Sasaki and Peeps - Volume 7 - Chapter 5

<Bonds, Part Two>

<The Neighbor’s POV>

After parting ways with my neighbor, we decide to go with Abaddon’s demon acquaintances. The group contains several demons and their Disciples, with the long-legged owl and his elementary school-aged partner in the lead.

Our first order of business is to change locations. Leaving the lookout and its wide, clear view, we head for the settlement, where we are likely to find a lot more hiding spots.

To get there, we rely heavily on Abaddon in his flesh form—after all, nobody but us can fly. Robot Girl and Futarishizuka decline to enter the terminal with other people around, and, the former aside, the latter is basically our guardian, so I’m hesitant to object to her decision. As a result, we have Abaddon turn into what is essentially a big meaty flying saucer and ride on top of him.

When they feel the soft, soupy sensation under their shoes, everyone grows quiet and meek. We stay low to the ground, almost crawling along it, so we aren’t attacked by any angels on the way.

Eventually, we reach the settlement on the southeastern side of Miyakejima. While I want to hide indoors somewhere, we have too many people to fit into a regular house. Instead, we choose a public facility—probably a community center. Nobody else is here, which means we now have a peaceful place to talk.

“So,” says Stolas, “am I good to assume you’ll be working with us for this game, at least?”

I nod. “That’s fine with me. Thank you.”

As usual, we hold a family vote to decide whether to work with the demons. Five vote yes—aside from me and Abaddon, Futarishizuka, Makeup, and Blondie all vote to join up. Robot Girl abstains, but she says she’ll go along with Makeup’s decision, so we’re all in agreement. We have enough votes even without my neighbor and the sparrow, who are currently absent.

Robot Girl doesn’t seem to like these demons very much. To tell the truth, hers is a much more normal reaction. Being dragged into a strange place and having to fight alongside humanoid monsters would earn a “no thank you” from just about anyone. The way Futarishizuka and Makeup take it all in stride is much stranger.

“Great,” says Stolas. “So about all the people behind you…”

“They aren’t angels, demons, or Disciples. They are essentially gate-crashers who happened to enter by coincidence. I might be willing to tell you more once we know each other a little better.”

“Don’t trust us, eh?”

“I’m sure you all are the same.”

“Heh. You’re not wrong.”

This was another thing we decided by majority vote. We can’t go telling everyone we just met our secrets—that we’re psychics, or mechanical life-forms, or whatever. Everyone insisted we keep it secret. I doubt the neighbor and his sparrow would have been able to swing the vote even if they were here.

And the other party doesn’t press for details, either. Our response must be within their expectations.

After that, we all introduce ourselves. We may not be sharing backstories, but we’ll need to remember one another’s names, at least. We ask the names of everyone aside from the owl called Stolas and his Disciple.

I validate their identities with Abaddon, too, getting an instant handle on their power levels and personalities. What I’m more curious about are the Disciples. There’s no guarantee they’re using their real names, so I need to make sure to remember their facial features.

Once they’re all done with their introductions, it’s our turn. We go one by one as well.

“I’m Hoshizaki. A high school girl, as you can see.”

“And I am Saotome.”

“Please call me Tanaka.”

“Huh…?” Makeup, who spoke up first and gave her real name, looks back at us in surprise.

She’d rushed to introduce herself using her real name, so when Futarishizuka and I give false ones, her face immediately goes pale. Her mouth hangs open as she tries to say something. Great, now they know we’re using fake names. What an idiot.

She’s in her school uniform for the death game today. In that light, maybe it’s inaccurate to call her Makeup, since she’s not wearing any. But it’s a pain to change it now, so I keep calling her that anyway.

“This individual’s name is set to Hanako Yamada within this space.”

“My name is Anneliese.”

Robot Girl and Blondie, following Futarishizuka and my lead, also give fake names. Aside from Makeup, no one else has revealed her real name.

All of the Disciples are focused on Blondie, though. They probably remember seeing her on TV or the internet. She works with my neighbor’s company on propaganda stuff, and she’s basically an internet celebrity now. Several videos of her have been published on video submission websites, garnering tens of millions of views.

“And I’m Abaddon. Nice to meetcha!”

My partner introduces himself last. He reverted to human form once we arrived at the community center. The way he grins is so friendly. He looks exactly like a child, and an adorable one at that. The other Disciples, who were first introduced to him as a clump of meaty flesh, seem conflicted as they take in his new appearance.

Now that we’ve exchanged the bare minimum of information, the demon group immediately makes a suggestion. It’s the long-legged owl demon who speaks up, just as before.

“Let’s get right down to business, then,” he says. “Got something to discuss with you all.”

“What is it?” I ask.

“Aren’t you curious about that hokey voice that came outta nowhere?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.”

“Well, we’re thinking we should go root them out right away.”

“I see.”

Now I’m not sure how to react. The neighbor and his sparrow are already investigating the voice. We promised them we’d wait, so I don’t want to simply nod and agree. What would be the point if we got in their way?

But those thoughts don’t last long, because Robot Girl issues a warning we can’t ignore.

“Multiple heat signatures confirmed approaching this facility.”

Futarishizuka reacts immediately. “Didn’t you send the thing somewhere else?”

“Grandmother’s viewpoint is correct. I have positioned the thing elsewhere.”

“The thing” is the saucer-shaped flying object we used to travel to this island. As originally planned, Robot Girl hid it at the bottom of the ocean near the coast while we flew to our current location.

“I thought that without an external connection, you couldn’t even bring up a map in here,” comments Futarishizuka. “Maybe I was wrong. Or were you talking about other connection points when you mentioned links inside the isolated space earlier?”

“Grandmother’s speculations are both correct. I have mobilized a smaller, separate group.”

“Abaddon, please reveal thyself!”

“Yup! Just leave it to me!”

Apparently, Robot Girl has several smaller mobile devices aside from the flying saucer operating within the isolated space. We didn’t see any from inside the terminal, though, so they must have the same optical camouflage.

At any rate, it seems she isn’t lying. In the blink of an eye, our surroundings change dramatically. We hear a loud boom, and something half-destroys the community center we’re hiding in.

Most of the destruction is on the side of the building facing the street, near the entrance.

A moment later, I hear another loud boom, and the walls and roof are blown away. The dust from the fallen building materials reaches us. It’s like explosives went off—it reminds me of what happened to my old apartment building.

Immediately, figures appear from beyond the wreckage—likely angels and their Disciples.

The first one to charge in is a six-winged angel brandishing a sword. Abaddon reverts to his fleshy form and takes the slash with his body.

We only have a few seconds to react, but it’s enough to stave off the angels’ ambush. The demons with us follow their Disciples orders and immediately move to intercept.

At a glance, the angels and their Disciples number about as many as we do. After taking part in so many death games, Abaddon and I are finally making our team deathmatch debut.

“How did they find us?” Futarishizuka wonders aloud.

“Some angels and demons have good eyes or ears,” answers a small chunk of flesh floating next to us. “Positioning lookouts and creating ambushes is a pretty old ploy in the proxy wars. And in regular human wars, too, I suppose.”

Abaddon has cut off a piece of his body and left it with us so we can communicate. At first this trick was shocking to me, but by now I’m pretty used to it.

“Your mortal enemy is here again, Abaddon,” I tell him.

“She must really want to kill me, huh?”

“Does she have a personal grudge against you or something?”

“Hmm. I mean, I don’t think so.”

The angel in question is called Michael. Her name is so well known it regularly comes up in novels and movies and the like. Her strength doesn’t disappoint, either. She looks like she’s in her mid-teens, with striking blond hair.

I stare at her, thinking about how much I dislike her. I find her extremely irritating—probably because she’s the one who cut up my neighbor.

“What bothers me more is that her Disciple is absent once again.”

Abaddon was right. The total number of angels and their Disciples doesn’t match up. There’s one more angel than human.

I suspect he’s right about the reason—the six-winged angel’s Disciple isn’t here. We’ve encountered Michael several times already, but we’ve never seen her partner. Not even the briefest glimpse, to my knowledge.

When their surprise attack fails, the battle becomes a messy brawl.

At least, that’s what it looks like from my perspective. Everyone pushes forward, only to be driven back, followed by another push forward. Abaddon and the girl with six wings are no different. The community center isn’t very big, but with the ceiling and walls blown away, we might as well be outdoors at this point.

Maybe all these individual angels, demons, and Disciples are fighting their own battles and going through their own drama. Unfortunately, I’ve only just met them, and I don’t know how skilled they are, so I can’t get a grasp on the specifics.

This is really making me want a big encyclopedia with information on all the angels and demons in the death game.

