“Yaa…wwnn….”

“Sleepy?”

It’s the second day of the final exams, and the school was filled with the gloomy screams of the students.

Meanwhile, Fuyufu was sitting in the corner of the school cafeteria during its shortened business hours trying to hold down a big yawn. Having seen her in the spot, Yuu decided to call her from behind.

After taking a sideward glance, Fuyufu wordlessly redirected her eyes back to her terminal screen.

“It sure is rare.”

Fuyufu was wearing gla.s.ses. She started wearing one entering third year of middle school, and only wore it during cla.s.s. It seems she’s in the middle of studying for the exam.

Speaking of rare, it’s also rare for Fuyufu to stay up late studying. Normally she would properly listen to the lessons in cla.s.s and remain composed even during this time of the year.

Unable to bear the awkward silence, Fuyufu faced Yuu and asked,

“…Do you need something from me?”

“Aaa…… well, how should I say it… I have something to talk to you about.”

Despite feeling a bit embarra.s.sed saying that, Yuu sat in front of Fuyufu face-to-face.

Just a hunch, but he knew. Ikui Librium. It didn’t seem the negotiations Niiro talked about would work well.

As someone who had faced her directly, he knew that there’s something similar between her and Memento. She’s not as violent, but their behavior as intelligent being was similar. She never once hesitated, and was willing to do anything to achieve her goal. But it’s hard for him to believe that a heartless person like her was related to Haruha.

Before the situation changed any further, he must make his decision.

“Fuyufu… what do you think a lie is? Is it something that is better not existing?”

“……As random as always. Don’t you have to study or something?”

“Not really.”

Although he said as such, he knew he would have to face makeups for his weak subjects.

Fuyufu then moved towards him and said,

“That.”

“?　── Nnn!? ”

He ended up letting out a strange voice as his nose was pulled by Fuyufu.

“Look, your nose grows.”

“Just what are you doing?”

Yuu bent his back and managed to escape from the grasp of his childhood friend. In contrast to the confused Yuu, Fuyufu’s stares were cold.

“Have you heard of Pinocchio? A doll cursed to have his nose grow every time he lies.

──You were lying right, when you said you didn’t have to study.”

“Uuh……”

Unsurprisingly, she saw through him.

“Since you were little, Yuu…… every time something bad happened, you always come to me asking for advice.”

Yuu did not answer. In other words, he did not deny that.

Around the age of 10, Yuu had a fight with his friends at school, grumbling about how he couldn’t win in games, about his mother, and the fact that every time he found things got hard, he would always come to rely on Fuyufu. Sometimes then, Fuyufu would talk about the stories from the book she read.

And as he listened to her, he would feel relaxed.

“And in the end you always fall asleep, it irritates me.”

“I’m sorry…… I won’t sleep anymore, okay.”

When he’s tired, listening to Fuyufu’s stories helped him to sleep peacefully. To add, Fuyufu seemed to be enjoying her time quoting the words she got from the books she read. So he thought it was okay.

“Well… that’s okay though. It’s not the first time you acted like that after all.”

Fuyufu then switched her terminal into sleep mode, took off her gla.s.ses and faced Yuu.

“……First off, let me ask, what do you think a lie is?”

“That is…… something that is not the truth, maybe.”

“Then what is the truth?”

“A-A fact……?”

“Then what is fact?”

“……Reality? No, it’s basically the same── then, something that actually happens, something that is actually experienced, maybe?”

“Still too weak of an answer. If you put it that way, misunderstandings and illusions are neither truth nor fact. But, for the person itself it’s not a lie, not a false.

── So a fact is?”

“………A matter…… that everyone, without exclusion, recognize as truth…. h-how about that?”

“Then, everything other than that is a lie, is that what you’re saying?”

“Errrm, if it’s not the truth and unclear…… yes, a lie.”

Yuu nodded and Fuyufu followed suit.

“Then that’s your answer and nothing else.”

Somehow── Yuu felt restless.

