Chapter 309: Like a Maiden, Like a Demon Dog

Author's Preface
My right hand was aching from muscle soreness, so I apologize for taking a break from updating.
I just wanted to rebuild my Nebuchadnezzar... (The cause of the worsening condition).

"U-Um... well, g-good morning..."

"Yes, good morning. So, how was it?"

When I asked Saiga-san, who had just woken up and sat up, she quickly patted herself down with a patapata to ensure her clothes weren't disheveled. Then, after a slight "pause," she answered my question.

".........Um, I was able to log in, but... um, a message popped up saying 'An abnormality has been detected in the system, please log out.'"

"Ahー... If that's showing up, it's the pattern where there are problems outside of just the output system. You definitely have to send it in for repairs."

"Is that so... Then, um... I will gladly borrow yours."

Sitting on a futon that looked far softer than the bed I usually sleep on, Saiga-san gave a polite bow. While waving my hand to tell her not to worry about it, I stood up and... wait, why is a self-inflicted Stun Beat running through my legs!?

"Nuoah."

"Are you ok—kya!"

The numbness running through my legs caused me to lose my balance, but I managed to brace myself and somehow recover my posture. However, Saiga-san—who had instinctively braced herself when she saw me falling—stepped forward, stepped on the hem of her own kimono, and tripped...

".........!"

"Oguuubu!?"

Accelerated by a combination of inertia and gravity, Saiga-san's headbutt gouged downward directly into my solar plexus.

".........! .........!?"

This is bad. My breakfast is going to come out.
The strength in the legs that had been barely supporting my body shattered into pieces, and I collapsed weakly onto my knees. Then, following gravity, Saiga-san's head—which had been buried in my solar plexus—slid straight down and...

"Ojou-sama, regarding your schedule for today............ Please excuse my intrusion."

"..........., ............"

"Waiiitttttt!"

She happened to be witnessed by the servant at the exact, absolutely perfect timing—a timing so flawless that anyone looking at the scene, where it vaguely appeared as if I was giving Saiga-san a lap pillow, would maliciously assume we had just triggered some kind of flag.

Desperately covering my mouth with my hands to keep my breakfast—which was currently demonstrating a terrifying whirlpool of regurgitation inside my stomach—from escaping, I was completely unable to speak. Meanwhile, Saiga-san, still resting her head on my thighs, tried to explain, "This isn't what it looks like!", which completely lacked any persuasive power whatsoever.

With a sususu, the sliding door was closed, leaving an indescribable silence drifting between Saiga-san and me.

"........."

"........."

Well, at the very least, I managed to avoid the absolute worst bad ending of throwing up in someone else's house... but to think the true final boss of Saiga's Castle of Wind and Clouds was actually Saiga-san herself.

............

.........

......

"...How can I possibly apologize...!"

"I-It was just an accident, so you really don't need to worry about it... No, really, it's fine. It's fine."

Knees together, head bowed, hands placed together on the floor in front of her head.
Watching Saiga-san execute the Ultimate Secret Art of Japanese Apologies—the Dogeza—I desperately begged her to raise her head. More than anything, the visual is way too dangerous. Depending on the location, I'd be the one getting severely punished for this.

"But..."

"No, really, the whole thing started because I lost my balance... If anything, this is basically a reverse Noblesse Oblige, or rather, my actual physical well-being is in danger here."

Depending on how things play out, this visual alone looks like the kind of thing that would result in me never being able to walk outside on a moonless night again, so please, I'm begging you. The Saiga family doesn't have a direct-subordinate black-ops disposal squad, right?

"Ahー, putting that aside, are you okay with the data migration?"

"Eu, au, um, well... It's fine... um, Iwamaki-san taught me the importance of backups, so..."

"I see. That's a relief then... I should probably get going soon."

It's not like anything particularly terrible happened, but Saiga's Castle of Wind and Clouds has completely shredded my mental stamina... The last time I felt this much tension was when I did a no-continue Time Attack (TA) campaign run for Cosmo Buster.
The final boss stage in that game was completely deranged. It was an entirely flat plain with absolutely zero obstacles, and you were forced to fight every single chapter boss you had faced up to that point back-to-back with zero mid-stage saves. The devs must have been out of their minds.
There were supply items scattered sparsely across the massive area, but the entire ground was covered in an endless, inexhaustible carpet of trash mobs, so... Ugh, just remembering it is giving me a headache. Ultimately, spamming support bombardments was the optimal solution. Watching trash mobs and NPCs getting blown into the air like dust being beaten out of a dirty tatami mat... I suppose you could say it had its own kind of charm.

"Au, um..."

"Hm?"

"Um.......................... I-I'll see you out to the entrance..."

After a "pause" that conveyed a rather spectacular internal conflict, Saiga-san finally managed to say that. Judging by her slumped shoulders, it seems she lost whatever conflict she was having, but...