“Whoa, no, no, no! They’re coming this way! Retreat!” cries Futarishizuka.

“Hey, Futarishizuka! Shouldn’t we be fighting too?!” exclaims Makeup.

“Whoa, no, no, no! A high school girl just beat the world speed record for blowing her comrade’s cover!”

“Ah… I-I’m sorry!”

“Mother, Grandmother, we should retreat as quickly as possible. We must leave this place immediately.”

“Saotome, I just saw wings behind that building!” calls Blondie.

“Turn around! Turn it around! We can’t afford to get stuck in a head-on fight!”

This battle between angels and demons is way more than a human can handle. It would be suicide for a Disciple to jump into the fray.

Instead, we scurry around with no time to catch our breath, searching for somewhere safe while keeping our distance from Abaddon and the angel he’s fighting. Occasionally a stray attack nearly picks us off.

The other demons’ Disciples are in the same boat; all of them are hurrying this way and that.

We escape the community center—mere seconds before its total collapse—and run behind a reinforced concrete building we spotted nearby hoping to shield ourselves. Abaddon and the other demons continue their fight against the angels, their backs to the building we’re using as a shelter.

Opposite the building is the shoreline. There don’t seem to be any angels over here, which affords us some room to breathe.

Thankfully, none of us are hurt—and that goes for the other Disciples, too. For a moment, we celebrate our mutual safety. For now, as long as the demons don’t lose, we have time.

I sigh in relief, but it seems the sentiment was premature.

“Umm, Tanaka…”

A boy who looks like he’s in elementary school—the one the long-legged owl demon introduced as his Disciple—speaks to me.

In contrast to the bossy demon, this boy appears very docile. It seems like the worst kind of personality to have in a death game, but the demon must have chosen him for a reason.

“What is it, Oobayashi?” I reply.

“At this rate, the angels will kill us.” The boy looks worried as he approaches me.

For a moment, I wonder who Tanaka is. But then I remember it’s the fake name I gave him.

“Then we should do something to prevent that,” I say.

“I agree. We should think of a plan.”

“If you have anything in mind, I’d love to hear it.”

“Yes, I do. This is just a guess, but over there…” The boy nods meekly and raises his arm to point away from us.

Naturally, everyone’s attention follows. He’s pointing to another building several dozen meters away from the one we’re hiding behind. I’m not sure what it’s for, but it looks like a housing complex or a guesthouse.

“That building?” I ask. “What about it?”

I can’t tell what the boy means just by looking, so I urge him to continue.

Instead of an explanation, he responds with a knife.

“Well, we can move over there, and…”

He continues speaking to keep up the facade, then thrusts the blade at me.

Having vaguely caught on, I frantically pull myself away. Not a moment later, a ball of flesh slams into the boy from the side.

The part of Abaddon with us now is smaller than the one fighting the angel—he’s only as big as a volleyball. But the impact is still powerful enough to knock the boy several meters into the air.

“What is the meaning of this?” I ask the boy when he lands.

This time, I hear an unsettling voice from behind me.

“Die!”

Instantly, I turn around. One of the Disciples with us is pointing a gun at me.

“Ah—”

“I’m sorry! My mistake!” says Abaddon.

I didn’t expect this.

It’s over, I think. The guy has a handgun. Abaddon’s too far away, as evidenced by his panicked apology. He’s always so sardonic—this behavior is totally unlike him. That alone tells me how dire the situation is. If I was going to die anyway, I should have forced myself on him.

A moment later, I hear the shrill sound of a gunshot.

But for some reason, the gun-toting Disciple is the one who falls over.

“Guns really come in handy at times like these, huh?”

It’s Makeup. She has a gun in her hand, and it’s pointed at the Disciple. I catch a glimpse of a thigh holster under her skirt as it flares up momentarily.

The bullet she fired seems to have struck home, and the Disciple immediately stops moving. Blood begins to seep out of him, dyeing the ground black in the darkness.

The other Disciples look at Makeup in shock.

“Hey, wait! What’s a high school girl doing with a gun?!”

“Did she lie?!”

“I thought it was suspicious that she made such a big deal of it!”

“Dammit! So that was just a costume…?!”

“Oh, shut up!” yells Makeup. “I really am in high school! I swear to God!”

At the risk of sounding like an ingrate after she saved my life, I have to agree with our opponents.

The Disciple’s gun was knocked out of his hand when he was shot, and now lays at Blondie’s feet.

She picks it up and gazes at it with interest. “This looks the same as the one you use, Hoshizaki.”

“That’s really dangerous, okay?” says Futarishizuka. “Let your old lady take it.”

She takes the gun from Blondie, then wastes no time pointing it at the other Disciples. She looks like a little girl, but her pose as she aims speaks to a wealth of experience. There’s no denying she’s much older than she appears.

In an instant, the tables have turned. The women with me are all brazen, dependable people. Watching the others out of the corner of my eye, I turn to Makeup. “Thank you. You saved me.”

“All part of the job,” she replies. “It’s nothing.”

“You really don’t seem like a high school girl, though,” I tell her. “Is that uniform real?”

“Of course it’s real!” she exclaims. “I just do regular training!”

Now that Futarishizuka and Makeup have guns, the other Disciples stop in their tracks. They stare at their comrade now lying on the ground, shot—they must realize now that we mean business.

When he sees this, the elementary school-aged boy on the ground yells, “Stolas, the big-boobed loli got me! Come back!”

Big-boobed loli? I think. Who could that be?

The boy’s vulgar remark rings out around us. All of us turn to look at him. Belatedly, I remember that everyone working with my neighbor is a young woman, including me—even though two are technically older than him.

“Who? Who is this big-boobed loli hussy?”

“Well, it can’t be you, Futarishizuka,” replies Makeup.

“You’re right. It’s much more likely to be you.”

“I-I’m not a loli! Don’t drag me into this!”

It sounds like Futarishizuka is trying to be nice, in her own way.

I notice an immediate change in our vicinity. As soon as the boy calls out, the battle between the angels and demons—which we’ve been hearing ever since it started—stops.

An instant later, multiple angels and demons gather above our heads. All of them are floating, looking down at us. At the sight of all of them together, no longer fighting, I feel a wave of hopelessness wash over me. It isn’t much different from when I’d had a gun pointed at me.

The only exception is Abaddon. He returns to us, fending off the six-winged angel all the while.

“Abaddon, what’s going on?” I ask.

“Looks like we drew the joker,” he replies.

I have the feeling the only thing keeping us alive right now is the fact that none of the other Disciples can make a move thanks to Futarishizuka and Makeup having guns. Otherwise, they’d probably launch an all-out attack right this moment.

“The demons and angels previously engaged in combat are now targeting us as a single unit,” says Type Twelve. “The so-called Disciples are no exception. I cannot imagine a scene that would induce more loneliness than this.”

“As a matter of fact, youngest daughter—I must say I agree with your viewpoint,” replies Futarishizuka.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” I say. “I truly didn’t expect this to happen.”

“What I wanna know is why,” muses Abaddon. “There must be a reason.”

“Aren’t angels and demons supposed to be enemies?” demands Makeup. “They’re definitely on the same side right now.”

“Every now and again an angel or demon will turn traitor. But this is a major alliance, which means it must have a major reason. That’s why I’m so curious.”

“I’m sorry, Father,” murmurs Elsa. “It looks like I am fated to die in this land.”

Given the situation, there’s no hope for a decisive victory. I should prioritize everyone’s safety and retreat—that will do the least damage to my neighbor’s impression of me. I don’t think Abaddon will object if I remind him of our deal with Futarishizuka.

I decide to take the incapacitated Disciple hostage and escape from the isolated space.

“Sorry ’bout this, Abaddon,” says Stolas, approaching us. “Master’s orders. You understand.”

“You really found a good partner, huh?”

“I know, right? He’s a real frightening kid.”

In response to their exchange, the “kid” he mentioned speaks up.

“Yep. So it’s time to say bye-bye, big-boobed lady.”

“Nobody will like you as an adult if you start sexually harassing people as a kid,” I tell him.

“You don’t get it, do you? Women love it when younger guys are rough and crude.”

He doesn’t stay on the ground long; he stands up just fine and turns to face us. His earlier meek demeanor is completely gone now. Even with Futarishizuka’s gun pointed at him, he gives off a relaxed confidence.

Was he like her—much older than he looked? And yet the way he provoked us seemed a little too coarse for that. Then again, Futarishizuka sexually harasses my neighbor a lot, too.

“Bye-bye?” she says. “It seems to me we’re on even footing here.”