“Wait, but, how about tricks, swindles, or betrayals, or lies to escape from reality… there so many of them. Do you think we are better off without them?”

This should have been an unnatural question, but Fuyufu replied instantly.

“Those are lies used as tools to fulfill one’s motive, right? It’s the same as when someone uses a gla.s.s ashtray as a murder weapon in a murder suspense drama.

It’s not about what’s wrong, but rather when it becomes wrong.”

Yuu was confused. He understood what Fuyufu was trying to say. But, he was misled by what the  《Crystal World》  referred to as a “World without lie”. As he thought about it, he asked again.

“But…… there’s also 『mistake』 in lies right? Don’t you think the world will be a better place without misunderstandings and misconceptions──”

“Yuu.”

She called his name and Yuu slowly stopped his tired tongue from moving. Then he realized that hearing Fuyufu defending the existence of lies disturbed him more than it should.

After patiently waiting for Yuu to settle, Fuyufu quietly continued.

“There might be some misunderstanding between you and your mother, Yuu. Maybe you two weren’t able to fully understand each other. But that was maybe because both you and your mother were just simply lying to yourselves, unable to honestly say that you two wanted to be with each other.

But, this sadness of yours comes from the death of your mother, not because there’s fault in both of your ways.”

Fuyufu should already know why Yuu came to see her. Even if she didn’t know about the incident in 『CtG』, she knew what the words that Yuu wanted to hear the most.

So that’s why he spoiled himself to her. [TL: Originally それに甘えて、逆らった。, though I’m not sure what it supposed to mean in this context.]

“But if it’s not wrong, then how come both my mother and I live such lonely lives?”

“If your mother was still alive, the two of you would surely laugh over that misunderstanding and would get along with each other after that. I guarantee it.”

“……How come you can be so sure about it?”

“After all, both of you love each other. I’ve been by your side for a very long time now so I know.

Those feelings are what are important, that’s why even now you still love your mother, right? If it’s truly a mistake, if you truly don’t feel that way, you wouldn’t try so hard to remember her, much less be troubled by it.”

“………Fuyufu”

Fraying around the edges, he let out a miserable voice. Even so, Yuu simply continued to look at Fuyufu.

“To sum it up…… what you are trying to say is……”

He felt embarra.s.sed over what he had just said. Fuyufu averted her eyes and said.

“No lies and no mistakes──

Trying to be perfect in a relationship is bullsh*t is what I’m saying.”

Kasugai Yuu let out a huge laughter, totally ignoring the publics’ eyes.

It’s precisely what she said.

But during all this time, Yuu did not notice.

That one female student was watching him. A girl with her friends, who just happened to be there to buy a green tea that only sold at the vending machine at the school cafeteria.

She was Kugimiya Miharu.

The other three did not notice Yuu. But as they played with with their newly bought canned drink, they noticed that Miharu had just simply stopped walking.

After she opened her can, Tsukami asked.

“What is it, master?”

But the one she asked was disorientated, confused after seeing Kodzuchi Fuyufu happily talking with Yuu with such a defenseless face that she had never seen before. Miharu could only flinch, reacting to Tsukami’s voice.

Tsukami was startled.

“…!? W-why do you look like you are about to cry?”

“Aa, no…… I’m okay.”

After finally getting hold of herself, Miharu hurriedly walked with a quick pace. What kind of face was I’m making? What made me so nervous? The canned green tea she had in her hand suddenly felt cold, so she put it in her bag.

Tsukami, Nogi, and Rokkaku looked at each other and then followed Miharu.

After finally arriving to the shoe locker, Miharu finally stopped.

“What happened? Is there something wrong?”

Tsukami asked worriedly. She was seriously concerned for her. Hearing that, Miharu felt pain in her chest.

“Tsukami-san…… Nogi-san, Rokkaku-san. Do you mind hearing me out?”

“Eh? Aa, yes…”

Feeling something was wrong, the three of them then stood side-by-side and waited for Miharu’s words.

