There was a spacious underground room at the underground of Nagumo residence.
Of course it was a room that originally didn't exist, but after Hajime returned home
from another world, he created it because it was necessary for various kind of his
works.
In that personal underground workshop, the aforementioned Hajime was folding his
arms while humming "Hm~~m" .
"The stage is created. The basic system is also okay. The fixing of consciousness and
also the safety are cleared. What's left is the concrete story and character setting that
match with it but...no matter how the idea doesn't really come to me."
Hajime reconfirmed the situation by speaking to himself while he raised the humming
sound of his worry once more. The gaze of such Hajime was fixed at the item that was
put on the work stand, something like a mechanical eye mask that was embedded with
bluish white crystal.
Its appearance was like an eye mask shaped electronic massager for the area around
the eyes, or perhaps like a headset for virtual reality game...or rather, actually the
item was exactly that, it was a game device that Hajime created himself. However, the
technology and materials used to create it came from the mixture of earth and another
world, even age of god magic was applied to make this game of full body experience.
In earth it was still at the level where human finally laid their hand on the tip of the
technology of virtual world production, but when it was by the hand of the world's
strongest transmutation master this completed product was easily realized.
By the way, by applying soul magic only the user's consciousness would be send to the
virtual world, but actually this thing was something that was mostly close to out-ofbody experience, in addition the virtual world was formed from something like an
illusion that was endlessly close to reality because of the application of regeneration
magic, so not only the five senses, the user could even sense other things like magic
power or presence.
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This item was the painstaking piece of Hajime's work that especially paid close
attention to the safety mechanism. Rather, it wasn't even an exaggerated to call it his
greatest masterpiece. As a gamer, and then as the son of the president of a game maker
company, he made absolutely no compromise in this effort!
Now then, about the impetus of this game device's creation though...
(...Even though I made it painstakingly, but it will be meaningless if Myuu cannot
enjoy it. The concept is pretty much "fun training" so it's settled that the game must
be RPG...what kind of RPG that a girl will like? For now, I had put in characters
noncommittally for checking its operation but...hm~~~m)
Just as could be understood from Hajime's worry, this device was created for Myuu's
training use.
With Myuu pleading that she wanted to be strong like Hajime and others as the
impetus, Hajime and party (other than the wive~s, the classmates also joined in)
educated Myuu about fighting skill.
About the actual training itself, it could be done anywhere if barrier of concealment
was laid out beforehand using magic or artifact, so there was no proble. However, from
Hajime's thinking that a real combat, and furthermore a real combat against stronger
enemy was far better than training, then as expected there would be no place for Myuu
to test her strength except if they went to Tortus.
But, crossing worlds every time for training and then preparing opponent that was
just at the right level were really troublesome. However, from Hajime's stand point, in
this current time when there wasn't any emergency situation, he didn't have the
slightest intention to make his beloved daughter going through severe training where
"the worst case" could possibly happen, like when he tempered himself in the bottom
of abyss against the monstrous opponents there.
――He wanted Myuu to annihilate stronger enemy without rushing and with some
elbowroom, so she could have healthy growth.
That was the genuine parental love of a father who had a daughter.
And so, fighting virtual enemy in a virtual world was actually a method that was just
right for this.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 532 | 582
Now then, like that the creation of the game device was roughly completed, but here
Hajime bumped into a wall here. He had progressed with the creation until here based
on the concept of "Fighting against stronger enemy. However, doing it while having a
blast", but he couldn't think of the "story" that would become the fundamental of the
essential part of "having a blast".
After all, till the end this was a virtual practice for testing the result of Myuu's training.
And so, for example if a goblin was put as the opening enemy befitting the standard of
RPG. However, naturally Myuu would fight by freely using weapon artifacts like
Donnerr and so on, it was clear that the goblins would become "Gobuu!?" at the end
of their encounter with Myuu.
He didn't want to make Myuu go Ore TUEEEEE. Having said that, he didn't wasn't to
see a goblin that could evade railgun by sight. A certain bugged rabbit somewhere was
already enough for something like that. (TN: Ore TUEEEEE = an expression in Japan
that kinda mean like I'm stronggg. Used when in a net game or fighting game when there
is a player that is overwhelmingly strong compared to other players. Or to refer when in
manga or LN the MC have transcendental strength)
In other words, the power level of the enemy following the scenario of the usual RPG
and Myuu's strength didn't mesh with each other.
If he was going to create a content that could clear up this problem well, where Myuu
could have fun advancing the story while she could constantly fight enemy whose
strength was always a bit above hers...
"――No good. I cannot think of anything at all. Worst case, I can only set up goblin that
can dodge railgun but...before that, perhaps I should try consulting Tou-san first."
Hajime who frowned imagining a goblin that was leaving behind a line of afterimages
behind when it move roughly scratched his head that had reached the limit, he then
sighed while standing up from his chair.
He exited the underground workshop, climbed the stair and entered the living room.
Today was a holiday, but there was no one in the room except Shia. Shuu and Sumire
were working, but he didn't know about what the other members were doing.
"Eh? Shia, what about Yue and others?"
"Fuwaa. Ah, Hajime-san. Is your work over?"
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 533 | 582
It seemed Shia was napping on the living room's sofa while pleasantly getting
showered by the shining in sunlight. She asked back with a slovenly absentminded
expression. She looked a bit like she was half-awake.
Hajime prepared to go outside while answering Shia even when he was writhing
slightly seeing the figure of "droopy Shia" with her rabbit ears laying down limply.
"No, I reached the limit already. So I'm going to Tou-san's place. I'll bring him some
supply and also try to ask him between his works whether I can receive some kind of
hint."
"Howaa, is that sooo. Have a safe trip desuu. Ah, right right, about Yue-san and others,
Kaori-san will come to play so Yue-san just now is waiting in ambus――cough-, is going
to pick her uppp. Tio-san and Remia-san went out shipping for Myuu-chan's clothees"
"I see. And Shizuku?"
"It looks like a self proclaimed rival of Yaegashi family was coming with declaration of
challenge, so she accompanied her family even though she was really reluctant to deal
with the challenger desuu. And so, she said that today she cannot come desuu"
"...That girl is really a busybody huh."
Imagining Shizuku who went along with her hustling family with a tired expression,
Hajime looked at far away with a really speechless expression. She shouldn't be so
reserved anymore after everything so far, so he guessed that her situation wasn't that
serious if she didn't contact them for reinforcement.
"Well, got it. Then, Shia. I'm going out for a bit, so tell Yue and others for me."
"Yhee~~s, leave it to mee~~desuu~~"
Shia who was burying her face again into the soft cushion sleepily waved around her
rabbit ears as reply while she switched over into "droopy Shia mode" once more. She
seemed to be in a really dreamy state of mind.
"Droopy Shia" who was bathing in sunlight while her panty was in full view, her rabbit
tail shaking *furin~furin~* was terribly adorable. Hajime was driven with an impulse
to give her lap pillow and loved her with all his might, but with an effort he endured
in order to fulfill his duty as a papa and he exited the house.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 534 | 582
A while after that, while the sound of sleeper's breathing *suya~* of a happy rabbit
was resounding in the Nagumo residence's living room, there was the sound *clack*
of the entrance door opening.
"Geez-, Yue you idiot! Pervert! You rascal!"
"...What abusive language against someone who went to pick you up. Stupid Kaori."
"Something like that cannot be said as "picking up" you know? That's called
ambushing! Furthermore you even use illusion magic to the street, you are really idiot-
"
"...Kaori screamed 'Hyaaa~~~-'. You screamed 'Hyaaa~~~-'. Pufuh"
"Yueee~~~"
Such noisy quarrel could be heard.
It seemed Kaori was ambushed by Yue when she was in the middle of going toNagumo
residence. It seemed Yue even used illusion magic to shock Kaori. Recalling back
Kaori's reaction of that time caused Yue to make a smile that looked really joyful.
Whether in the past or in the future, surely there would be no one other than Kaori
for whom Yue would purposefully go out of the house just to make her shocked.
In her own way, Kaori as someone in the position who received Yue's mischievousness
with her body was angry, even so she didn't look like that she hated it at all. Even now
her hands were reaching toward the hair of Yue who was taking off her shoes, she used
a hair styling product that she took out from somewhere and fought strenuously to
tailor Yue's hair into Mohican style.
Yue walked toward the living room without even paying any mind that her fluffy and
soft blonde hair was fumbled around and turned into a strange shape like the trees of
the witch's forest by Kaori. She then caught sight of Shia who was napping with a loose
expression that looked extremely careless. She was in the same state like before Yue
went out.
"Ah, Shia, she is in the middle of nap. Then, we have to be quiet."
"...Nn"
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 535 | 582
It was as though their quarrel just now was nonexistent. The two stopped their
dispute completely and went quiet. They approached slo~wly toward Shia and they
stared gently at Shia who was mumbling 'munya munya'.
