Chapter 46: Soaring Through the Sky is That Thing from the Mural

I checked the map and decided on a route from Thirdrema's terrain leading to the Prismatic Forest Cave. Going straight down the main street would be the fastest, but if I don't ensure a certain degree of stealth, I'll end up saying "Konnichiwa" to the mob aiming for my Unique Scenario in the worst-case scenario.

"Go through here, then via the back alley..."

"It is a shortcut if we go through here, desu wa!"

"I see... Alright."

Route decided. Now I just have to run without tripping.

"He's not here..."

I feel like I've been doing nothing but playing hide-and-seek lately, Psyger-0 sighed inside a player-run restaurant in Thirdrema. Based on the theory of "If we make you want to eat the dish in real life after eating it in-game, we win," this restaurant is run by people who actually work as chefs in reality. Even within that competitive category, Thirdrema is a fierce battleground. Among them, this shop, which primarily deals in ingredient items found in the Prismatic Forest Cave, is Psyger-0's favorite. Her personal recommendation is the "Fluorescent Moss and Nitro Tomato Caesar Salad"; this dish is the culprit behind the salad boom that has recently arrived in Psyger-0's real life.

"I heard he was a very restless person, but you really are like a tuna, aren't you, Hizutome-kun..."

If he stops, he dies. Perhaps the reason she was making such a harsh assessment was due to a slight irritation at herself for never being able to take the first step in their interaction, no matter how much time passed. So, how to break the status quo? The method Psyger-0 came up with while waiting for her salad was a "Paradigm Shift."

(In other words, it is a switching of procedures!)

However, when asked specifically what she would do, she was stuck for an answer. Reality and games just don't go the way you want... As she looked up with that thought—

"Yes?"

Something—a simple figure that looked like a white hood completely covering the body down to the knees, with only eyebrows and eyes drawn on it—was dancing through the air with indescribable mobility.

"Uhh, umm, that Egyptian..."

Just like That Thing which lives in the mansion of the god of earth and the underworld, likes human hearts, and shoots beams from its eyes...

"...Hah!"

In that instant, Psyger-0's thoughts connected disjointed words at the speed of lightning. Bare feet. Tattoos (Curse). Hiding. Eccentric behavior. The person she is looking for... The player name is too far to see clearly, but it is likely four characters. She had no proof, yet she was convinced. That bizarre white hood was undoubtedly Hizutome Rakuro (Sunraku). They say good things come to those who wait (sleep), but if you don't go grab good news yourself, nothing will ever progress. Though she felt a pull of regret for the salad that had yet to arrive, Psyger-0, armed with a certain secret plan, dashed off in the direction the Medje... or rather, the white hood thought to be Sunraku, had leaped away.

"I-I wish you would stop adding twists and spins when you jump all of a sudden, desu wa!?"

"No, my bad. Hiding like this actually makes me feel embarrassed to expose what's inside, so I just kinda..."

Item Name: Festival Garb: The Vanquisher's Long Hood <Festa Medje Kaffiyeh>

No matter how you look at it, the equipped appearance looks exactly like that thing found on Egyptian murals—the one that has a boss-level setting but looks like a mascot character. Or rather, it is that thing. However, its performance is quite unique (in the sense of being interesting). Technically, this is classified as Head Equipment, but because the white cloth completely covers down to the knees, equipping just the head slot allows one to hide almost the entire body. However, as a downside, it comes with the effect that all skills using arms are unusable while equipped. In combat, this effect makes it nothing but garbage, so it is a true "Joke Item." Well, the judgment is probably that using it for fashion in town is fine.

Equipped with the Festival Garb: The Vanquisher's Long Hood, I leaped over rooftops, slipped through back alleys, and occasionally dashed through main streets. It stands out terribly, but it would be impossible for someone seeing it for the first time to instantly identify This Thing and Sunraku as the same person. by the time they check the name and realize, "Wait, this is Sunraku," I'll have already escaped. It's a perfect operation. As for my reputation after people realize This equals Sunraku? That's just collateral damage.

"But why are we taking the long way around, desu waaa!?"

"It's a fake! A feint!"

Using wooden crates and walls as stepping stones, and sometimes lifting the hood in secluded spots to use my hands to scramble up onto roofs, I ran. Right now, I'm not running in a straight line toward the route for the Prismatic Forest Cave. Instead, I'm running toward the route for the Iron Ruins of the Divine Age. However, the destination remains the Prismatic Forest Cave. This is strictly a fake; the plan is to use back alleys at the very last moment to construct a route heading to the Forest Cave.

"Listen, Emul. If you want to seriously deceive people, you have to prepare at least a Lie-like Lie, a Lie-like Truth, and a Truth-like Lie."

That's something I learned from Pencilgon. The fact that "Honest Truth" isn't included in the mandatory list really shows what a bastard she is. Anyway, I'll make the majority think I'm heading to the Iron Ruins. This obscures my real objective. Even if someone sees me heading to the Prismatic Forest Cave, the majority opinion will wash away the minority truth. The monster concept of the Majority Hounds is truly rational, seriously.

"Now then, let's stand out in a bad way to our heart's content!"

"Kyaaaaah! Spare me the somersaults, desu waaa!!"

Author's Notes & Lore:

Chefs in Shangri-la Frontier: The hardcore cooking players in ShanFro are divided into two types. There are the "Chef Players" who commission other players to gather ingredients, and the "Steven Seagal-like Chef Players" who will beat the crap out of a dragon with a kitchen knife and a frying pan to get the ingredients themselves.

Translator's Remarks:

• "That Thing" (Medjed): The characters refer to the entity as "That Thing" or describe it. This is a reference to Medjed, a minor god from the Book of the Dead who became an internet meme in Japan for looking like a person under a sheet with eyes drawn on it.
• Tuna (Maguro): In Japanese slang/culture, Tunas are famous for needing to swim constantly to breathe. Describing someone as a tuna implies they are restless and cannot sit still.
• Festa Medje Kaffiyeh: The Kanji reads Matsurigo (Festival/Ritual Clothes) and Datousha no Nagazukin (Overthrower/Vanquisher's Long Hood), but the reading is forced as "Festa Medje Kaffiyeh." "Medje" references Medjed.
• Four Characters: Sunraku's name in Japanese is Sa-n-ra-ku (サンラク), which is four Katakana characters.