Chapter 147: And So, Wolfgang Goes From the Sea to the Skyscrapers

"Why does this Galaxeus guy insist on being a total bystander... He intervenes directly plenty of times, but always plays the bystander when it actually counts..."

Connecting my mobile terminal to the simplified, non-Full-Dive VR headgear equipped to my seat, I muttered to myself while reading an American comic—what they call an "Ame-comi"—that Katzo told me to read. Taking off the headgear and looking out the window, I watched the brilliantly lit city lights flash by at high speed as twilight heralded the setting sun.

I was currently on a maglev train heading toward the nation's capital.

A little while after defeating the Giga-Oarfish... or rather, that thing with a name like Arctus Meganexus, players steadily gathered, drawn by the roaring explosions and destruction acting as the ultimate beacon. The fish-men gathered too, incidentally. After chatting for a bit, we managed to regroup, but a few problems surfaced... even though we were at the bottom of the sea.

First and foremost: just like me, the other players also couldn't fully commit to the EX Scenario's seven-day time limit. If we had known in advance, we would have adjusted our schedules to fight full-time for seven days, but since we were thrown onto the non-stop express straight into the EX Scenario, we weren't even given the time to plan a schedule.
That said, no matter how much of a "Unique EX" scenario it is, it's hard to imagine a difficulty level that is impossible to clear without playing full-time for seven straight days. If we completely abandon our human lives for about four days—no, maybe three—it might be doable. That was my assessment of the difficulty.
I won't be able to participate in the raid tomorrow, the day after... no, depending on how things go, it might even bleed into the day after that, so I'll be out of commission from Day 2 to Day 4. Akitsu Akane can't participate from Day 3 to Day 5 due to club activities or something, and Rust and Mold—while they didn't disclose why—can't participate every other day: Day 2, Day 4, and Day 6. At the very least, from what I heard, everyone will be available on Day 7, so the final battle against Ctarrnid should work out somehow.

And then there was the second problem. Namely, we failed to rendezvous with Rei-shi... Saiga-0.
The order in which people gathered at that spot was Rust & Ceecrue, Akitsu Akane, and then Mold. We waited for a while, but Rei-shi was the only one who didn't show up. Because the fish-men started swarming and the other players wanted to log out, we had no choice but to leave the area... Rei-shi can act a bit strange sometimes, but when it comes to raw dedication and playtime in the game Shangri-La Frontier, she is a head—no, four heads—above everyone else participating in this scenario. I just hope she managed to figure out how saving works on her own.
That being said, purely as a feature of the VR system itself and not the game, playing continuously for several hours triggers a forced logout in the worst-case scenario, so I doubt anything critical has happened. Besides, part of the reason I couldn't test the forced logout feature was that I was worried about the safety of Emul and the other NPCs; Rei-shi could log out without any such reservations. I don't know where she'll spawn when she logs back in, but it's highly unlikely we won't be able to meet up over the course of seven days.

With all that going on, despite the issue of not meeting up with Rei-shi, those of us who did regroup discussed our raid schedule, and then each either continued playing or logged out. And that brings me to now, sitting on a maglev train with a travel bag in hand.

"Still, because those two are so... them, I ended up suggesting we use E-mail as a contact method... But yeah, normal people use SNS for this stuff, don't they..."

On one hand, you have a charismatic model practically deified by teens; on the other, a pro gamer idolized by gamers everywhere. Because they both have official work accounts on SNS, our main method of communication among the three of us is E-mail—for the incredibly stupid reason of "We might accidentally post on our public accounts by mistake." I sometimes think it might be better to just expose their true natures on a national scale, but it'd be annoying if my sister turned into a cultist, so I suppose beautiful illusions should remain beautiful illusions.
Because of that, the very option of using SNS for real-life contact completely slipped my mind. When I asked the other players for their E-mail addresses to establish a line of communication, I ended up getting stared at like I was some kind of weirdo.

"This is completely those two's fault... right."

I stopped reading for a moment and opened an SNS app that's apparently popular among middle and high schoolers these days. I mean, I'm a high schooler myself, but... um, yeah. Look, I've basically already burned half my youth as firewood in the flames of Trash Games, so...

"Let's see, do this here, join this... alright, done."