"Munya munya...ehehe, more than this is impossible――I cannot beat you to death
more than this you knoww~~"
" "..." "
"Nnyaa. ...Kufuu~~, then, just a bit moreee~~"
" "..." "
It was slightly off from the template.
This rabbit-san was making a happy expression, with a leisurely atmosphere, looking
like she was feeling really pleasant, while going to beat up to death someone a bit
more. Run awaaay! That someone inside the dream! Super run awaaay!
"...Let's leave her quietly."
"...Nn. That's better."
Yue and Kaori slo~wly slo~wly backed away. They also took distance of heart.
"Err, and, where is Hajime-kun? I heard that Myuu-chan and others aren't here, but
Hajime-kun is here right?"
"...Nn. He is shutting himself inside the workshop since last night. It's troubling that
he will forget the time right away when he got absorbed."
"He would also forget his meal and sleep when he was like that. Then, let's go call him.
Are we also going to make him rest while we are at it?"
"...He haven't taken lunch yet too, so it's just right."
They nodded at each other and headed toward the underground workshop.
By the way, the main path to head toward the underground workshop was through the
stair in the corridor, but actually the sofa in the living room could also be used to go
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 536 | 582
there. The sofa would be overturned backward when someone was sitting on it, and
then that person would be dropped into the underground corridor.
There was really no meaning to purposefully get dropped like that, so everyone used
the stair to head there, but limited to the people of Yaegashi family who sometimes
visited (excluding Shizuku) and Myuu, the instead had never used the stair even once
until now. They liked getting flipped and dropped down.
"...Nn? Hajime, not here?"
"Eh? It's true."
The two who entered the workshop tilted their head seeing that the place's owner
wasn't there.
Did he leave the house? In that case did he not leave behind any notification memo?
Thinking that the two walked deeper into the room.
It seemed there wasn't any memo, but in exchange a headset that was obviously in the
middle of manufacturing entered their sight.
"...That's the artifact that Hajime is currently getting absorbed in developing."
"Is that so. Somehow it looks similar with a headset used for seeing 3D movie isn't it?"
"...Nn. That's not necessarily wrong."
Yue began to talk about the specific of its function in respond of Kaori's question. Kaori
was listening in admiration and she was staring at the headset shaped artifact game
device for some reason.
Yue spoke a sentence toward such Kaori.
"...Kaori you silent lecher."
"Why!?"
Kaori was startled at the sudden insult. Yue answered that retort which was mixed
with question.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 537 | 582
"...The reason you are staring hard like that is only one. I saw through that you were
having delusion that you would be able to experience flirting with Hajime anytime in
your home if you have that. Just what in the world you are planning to do to Hajime in
the virtual world? This silent lecher."
"I'm not a silent lecher! I wasn't having any delusion like that! Or rather, it's Yue who
is the silent lecher by the time you come to that conclusion!"
"...What stupid statement. Even without having delusion, I'm always flirting with
Hajime!"
"Certainly!"
There was no room for argument there. But, Kaori wished that Yue would stop already
with her attempt of planting the impression of "Kaori is a silent lecher" at every
available opportunity.
Kaori was able to assert. That she was leading a wholesome life! Even if she had a bit
of daydreaming habit, even if she was conscious toward any kind of things that had
just gotten used by Hajime, but it was beyond doubt that she was a wholesome girl!
There was no room for suspicion there! Should be!
And so, here she firmly objected at Yue.
But, Yue-sama tried to utterly destroy the objection of such Kaori head-on.
As the result, at the end it connected to the usual cat fight.
Nyaah――!! Nyaah――!! Mui-mui-! Mukiiiiih!!
Both of them pinched at each other's cheeks and rolled around on the floor of the
workshop for a few minutes. The situation only looked like they were frolicking
around with each other if seen from the side, however, the two who were seriously
quarrelling with each other became engrossed with it against their better judgment
and they completely forgot to pay attention to the surrounding.
Yes, they were at the workshop of a transmutation master where Hajime's hand-made
artifacts, the artifacts created from Hajime's interest working in full throttle where
there were understandable things until incomprehensible things scattered out
everywhere.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 538 | 582
*GON-* A nice sound rang out, coming from Yue who was going to stand out banging
the back of her head strongly at the desk above her.
Yue reflexively raised a strange scream "Nmii!?" while Kaori was childishly making
merry "Ya~i, ya~i" at such Yue, but the next moment, the headset and other minerals
fell from the desk and hit the crown of her head and Kaori raised a matching scream
"Nmii!?" .
