Chapter 61: Dedicated to a Moment Part 9

NPC "Setsuna of Distant Days" looked at us with a gaze that seemed to hold expectation, yet also a desire to reject us, mixed with other emotions... To put it poorly, it was a look that didn't seem like it was directed at data made of zeros and ones. I instantly exchanged eye contact with OiKatzo, yielding (pushing) the responsibility of self-introduction to each other.

"Ah... Hello. I'm Technique Number One of Pencilgon's Merry Band, Sunraku. And this is Emul."

"I am Vysache's daughter, Emul, desu wa!"

"I'm Power Number Two of Pencilgon's Merry Band, OiKatzo. Nice to meet you."

"That's the Idiot Duo and the mascot."

Hey, you. As OiKatzo and I glared at Pencilgon with our eyes alone, Setsuna looked at each of us before speaking.

"How should I put this... You've gathered quite an amazing group, Arthur."

"Well, yeah. They're small fry right now, but I intend to have them polished up by the time of the decisive battle."

"That's not what I mean."

Setsuna turned her gaze toward me, pointing at her own chest... Ah, in this case, she's pointing out my "Curses."

"I've never seen someone carrying two of Kuro-chan's strong auras before. And to be with Cinder-chan's child... Fufu, it reminds me of someone nostalgic."

"Umm..."

"Oh, don't mind me. Just nostalgia... from a long, long time ago..."

Judging by Pencilgon's demeanor, it seems a flag different from the usual ones is currently under construction... OiKatzo, stay.

"I'm sure she passed away a long time ago, but thanks to you, I remembered some fond memories. Thank you."

"Eh? Ah, you're welcome?"

There was too little information to judge how to reply. While I was hesitating, I might have missed the timing, as Setsuna looked away from me. It wouldn't be good to lower her affinity by forcing the conversation. I sent eye contact to Pencilgon, urging her to continue the talk.

"Set-chan, I want you to tell these two about him."

"...Understood."

『Unique Scenario EX "From the Living World, With Love" has started.』

It's here. OiKatzo and I pressed "Yes" without hesitation. Setsuna nodded once and began to weave her words.

"He... Wethermon was my lover. Due to a slight misunderstanding, I died... and ever since then, he has been protecting my grave... yes, protecting it all this time."

"I see, so that's why he's a Tombguard."

"I don't know how much time has passed since the living 'me' died, but when I realized it, I had become like this... I don't particularly have any lingering regrets about dying."

Setsuna looked up at the withered tree—one that bore not a single leaf, standing out in stark contrast to the mass of vitality that was the Prismatic Forest Grotto, leading all the way to this place where Red Spider Lilies bloomed in full glory.

"Death is the end. What has ended belongs to the past, and it should not bind someone's present... or their future. That is why I cannot bear that he continues to be bound by my grave—my past..."

"That is why," Setsuna said, moving her gaze from the withered tree to the full moon illuminating the night sky.

"He used a progra... um, magic, that I constructed to build a barrier here. By utilizing the moonlight's magical power and 'inverting' the coordinates to the reverse side of the dimension, he made it so no one could interfere."

I heard a word that was subtly concerning, but essentially, if where we are now is the "Heads" of the coin, Wethermon the Tombguard is on the "Tails." Is that understanding correct?

"But when the moon loses its light... only on the night of the New Moon does a tear appear in the barrier. A rift that leads to the reverse coordinates where he resides is born."

"So we dive in there and fight... is what you're saying."

Setsuna nodded at OiKatzo's words, then straightened her posture and looked at me, at OiKatzo, and finally at Pencilgon.

"Please... put Wethermon... put that person to sleep."

Setsuna bowed her head as she said this. While I was wondering how to respond, Pencilgon flashed a grin.

"Leave it to us, Set-chan. Unlike those cowards, the three of us will go slap some sense into that idiot who's worrying you."

The usual tone, the usual gestures—yet, at the sincere emotion contained in Pencilgon's words, OiKatzo and I widened our eyes and looked at each other. Is that really Pencilgon? The same Pencil Warrior who dragged an NPC King around by a carriage in Unite Rounds to use as a lure for enemies, and hung an NPC Princess from a chandelier to use as a lure for players?

"That Pencilgon, who acts more like a Last Boss than the actual Last Boss, is chatting amicably with an NPC...!? Has she regained her human heart!?"

"Sunraku-kun, that's being a little rude, don't you think?"

"THIS FEELING... IS THIS... A HEART...?"

"Oi, Pro Gamer."

After a few seconds of silence, Pencilgon, wearing her extremely usual smile but with ears turning bright red, gripped a divine sword... no, a spear? It was clearly a weapon that wouldn't be designed unless it was some kind of Unique item.

"Alright, you two! It's practice for the Wethermon fight! I'm going to carve the violence of the level cap into your brains!"

"She's acting calm on the surface, but her emotions are scrambling on the inside. What a God Game to reproduce that," I thought. And seeing Setsuna watching us with a heartwarming expression made me wonder, "Is she really an NPC?" Various thoughts crossed my mind. Memories of battles with numerous strong enemies flashed before my eyes, not limited to ShanFro but spanning all the games I've played until now... Ah, this is a cinematic flashback of death.

"You...! Don't pull out an obviously dangerous weapon against two small fry! That's immature!"

"Crap, Sunraku, her eyes are serious! She intends to PK us!"

"Pyaaaaaah! Why me toooooo!?"

She let us off at 90% HP loss. Emul, however, got fluffed. And Setsuna watched the whole scene happily... truly happily, with her eyes narrowed in delight.

"Good grief. If this wasn't before the challenge against Wethermon the Tombguard, I wouldn't have been satisfied until I spawn-camped you five times."

"Did you hear that, OiKatzo? This is Pencilgon."

"Yeah. The Pencilgon who was called 'more merciful than the Last Boss' because the boss would just attack honestly has returned."

"Want to go for the full 100%?"

When the two of us and one animal raised our hands in surrender, Pencilgon sighed and sheathed her weapon.

"Well, if a lion starts a vegetable garden, people would lau... Oops. We are comrades with the same ambition. We can understand each other if we talk, right?"

"Sunraku-kun, don't you think there is some youth that can only be conveyed through fists?"

"I don't dislike Sunraku's style of provoking with full force."

"I wish you would stop because I get caught in the crossfire, desu wa..."

In a game, the only thing you gain is a realization of the difference in damage numbers. It was a return trip where provocative words and fists flew for a while, but eventually, Pencilgon, who had kept her mouth shut in a tight line, muttered quietly.

"Ahh......... well, you know. Sometimes I just want to act cool in front of an NPC, you know? Like... how do I put it... with the name 'Setsuna' and her background... I can't really think of it as someone else's affair... Yes, that's riiiight! Even I get emotionally invested in games sometimes!"

Pencilgon confessed with a red face, but... did she have to say that to us? OiKatzo seemed to think the same thing; we both exchanged bitter smiles and politely laughed at Pencilgon through our noses together.

"Getting serious about a game? That's perfectly fine. If you can get serious about something, it's definitely more fun to do so."

"Exactly, exactly... Games are fun because we play them seriously. I mean, that's my job, you know?"

"Eh, you're a pro who plays seriously, yet you haven't triggered a single Unique scenario on your own...? Sto—! Stop trying to go for the eyes with your fingers! Not the eyes!"

Somehow, even though I steered the flow in a nice direction, this Pro Gamer can't even let a little provocation (joke) slide. That's immature. You're getting serious in the wrong place! Is that a play mistake or a Pro Gamer move... Ah, damn, I'm losing the push war! Due to status point distribution, even if my level is higher, I'm inferior in STR. As I struggled to hold back the index fingers aiming for my eyes without hesitation, I heard a chuckling sound.

"Fu, fufu... Ah, that's right... You guys are quite something too, fufufufu... Ahahaha!"

Pencilgon, wearing a bright and refreshing smile, slapped her cheeks with both hands. Then, returning to her usual expression—the fearless grin of a hedonist (Setsuna-ist) who launches flashy fireworks—she declared:

"The opponent is a Unique Monster with a forced Level 150 gap that would surprise even a bullshit story boss! Even so, if it's us, we can do it. Let's get serious and go for the win!"

At those words, both OiKatzo and I... and Emul, who seemingly got carried away by the flow, gave a silent thumbs-up.

"I'm going to work you like carriage horses and I won't let you rest even if you die, so be prepared!"

With less than two weeks left until the decisive battle, we began to move frantically.

"Well, both of you are continuing to fish until you hit Level 50 though."

I figured as much.

"Yaaawn...!"

I let out a huge yawn as I sat up in bed. Yesterday was a packed schedule. I rubbed my eyes and left the room. After that, dragged along by Pencilgon who got high on a runaway tension, we carried out an all-nighter fishing operation. Since my level exceeded that of the Livetide Lake Serpents, the accursed effect of my curse caused the eels to start fleeing as soon as they spawned, stopping my leveling and earning me endless nagging from the other two. I was quarantined in a separate location, and when I snapped and fished like crazy, I ended up summoning a Rare Monster called the "Livetide Destrobuster," a Level 80 monster. It was fundamentally too strong, and even Emul couldn't put a dent in it. While I was laughing and pushing all the aggro onto Pencilgon, OiKatzo encountered a second lobster, turning the scene into a living hell. Honestly, I think it's a miracle we didn't die. But by defeating the two lobsters, I grew to Level 51, and Katzo to Level 46. Having completed my leveling at a frightening speed, and considering the Skill Gardener matter, I temporarily logged out... and that was what happened during last night's login.

Watching the rising morning sun through the window, I thought about today's schedule.

"For now, skills. If there are new skills I can learn, nothing beats that... there are also a few materials I want. Anyway, first I need to check if there's a Skill Gardener in Rabituza, and depending on the selection, I might need to visit Skill Gardeners in other towns..."

As I mumbled to myself while pouring milk into a glass, I noticed a magazine placed on the desk. It seemed to be a fashion magazine that my sister, Rumi, had forgotten to take with her. On the cover was a female model smiling brilliantly. If I hadn't keenly felt—literally—that person's true nature, I would have simply thought she was a beautiful person. As I stared intently at the person I had been playing a game with just moments ago, a hand reached out from the side and snatched the magazine away.

"Ah."

"What, what? Did you become a fan of Towa-sama too, Onii-chan?"

"Towa-sama...?"

For me, the mutter slipped out meaning, "Why is my sister calling that guy with the honorific '-sama'?" But Rumi apparently took it in a different way. Holding the magazine up like a banner, she began to preach about how wonderful "Towa-sama" was.

"Amane Towa! The star model that Japan boasts to the world! There isn't a teen aspiring to be a model who doesn't admire Towa-sama! If there is, they're a fake."

"Star model."

"Towa-sama is amazing, you know! She doesn't need to put on airs nicely! Just snapping her every move is enough to complete a fashion magazine; she's like a person born solely to be a model! She's incredible, okay? A while back, a fan secretly took a picture of Towa-sama in the city and uploaded it to social media. She couldn't have noticed the camera and shouldn't have known the timing, yet she looked so stylish, it was a super best shot as if she knew she was being photographed in advance..."

"Ah, I see."

"?"

"No, nothing, just talking to myself. That 'Towa-sama' (of yours) has a private life too, so spare her the unauthorized screenshots."

Downing the milk in one go, I said that to Rumi and returned to my room. I see, I see. So that's how it is.

"Towa (Eternity), the hedonist, who spent Setsuna (A Moment) with the eternal..."

If I were Pencilgon... even if it's fiction in a game, or just a mere coincidence, I would certainly want to tackle it seriously. Especially when it involves a God Game NPC who reacts just like a human.

Guess I'll brace myself and get serious too.

Author's Notes & Lore:

• Technically, Setsuna isn't a "ghost," per se.

Translator's Remarks:

• Cinder-chan (Haikaburi): Setsuna refers to Vysache as "Cinder-chan" likely because "Ash" is in his name. "Haikaburi" is also the Japanese name for Cinderella (Ash-covered).
• Lion/Vegetable Garden: A metaphor implying someone dangerous or aggressive doing something domestic or peaceful.