hadn’t even screamed. It seemed likely they’d been cut with the man’s knife, but I hadn’t seen any of it happen. We hadn’t even noticed him closing in on them.

Once again, the psychic had appeared in a different spot.

“This proxy war’s setup practically forces them to use young people. It’s horrid. Such cruelty is hardly befitting of an angel. A little banter and they rush to their deaths. They don’t even understand their position.”

The psychic spoke sadly as he gazed at the Disciples’ remains. His sorrow was most likely sincere.

As an ordinary person, seeing this display made me hesitate. But the same was not true of the Starsage.

“I believe I have an idea as to his methods.”

“I think we should run away right now.”

“You called it a psychic power, yes? Indeed, it is quite astounding. Which is why I’d like to make sure we cull him while we have the chance. If there is any possibility that he may be hostile to us in the future, we cannot let him escape.”

“Umm, Peeps, does that mean…”

“I’m sorry, but would you leave this to me?”

“R-right. Sure, that’s fine. But will you be okay?”

“You were correct to suggest we conceal ourselves. Otherwise, those might have been our heads on the floor. But if I can take him by surprise, he is as good as dead.”

“…Yeah. I think you’re right.”

The bird fluttered off my shoulder and into the air before slipping through a gap in the warehouse’s shutter.

At about the same time, he must have disengaged his concealment spell, because the psychic spoke up at the sight of the out-of-place creature.

“A sparrow?” he said. “What is it doing here…?”

“……”

He only looked confused for a second before his eyes opened wide in shock. His attention shifted to where he stood. A great amount of water had begun to spurt up from below.

“Who are you?!”

For some reason, the water didn’t flow out over the floor; instead, it gathered around the man in the shape of a sphere, where it stayed. The sight of the sphere rapidly filling in made me think of a person being drowned in a goldfish bowl.

I was reminded of Miss Hoshizaki’s power. Peeps was probably using either a barrier spell or some other magic to restrain the target, then a second spell to fill it with water. I’d used the same strategy against the magical girls once before.

But this time, the caster’s intent was very different.

The water continued to surge at an alarming rate, and in the blink of an eye it had practically engulfed the psychic. Trapped inside the sphere, he was up to his neck in water within minutes.

“No! Is it that sparrow…?!”

The man looked hatefully up at Peeps. As if in response, the bird bellowed to me, “Your safety is secured. If you’ve something to say to him, do it now.”

“Thanks, Peeps,” I said as I stepped into the warehouse through the gap in the shutter.

When he saw me, the psychic cried out. “You! I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“Have you?” I replied. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Oh, that’s it. Now I remember.”

I figured he was stalling for time. Probably waiting for other angels or demons to come around, I thought. Or maybe he has other companions.

“Your picture was in the list of people who went aboard that UFO,” he said.

“I see. Figures something like that would be making the rounds.”

“So you don’t deny it?”

“No. Everyone already knows anyway.”

I took over the question-and-answer session in place of the sparrow, who returned to my shoulder.

“What is that talking sparrow?” the psychic asked.

“A little while ago, that website about the angel-demon proxy war got quite a lot of attention. Are you acquainted with its administrator? Or have you come here by yourself for some other reason?”

I decided to prioritize my own questions and ignore anything he asked. If I was right about him, he had plenty of time to think. We, on the other hand, had very little leeway; we didn’t know when more angels or demons would show up. And if he broke out of the fishbowl Peeps had created, we were done for.

“Could you let me out of here first? Then I’ll talk.”

“I’m sorry, but no. There is no saving you at this point.”

“……”

I wondered what this psychic’s rank was.

For the sake of argument, I could assume my beam and barrier spells made me rank B. Little Mika, the six-winged angel, had easily sliced me in half in a straight fight. It hadn’t even been a contest.

In order to take on stronger angels and demons, you’d need multiple rank-B psychics with abilities geared toward combat, at least. But even then, you’d have a difficult time. Ideally, you would want the help of a rank-A psychic, like the nerd.

It wasn’t clear if the Office had made any such calculations. But just now, this man had defeated two angels. The event had been set up with a website and everything. If they were being careful, I assumed they’d put a rank-A psychic into the fray.

That said, the only rank-A psychics I knew of were the nerd and Ms. Futarishizuka, so I couldn’t say anything for sure. The latter was just above rank B, while the former was obviously a full-fledged rank A, meaning the rank itself covered a pretty broad spectrum.

Taking advantage of the short silence, the psychic began to shout. “Hey! Magic girl! Save me! I know you’re watching from somewhere!”

I expected he was referring to a magical girl. This answered my final question. He had probably made it into the isolated space with the help of her Magical Barrier. I’d considered the possibility he was both a psychic and a Disciple, but it seemed that was not the case.

I looked around. My barrier had been up constantly since we entered the isolated space. A few seconds passed, and the “magic girl” never came.

“Dammit! That brat! How dare she run away by herself!”

“May I ask which country’s magical girl is aiding you?”

“If that’ll get you to release me, then sure, I’ll tell you.”

“Oh. In that case, never mind.”

“Ugh…!”

For a moment, I considered Magical Pink. But she was an enemy to psychics—she’d never help one. Which meant this magical girl was from a different country.

If it’s Magical Blue that presents a big problem. And her involvement isn’t out of the question.

“If you resent your employer even a little, then give me information to get back at them,” I said. “It might earn you slightly nicer flowers at your grave.”

“Please save me. I’ll do anything. I’m serious. I’ll never betray you.”

First anger, then scorn, then seriousness. This psychic was very unstable emotionally. He’d probably been racking his brain a whole lot longer than we knew. The more I saw of this suspicious behavior, the more certain I became about the nature of his power.

“Are you a psychic?” he asked. “Or a demon? You can’t be an angel.”

“I’ll leave it to your imagination.”

“This doesn’t make any sense. Who does shit like this?”

“The only ones who would respond to such criticism are poor young people like the ones you just killed. You seem like someone with empathy, so I may consider passing on your final words, if you have any.”

“What? Hey, wait. Did they set me up?!”

“I don’t know about that. I don’t think it’s out of the question, though.”

“Fuck! What the hell?! This can’t be happening!”

I wasn’t sure who he meant by “they.” But I stood by what I said. There was a possibility “they” had put this psychic on the job in the hopes he would be taken care of.

After all, I thought, his power is far too terrifying for anyone to want to take him in.

He could stop time.

“I finally got all this power… Everything was going so well…”

“And it’s because of that power, I expect, that nobody wants you.”

Unfortunately, “they” were still an unknown entity. If all my assumptions were correct, we were playing right into their hands. I was aware that something like this could happen when I decided to take part in the event, but I was increasingly concerned about just how far ahead its sponsors had planned.

I really wish I could see the whole picture. But the higher-ups have probably worked things out so that will never happen.

“This is the last time I’ll ask you,” I said. “Who is trying to control the proxy war using that website and people like you? I won’t force you to answer, but this is the last chance you’ll have to affect this world.”

“Come on… Are you really gonna do this?”

“I’m sorry, but yes.”

“…Oh.”

I couldn’t afford to be tolerant with this man. If I did, he would kill us.

If his power was a psychic ability, it would have restrictions. When Miss Hoshizaki controlled water, she had to physically touch the target. But if I underestimated him, we could wind up with our positions reversed.

His power was far too strong. It left zero room for negotiation. And he probably knew that. He knew that no matter how much he tried to get himself out of it, he would never change my mind. In that sense, overpowered psychic abilities were a kind of double-edged sword.

As I was mulling it over, I realized that the nerd could probably do the same thing under the right circumstances. There had to be a video game somewhere with an item that could stop time. Oh, great. What would I do about that?

The only way I could protect myself against him right now was to preemptively put up a barrier spell. But our last fight had taught me he had ways of getting through that. If I ran into him again without Peeps, I’d be in serious trouble. Images of battle scenes like those in a shounen manga flitted through my mind.

As a result, I fell silent. That’s when the psychic began to speak. He must have prepared himself.

“If you’re here, you must know about the reward system,” he said.

“I do,” I replied. Disciples were granted rewards for defeating their opponents in the death game. Ms. Futarishizuka was trying to get close to Abaddon for that very reason.

“The rewards in this war will decide everything. They can cure incurable diseases, grant eternal youth, and give you as much money as you want. There are people in this world who are after those things. Many people. Rich and influential people.”

“Yes, I believe there are.”

“If people like them want to get their hands on more rewards… Well, you get it, right?”