“Are we looking at the same picture?” he asks in response. “We have an overwhelming advantage.”

“Did you think we’d let you all go without a fight?” asks Makeup. Guns at the ready, they’re trying to threaten all the Disciples, starting with the little boy.

“Did you think we’d confront psychics unprepared?” he shoots back.

“Y-you know who we are?”

“Look,” mutters Ms. Futarishizuka, “I know honesty is a virtue, but methinks you should fix that bad habit of yours.”

Apparently, they know who Futarishizuka and Makeup are. There must be psychics behind them, not just angels and demons. And since Makeup already let Futarishizuka’s name slip, they probably have all the information they need.

“Unfortunately, our lives were on the table right from the beginning,” says the boy, sighing like he’s talking to helpless children.

“Huh…?”

His switch in attitude from stubborn to careless lends credence to what he’s saying. It sounds absurd. Even I can’t help but react.

“Sorry, kid,” says Stolas. “I wish it hadn’t come to this…”

“I lost the gamble,” the boy replies. “But considering what I would have gotten if it had worked, it was worth it.”

The exchange between the long-legged owl and the boy sounds like lines out of a play. The boy—who looks younger than me—offers a dry smile, like he’s realized the truth of everything. None of it sounds real.

But the angels and demons overhead ready their weapons for combat. A few of them start radiating light, as though they’re about to let loose some pretty crazy attacks.

I remember something similar happening before I moved to Karuizawa, when angels attacked my old school. Naturally, that brings the image of my neighbor being sliced apart back to mind. I don’t ever want to see something like that again.

I need to manage without him.

“Abaddon, we’re retreating from the island. Please defend us and buy us time.”

“Right, leave it to me! I can at least guarantee you’ll get off the island alive.”

“It’s not like you to be so pessimistic.”

“Even I feel responsible for my actions. And this time, you were completely right.”

Abaddon spreads himself out in the air to cover us. I doubt he has much of a chance of withstanding a concentrated angelic barrage, though. Even if he did, there’s no telling what would become of him. At this point, I’ve already lost the death game. Maybe that’s why he’s being so modest for once.

“I think you should get the thing ready now while we have the chance,” says Futarishizuka to Type Twelve.

“Grandmother’s words are unnecessary. It is already moving this way.”

“If only we were close to the water—then I could have helped!” laments Makeup.

“Umm, do you need water?” asks Blondie. “I could make some for you with magic…”

If we can get onto Robot Girl’s saucer-shaped flying object, we might be able to escape the isolated space alive. Everyone else seems to agree, so we all start working toward that goal.

But just then, a flash of light lances through the night sky, from right to left. And it’s not coming from any of the angels or demons.

Instead, the light shoots straight through them.

Everyone peers out from behind Abaddon’s flesh-wall to see what’s going on.

The light engulfs a decent percentage of the angels and demons in the sky, shooting through the air at incredible speed and causing the heavens to vibrate. This powerful stream of light feels like something you’d call a beam or a laser.

The angels and demons who escaped the light turn toward it and ready themselves. They seem unsure of what’s going on.

Meanwhile, we hear a familiar voice very close by.

“I will kill all psychics.”

It’s coming from near the roof of the building we’re huddled up against. Everyone shifts their attention toward it, including the angels and demons hovering in the air.

We all see what I can only describe as a tear in space.

One moment, a crack forms in the empty air, and the next, a black space darker than night pulls open with a loud scraping noise. The blackness is opaque, blocking our view of the building’s wall beyond.

Then, from out of the strange space, a person appears.

She’s called a magical girl, if I remember correctly. That’s what my neighbor and Futarishizuka said anyway.

Everything from her clothes to her hair is a vivid pink. Her outfit is cute, with tons of frills, and reminds me of a character from a children’s anime. She certainly looks the part of a magical girl.

She readies a wand in front of her and asks us, as if issuing a challenge, “I will kill all psychics. Are the ones in the sky psychics?”

“Did you come to us just so you could ask that?” replied Futarishizuka.

“The magical middle-aged man said that there are all kinds of people with powers.”

“Ah. How conscientious of you.”

I’ve seen this girl several times before. We even ate dinner together at the inn in Atami with the hot springs. According to my neighbor, she has a different background from angels, demons, psychics, and mechanical life-forms.

The phenomena we just witnessed were probably her Magical Beam and Magical Field at work. Right after firing that brilliant beam of light across the sky, she used a kind of instant teleportation to come to us.

As cute as her moniker made her sound, the reality was brutal.

“But you already fired a shot,” Futarishizuka reminded her. “And it was a good one, too.”

“Should I not have helped?” she asks.

“No, no. We’re grateful, of course. Thank you. But we’re psychics too, aren’t we?”

“You saved me before. So I saved you this time.”

“Really? Oh, is it finally happening? Are we going to join forces and get along—”

“Now that we’re even, I won’t hesitate next time. I’ll kill you then.”

“Whoa. I guess not.”

“Since you’re all together, I thought the magical middle-aged man would be with you.”

“Unfortunately, he’s attending to other business right now.”

Apparently, she’s after my neighbor. What relationship do the two of them have? I’m extremely curious.

And what’s this “magical middle-aged man” business?

I look up into the sky again and see the angels and demons still floating in the air. A few of them are gone now, but about eighty percent of them remain. It was probably the ones of lower rank that got taken out. It seems these beings are indeed extremely powerful within isolated spaces.

“What are you even doing here? You’re pretty far from the mainland,” says Makeup.

“I saw this island on the internet. And on the evening news.”

“You mean that website with all the awful pictures on it?”

“I think so.”

“Why isn’t anyone deleting that thing? It’s full of gory images. It’s disgusting. And why did the news bother bringing it up?”

“You’re surprisingly sharp sometimes, my esteemed senior,” says Futarishizuka.

“I’m not answering that. I know you’re just trying to make fun of me, and I’m not falling for it again.”

“Actually, I meant it this time.”

Normally, only angels, demons, and their Disciples are able to enter isolated spaces. My neighbor told me there are other ways of getting in, though—and that this magical girl has one.

She probably suspected some psychics were behind the website in question and flew here.

“Are the flying ones psychics?” she asks again.

“Yeah. They are. Mind wiping them out?”

“Hey, Futarishizuka,” Miss Hoshizaki cuts in, “are you trying to put this girl in the line of fire?!”

“Oh, come now, dear. It was just a little joke.”

“The flying ones aren’t psychics?” asks the magical girl. “Then what are they?”

“You saw them once before, right?” says Futarishizuka. “They’re angels and demons.”

“…Oh.”

The angels and demons seem flustered by the magical girl’s previous attack, but they quickly regain their calm and begin to rally. A few of them start shining again—they’d stopped when the Magical Beam hit them. They must be charging up for an attack.

“I’ll defend this place against the ones in the sky,” says the magical girl, readying her wand and looking up sharply.

“Sounds great to me,” says Abaddon, still floating in front of us, serving as a literal meat shield.

It seems the two of them intend to use a double-layered defense to negate the angels’ and demons’ attacks. We all bunch up behind them.

The safe zone is very small—about the size of the grandmother’s room in our pretend family house that Futarishizuka complained about.

Just then, the mixed force of angels and demons hits us with everything they’ve got. A series of booms and bangs echo through the air.

It seems less like a combined effort and more like each of them is simply attacking however they please. Abaddon’s body blocks our vision, so we can’t see most of what’s going on, though I can tell they’re really pummeling us.

The surrounding area lights up as if dawn has broken.

Abaddon’s meaty body begins to tear apart before our eyes under the onslaught.

Whatever beams of light or flames that make it through the holes slam into some kind of spatial distortion—the Magical Barrier—which in turn begins to crack. At this rate, it won’t last even a few minutes.

“I…I don’t know if I’ll be able to…kill any more psychics after this…”

Even the magical girl seems to have accepted defeat. She looks like she’s in pain. She’s probably putting every last bit of her magic into maintaining the barrier.

Outside the area under her and Abaddon’s protection, the Disciples who deceived us are dying one after another. There was no chance for them to run. Their corpses continue to bounce up and down under the assault, growing smaller and smaller.

“Youngest daughter?” says Futarishizuka. “Where’s the thing?”

“It has moved to a position nearby. However, it is not possible to secure a safe landing area in this situation. If exposed to the angels’ and demon’s attacks, it will not endure long enough to maintain its flight capabilities.”

“Ugh, could this get any worse?”

The flying object we used to get here is pretty big, and Robot Girl’s concerns are reasonable. But our shield, Abaddon, is already thinning out at an alarming rate. I don’t think it’s realistic to ask him to defend an even larger area.

Then, as if reading my mind, she makes a suggestion. “I propose to the eldest son a change in plans.”

“Whatcha got? I gotta be honest—I can’t do too much at this point.”

“I request a role switch.”

The youngest daughter, her face as impassive as a Noh mask, looks ever so slightly strained.

“You want to take over defense and have me run away with the others, right?”

“Eldest Son, your viewpoint is correct. If I deploy the terminal’s onboard shields, then its sacrifice should buy us some time. Meanwhile, you will envelop the family with your body and immediately withdraw from this area. That will result in the highest chance of everyone surviving.”

“You mean that invisible wall I bumped into at the lookout?”

“Affirmative. I will expand said shield to maximum output. According to this point of contact’s simulation, you will need only a few seconds to escape with the family. If that is all it takes, I can use the terminal as a shield.”

Compared to bringing the terminal to us and trying to board it under constant fire from angels and demons, having Abaddon grab us in meat form and fly away seems like it will take a lot less time.

But what will happen after that?

“Won’t they stop targeting the terminal and chase after Abaddon?” I ask.

“I will address that problem with this point of contact, separate units, and the terminal.”

“What do you mean?”

“When the terminal arrives, this point of contact and the separate units will charge the enemy forces. By activating their self-destruct mechanisms, they can buy time for the eldest son’s escape. In addition, once the eldest son is a certain distance away, the terminal will also charge the enemy and activate its self-destruct mechanism. This will buy us anywhere from several seconds to half a minute.”

“Huh…?”

“I can guarantee the eldest son the necessary time to withdraw from the isolated space.”

That would mean sacrificing Robot Girl. Is she really okay with that? Those are big words for a coward constantly telling us to retreat from everything.

“You said something similar in Chichibu, didn’t you?” remarks Futarishizuka.

“Your viewpoint is correct, Grandmother.”

If she can draw away the enemy even after we take flight, there’s a good chance we’ll make it out of here. Most importantly, I won’t lose Abaddon.

“Are you sure you’re all right with that?” asks the kimono-clad girl.

“The loss of this point of contact is trivial. An equivalent machine can be manufactured.”

“But everything that happens inside this space goes away, doesn’t it? If we lose your terminal, your separate unit, and your point of contact, you won’t have any way to recover your memories, or the equivalent, from the isolated space. You’re in standalone mode, remember?”

“Grandmother, why do you say these things?”

“What? I’m just shocked the youngest daughter is making such a suggestion.”

“……”

Robot Girl falls silent at that.

Nobody says anything. We simply wait for her to speak. After appearing to think for a few moments, she continues.

“If I lose this moment, this continuity of memories and time, but create another point of contact in the factory—will it still be the same me spending time with my family? I have never questioned this before.”

She seems to be talking to herself. She looks away from us and gazes into the distance. Is she looking toward her homeland, where she was born, far-off in space?

“But now, this trivial notion terrifies me. How frightening emotions are—and how sweet. I believe that I have grasped the reason mechanical life-forms sealed them away so long ago and forbade them.”

“You can’t copy your memory data onto some media device and send it with us?” asks Futarishizuka.

“My experience in Chichibu tells me that in isolated spaces, this point of contact is treated like a human. However, I confirmed that new data stored on any medium I bring inside will revert upon exiting the space.”

“Right, right. My phone contacts and photo folder went back to how they were before, too.”

“There is value in elucidating the conditions under which the data stored in points of contact and memory media will revert. However, we do not have the time resources needed to do so now.”

Futarishizuka is right—all the notes and pictures saved on my phone, as well as the clock, all revert when exiting an isolated space. But according to my neighbor, the point of contact—Robot Girl’s body—was able to retain her memories of the disturbance in the Chichibu mountains.

There’s little room for doubt. Isolated spaces have some kind of mechanism that distinguishes between living beings and everything else. If it decides she’s a living being, her memories and data will be safe. Otherwise, she’ll be treated no differently than our phones.

I don’t know any more about the rules and mechanisms than the others do.

“Then you should come with us. Let the eldest son handle this,” says Futarishizuka.

“Grandmother, your judgment is correct.”

“Yes, your old granny’s always right.”

“However, for some unknown reason, I have determined that I must do this. I do not know how effective the terminal’s shield will be at present. A counterattack is required to stall for time and reduce follow-up attacks during your escape, and I am the only one who can accomplish it.”

“……”

Robot Girl turns back to Futarishizuka. Like before, I don’t see any emotion in her eyes. But somehow, she seems a tiny bit more gallant, more courageous than before.

“If you insist, I won’t stop you,” says Futarishizuka.

“I have registered Grandmother’s agreement with the youngest daughter’s proposal.”

With everything decided, Robot Girl turns her attention to Makeup. Then, for whatever reason, she removes the water bottle hanging from her neck. It’s cute, the kind meant for kids that you can buy at any supermarket. She suddenly showed up with it this morning—the day after our trip to the amusement park. Now, she’s holding it out toward Makeup with both hands.

“…Um. Mother, please let me help you.”

“Huh?”

The intended recipient looks blankly at the bottle as if she doesn’t know what it’s for.

“There is water inside. I would be happy if it aided you during your retreat.”

“You… You brought that for me…?”

Makeup’s expression crumbles.

She’s a psychic. She can bend any water she touches to her will. She apparently uses that power while on the job with my neighbor. Robot Girl must have hung the bottle from her neck so she could supply Makeup with water.

I remember her saying once that she brings plastic water bottles if she doesn’t think she’ll have a ready source at hand.

“Mother, please take it.”

“O-of course…”

Hesitantly, Makeup takes the bottle from her. Her eyes flit between it and the person standing in front of her.

Has she totally caved? I wonder. She looks like she’s about to burst into tears.

A few moments after taking it, she begins to speak, a strained expression on her face.

“Umm, you… Maybe you shouldn’t blow yourself up. Come with us instead…”

I figured she’d start trying to talk Robot Girl down.

In fact, I wonder if Robot Girl did everything just to get this reaction. It was easy to imagine her saying “Well, if you insist,” then retreating with the rest of us.

But then she turns her back to Makeup and raises her voice.

“Commencing operation.”

“You really sure about this?”

“Family rule number six: Everyone must work together to help any family members in trouble. I will do what I am able to. Eldest son, I want you to act as the head of the family in Father’s absence and save the others.”

“Right. You can leave it to me. I won’t let anyone get hurt.”

Upon Abaddon’s agreement, the surrounding area changes, and a giant flying object appears out of thin air. It’s the one we used to get to Miyakejima. It must have been cloaked up until now.

It accelerates, sliding between Abaddon’s meat-wall and the enemies, and positions itself to face the brunt of the angels’ and demons’ attacks.

Once he sees this, my partner starts moving. After changing his shape with a strange, organic motion, he scoops us all up. It feels like I’m an ingredient in a batch of okonomiyaki.

I can’t call the awful, sticky sensation comfortable by any stretch. If I’m being honest, it’s incredibly disgusting, like I’m being devoured. But nobody cries out. These ladies really have their stuff together.

“All set!” says the demon, giving the signal.

“Acknowledged,” replies Robot Girl. “The point of contact and separate unit will now charge.”

Looking more closely, it seems like she’s clinging to something I can’t see—like she’s riding an invisible motorcycle. She probably called the separate units, or whatever along with the terminal, and is riding one of them through the air.

As I watch, her body floats upward, proving me correct.

At about that time, her final words quietly reach us.

“Will this bring me a little closer to being part of the family?”

“You—you were eavesdropping when we—”

Futarishizuka tries to say something, but Robot Girl launches off into the sky before she can finish.

She accelerates much faster than a car or motorcycle—it’s hardly fair to compare them. In a flash, she’s up in the air, right next to the angels and demons. Her trajectory brings her in a large arc, probably to avoid the enemy attacks that are still ongoing.

A moment later, we hear a series of loud booms.

“And we’re off!”

In the same moment, Abaddon takes to the skies.

As we leave the shadow of the terminal, we can see the other side.

The sky is alight with whirling flames and billowing smoke. The series of explosions we heard must have been the separate units going off after the point of contact.

She really did it. She blew herself up.

And here I thought she would try to escape on her own.

“Futarishizuka, we can’t just run away like this…!” Makeup pleads.

“Stop,” says Futarishizuka. “Don’t let her sacrifice go to waste.”

“Maybe you’re right, but… This is too sad!”

“She said so herself, didn’t she? She’ll be back before you know it.”

“B-but…!”

The angels and demons are confused by the surprise attack, just as Robot Girl predicted. The flames and smoke block us from view, and for a few moments, many of our opponents stop attacking. Others, confused, begin flinging attacks in random directions. It doesn’t seem like the explosions finished many of them off.

Taking advantage of the opening, Abaddon accelerates through the air, shuttling us away from the island.

As if it can sense that we’re nearly out, the terminal waiting on the surface begins to move as well.

The angels and demons realize what Abaddon is doing and move to give chase. But the flying saucer flies up toward them and positions itself between us, serving as a shield.

“No! I have to go back!” yells Makeup. “If I can use the seawater, I might be able to do something!” She begins struggling, trying to free herself from Abaddon’s fleshy grip.

A moment later, her pleas rejected, we exit the isolated space.

After learning more about the situation from an agent working for the Office, we decided to meet back up with the others. After Peeps concealed us with his magic, we flew into the air and hurried off.

On the way, we saw something shining in the southern part of the island—several rays of light were streaming down from the sky toward the ground.

“Peeps, do you see that? Could that be…”

“Our only choice is to hasten there and pray your hunch is incorrect.”

“Okay.”

I nodded to the distinguished sparrow, and we set a course for the rays of light. Putting the pedal to the metal with my flight spell, we reached the area in just a couple minutes.

We found several angels and demons in the air. And just as we arrived, explosions started going off in their midst.

At first, I thought they’d noticed us and started attacking. However, they looked even more flustered than we did. While I couldn’t make out any details, I figured Abaddon and my neighbor had probably done something.

Turning my attention toward the sea, I saw a huge hunk of flesh sporting burn marks here and there flying through the sky, seemingly trying to escape the commotion. A flying saucer hovered in the air behind them, protecting their retreat and barring the angels and demons from approaching.

A glance was enough for me to tell what was going on.

“Peeps, sorry to keep asking, but would you be able to help out?”

“Would you mind if I defeated all of the ones floating in the air?”

“It’s not likely any Disciples will be in the line of fire, so yes, if you would. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. The family is in trouble, after all.”

With a nod, he fluttered off my shoulder and flew away.

Not a moment later, a magic circle appeared in front of him, firing countless rays of light.

The bursts of radiance shot into the night sky like a meteor shower, zooming toward the angels and demons floating in the air. The beams of light traveled incredibly fast, and our enemies started dropping like flies, unable to dodge.

The spell was like a bunch of beam spells bundled into one and fired at the same time.

“Peeps, can you handle things here?”

“Yes. Can you deal with the airborne vehicle?”

“Of course. Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

Leaving the angels and demons to the sparrow, I flew toward the terminal, placing myself between it and our opponents. Someone could have been in there. And even if they weren’t, the terminal itself was like a part of Type Twelve. If it was shot down, she was sure to feel even more lonely.

If Ms. Futarishizuka caught wind of this, she’d probably criticize me, saying this was a perfect chance to ask the mechanical life-form to go home. But in this situation, I couldn’t possibly leave her be.

The moment I moved, an angel and demon pair came flying at me. There were a lot of them here, and some had doubtless managed to avoid Peeps’s spell.

I fired back with my own beam spell, having finished the incantation in advance. I made this one extra large.

“Is he a Disciple?”

“Yeah, he must have failed to escape with the oth—”

They started to say something, but they weren’t able to finish, because as soon as I was done casting my spell, they were wiped off the map.

Thankfully, it seemed they hadn’t been too powerful. I doubt I would’ve been able to handle myself against a boss-level character like Abaddon or little Mika. I probably would have been sliced to ribbons.

I was extremely grateful for Peeps, who was fending off the lion’s share of our enemies. I looked over and saw a large number of angels and demons locked in battle. I couldn’t see the tiny bird among them, but I could tell he must be somewhere in the middle.

I was stricken by the impulse to go help him out.

“……”

But I’d only hold him back if I did. There was something more important for me to do right now.

I shifted my attention to the terminal behind me. And then, as I watched, a striking change occurred.

The flying object, which was stopped in midair, seemed to lose all of its energy and began hurtling upside-down toward the ground. It wasn’t very high up to begin with, so before I could even move to stop it, it hit the surface.

Looking more closely, I saw signs of damage all over it. Pieces were missing, or burned, or frozen, or pierced through with strange arrows, swords, and spears.

I didn’t know what to think. Had it been destroyed?

I flew around it, looking for an entrance, but couldn’t find one.

The sight of it sent shivers up my spine. There could have been people in there. I considered using my beam spell to force my way in, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone inside.

Then again, since I’d seen Abaddon retreating, I figured my neighbor had to be with him. It was likely everyone had withdrawn together. Maybe they’d used this terminal to stall for time.

Under that assumption, I decided to refrain from blasting it open.

Still, I couldn’t let anyone recover it. The mechanical life-form’s point of contact had been treated as a living thing inside an isolated space once before. If this terminal was the same, it would leave a broken-down saucer on the island back in the real world. Without the ability to fly, I was almost certain it would wind up in someone else’s possession.

So, as initially planned, I made it my responsibility to protect the fallen terminal.

Not a moment after I made that decision, there was a change on Peeps’s end. It seemed like the angels and demons were retreating.

They started flying into the distance, moving away from me. The booms and bangs of flames, lightning strikes, and laser beams that had been lighting up the night sky like fireworks abruptly quieted down, and the area began to regain a measure of calm.

My overpowered sparrow had probably terrified them.

I looked down at the ground and saw a group of people hiding behind some buildings not far away. They were probably the Disciples of the angels and demons we’d just been fighting. A few among them appeared to be other angels and demons acting as their bodyguards.

They began to flee the area, as well.

“……”

I had the option of striking them down here.

But I held back. If I wanted to keep my neighbor and Miss Hoshizaki safe—as well as maintain my standing in Japanese society—it was very important not to harm any of the Disciples. They all had futures, and I wanted them to get out of this isolated space unharmed.

If the time-stopping psychic’s words were to be believed, the Office—and the ones backing them—were after the proxy war’s rewards. Those rewards were given not to angels and demons, but to the Disciples contracted to them.

If I tried to scoop up all those rewards for myself right now, I would be incurring those people’s displeasure. Even if Peeps and I could handle ourselves, I could easily foresee a future in which those around us were put in harm’s way.

The ones behind the scenes were already running amok. We’d need time to lay some groundwork before we could strike. Unfortunately, it seemed like I’d have to let my boss take care of this business.

“Look! Up there, floating above the saucer!”

“If we can kill a Disciple, we’ve got this in the bag!”

“No way in hell I’m running away without accomplishing anything!”

But apparently, not all the angels and demons had decided to flee. A few hot-blooded ones came flying toward me. They must have thought Peeps was a demon or something.

Disciples couldn’t hold a candle to angels and demons. Especially not in isolated spaces. They wanted to take me down to prevent me from causing trouble for them in the future. They thought it was worth the risk if they could remove an extremely powerful demon from the equation, and I understood that.

“Ugh…”

Like before, I hastily fired my beam spell.

The angels and demons probably hadn’t expected a counterattack from a Disciple. The beam took out two of the three coming at me; they were hit head-on and obliterated. The last demon, however, raised his spear and withstood the hit with some kind of barrier.

“Wh-who the hell is this guy?!” he exclaimed.

“If you withdraw, I won’t chase you,” I said, muttering the beam spell’s incantation again under my breath.

They’d seen my face now. If I could, I wanted to take them down. Of course, now that all those angels and demons had seen Peeps, maybe there was no point. Still, I figured it was best to do everything I could.

“You one of those?” demanded the demon. “A psychic or whatever?”

“You know about us, then?” I asked.

“Yeah. Seems like a few of us are working with people like you.”

“I see.”

The angels and demons apparently already had psychic collaborators. That meant there was a good chance Mr. Akutsu already knew about the proxy war. I’d been meaning to talk with him about it anyway, which made this quite convenient.

“There’s always been weirdos, but recently there’s a hell of a lot of them,” the demon remarked.

“Is that right?”

“I mean, I haven’t counted them or anything. Wouldn’t know for sure.”

That was as far as our conversation got. A certain sparrow crashed through the demon’s back at an incredible speed, launching out from his chest. A tackle attack—I couldn’t believe it. The bird’s body was glowing, too.

I thought I remembered Peeps doing something similar to the elven woman in the otherworld—one of the great war criminals allied with some big country in the north. She probably had more defensive potential, though.

“There you are. Are you unharmed?”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks to you.”

The demon didn’t even have time to scream before he fell to the ground below. We watched him for a few more moments, but he didn’t budge.

I turned back to the sparrow and noticed that one of his feet was gone.

