Chapter 252
Author’s Note: I laughed so hard my abs cramped at the shocking ability that even fooled the author, so I’m releasing tomorrow’s chapter today.
I can’t win. I absolutely cannot win. I didn’t expect to win with some half-baked, last-minute countermeasure, but even so, I can’t win. That shitty-strong AI even showed up in my dreams… What was supposed to be a little time-killer has started eating into my real life.
Rakuro: “Two-stage step-in, then attack… no, a blade catch…”
Rei: “G-Good morning!”
Rakuro: “Ah, Saiga-san, morning. He mainly aims for the head, body, and hands, so I’ll bait an attack and…”
I can’t say I don’t think about how often I run into Saiga-san, but that thought gets washed away by my focus on how to beat the A.I. Ultimate Master. Saiga-san’s face is red as always. Maybe she runs hot? A quick attack that gives the opponent no time to react… no, pile counter on counter until they break down… Ah, right.
Rakuro: “Come to think of it, Saiga-san, do you do martial arts or anything?”
Rei: “Y-Yes! I can break tiles!”
Rakuro: “Tiles… Well, whatever. I’ve got something I want to ask. What kind of effort do you put in when you’re trying to beat someone crazy strong?”
Rei: “Huh? Um… I only do it for self-defense, so I don’t know much, but… for example, maybe trying to copy the opponent’s movements yourself?”
Copy their movements? Wait, self-defense but you break tiles? Does that mean you’d shatter a creep’s jaw like a tile? Terrifying! Noticing the question mark (mixed with fear) floating on my face, Saiga-san keeps explaining in a way even I can understand.
Rei: “It’s not exactly about making the opponent’s movements your own… but, for example, you can search for the kinds of actions where you think, ‘I’d hate it if they did this while I was moving like this.’ And it’s definitely easier to learn by actually doing it yourself than by just watching.”
I see. Find the weak points by putting yourself in the opponent’s shoes. If you share the same movements, then the weak points will be shared, too.
Rakuro: “I see… Thanks, that helped.”
Rei: “N-No no no! Um… W-Why do you ask?”
Rakuro: “Huh? Ahh… you know, that game I bought at RockRoll? The secret boss in that is insanely strong. It’s a trace AI of a man named Ryuguin Fugaku.”
Rei: “Grandfather Fugaku’s… you mean.”
Rakuro: “Grandfather Fugaku…?”
That’s oddly familiar for a total stranger… Wait, could it be?
Rei: “Ah, um, well, it’s, you see… The Saiga family and the Ryuguuin family are… um, distantly related.”
Rakuro: “Wait, seriously?”
Rei: “Yes. My sisters… ah, um, I have two older sisters, and the second eldest has mastered the Ryuguuin style.”
Isn’t the Saiga family’s combat power way too high? And even if it’s just a trace AI, am I really okay screaming “DIE!!” while attacking Saiga-san’s distant relative? The moment I clear this, am I gonna get backstabbed by a hit squad of martial arts assassins or something?
Rei: “One of my female cousin’s children is about my age and really amazing! They practice kendo, and they’re unbeatable in Kansai and... nghaah.”
Saiga-san had been chatting happily, but suddenly she freezes, making a weird sound I didn’t think could come from a human throat.
Rakuro: “?”
Rei: “Ah, um! N-n-n-no! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! T-To go on and on about my own family like that…!”
Rakuro: “Huh? No, I mean… (given how the conversation went) it’s stuff related to me, too.”
Rei: “R-Related...?! Does that mean a family register...?!”
Rakuro: “A cough?”
Rei: “Nothing at all, not at all!”
O-okay… Up until recently, I had this image of her as a celebrity living in a different world, but actually talking to her, Saiga-san’s got a pretty entertaining vibe.
Rakuro: “We’ll reach school soon.”
Rei: “Y-Yes, we will… Ah, um!”
Rakuro: “What’s up?”
Rei: “Um, well, ah, um… that is, um…”
Are “um,” “well,” and “ah” stuck in a loop? While I’m thinking about something so pointless, Saiga-san lifts her head as if she’s steeled herself and opens her mouth.
Rei: “A-After school! Do you have some time?!”
Rakuro: “Huh? Ah, well, I don’t really have anything going on…”
Rei: “Um, well, there’s something important I want to talk about, so… at RockRoll! Would you go with me… maybe?”
Something important? What could it be… If she chose RockRoll, it must be game-related.
Rakuro: “Okay, then after school.”
Rei: “Yeppy!”
She really is an entertaining person.