While the both of them were holding their head while trembling, suddenly an ominous
sound *pachi pachi* struck their ears.
"...Ah, err, Yue? This, by any chance, is this actually bad?"
"...This is bad degozaru."
Cold sweats trickled down. If there was only broken item, then the two could just
harmoniously prostrate dogeza in front of Hajime and apologized. But, the headset in
front of them that was fiercely sparking and further flickering with magic power light
and overflowing with immense magic power that made their skin tingled only gave off
ominous feeling.
Yue's speech spontaneously became strange but her thinking was calm. No matter
what happened, there was no way any phenomenon that happened here could leak
outside from this workshop that boasted the strongest endurance in the world.
Therefore, Yue would use the ultimate skill of instant teleportation "Divine Existence"
and escaped together with Kaori.
Yue who decided that in an instant leaped toward Kaori, and then they escaped
right――
*Flash-* Light exploded.
There was no sound or shockwave. There was only light that painted over the
workshop for a beat.
Inside the workshop that recovered its former color, there were only Yue who was
hanging over Kaori as though she had pushed her down, and Kaori who was tightly
hugging such Yue left behind. It seemed that the two were unconscious.
"-, Yue!? Are you okay!?"
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 539 | 582
Kaori who was aware that her consciousness had flew away for a moment raised her
body in a flash at the same time when her consciousness returned and she confirmed
Yue's safety. But, she didn't hear that voice that was so pleasant to hear it was odious
that usually would respond after a beat later.
She had confirmed that a moment before her consciousness was cut off, Yue was
jumping toward her to cover her. That was why Kaori completely thought that Yue was
on her bosom, but she didn't feel her weight there, and even when she looked around
restlessly she didn't find her anywhere.
Or rather,
"Wha, what is thiss~~~~"
Kaori was in chaos!
The reason was even though before this she should be inside the workshop wearing
her personal clothes, when she noticed she was inside a room that was surrounded
with coarsely made wood and she was waking up above a bed. When she looked more
carefully, the clothes she was wearing was also changed into something coarse that
looked like it came from the period of Europe's Middle Age. It was a one piece and
loose, yes, if this was in a movie or drama then this would be the clothing of a villager
girl.
Kaori was looking down on herself dumbfounded for a while, next she rushed out in
hurry. She opened the thin wooden door so hard the door could come off from its
hinge, ignored an aging male that was talking about something smilingly inside what
seemed to be a living room, and without pause she forcefully opened the entrance
door and leaped out.
"Ju, just where, is this?"
Blue sky stretched without end. Numerous houses that looked like hovel. Foreign
people working busily wearing simple clothes. This place was obviously not Japan.
Still in chaos, Kaori called out to a young man who happened to pass by.
"E, excuse me. I have a bit of question..."
"Heey, this is the village of beginning "AAAAAAAA"."
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 540 | 582
"The name is too noncommittal! Or rather I'm not asking that!"
Kaori was in chaos! The young man tilted his head "Oh?" at such Kaori.
"What's this, just when I thought who is it because I was called so suddenly――"
"Eh, eh? What is it?"
Seeing the young man suddenly stopped his sentence was also surprising, but the
transparent floating projection display that manifested in front of Kaori's eyes right
after that also made Kaori's body trembled from feeling startled.
Above the display, there was a line "Please decide your name", and below it there was
a frame with blank space, and even further below was an unfamiliar keyboard.
"This is...could it be this place is..."
'Could it be I'm inside that game device that is in the middle of development?' Kaori
reached that fact. The present condition where she suddenly arrived in an unfamiliar
world, the young man that was spewing out stereotyped line, and also the display that
appeared midair, they were all completely like an RPG world. Kaori's appearance must
be also the setting where she likely started as a villager girl in the beginning.
"So that's how it is? Yue said that the artifact used soul magic, so the instant it was
broken only my soul was sent flying inside the game, is that it? ...It doesn't feel like
I'm only soul at all though...h~m, let's worry later. For now, I have to search Yue."
Kaori who switched over her thinking looked forward at the young man who was
smiling and waiting for her, she decided for now she would obey the rule of the game
and at least decided her name before searching for Yue.
"Eerr, I'll use my name, Ka-o-ri."
She typed in her name and clicked the enter key. A confirmation screen came out so
she also pressed OK at it. And then the display vanished automatically.
"――but isn't this the regrettable daughter of the village chief Kaori."
"Who are you calling regrettable!?"