Miharu took a deep breath, exhaled, then timidly told them.

“A-Actually, I… am not a love master”

“Wha-……!?”

Her confession was a shock to Tsukami.

“W-What do you mean, master……?”

“I mean…… I never, had, a boyfriend… or anything like that.”

“Eeeeh!? T-Then, what about that time when you talked about 『100 bad things about my boy friend』 or when you accidentally said 『I don’t know what to do with that when cleaning the bath』 and others, all of those were lies!?”

“Actually, I’m really bad dealing with men……”

“Aaah, come to think of it you barely talk with the boys, don’t you?”

“I’ve seen you talk with Idiot-kun, but well, your seats are close to each other so it’s inevitable, I guess.”

Nogi and Rokkaku seemed to accept her confession rather easily. But Tsukami was different.

“What didn’t you tell us sooner……?”

She asked as she stared at Miharu.

“I-I’m sorry for kind of deceiving you girls……”

Miharu apologized, but Nogi gave her a hand-chop.

“There’s no need to apologize. To be blunt, it’s also our fault for having this misunderstanding.

Tsukami aside, we somewhat figured that out ourselves.”

“I-Is that so……?”

“We had our doubts when we saw you, Kugimiya-san, avoiding boys every time you pa.s.s by them on the hall. It’s unlikely such a timid girl would date a guy so far as to live with him. To add, your stories kind of messed up. From time to time, you talk about a kid and all.

Or more like, it’s hard to believe that a guy, who would name his child after the name of his ex-girlfriend, and who you said is a girl with a really bad personality, would exist.”

Rokkaku smiled a little and fixed the position of her gla.s.ses.

“Eeeh…… if you knew, then just please say so!”

To begin with, Nogi and Rokkaku weren’t as angry as Tsukami. After knowing that, all the tension left Miharu, but then another fear struck.

Could it be that her friends were making fun of her inside as they listened to her eventful life stories ──Although it’s mostly complaints about her life with Yuu ──. That might had been the case.

As she thought about that, she got worried. But she also realized that although tiring, she enjoyed all of those times she spent with them, and because she was so afraid of losing it, she didn’t even try to clear the misunderstanding.

Her past-self would most likely stop there and let the misunderstanding continue. But now as she had Haruha who looked up to her, standing still was no longer an option.

“Errm…… if you knew from the start, then why did you let me talk about it?”

Nogi and Rokkaku then went “Eee…..” and looked at each other. Then, they both laughed.

“After all, it’s seemed interesting of course.”

“Yes. I really like that weird couple that comes in Kugimiya-san’s stories.

It makes me want to cheer them on.”

It as if she got lifted up to the sky. Miharu unconsciously stood on her toes. So this was what it felt like being happy, she thought.

“W-Well, my Kurino-kun is not as awful as master’s boyfriend (provisional) though.”

“Like we said, he’s not yours.”

……………………

And so the topic got derailed, and they ended up taking about how Tsukami would get Kurino, who only thought about the club rather than her. In the end they didn’t talk about the exam because Tsukami wished to forget about it.

“Oooh, so there’s that! As expected from master, so tricky!”

“I’m neither master nor tricky……”

She felt a strange pain in her chest when she witnessed that scene back in the cafeteria, but as if someone had just pulled out the big nail that was piercing her chest, she now felt slightly bit better.

◇Part 2◇

“……So you’re saying that I’m a fake created by the『CtG』 computer?”

That night.

Haruha, Clamp, Mifa, and one more person went to the spot where the “Ghosts” were hiding. They said that they regularly changed places, but they hadn’t moved elsewhere since yesterday.

Clamp and three others took Yusra somewhere else, away from the rest of the “Ghosts” and briefed her on the truth of this case.

By the way, the rest of the “Ghosts” were circling around one of Clamp’s conspicuous companion.

A moving and talking giant mushroom doll.