Rakuro: “…So, why am I being cornered in the classroom and treated like a suspect under interrogation?”
Huh, this feels like some serious déjà vu. Is getting caught a trend for me lately? Am I gonna Prison Break out of this?
Classmate: “Suspect Rakuro Hizutome, do you have any last words?”
Rakuro: “First, why am I even under interrogation?”
Classmate: “Very well. Then the execution begins.”
Can you not skip all the steps between restraint and execution? Even the Middle Ages took more time to get to the execution.
Classmate: “Why have you been walking to school with Saiga-san so often?!”
Rakuro: “Why? …Isn’t it just because we’re in the same school district?”
Classmate: “Saiga-san normally comes by car! Why is she adjusting her schedule to yours?!”
Rakuro: “Ask her yourself.”
Classmate: “Don’t tell me... you’re actually dating Saiga-san or something...”
(A look like watching a hamster claiming to be God)
I’ve got no reason to lie or hide anything, so I answer what’s asked, plain and simple. Now then—
Rakuro: “Alright, is that all you had to say? You lot, seize him.”
Classmate: “Huh?! Why am I the one being grabbed now?!”
Rakuro: “Very well. Then we shall carry out the punishment of stretching his piercings.”
Classmate: “Hey, that’s an inhumane punishment! Agh—stop! Don’t pull on my piercing holes! Why do you guys always try to stretch them?!”
Even as they deal inhumane sanctions on my classmate “Zakufukupi” (short for “germy lucky-ear piercings”), about eighty percent of my brain is still full of game-related thoughts. Ah, the reason they’re focusing on my ears is because you give the best reactions, okay?
After school. Saiga-san apparently has something important to discuss, so I head to RockRoll ahead of her.
Rakuro: “Yo.”
Iwamaki-san: “Hey there, Hizutome-kun. Enjoying your youth?”
Rakuro: “I’m working hard to overcome a high wall, so I’m probably enjoying my youth.”
Iwamaki-san: “Youth spent lying in bed, huh…”
Well, if you look at the state rather than the action, you could call it that. In my case, it’s heavy-duty, so I’m sitting in a chair and melting, but it’s a minor difference.
Iwamaki-san: “Buying something?”
Rakuro: “Nah. I dunno why, but Saiga-san called me here.”
Iwamaki-san: “…Hey, Hizutome-kun. Why do you think she called you?”
Why? Given the choice of RockRoll as the place, plus all the conversations we’ve had so far, the answer is…!
Rakuro: “…To eliminate a dangerous element?”
Iwamaki-san: “How does that happen, exactly?”
Unfortunately, my brain is stuffed full of AI Ryuguuin Fugaku, so the answer derived from recent conversations was “preemptively eliminate anyone who could surpass the Ryuguuin style.” Saiga-san’s physical attack stat is high, and she could probably chop my neck and knock me out cold.
Iwamaki-san: “Are you just dense, or is it more like starting from the step of modifying a drag car so it can even drive on public roads…”
Rakuro: “A drag car can’t turn, right?”
Iwamaki-san: “That’s right. Life’s a drag car.”
This conversation is not meshing. What on earth is Iwamaki-san talking about?
Iwamaki-san: “By the way, Hizutome-kun.”
Rakuro: “Yes?”
Iwamaki-san: “Do you know what the number zero is called in Japanese?”
Rakuro: “Rei.”
Iwamaki-san: “And, by the reverse, if you turn that ‘Rei’ into English, it becomes ‘zero,’ right?”
Rakuro: “Right.”
Iwamaki-san: “So, then… how about turning a certain ‘zero’ you’ve met recently into ‘Rei,’ or the other way around?”
Rakuro: “………?”
Turn a zero I met recently into Rei…? Wait, how recent is “recently”? Oh, that’s right. Rei-shi’s name had a zero in it, didn’t it? So, Psyger-0… turn the zero into Rei… wait, what…?
Psyger-0… Psyger-Rei… Saiga Rei... Wait. Saiga Rei...?! No, no way, no, that’s way too on the nose… Even Mr. Can’t-Spawn-a-Unique put a little more twist into his name… hahahaha.
Rei: “Ah, um... I’ve arri—”
Rakuro: “Rei-shi?!”
Rei: “Shifarghenioa?!”
The true identity of the strongest player whose name shakes Shangri-La Frontier was a flower far out of reach who’s just as strong in real life…
Wait, she’s at the top of the hierarchy in both the game and real life? She’s literally the strongest. This person rolled the highest possible rarity on the birth gacha with zero re-rolls… terrifying.
Author’s Notes: