AN: This is a double update so don't forget to check Chapter 10 first. This little extra chapter is partly a what-if side story and if readers are interested, I would love to add such chapters at the end of each volume.
The gentle forces of wind pushed around the golden sand and bent the dried blades of grass. The emerald blue sea blended together with the bright sky.
On this shore, a man with a three-piece gray suit sat cross-legged with a floating octeract in front of him. His brown eyes looked at the countless sides of the eight-dimensional structure as numerous arms that overlapped each other manipulated the sides of the object.
The sun shined unmoving in the sky, as if day and night cycles didn't exist.
The serene scene was interrupted by a girl about fifteen to sixteen years old popping up next to the man.
She was dressed in simple sandals with black baggy pants and a tight tank top. Her short blood-red hair ignored the wind, staying perfectly still, and her purple eyes locked onto the object man was tinkering with.
"How long are you going to mess with that thing?" She leaned forward, holding her hips.
"Till the work is done." The man replied.
"You think you can activate it without destroying this reality?" She plopped down next to the man.
"We'll see."
"Hey, I think this angle is off." The girl pointed at one of the countless ever-changing sides.
"From the sixth dimension, maybe. That is not important on the full scale." He waved his hand over the crooked lines, straightening it out.
"Can I start making one?" She asked after observing the intricate work for a while.
"There are a lot simpler things you should learn first."
"I know, but your event manipulation is boring. You never do anything just for the fun of it. I have yet to see you just kick someone's ass." The girl sighed and slumped down.
"Violence is too easy. It takes the enjoyment out of the game." The man turned his head towards the girl with a subtle smile. "Appealing to the desires of the figments of reality, making deals with them, whispering ideas in their minds indistinguishable from their own, that is where the mastery over realities lay."
"You told me that about a million times before." The girl leaned back, laying down on the warm sand.
"You wanted to learn from me. I did not force you to be my apprentice."
"But I want to do something fun with it. Make fun stories with their lives, not play against others." The girl grabbed a handful of sand and tossed it into the wind. "What is the point of all this power if I can't have any fun with it?"
"Then pick an unclaimed timeline or reality and have your fun. No one is stopping you." The man dismissed the octeract and turned to look at the girl. "You should have learned by now that no one is stopping you from doing whatever you want if you are not playing with claimed realities and timelines."
"Oh, that I could do. But first, show me the one where you are creating Gods." She sat up with her face lighting up in excitement.
"You'll have to narrow it down a bit more."
"You know the one. Everyone is talking about it."
"Oh, that one." The man smiled. "Sure, knock yourself out, just don't change anything."
A sphere, about a meter in diameter, appeared in front of them. The girl pushed her face close to it and changed what the sphere was showing at a lightning speed by subtle movements of her fingers.
"Ugh, I hoped you would pair those two together." She pointed at Ainz and Buku.
"Their union unfortunately provides suboptimal results for the main goal."
"I'll just take a split timeline and pair them. I want to see where it goes."
"You can see all possible outcomes just by observing that point of the multiverse as a whole." The man stated, expanding the sphere's view to encompass every timeline where Ainz and Buku existed.
"Knowing all outcomes is boring. I want the excitement of seeing just one play out just like I want to."
"How about you take this timeline and get the desired outcome with the least amount of tempering possible?" He switched the sphere's view again.
"But there they are just humans… I see, you are turning it into a lesson again. You know, you have the ability to suck all the fun out of everything." She grumbled.
"Fun is a matter of perspective. If you are not in a learning mood then go do something else." The man said dryly.
"I know. But the way you play games is too precise. Like solving equations. I want to paint pictures, make art." She changed the sphere into a screen with a flick of her wrist and started to sort out critical points.
X
The last seconds painfully ticked away. Few more moments and there would be no more Yggdrasil.
23:59:59
00:00:00
The game screen faded, returning him back to VR's base loading screen.
Suzuki took the gear off and put it on the small table beside the chair.
This was it; the place where he spent most of his free time during his adult life was gone for good.
There wasn't even sorrow at this point, just a large, gaping hole in his chest that he could never possibly fill in. Even if he did try to fill it in with the next popular game, he strongly felt it would be a massive waste of time.
'I'll just sleep on this chair.' Satoru didn't even bother to get to his small bed. He sleepily set up the alarm clock at 4 am and dozed off.
The week went by listlessly with Satoru watching the tick by in a dull monotony. He did try to look for a new game to play but it felt like cheating on a deceased partner days after the funeral.
There was one other thought that surfaced again and again during this time. 'I should visit Pero and Buku. Eh, I should think of them by their real names, Itsuki and Akari.'
He had visited them once a few years ago for a small guild member gathering. This thought got more insistent by the day.
One afternoon, after a long day's work and a few free game trials, he finally got the courage and wrote an email to the siblings asking if he could visit.
There wasn't an immediate response, he waited and waited but the reply didn't come.
'That was a stupid idea. Of course, they don't want me to intrude in their lives.' He chided himself once again checking the email before going to sleep.
Yet, as always, a little patience was all that he needed to exercise. The next day after work there was a response.
'Sure thing, Momo, we'll be happy to have you. How about Sunday at 6 pm?' Their new address was located at the bottom of the email.
It wasn't too far away from where he lived so there wasn't even a need to pay for an expensive metro ticket.
Since his salary didn't go into the sinkhole that was pay to win games, he could afford to buy a small crate of beer and a pack of sweets as a gift.
The siblings lived in a better area than him and their apartment complex didn't look like complete squalor, unlike his.
Even the lift was working and he didn't have to climb twenty-five stories by foot.
Finally, the moment of truth came.
With a slightly shaking hand, he knocked on the door and waited. Of course, he had already sent a message that it was him at the door so they wouldn't have to think a random stranger was trying to get entry into their home.
A lanky man with shoulder-length hair and a four-day beard, dressed in loose pants and a t-shirt opened the door. He instantly broke into a smile. "Momo, you old bones, good to see you."
"Hey. I brought these, I hope it's enough." Satoru awkwardly presented his gifts.
"Oh, you shouldn't have. But hey, if you can feed sis' sweet tooth, she'll definitely be in a good mood." Itsuki laughed, clapping his friend's shoulder. "Come in."
Satoru quickly removed the protective suit and followed his friend. The apartment of the siblings was a lot more spacious than his. There was a small kitchen area with a couch and a large tv screen, a separate bathroom, and two bedrooms.
Akari was sitting at the kitchen table. Same as her brother, she had black, shoulder-length hair and dark brown eyes. Unlike her brother, she seemed to have dressed up a bit and had a blouse and a long skirt.
"Hey Momo, it's nice you could visit us." She smiled but then her expression grew sterner. "You didn't message the girl as you promised."
"I…" Satoru froze up only now remembering that he promised to write to the girl Buku tried to set him up with. Not sure how to get out of the situation, he extended his hand and held the pack of sweets in front of him.
"Are you trying to bribe me not to be mad?" Akari tilted her head and dropped her voice a lot lower.
Satoru gulped and nodded his head.
Surprised at such a blatant confession, she burst into a high-pitched laughter, "You are too damn lucky for your own good. Those are my favorite."
Akari grabbed the corner of the table and slowly stood up. Itsuki rushed over to help her but she just slapped his hand away.
With slow, obviously painful steps, she approached Satoru and gently took the sweets out of his hand. "If you keep doing this I'll just have to make good on my threat."
For over a year, her back had gotten progressively worse. She hadn't told much of what was happening to her but her health problems were the reason both Akari and Itsuki stopped playing Yggdrasil.
What little he did know didn't paint a picture of a bright future. The operation was an expensive one and even with her salary she would have to blow all her savings and then some to afford it. And even then the chance of success was only about seventy percent, leaving that big what if something goes wrong and she spends all her money for nothing.
At the same time, if nothing was done, she soon would be unable to walk at all.
Satoru could only offer a weak smile in return at her playful taunt.
Having playful banter in the game was one thing but being face-to-face with her was completely another. Akari was an attractive woman, and because of that his crippling anxiety took over once again.
He silently nodded, unsure what else to say or do.
"Looks like I have a brother-in-law." Itsuki clapped his shoulder with laughter. "Let's go settle down on the couch before she finds a ring to put on your finger."
Mercifully, Akari didn't tease him for the rest of the evening. Itsuki put on an action film they had seen before and discussed in the game and everyone settled down sipping the beer Satoru had brought as a gift while Akari devoured the pack of sweets, washing them down with the same beer.
At around 11 pm, he said goodbye to the siblings and went home through the least dangerous route he knew. 'Time flew so fast. I wish I could have stayed longer.'
X
Visiting the siblings became a weekly thing at first and then he started to hang out with them even two or three times a week, often helping Itsuki with household chores.
One day when he came to their place again to his surprise only Akari was home.
"Hey Sato," She greeted him at the door. "Come in. Bro is not home tonight. He scored a girl and is out on a date. So I hope you don't mind only my company."
"Not at all." Satoru followed in and took off the protective suit. There was something different about Akari's appearance. At first, he didn't even notice but then it hit him. She was wearing makeup.
Once he was out of the heavy clothing, Akari leaned in against him and held his arm. "Can you help me get to the couch?" She gave him a smile.
"Of course." He gently guided his friend through the now-familiar apartment.
Unlike previous times when they mostly watched action or fantasy-related stuff, Akari put on some sort of romance anime Satoru had not seen before.
They sat watching the movie in silence for a while.
"Why didn't you write that girl? You know she is still single." Akari suddenly spoke up.
"I… I don't know." He stammered out looking away from her.
"What did you not know? You did like how she looked in the picture?" She didn't give in.
"Yes."
"Get real with me for once. Why didn't you ever try?" Akari's tone turned soft and soothing. "Please tell me why you don't even try? Maybe I can help."
Satoru sighed. 'She won't back down. I should just leave…' He stopped the cowardly thought and just spoke his mind.
"I don't know, I guess I was just afraid."
"The guy who planned daring raids in the game now says he is afraid."
"Yggdrasil was just a game." He told a bold-faced lie.