“C-Could it be you’re that famous wilderness kidnapper, Paya The Kid!?”

“I heard he got petrified by a Basilisk in the desert, though.”

“Indeed, something did turn into a stone and was scattered──”

Payakino made sure everyone was looking at itself before it continued.

“The Basilisk, it was!”

BOO!

With the stylish mushroom joke, the “Ghosts” who had only little exposure to entertainment ── even though they were in a game ── in their life burst out laughing.

Yusra listened to their laugher from afar and changed her wording.

“In other words, we can’t go back…… or more like, to begin with, we never had a place to return to…… is that it?”

“Yes…… I’ve met Kanna in the real world, but her personality is different.”

Clamp decided to reveal everything and talked about the stuff that happened in the real world. At first, he thought she would be mad, but it looked like she seemed rather relieved instead. She didn’t say it out loud, but she’s happy that her family won’t be worried.

After that, Clamp moved on to the main topic.

“But there is a way to fix it. According to those who created Ikui, it’s possible to return those victims back to normal with Ikui’s power.”

“There is no way she would do that right……”

“That’s why we have to defeat her.”

Yuu(Clamp)’s tone was of one which Sakura(Yusra) had never heard from him before. A sharp and heavy tone.

“I’ll explain the details later, but if Ikui is defeated by a force weaker than her, her willpower…… no, her ident.i.ty will be lost. When that happens, she will surely acknowledge that you guys are the victims and return you back to normal.”

That was what Niiro Mansei had told him after he had just returned from school, the method to solve this case. In the end, the negotiations ended in failure ── what a useless old man, Yuu thought ──, but it appeared that he managed to make a deal in which Ikui would return all the players she recruited back to normal.

But of course, that only applied if Haruha managed to win in a battle against Ikui.

“When that time comes…… what will happen to us?”

“『CtG』 will be able to register you and your main body as one individual, and you will… disappear. But, it’s possible to pa.s.s on your memory to the main body.

In a sense, it will be like getting back your body.”

Transportation and integration of memory. It’s possible through the technology Haruha used to pa.s.s her personality to her real world body. According to Hajime, who spent all night making preparations for it, the chances of it succeeding was very high, even higher than when used by Hadzar.

Quite unexpectedly, Yusra believed him very easily. The days she spent trapped inside a game was quite unbearable it seemed, as the lack of need to eat and the sensation of being immortal can even drive someone insane.

“It’s just…” Yusra looked down.

“Do I even have a place to return?”

“What do you mean?” asked Mifa.

“The other Yusra…… though I’ve only seen her from afar, looked very quiet and calm, and isn’t as rough as me.

In the real world, rather than a sulky faced and half-a.s.sed person like me, a person like her who can get along and be friendly with others is better.”

“That……”

Mifa was about to say something but she stopped. She, in the real world was very timid and had no confidence. She understood Sakura(Yusra)’s feelings more than others, as she was a person who behaved the opposite of her counterpart in 『CtG』just like her.

“Especially in my family where my father was an active police, it’s better for a troublemaker daughter like me to never return.”

Yusra tried to smile, but she failed and it came out awkwardly instead.

Yuu recalled Sakura’s past that he heard from the other Yusra. She had lost the thing she poured her life into and was trapped in negative emotions stemmed from how miserable she was.

As someone who knew about her circ.u.mstances, Clamp was the one who should had spoken out first, but the first one to move was Haruha.

“Tooouh!”

She jumped and hugged Yusra all of the sudden. Yusra lowered her hips in the process. Haruha then placed her hand on Yusra’s ear and whispered.

“You see, Sakura-chan.”

She spoke in a low voice, she wanted to do a secret talk. Clamp and Mifa looked at them with blank faces.

“What is it…… just speak normally.”

“It’s a secret talk so no.”

“Secret……?”

“Un. Actually, Haruha is not daddy and mommy’s child.”

“Well, of course……”

She accidentally said that loudly, but then she realized. Just what she is. Why she acted as the child of these two high school student. Even though her skills were so awful in the real world, in this virtual world she’s the unstoppable OKG.

There’s no way she’s just a ‘normal’ child.

“Haruha was born inside this game, Haruha is daddy and mommy’s fake child. That’s why, Haruha thought it’s impossible for Haruha to become Sumo-san or idol in the future.

But it’s no good to say that. Daddy said he will no longer by daddy if Haruha say that. Haruha want to continue to be daddy and mommy’s child, so Haruha must behave like a real child.

That’s why, Haruha’s lies are secret.”

“You…… you think, such thing…… is actually possible?”

Her story was hard to believe, but in a sense, Yusra herself was just like her, a person who had no connections with the real world. Then, she remembered.

『Haruha, Haruha is not a human after all.』

『But Haruha can’t eat things like asparagus. When Haruha chew it, Haruhra goes uggeee』

In matter of fact, Haruha was not human, but she worried so much about having food that she didn’t like. Rather than thinking that as a simple personal preference, all differences she had with others made her believe that she herself was not human.

And such clumsy girl was now trying her hardest to cheer up Sakura(Yusra).

“Daddy and mommy said they will be with Haruha even if Haruha is not a human. Daddy and mommy would accompany Haruha in bed, and even when they want to study for exam, they will still hold Haruha’s hand…… Ah, but daddy forgot to buy Haruha a Choko no Egg.”

Strange. Even though the story was cut halfway, she got what Haruha was trying to say.

“That’s why, unlike Haruha who is not a real human, a real human like Sakura-chan will surely able to go back home.

For sure, Sakura-chan’s daddy and mommy will do huggy wuggy with Sakura-chan.”

◆Part 3◆

“It feels like eavesdropping so I’m not sure whether to feel bad about it…”

Haruha spoke in a low voice so that Clamp and the rest wouldn’t hear, but it was loud enough for the two people near her in the real world to hear. The black coffin-like Ramiel Haruha is currently mounting on has the function to project all her actions for observation purposes. Of course, it also includes her voice

 Hajime felt slightly guilt, but Niiro was smiling out of amus.e.m.e.nt.

“Hajime-kun, have you heard of Frankenstein’s story?”

 “Eh? Aaa…… I’ve only seen the movie about it”

 To be precise, it’s the story about a student named Frankenstein who used human corpses to create an artificial human.

 But, after seeing the monster he has created, Frankenstein felt regret and decided to run away leaving the monster alone. Abandoned by his father, the monster felt lonely and chased after Frankenstein and asked him to create another one of his kin. But after Frankenstein rejected his request, the monster went and killed all of Frankenstein’s friends and loved ones──

 “In that story, the monster did not kill Frankenstein’s loved ones for revenge. Rather, he did so because he wanted to be forgiven by Frankenstein”

 “? What does that mean?”

 “The monster has no parents, a person who serves as his guide, so he doesn’t know how to forgive or how to love someone. The only thing he knew was the thing that his father did to him, and that was to isolate him. That’s why he killed Frankenstein’s family and made him alone.

What the monster wanted was to be forgiven by Frankenstein. With that, the monster will be able to learn the act of 『Forgiveness』 from his father. But Frankenstein hated the monster.

 Therefore, the monster was unable to earn forgiveness from the father he pined for the most, and continue to suffer as he disappears”

 Unsure of whether it was really that kind of story, Hajime couldn’t find the connection between it and the talk Haruha and Yusra had a while ago.

 Knowing full well what Hajime was thinking, Niiro continues.

 “What Haruha attempted to do is the opposite.

 A monster such as herself was forgiven, so there’s no way a decent human like her would not be forgiven. Her way of thinking is too simple, it’s clear that she has not fully understood the concept of being human, therefore she’s so interesting.

 Well, well──”

 Niiro laughed as he played around with the bridge of his sungla.s.ses.

 “She sure is a lovable monster”

 　　　　◇Part 4◇

“……That’s enough”

Yusra interrupted and stretched her back. Her sigh falls on Haruha’s head.