“Peeps, your foot!” I exclaimed, quickly reaching for his small body.

I didn’t know how much good it would do, but my limbs moved on their own. I felt his soft down under my fingertips.

“I’m fine. I did not push myself that far.”

“Yeah, but your foot’s gone!”

“In time, it will grow back naturally.”

“Maybe so, but…”

I guessed there was an angel or demon in the mix as strong as little Mika. If she and Abaddon were on equal footing, the angels and demons would need to gather a significant force if they wanted to be sure they could defeat the latter.

“More importantly, I am glad you are safe.”

“I have the magic you taught me to thank for that.”

“Then you should be proud. The fact that you are able to use magic is, without a doubt, a product of your talents.”

“No, no. You were the one who gave me the mana to begin with, remember?”

“In that case, both the mana and talent are already yours.”

The beam had an extremely high attack power—as expected from a spell classified as above advanced. Still, it hadn’t worked against that spear-wielding demon, nor had it gotten through that angel’s shield the other day. I couldn’t let myself get cocky.

“But that aside, these enemies are an interesting bunch. Some are very powerful and others quite weak,” Peeps remarked. “We must be vigilant around them.”

“Yeah, I agree,” I said.

We observed our surroundings from where we floated beside the fallen terminal. The combat was over, and the whole area was quiet. The Disciples we’d seen on the ground seemed to have already escaped.

“What is our next move?” asked Peeps.

“The isolated space should collapse soon, so now’s our chance—” to recover the terminal and return to the Karuizawa villa.

But just before I could make the suggestion, sound returned to the world.

Not many people lived on this island, so unlike Tokyo, there wasn’t much change. Still, I could faintly hear the engines of cars and the roar of air conditioners in windows.

That was our signal that we had returned from the isolated space.

“It would seem we are back.”

“I feel like I’ve been asking favors from you all day, but could you get the terminal and bring us back to Karuizawa?”

We were on a remote island in the middle of the night, and we didn’t see anyone out walking. But if something this big was laying on the ground, it wouldn’t take long for someone to find it. I could see a smattering of houses nearby.

“Understood.”

“Thanks, Peeps.”

The bird and I used flight magic to move over to the terminal and cause it to float up off the ground.

That was when I noticed that it had changed when the isolated space collapsed. All the marks from the attacks it had received were gone.

I remembered that time my body had reverted back to normal after being cut in half. The same thing seemed to have happened to the terminal. Just as the isolated space in the Chichibu mountains had designated Type Twelve’s point of contact a person, so had this one done the same with her terminal.

We waited a few moments, but it didn’t show any signs of moving again. I decided to focus on getting it out of here instead.

“Then let us be off.”

A huge magic circle appeared—large enough to fit both us and the terminal inside.

My vision immediately went black. It was a good thing I was already in the air, so I didn’t have to feel my feet suddenly getting swept out from underneath me.

A moment later, light returned, and we were greeted with the familiar sight of Ms. Futarishizuka’s garden.

I had suggested we head directly to her Karuizawa villa, and Peeps used his magic to move the terminal, too, setting it down right next to us.

Just then, the phone in my pocket started to buzz. Someone was calling me. In the center of the display was the name Futarishizuka.

“Peeps, it’s Ms. Futarishizuka.”

“By all means, answer her.”

After checking with Peeps, I took the call.

She greeted me with an enthusiastic voice. “Oh, good, I got through! Where on Earth are you right now?”

“We just got back to Karuizawa, actually.”

“Wait, really?”

“Ms. Futarishizuka, could you tell me how everyone’s doing?”

“We’re all safe. Nobody’s dead, at least.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I must have been right about the giant hunk of flesh I saw flying toward the ocean being Abaddon. And it didn’t seem like anyone had been left behind inside the broken terminal, either.

Perhaps it was disrespectful to put it like this, but as long as nobody was dead, I knew the Starsage’s magic could fix them right up. I felt really bad relying on him so much, but it was incredibly reassuring having him with me at times like these.

“I suppose saying any more over the phone would be unwise, hmm?”

“Indeed. Let’s meet up soon.”

Mr. Akutsu used the phone as little as possible for conversations like these, too. If Ms. Futarishizuka insisted, then it was best to go along with what she asked. Promising to meet back up with them, we ended the call. In total, it lasted only a few minutes.

“Peeps, she says everyone’s safe.”

“Oh? That is good to hear.”

For now, I could breathe a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, that sentiment lasted only a moment.

While Ms. Futarishizuka had told me over the phone that nobody had died, apparently, there had still been what one might call a sacrifice in the line of duty. She told us about what had happened once we were all back together.

At that point, every one of us was in her villa’s yard. The terminal was in the center of it, and we were all standing nearby. Unlike when we’d left, Type Twelve was missing from the group.

“So this UFO thing hasn’t moved at all?” asked the villa’s owner.

“It hasn’t responded ever since it fell out of the sky when we got close,” I explained.

“It looks repaired on the outside. I wonder if it’s internals are wrecked…”

“I-isn’t there anything we can do?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

Everyone’s attention was focused on the saucer-shaped flying object sitting nobly in the middle of the yard. I’d just heard the reason for all this a moment ago.

According to the others, Type Twelve had risked her life to save everyone else.

Still, as a mechanical life-form, as long as her mother ship and production facilities were safe, she could apparently manufacture as many replacement points of contact as she wanted. That said, it would be impossible for them to inherit her memories due to the special environment within the isolated spaces.

Though it was only a short amount of time, any experiences she’d had inside were lost.

If there was any exception, it was this one terminal. Unfortunately, it wasn’t making a peep.

“Even if we could fix it, I doubt it has her memories in it,” remarked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Is there any way we can contact, umm, her main body or whatever?” asked Miss Hoshizaki. “With these things, the earlier we do it, the more likely it is we can save her. I want to do anything we possibly can.”

“It’s not like she had a stroke or something.”

“Well, she might be a machine, but isn’t it kind of the same thing?”

“Perhaps. But these memories only amount to a little under an hour.”

“Okay, but don’t you want to bring them back if we can?”

Miss Hoshizaki’s affection for Type Twelve was genuine. I’d always known her to be a compassionate, empathetic sort, and as such, her response was very different from Ms. Futarishizuka’s.

That went for the others, too.

“Futarishizuka, if we can save her, I’d like to help.”

“Yeah. Consider it a request from me too, if you don’t mind.”

“I know you’ve already done a lot for us, but please.”

Lady Elsa, Abaddon, and my neighbor added their voices to Miss Hoshizaki’s. Type Twelve must have really done well—she’d gained the full trust of the family.

“I can’t do much,” replied Ms. Futarishizuka. “She never put any of her communication or transportation terminals here at the villa. All we can do is try to call for them on the radio. Which I don’t particularly mind doing…” She glanced over at the villa. “I suppose I’ll set things up.”

Everyone else looked at her with anticipation.

Incidentally, Magical Pink was there, too. They’d met up in the isolated space and she had saved them from a pack of double-crossing demons. When I asked, she told me she went there to kill psychics, just like she had on other occasions. The website update announcing the start of the death game was making the rounds in the news, and she had assumed psychics were involved and decided to go. Always a hard worker, I thought. According to her, she’d gotten her information from the big-screen TV at some train station or other.

Now she, too, made a request on behalf of Type Twelve. “I don’t know what’s happening, but if we can save someone, I want to do so.”

“Yes, yes. And I see the biting criticism in the eyes of each and every one of you,” complained Ms. Futarishizuka. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t help her, all right? Granny will go set up the radio, so just wait here a moment.”

But as soon as she turned to walk off, there was a clanking noise and the terminal shook. Everyone naturally shifted their attention to the source of the noise.

“Hey, did that thing just move?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

“Who knows,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “Could have just been settling into the dirt.”

“Maybe we set it down in a bad spot,” I wondered aloud.

Growing curious myself, I peered at where the terminal met the ground. It was indeed on soft soil, and the device appeared to be quite heavy, so it could easily have tilted over a little. That said, I couldn’t get a good look since it was still dark out.

“I could flip it over, if you are concerned about how it’s seated,” offered Peeps.

“No, that’ll probably just cause other problems,” I said. His magic could make quick work of the task, but we didn’t want to damage the device any further.

As I considered this, part of the terminal began to glow.

“Father’s viewpoint is correct. Peep, this terminal has a top and bottom. It must not be overturned. While that will not be enough to damage it given its structure, you must handle the terminal properly, otherwise unforeseen errors may occur.”

A familiar voice rang out through the villa’s yard. Its tone was flat and emotionless, just like Type Twelve’s.