Only so many Disciples could take part in the death game. If someone wanted to scoop up more rewards, they would need to think about the best order in which to kill the Disciples. One Disciple backed by so-and-so would slay another supported by so-and-so. Management over these matchups would be required if one wanted strict control over the rewards.

The fact that this was a proxy war between angels and demons didn’t even matter. It could have been anything.

“Plenty of people are giving that a lot of thought,” he concluded.

“I’m curious to know exactly who is in on this.”

“I don’t know that much. It’s the same as global custodians for stocks. Our contacts bundle up tasks and give them to people like us on behalf of the actual investors. The bottom rung has no way of knowing who’s behind the money.”

“Yes, that is indeed a sad state of affairs.”

“Isn’t it?”

While the public was criticizing the Office’s website and its gory photographs, it was still up on the web, and still being updated. Whoever was in on this, they were very high up. In fact, there was even a chance Ms. Futarishizuka was involved.

“That’s all the information I have,” he said.

“Thank you.”

I hadn’t learned much, but I now knew that people were organizing at a high level in order to hack into the proxy war. Its original form—a battle between two opposing factions—was now essentially meaningless. Angels attacking angels, demons saving angels—such things would probably start happening more frequently from now on.

“As a final act of mercy, I shall send you on your way painlessly.”

“Hey, look, do I really have to die?”

“As we said, yes. You seem to be a sore loser.”

“Of course I am! Ah, I don’t want to die!”

For Peeps and me, it had only been a few minutes since we barged into the warehouse. But this pleading man had probably spent twice or even ten times as long worrying, all alone, trying to think of a way to survive. Stubble had appeared around his mouth, which had been clean-shaven at the start. It was clear he’d been racking his brain in isolation for a considerable amount of time.

Compared to the angelic Disciples who hadn’t even had time to realize they were dead, this seemed a much more tragic way to go. Knowing your worthless life is about to end, and having to take that last step yourself? I shuddered just thinking about it.

Many people in this world must have met similar fates and would do so in the future.

“If it was going to be this terrifying,” he said, “I wish I’d never been born.”

I’d thought similar things before—that it would have been better if there had been nothing right from the start. Perhaps that was why I decided to offer a few words of consolation.

“I don’t want to say it like this, but you killed two people just now. Almost nobody in this country will do that before dying. In that sense, your death is very special, and from society’s standpoint, for better or worse, it has value.”

“Really? Seems like a miserable death to me.”

“I won’t deny that. But you did as you pleased in life, which is more than others can say. Plenty of people think about it but can’t bring themselves to do it. Not that I think they should, of course.”

“…I see.”

“I apologize if that wasn’t much comfort to you.”

“The fact that I felt a tiny bit happy, a tiny bit relieved, makes me feel sick to my stomach. Is this what religion’s all about?”

He wore a strange expression—like he was crying and smiling at the same time. How was a person supposed to respond to that? While I thought about it, the psychic continued.

“You’re quite the demon, you know that?” he said. “If this is the end, at least tell me your nam—”

His body gave a jolt before he could finish his sentence. Peeps must have used a spell.

The man’s body began to gently drift inside the water-filled sphere. As his body relaxed, he lost the ability to stand. We waited a few moments, but he showed no response. He simply floated there, bobbing in the water like seaweed.

After several seconds, the water surrounding him splashed to the floor, and his corpse smacked the ground. He wasn’t breathing.

“It seems those who acquire status, wealth, and fame do the same things in every world.”

“I’d like to believe they’re not all bad.”

Thinking about things like that made mechanical life-forms seem awfully pure and wholesome, which troubled me. I couldn’t help but think Type Twelve’s compatriots sealing away their emotions was the best decision they could have made.

In any case, I knew very well what—or who—was proving the biggest obstacle in “their” attempt to manage the proxy war’s rewards. In short, it was the demon-Disciple pair currently tearing it up in the death game.

“Peeps, I need your help, and fast.”

“Indeed. We should return to the others.”

This was just a guess, but I had a feeling the main targets of this event were likely my neighbor and Abaddon. She’d already slain so many angels and their Disciples, and now she was friends with Type Twelve. The people at the top couldn’t afford to let a Disciple with that much influence run free.

“I do not object to using teleportation magic, but I’m worried it will eject us from the isolated space. I think we should fly back for now and investigate that later. What about you?”

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

I nodded to the bird on my shoulder and left the warehouse, indescribably happy at how well my pet and I seemed to understand each other.