For now, I created a new account and joined a chat room titled "Ruluiath Raid Frontline." Everyone except Rei-shi was already in the room Akitsu Akane had created, and a few messages were already displayed.
Heeh, hunting fish-men is actually good for EXP... Must be nice... I skipped all of that during my fight with the Goldy Scorpion... Over-leveling is a concern too, honestly.

『...Passengers disembarking, please ensure you have all your belongings───』

"Hm, we're here already?"

A distance that I wouldn't even know how long it would take to walk was covered in under an hour by the maglev. Civilization is truly wonderful.

I stepped off the maglev, opened the map on my mobile terminal, and started walking. Being the capital, even in Japan today, it's a magnificent city that never sleeps. LED lights illuminated the night darkness, making the buildings shine. Relying on my map, I walked through lights bright enough to expose even Lycaon's transparent clones, until I found it.

"Hotel Grand Supreme... Is this what they call a luxury hotel?"

And one with prices where a single night's stay could probably buy you everything you need for a Full-Dive VR setup. Maybe the map app got the coordinates wrong or something... Yeah, probably not. Damn you, pro gamer. Are you out of your mind calling someone to a place like this? This isn't the kind of place a high schooler comes to alone. Honestly, I'd feel much more mentally at peace at an internet cafe with Full-Dive VR booths.

"Hmm... Katzo said, 'Just tell them you're Sunraku, the companion of Kei Uomi, and they'll let you through,' but..."

This goes beyond feeling out of place. It feels like being forced to challenge Lycaon at Level 1. If this were a game, I could ram an armored car plastered in C4 straight through the entrance, or bomb the building with a fighter jet without a moment's hesitation. But in real life, just walking into the hotel is on Hard mode. That being said, I have to remember why I came here in the first place... Gah, whatever happens, happens!!

"The OMOTENASHI is incredible... So that's what 'first-class' means... I could use this as a reference for roleplaying."

After receiving overwhelmingly polite service directed at a lone high schooler who clearly looked out of place no matter how you sliced it, I was brought to a hotel room. They didn't do anything insane like guide me to a suite room, but I'm keenly realizing right now that whether it's a suite or not, the feeling of utter restlessness is exactly the same.

"This isn't some elaborate prank targeting me specifically... is it?"

When I contacted Katzo, he said he'd come see me right away and told me to wait in the room. I tossed my bags onto the bed carelessly and looked around the room I'd been guided to. There were two beds—a so-called twin room assigned for single use—but either way, it was huge. But the most prominent feature was a piece of "Equipment" sitting smack in the middle of the room. It resembled a bed or a reclining chair... but compared to those, it had a heavily mechanical aesthetic.

"Isn't this... the latest model Full-Dive system, famous for a price and size that clearly tells the common man 'we don't expect you to buy this'..."

This is bad, I'm genuinely starting to get scared. What is that pro gamer thinking? Has his mind snapped from adversity? For welcoming a single high schooler, isn't this... spending way, way too much money?
That being said, it would be a lie to say I'm not interested in a state-of-the-art Full-Dive system. If I remember the catalog correctly, the switch is here, and you lie down right...

Just as I was fiddling with the chair-integrated Full-Dive system—which looked like a giant capsule depending on how you viewed it—the door was knocked on rather carelessly. If it were a hotel employee, they'd use the intercom. So is this Katzo?

"Hm? Wait, is this..."

"Yoohoo, Sunraku-kun! Did you think it was the pro gamer? Surprise! It is the direct descent of the super charismatic model, Amane-sama! Now, now, show me that face of yours..."

"Shkoo... shkoo..."

Honestly, even I think the gas mask was a bit much. Yeah. But if it's in your bag, you just kinda put it on, right?

Having achieved the grand feat of making the face of a super charismatic model twitch in horror, the very first thing I had to do was struggle frantically to stop Pencilgon... or rather, Towa Amane, from calling the staff for help.

Author's Afterword

By the way, here are their respective SNS profile icons:

• Sunraku: An extreme close-up of a Shoebill Stork.

• Akitsu Akane: A stylized dragonfly logo.

• Rust: A rusted screw.

• Mold: Blue cheese.

• Pencilgon: A majestic selfie.

• Katzo: An image of a fighting game character's face that changes regularly.