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 541 | 582
She was suddenly insulted.
"And so what's the matter, village chief's regrettable daughter?"
"There is no meaning typing in my name isn'tit!? Or rather this thing about regrettable
is the default!?"
There was not even a fragment of ill will that could be seen from the young man who
was still making an amiable smile without change. Kaori silently thought 'this is a
game, this is a game' to suppress her welling up dissatisfaction and she asked once
more.
"Do you know Yue? Ah, I wonder if you know what I mean by Yue. She is an
extraordinarily beautiful girl with blond hair..."
"This is the village of beginning "AAAAAAAA"."
"Ah, yes. So you don't know."
It seemed the person would return to its first line when he was asked something he
didn't know. Kaori held the conviction that this place was a virtual reality as expected
and she wracked her brain of what to do now.
But, it was at that time that the young man talked at Kaori.
"Come to think of it, village chief's regrettable daughter."
"...What is it?"
Resignation was crucial in the society.
"You know, it seems this morning priest-san was picking up a sister with a screw
loose."
"That must be Yue!"
If the person in question was here, surely the curtain of great battle Yue VS Kaori of
who knows how many times would be opened.
Talking to the villagers, gathered information, and then determined the
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 542 | 582
destination――it was truly the classic flow. Kaori who became convinced of that
faithfully expressed her gratitude before she sprinted away.
The church was the tallest building in the village. Because the houses in the village
were all one-story house, the tall building with a cross affixed on its top could be seen
from anywhere in the village.
"Uuh, my body is heavy..."
Although it was inside the game, in the first place the physical ability of Kaori who had
obtained the flesh body of god apostle was in foul play level. Originally she was able
to easily display a running in the level that would smash the heart of an Olympic
sprinter into pieces.
But, the current Kaori could only display a speed that was at the level of that Olympic
sprinter. She was told that this was a game for training use, so perhaps it was possible
that a limitation was set up for the initial configuration.
After all, the current her was a villager girl...Kaori was sprinting while conjecturing
the reason why her body wouldn't move like she wanted. She pretended as though she
couldn't hear the villagers saying things like "Ah, that's the village chief's regrettable
daughter!" "Today too she is running like that...what a regrettable girl" while
pointing their finger at her.
Like that, Kaori who was dealt with delicate mental damage finally arrived nearby the
church's front, it was at that time when she was about to enter inside the church.
*DOGON-* Such terrific explosive sound and fierce vibration shook the village. What's
more they happened consecutively.
"Wha wha wha wha, what!? Just what in the world is going on!?"
The bewildered Kaori put her emergency break and immediately took distance from
the church.
Right after that, everywhere on the building's walls was blown away one after another,
the church that lost its supporting pillars tilted violently. Without pause the building
helplessly creaked *gigigigi-* while tilting even more drastically, like that the building
collapsed as though it was toppled sideways.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 543 | 582
Dust clouds rose up grandly.
Ahead of the gaze of Kaori who was looking at the church's destruction in
astonishment, human silhouette swayed inside the dust cloud. The silhouette had
small stature. And then, it gave a presence that Kaori was familiar with.
"Yue!"
"...Nn. Kaori, I'm glad you are fine."
Yue who said that while showing her figure by using wind to sweep away the veil of
cloud dust――was a sister-san.
She was wearing a black loose one-piece that reached until her ankle and a wimple
covering her head. Different from a pretend sister, her hair was covered properly that
it couldn't be seen, so instead Yue's beautiful face became emphasized, matched with
her expressionless face, a solemn atmosphere could be felt from her.
She was truly looking like a pious servant of god...
If there was no destroyed church behind her.
Kaori wanted to ask various thing including confirming their present situation, but
first thing first,
"Why is the church turned like this?"
"...I flew into rage when I was said that my brain has a screw loose. I have no regret.
I can boast that I have done a good work."
"I, I see."
Behind Yue, a priest with gentle looking expression was standing in the middle of the
wreckage and he spoke with his sooty appearance.
"With heart of valor and kindness, now, go forth. Sister with a screw loose Yue."
The wind of the sister with a screw loose burst. The priest-san flew to the sky. It was
as though he was a leaf that was toyed by the wind.
t r a i t o r A I Z E N 544 | 582
"This is your home. I will wait for your return at all times."
The home was gone already. Or rather, that place was a sky.
While the gentle voice of the priest-san that was flying in the sky was resounding,
Kaori thought about Yue who was fully exposing her displeasure and about the matter
from here on, and she let out a de~~ep sigh.