“Whoa!” exclaimed Ms. Futarishizuka. “The terminal’s talking.”

“Wait! A-are you okay?” cried Miss Hoshizaki.

Everyone’s attention once again shifted to the terminal.

“Synchronization of point of contact, separate units, and terminal was successful inside the isolated space. The point of contact and separate units were lost due to self-destruction. However, the terminal did not need to self-destruct, as Father and Peep came to its aid. Thanks to them, I was able to bring the data from the point of contact and separate units outside of the isolated space.”

“So the one talking to us is the same one from inside the isolated space, right?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

“Mother’s viewpoint is correct. I was able to bring back a continuous set of memories without loss or damage.”

“Oh. Thank goodness. Thank goodness…”

Miss Hoshizaki squinted as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She must have been sincerely happy that Type Twelve’s memories were safe.

“Mother, your concern soothes your youngest daughter’s loneliness like nothing else ever has.”

“I should be saying the same. I’m so, so happy you made it back.”

A heartwarming scene indeed. The others spoke up in turn.

“Whatever happened, I’m glad you’re okay. I want to thank you, too.”

“Thank you so much for saving us. Without your help, I think they would have defeated Abaddon. If they’d succeeded, I wouldn’t have lasted much longer.”

Ms. Futarishizuka had explained to me that they were in a life-and-death situation. But based on what my neighbor and Abaddon had just said, it had been even more heart-pumping than I’d imagined.

“It’s thanks to you that I avoided disappointing my father,” said Lady Elsa. “You have my sincere gratitude.”

“…Yeah, thanks,” chimed in Magical Pink. “I was supposed to save you, but you saved me.

This was warmer treatment than Type Twelve had ever received; she was on cloud nine.

“Ah, how sweet it is to be in one’s family’s thoughts…”

The terminal sat there in the dark, looking like nothing more than a vehicle. Naturally, it had no face to express itself with, nor any body or hands to gesture with. But Type Twelve’s characteristic remarks painted a vivid picture of the girl we’d come to know.

As she spoke, bits of the terminal flashed, which I found rather adorable.

“The youngest daughter would be willing to hear words of gratitude from the grandmother as well.”

“You don’t have to goad me on, you know. I’m quite thankful. You saved us all.” Ms. Futarishizuka acquiesced; even she had to yield in this situation. Instead, she voiced her objection in the form of a question. “But why were you silent until now?”

“While this terminal is equipped with external speakers, it does not have the faculties to communicate with humanity like a point of contact does. It took time to reconstruct its internal systems using the synchronized data received from the point of contact.”

Apparently, she’d been trying to install a speech function in the terminal the whole time. Since she’d been in standalone mode inside the isolated space, she probably hadn’t been able to receive any data from outside. But what about after the space collapsed? There was so much we didn’t understand about mechanical life-forms and their high-tech background. It seemed to take quite a while, though, I reflected.

“Sure, sure,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “But I bet you were so happy your family was worried about you that you waited a bit longer, hmm? You said a single point of contact has more computing resources than all of humanity put together, if I remember correctly.”

“…I will choose silence.”

For a mechanical life-form who couldn’t tell lies, that was as good a “yes” as anything she could have said. Apparently, she was pretty happy.

In order to change the subject, she began speaking about her feelings.

“I had known for some time that I was not necessary to the family. But I wanted to change that. I wanted to be wrapped in the warmth of the household. Just as Sasaki cares for Elsa, and Abaddon cares for Kurosu.”

“So you decided to contribute to the family somehow?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“If there is no exaggeration added to Futarishizuka’s suggestion, then I would not deny the possibility.”

“Please. I’m sure that was the unadulterated truth.”

“……”

Apparently, it was.

Type Twelve’s behavior had changed; it was like we were fast-forwarding through watching a child grow up. She was far more sociable now than she had been when we’d first met her, a factor I could sense was driven by her newfound emotions. The way she talked about her own feelings so openly spoke to that. I wondered if, once she matured a little more, she’d start desperately trying to hide them.

“I suppose I have to ask the question,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “Did you catch on to what we were doing?”

“If you are referring to your actions at the amusement park, then yes, your viewpoint is correct.”

“I see.”

That meant our entire plan to ask her to go back to her home planet was foiled. In fact, one of the plan’s key members, Miss Hoshizaki—who had always been against it—was looking at the kimono-clad girl in a way that implied she’d never help out with something like that again. And at this point, Ms. Futarishizuka wouldn’t be able to force her.

As for myself, I really wanted to refrain from any similar endeavors in the future—especially now that Type Twelve had saved my neighbor from a life-and-death situation.

“Then it would seem there’s nothing more I can do,” murmured Ms. Futarishizuka, sounding a little annoyed.

With Type Twelve safely returned to us, we moved inside the villa to have dinner.

Family rule number one: The whole family must eat one meal per day together at the table.

We were in the living room of our home inside the unidentified flying object—the one a certain someone had procured by causing someone else a whole lot of trouble. We sat down on floor cushions set around the wooden table in the house’s living space and had our meal.

Today’s dinner was curry. Since it was late, Ms. Futarishizuka had brought all the ingredients from her villa, and had whipped up the meal in no time. She’d added a homemade spice mix to the leftover curry roux in the kitchen.

“Though I really hate to admit it,” said Miss Hoshizaki, “this is so much better than my curry…”

“How many years of experience do you think I have working in a kitchen, dear?” replied Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Well, you’re rich, aren’t you? Don’t you have servants take care of the cooking?”

Futarishizuka finished cooking in less than half the time Miss Hoshizaki and Type Twelve had taken. Even the side salad, which she’d thrown together at the same time as the curry, was accented with roasted veggies. It was delicious.

Type Twelve’s point of contact was at the table with us, too. A replacement had arrived in a fresh terminal while dinner was being prepared. By transferring the data from the terminal in the yard, she’d acquired a new body with which to communicate. Its design was the same as before, and all her memories had been brought over, too.

“Grandmother, did you choose curry for dinner in order to bully Mother?” the mechanical life-form asked.

“I only chose it because it would be fast,” insisted Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Then you have cut corners?”

“I had to. There was no time to go out shopping for ingredients. The girlie here has school tomorrow, so she can’t be out too late. Otherwise, she’ll still be digesting during first period.”

“Thank you for being so considerate,” my neighbor replied.

“I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for us,” Abaddon added.

“Come, come. You needn’t stand on ceremony.”

Ms. Futarishizuka wasn’t just a dependable fighter—she was a pro at daily life and trip preparation, too—a real renaissance woman. She had my neighbor and Abaddon apologizing for every little favor.

“…Is it really okay to give me food, too?” asked Magical Pink, now drawn into the conversation.

“You really saved us out there, dear,” replied Ms. Futarishizuka. “If I didn’t feed you dinner before sending you home, it would besmirch my honor! Oh, do you not like curry? I can make you something else if you want.”

“No. I love curry.”

“Well, there’s plenty left in the pot for seconds.”

“…Okay. I’ll eat first and then go home.”

Despite her stubborn attempts to send Type Twelve back to her planet, Futarishizuka was always very placating when it came to the magical girl. It was scary how attuned she was to her own interests. It’s like she’s more of a machine than Type Twelve.

“In any case,” said Futarishizuka, “I’m quite curious about my son’s accomplishments on the job.”

“Should we be speaking of that here?” I asked, glancing at my neighbor and Abaddon, and then Ms. Futarishizuka.

They nodded, so I explained what I’d done in the isolated space while off with Peeps. We’d encountered psychics and angels fighting at the pier, seen the angels get destroyed, and gotten information from another psychic about the Office.

I was particularly specific when it came to the Office, and how people were treating the death game in modern society. I told them there were some powerful people out there plotting to take control of the proxy war from behind the scenes. I also explained how more than a few angels, demons, and Disciples were under their influence, and about how the rewards from angels and demons were being treated as assets within that framework.

Once I finished, Ms. Futarishizuka was the first to comment. “Even this proxy war is just another investment opportunity for them, like stocks or real estate. I’ll bet they see the Disciples as living securities.”

“A scary prospect indeed,” I said.

“When you’re rich, you start thinking you can get anything with money.”

“Futarishizuka, you’re a rich lady yourself, you know,” pointed out Miss Hoshizaki.

“I am,” she replied. “And in truth, you can get most things with money.”

“……”

For someone who had struggled so much to manage her finances, Miss Hoshizaki must have had a lot to say about that particular stance. She stopped herself before she said any more, though, and settled for sending her coworker a pointed glare.

“Does that mean we’re an obstacle to the people who want to control the rewards?” my neighbor asked. “We’re defeating all the Disciples and taking what they want, after all. That must be why even the demons joined forces with the angels to try to kill us.”

“That’s what it sounded like to me, based on that man’s testimony. He was probably the one who made the announcement, too.”

Some of this was speculation, but I was pretty sure we were right. I should encourage my neighbor and Abaddon to be careful right now.

“Human greed truly knows no bounds.”

“It sounds like you’re not that surprised, Abaddon.”

“Things like this happen a lot. It’s not unusual.”

“Oh. Is that right?”

“It’s never been quite as pronounced as what you just described, though.”

He must have been referring to previous proxy wars. People always sought to control anything of value in the world. Even a market worth as little as a few billion yen would have a major player or two with all the capital, trying to turn everything into “wealth” for themselves.

With half of the world under capitalism, it was inevitable. But how much worth had they assigned the proxy war?

“I had something I wanted to ask you as well, Ms. Futarishizuka,” I said.

“What is it?”

“I’ll be straight. Are you involved in this?”

“…I suppose it’s natural to suspect me, isn’t it?”

Everyone’s attention shifted to Ms. Futarishizuka. She’d answered the question a little mischievously, probably on purpose. But it seemed to have backfired, because a moment later everyone was criticizing her over the table.

“Wait! Futarishizuka, what do you mean?!” demanded Miss Hoshizaki.

“Grandmother, I cannot ignore that remark,” said Type Twelve.

“I’m curious about that one, too,” said Abaddon. “What about you, partner?”

“There isn’t enough evidence to make a judgment. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

“Yup! You’re absolutely right!”

She’d garnered all sorts of reactions. Lady Elsa, Magical Pink, and Peeps refrained from commenting, however. If I’d considered the possibility, then Peeps definitely had. That said, he didn’t seem too concerned as he dug into his pile of curry-flavored meat.

“You may not believe me, but I’m completely uninvolved,” replied Ms. Futarishizuka. “I did get an invitation or two, yes. But I’d already met the rest of you by then. I decided to prioritize this group, instead.”

Her gaze was on my neighbor and Abaddon—and it was sharp and serious. The bit of curry stuck to her mouth lessened the desired effect, however. But then again, maybe that was all part of the act.

“Abaddon, I’d like to trust Futarishizuka on this.”

“Could I ask your reasons?”

“If she had invested in the proxy war, I don’t know why she’d have let us go about our business freely. And she was with us this time, as well. She never tried to take us by surprise.”

“Yeah. That’s what I was thinking, too.”

Personally, I felt like that could have all been part of some overarching scheme. She was gutsy enough to take on significant risk if it meant all the profits would go to her in the end. Her immortality as a psychic seemed better suited to plots like these than brawls, in fact.

“I’m happy to hear that,” she replied.

“Are you sure we can trust her?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

“Oh, I know what’s going on,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “You’re so attached to your cute little mechanical life-form now that you’ve decided to join her in bullying me. Ah, my only choice is to run crying into the arms of my dear son!”

“Th-that’s not what’s happening here!”

“I’d really rather you didn’t,” I said to her.

It didn’t seem like we’d be able to reach a conclusion here. After this incident, Ms. Futarishizuka would probably start maneuvering herself even more skillfully than before. Her previous remark might be true, but there was still a chance she’d place her bets on the Office’s side later on.

We, on the other hand, were already dependent on her help.

The sole exception was Type Twelve. I got the feeling that Miss Hoshizaki’s intentions would become more important in the future.

“Well, this leaves us in a precarious position indeed.”

“I have an idea about how to keep the two of you safe,” I said, addressing Abaddon and my neighbor.

“I don’t want you to get hurt on our account, mister.”

“That’s my partner’s opinion, but I’m curious about what you mean.”

“I know this is a strange thing to ask,” I said, “but could you refrain from trying to defeat any angelic Disciples for the time being? In exchange, I’d like to do some negotiating so that the angels and demons belonging to the Office won’t pursue you anymore.”

“Negotiating?” repeated Ms. Futarishizuka. “You’re not asking me to handle it, are you?”

“Actually, I was thinking about going to the section chief. It’s times like these when we should rely on him.”

“Ah, yes. He would probably have plenty of the kind of connections we’re looking for.”

The website with all the grotesque images hadn’t been shut down; it was still up and running, and the news was still talking about it. For that reason, I expected people high up in Japan’s government were involved.

In that sense, he seemed like the best man for the job.

“Is that why you two only killed angels and demons, but not their Disciples?” asked Abaddon.

“You know about what happened back there?” I replied.

“I got progress reports on the proxy war. From the main bodies of the angels and demons, that is—the ones you defeated on the island.”

Come to think of it, he’d mentioned something similar before. The angels and demons active on Earth were no more than Divisions split off their main bodies or something like that. He’d learned about Ms. Futarishizuka slaying an angel’s Disciple in the Chichibu mountains in the same way.

“It would have been a good opportunity for you, too,” said my neighbor. “I feel guilty you’re doing all this for us, mister.”

“That’s all right. I need you two to stay safe or the death game is worthless to me.”

“What an odd way to talk about a death game,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

As a result, we’d lost our means to revive Prince Lewis. We wouldn’t be able to rely on the rewards from angels and demons in the future. That was unfortunate, but we’d simply have to look for another way. I wondered if the mechanical life-forms’ superior technology could do something about it.

Suddenly, Ms. Futarishizuka whispered something in my ear.

“You know, I could use my reward to heal the prince you two have been worrying about.”

“Huh?”

This was exactly why Ms. Futarishizuka was so hard to deal with. She was always two or three steps ahead of us, if not more. My hand froze before it could carry the spoonful of curry to my mouth.

“You! What is the meaning of this?” demanded Peeps immediately.

The distinguished sparrow had been munching on beef atop the table. The way the curry sauce was stuck to his cheek was incredibly charming. I didn’t know about Ms. Futarishizuka’s scrap of curry, but Peeps’s was certainly a result of the unadulterated joy with which he ate his food.

“What? I’m offering out of the kindness of my heart,” she insisted.

“You cannot possibly expect us to simply believe you.”

I felt a little bad, but I didn’t trust her, either. She had to be plotting something.

She and Peeps stared each other down in silence. The once-peaceful dinner table had exploded and was giving off sparks. Even those who had been enjoying their curry stopped eating and looked at the two of them.

How had she figured out what was going on in the otherworld? Aside from Peeps and me, the only possibility was Lady Elsa.

But she’d only gotten the translation device a day ago, and Lady Elsa herself had declared she wouldn’t let anything about the otherworld slip. I doubted she would have told Ms. Futarishizuka about Prince Lewis.

But I could think of no other possibility.

Actually, hold on.

“Did you run conversations between Peeps and Lady Elsa through the translator?” I asked.

“Aw, come on. You could at least pretend to have a harder time figuring it out,” she grumbled.

“What? You mean—surveillance cameras, then?”

“Just so you know, I didn’t set them up to pry into your lives. The mansion has always had them for crime prevention. One of the videos included the girlie and the bird chatting.”

Peeps and Lady Elsa stayed at the villa while we were doing our bureau work. It must have happened while we were out and they’d had the chance to talk about Prince Lewis in the otherworld’s language. And they’d had plenty of such opportunities. One of their little chats must have been caught on a surveillance camera somewhere.

That meant she probably knew things about the Kingdom of Herz, too—not just the prince.

“…I must apologize,” Peeps said to me.

“It couldn’t be helped,” I assured him. “We had no idea she’d end up with a translator.”

“I’m sorry, Sasaki,” said Lady Elsa. “Have I done something terrible?”

“You don’t need to worry about it, Lady Elsa,” I told her. “I should have been more cautious.”

Likely sensing the danger in our exchange, Type Twelve—who had been silent until now—spoke up.

“By the way, the youngest daughter would like a reward of her own for trying her best to support the family.”

We’d been throwing around the word “reward” quite a bit. The way she used it to change the topic felt like her way of calming things down. Was it her emotions at work, or something the mechanical life-forms had from birth?

Regardless, upon hearing that remark, everyone’s attention turned to her. Ms. Futarishizuka turned away from Peeps and got on board with the new discussion.

“Oh, you always do this whenever you get the slightest compliment,” she said.

“I believe she’s far more modest than you,” retorted Peeps.

“What kind of reward do you want?” asked Miss Hoshizaki gently, urging her on.

Growing hopeful at her mother’s tone, Type Twelve stuck out her chest and proudly declared:

“The youngest daughter would like to go to school with her elder sister.”

Yet another troubling reward. Between Type Twelve’s and Futarishizuka’s remarks, I saw a rocky future ahead.