"Well, you won't be able to do it immediately after you get back, but you can hurry up and prepare to head to the New Continent by tonight, right? Ah, are you free tonight?"

".........! Yes! I'm free! I'll make myself free!"

Well, to be blunt, I asked based on the assumption that a hardcore addict like Saiga-san would obviously have free time.
There are times when I honestly wonder if being a hardcore gamer grants you the ability to literally generate time. Like a certain pro gamer who frequently shows his face in Benpi, or the strongest Pilot who absolutely, without fail, logs in every single morning.
By the way, according to the recent "Rust Breaking News," there have been a string of accidents in Nephilim Hollow caused by people overloading their mechs with excessive boosters. What a dangerous environment. I wonder what caused that trend?

............

.........

......

Is this truly reality? Her cheeks, which she had pinched countless times, were flushed red, but was that truly because of the pain? If so, why was her other cheek—the one she hadn't pinched—equally red?

"Ehehehe, a lap pillow..."

It was a sudden accident, yes, but the undeniable fact that she had rested her head on his lap caused Rei's cheeks to involuntarily loosen.
Her VR system breaking down was truly an unexpected disaster, but perhaps this was a silver lining, or maybe a case of misfortune that turned out to be a blessing.
Her face completely melting into a sloppy grin, Rei practically skipped back to her room. Even the hallway she had walked down countless times now felt like a red carpet leading to glory.

"~~~♪"

Rakuro had been completely mistaken in his assumption, but even as the young lady of a prestigious family, she didn't just casually wear a kimono on a daily basis. To put it bluntly, Rei had simply been putting on airs. She was heading back to her room to change into her loungewear and prepare for the night... Just as she was about to walk past, one of the sliding doors quietly opened.

"Rei."

"Y-Yes, what is it, Sen-nee-san?"

"I heard the story from Momo."

".........?"

While she did feel slightly apologetic for completely derailing her older sister's grand plan of taking paid leave specifically to prepare for the decisive battle against Lycaon, she honestly thought her sister's login rate was way too high for a working adult anyway. And according to a former clan member, she apparently spends almost her entire days off logged in. Honestly, it was about time she got scold—"Rei, I hear there is a man you hold affection for?" Byahhhhhhhh!!!?!?

"Wh-Wawawawawa...!?"

"...Well, I had my suspicions the moment you invited a man into your private room."

"N-No, that's... au, um, well..."

"Listen carefully, Rei. The women of the Saiga family, for generations... yes, myself included without exception, are completely inept when it comes to romance. The same applies to you. Do you understand?"

"Ugh..."

Sen did not know. She did not know the fact that her romance-inept younger sister had been harboring this one-sided crush for nearly three years. Had she known, it was more obvious than a raging fire that the conversation would have immediately branched into a lecture route. In a way, this could be considered another blessing in disguise.

"Therefore, Rei, as a senior in life, allow me to impart some advice upon you."

"O-Okay..."

That being said, when it came to life experience, the golden words of her older sister—who had actually succeeded in reaching marriage—were surely worth listening to. Following Sen's beckoning, Rei sat in seiza and tilted her head to listen. Slowly opening her mouth, Sen delivered a single, concise phrase.

".........Fait accompli."

"Excuse me."

"Wait, Rei! You must wait, Rei!"

As expected of the women of the Saiga family. The curse of a bloodline completely incapable of choosing anything other than extreme actions of 0, 100... no, 1000, remained as strong as ever.

............

.........

......

"Norman-ku~n... is the 'Item' complete?"

"Ah, Sunraku-san...! Y-Yes! With the assistance from the Golden Scale Trading Company, all the various installations have been completed."

"Excellent... Yes, it's magnificent...!"

"I never imagined I would be able to fulfill my dream in a form like this...! I truly have nothing but gratitude for you, Sunraku-san..."

"It's nothing. I'd be grateful if we could continue this mutually beneficial relationship going forward... Ah, that's right. I've thought of a name for it."

"Hoh! May I hear it?"

"A name like the Valkyrie who carries warriors to the battlefield, and a name like the Demonic Hound fiercely loyal to its master... Yes, its name is..."

"Its name is...?"

"...Brunhilde Baskerville... No, 'Brunbas' for short."

Author's Afterword
The Goddess of Romance: "Heroine-chan is way too pathetic, maybe I should give her a hand."
The Goddess of RNG: "Gag punchline incoming lmaoooo"

I actually determined the development using dice rolls, so this really was the result of the Goddess of RNG bursting into laughter.
If I had just rolled a 2, it would have been a standard Lucky Lecher development, too...

Also, behind the scenes, there was a rule that "If the author can't think of a different name by the time this scene arrives, Brunhilde Baskerville will be officially adopted." You can guess what the result was.