"It wasn't for you. Don't think I can't see through you."
"What do you want me to say?" Satoru raised his voice.
"Of what you are afraid of?" Akari didn't back down.
"I… can we just drop this?"
"Not this time. We are getting to the bottom of this. What are you afraid of? Tell me!" Buku's tone dropped to her normal speaking voice.
Satoru looked away and then stood up and was about to leave without saying anything but he felt her soft arm grab his wrist and hold it.
"Tell me!"
"Let me go."
"Sit down. I am not backing out." Akari barked an order.
He tried to yank his arm away but she didn't let it go. He tried it again hearing her gasp and finally let go of his arm. He instantly flipped around to come face-to-face with her again. Akari's face was twisted in pain. She slumped back down into the couch breathing sharply.
"I-I am sorry. I didn't mean to."
"Just go." She clutched her face with her right hand and continued to breathe sharply.
"Please forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you." Satoru's voice became frantic.
"It's fine. Pills are in that drawer." Akari pointed towards the kitchen.
He quickly retrieved a small bottle and handed it to her together with a glass of filtered water.
She instantly gulped down a few pills and sat with her eyes closed still breathing sharply.
Satoru stood by the coach unsure what to say or do. 'I hurt her. Maybe I should just have told her.'
"Don't stand there like a fool. Either sit down or run like you planned to." Akari said with a strained voice.
He sat down and glanced at her. "I'm sorry."
"I told you it's fine. Give me five minutes for pills to kick in and I'll be back to normal."
They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Satoru glanced at her again. 'It's over. They are not going to talk with me after tonight. I ruined another thing.'
After sitting unmoving for a while with her eyes closed, she opened her eyes and let out a long sigh. "So you're not going to talk?"
"I…I don't know what to say."
"Then don't. Be like this." She said coldly.
'This is it. Maybe I'll just tell her. It's over anyway.' Satoru sighed. "Because I'm afraid that they will say no or if they say yes they will just leave once they know the real me." He let out another tired sigh. "It's easier to be alone. Everything I care for goes away. Yggdrasil, my mother, and friends. It's only a matter of time before I'm back to nothing."
"I am afraid too! My health is not getting better. Sooner or later AI will replace voice acting and I will be out of a job. I am holding back my brother from having a family. And even If I decide to marry one of the few men that would still show interest in me, I am terrified that once my back completely gives out and money runs out, I will be tossed in the street to die with other undesirables." Akari's voice broke.
"You know what is worse in all this? Each time you visit, that tiny sliver of hope that you are not coming here just out of boredom or to get your fix on social interactions. Each time you do not try to date anyone, I get this stupid feeling that maybe you are waiting for me. Like you used to years ago when I still was normal. When I was desirable. Hell, if you have shown at least some incentive back then I would… It does not matter."
She glared at Satoru, as she wiped tears out of her eyes. "I don't want your pity! I don't need you to come here every other day because you don't know what you want to do with your life and think you are earning some moral points for helping me and Itsuki. I want you to have something more. If you are interested in me, the real broken mess of me, then say so. If not then grow some fucking balls and ask that girl out!" She shouted at him.
"I…" Satoru looked up at her. Akari was crying with her face twisted in a scowl.
"I do not need some stupid hope that you will always be there for me."
'I never even considered how she feels about me being here so often. What should I do? Do I want to be with her for the rest of my life with all the struggles we would face? I wanted to help them because my life is so empty. She has always been beautiful and she understands me and… I… I do want her.'
"I want to be with you." He finally managed to get out.
"You…" Her face lit in surprise. "God you are stupid. But…" She smiled. "I need a fool who would settle for me."
She grabbed Satoru by his shirt and pulled his face close to hers. "Promise me you won't leave me, or just feed me a bottle of pills so I fade away in my sleep if you do." She said with a whisper.
"I won't leave you."
"You know what a foolish man like you deserves?" She asked and pulled Satoru in for a kiss before he could answer.
X
"There you go. Three moves and they are together." The girl excitedly announced jumping up to her feet.
"One was unnecessary." The man remarked as he watched his apprentice work.
"I just added it to make it quicker." The girl sat back down and continued tinkering with the timeline. "Their life is still shit."
"Feel free to make it however you wish. The timeline is yours now."
"Hmm, unless I remade the whole world, their lives would still be bad. I could make them roll in cash so their lives are better, but where is fun in that? Hey, I know! I will send them together to the same world as Momonga and Buku. Just two of them." She announced.
"It doesn't have to be the same world. You can choose whatever world you want for them."
"Now you are talking. So many options… eh, I'll let the dice decide." She pulled out a small dice that constantly changed around the number of sides and numbers on them.
"A very strategic move." The man dryly remarked.
She just scoffed at her teacher and tossed the dice in the air and let it fall on the sand.
As soon as it made contact with the sandy grounds, the man looked over her shoulder with a curious look on his face. The girl looked over the result with a growing grin.
"…Perfect."
Edited by Zirmeister.
AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (Link is in my profile) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader.
Proofreading by Tophrel, Visur Nyxan, Sad_Smiles, and Zirmeister.