 “I get what you wanted to say, but you’re making no sense”

 “You sounds weird, Sakura-chan!”

 “Look who’s talking…… or more like, come to think of it, unlike you I’m a delinquent. Even if I don’t have a place to go back to, I’ll just do as I like and wonder off somewhere”

 She said cheerfully and placed her hand on Haruha’s head. Haruha looked up to her with a blank face.

 “You know; you are definitely unfit to be a sumo player”

“Unn……”

 “But, maybe you can be an idol instead”

 Haruha made the brightest smile yet.

 “Aa…… un! Haruha will do her best to practice handshaking!”

 “Oi, go apologize for that stupid misunderstanding about being a idol!”

 Haruha pursued Yusra to hug her and Yusra tried to peel her away.

 Clamp and Mifa glanced at each other and smiled.

 It seems their child finally made a friend.

───The “Ghosts” showed various reactions regarding their current situation after they were informed by Yusra.

There were those who couldn’t accept that they’re the fake one, and there are those who were relieved that they’re not troubling their parents. But most can’t even decide how to react to the situation.

Later, after hearing Clamp’s request, around 40% of them agreed. Looking at the number alone, only a few dozen were willing to cooperate.

『Please cooperate with me to defeat Ikui, in the other word, to takeover Crystal Hotel』

That was his request. The “Ghosts” original plan was to have OKG(Haruha) to kill Ikui, so it also works in their favor.

『Ikui Librium is basically a hacker who illegally used hypnosis and did Avatar replication, but since the administrators doesn’t have any evidence they can’t make a move.

Clamp and his group made a promise with Ikui, if they able to defeat Ikui who’s hiding inside Crystal Hotel she will return all the victims back to normal and disband 《Crystal World》』

That’s how that scenario goes. It’s a lie to have them to cooperate without telling them about the Hadzar. It’s painful to keep secrets in this situation, but Yuu was already determined to do anything to protect Haruha’s life.

But since it’s still quite an unbelievable story, no one believed them, but around 40% of the “Ghosts” thought that they didn’t have any other options so they choose to cooperate. It’s way more than what Yuu predicted. It seemed that a lot of “Ghosts” believes that even if this is a trap, things won’t get any worse.

Well then….

As far as they know, the target Ikui Librium has never stepped foot outside Crystal Hotel since the first time she started recruiting people.

Hajime said it’s too bothersome to confirm, but she hypothesized that Ikui who stayed inside 『CtG』 24/7 has already deeply rooted herself inside that transparent fortress.

Their victory condition is to defeat Ikui, and their defeat condition is failing to defeat Ikui before the deadline.

Since Ikui confined herself inside, there’s no other option but to raid her place.

Haruha offered to go in by herself, but was refused instantly. Everything will end if Ikui got her hands on Haruha, so having Haruha to serve as the vanguard is not an option.

To begin with, a《Crystal World》 warrior is practically invincible in indoor places like Crystal Hotel thanks to their perfect formations and linked movements. Even with Haruha’s strength, it’s uncertain whether she can win against their number.

“I have a plan”

After looking at the face of their allies── Not just Yusra, but also Anzu and Ren is among them── Clamp voiced his scheme.

“We will first cause a distraction inside and charge in, as the rest of you hold back the masked men, I will go straight to Ikui and defeat her”

“……What a plan, Ikui can read minds can’t she…….?”

Ren with her braids hanging from  underneath her hood expressed her concern.

“Forget about getting inside, they should be able to read our minds just from getting close to the building”

Clamp nodded and ascertained.

“The only one who can read minds is just Ikui. That’s why there’s a way.

So everyone, please hold back the masked men for me till I defeat Ikui.”

After that Clamp explained his plan in greater detail and adjusted it alongside the others.

By the way,

“……He’s wicked as always.”

That was Yusra’s first thought after hearing Clamp’s plan. Mifa nodded in agreement.

The “Ghosts” who had their armor stripped off them were given equipment Clamp bought with his own money, and they adjusted themselves with their new weapons and equipment.

Haruha was allowed to partic.i.p.ate under the condition of only supporting from the rear.

　──Thus, the curtain of the fight between Haruha and Ikui Librium, and their kin will now fall.

　　　　◇Part 5◇

──If a shadow pa.s.sed through your body as you looked at the moon above, it’s undoubtedly her mischief.

The vast forest swallowed by iridescent light was the reflection of ancient time, the entrance to infinity.

That was a place filled with overwhelming force of magic. You were tied by its law, and she had casted her spell on you.

She, who was playing under the moonlight, would soon be referred to as a witch.

And you, who were enchanted by her, would be laughed by the fairies and feel discomfort.

It was the seeker of truth’s dark night. The night of pilgrims’ memorial vigil festival that mystified the world.

That was the magicians’ other side of the rainbow,

Its name was Wizards’ Glaive──

The next day.

Brandt, a masked swordsman with the number『41』 and also a member of《Crystal World》, exited Raiankarydi’s church. Using a teleportation item to teleport himself to the guild base, he then hurriedly entered the Crystal Hotel.

Brandt was a college student. After receiving an e-mail delivered from the Ramiel to his mobile terminal, he left the evening laboratory and hurriedly logged into 『CtG』with the Ramiel at the boarding house.

In the mail was the news that the hotel had been attacked today and that he should solidify their defenses. The sender was †Noa†, the number 『1』, under Ikui Librium’s orders.

Brandt’s thoughts were simple. Just do what he felt.

Ikui Librium’s thoughts were supposedly the mix of a vast number of different individuals’ desires; the final piece for humanity’s ascension and the holder of truths. And he who synchronised with it was able to take the best course of action in any situation just by relying on his intuition.

As long it’s not unreasonable, he would obediently respond to Ikui Librium’s calls. He would simply execute any orders without a second thought. To remind himself of that, he put on his mask.

The moment Brandt arrived, 32 of 《Crystal World》 members had already a.s.sembled. They must’ve arrived here earlier to station themselves as guards.

Crystal Hotel was a four story high long tower with a 400 square meter sized ground floor. There were no gates. It’s because, regardless of whether they were a guest or enemy, there was no need for them to reject anyone. There were also no kinds of furniture inside, but on the ground floor there were training dummies made of wood lined up.

Anyhow, since the floors were also made out of crystal, just by looking up, he could see the situation above. There were eight people on the third floor. He could see the footwear of his comrades and their long-nosed masks.

And on the fourth floor, which was the highest floor of the tower, was their leader, Ikui Librium, her aide, †Noa†, and two of their highest leveled magic warriors.

Brandt heard from †Noa†, the number 『1』, that Ikui Librium was Hadzar, who was a miracle existence who obtained a body in this virtual world and if she ever got a game over she would not be able to return here. Also, if they lost her, they wouldn’t be able to maintain 《Crystal World》anymore.

The frustration of not being able to show result in collage, the feeling of inferiority towards his more talented undercla.s.sman, and the strong pressure from his teachers; this place had saved him from all of those. That’s why; Brandt must protect the key to this equilibrium crystal world no matter what.

In this world without lie, the concept of truth didn’t exist. That’s why, it’s so kind.

“………Something is coming.”

Murmured the girl with the mask numbered 『44』, Yusra. Hearing her, he pulled himself together.

In the direction of where she was looking, pa.s.s the front side of the hotel’s crystal walls, dozens of Avatars showed up. The majority of their displayed data seen through AR Mode appeared to be broken. They were “Ghosts” that were born after they synchronized with Ikui Librium.

It seemed that Brandt’s “Ghost” was not among them. He didn’t know why but all members of 《Crystal World》 felt hostility towardS the “Ghosts”. They instinctively wanted to destroy them, especially their own “Ghost”. Because of that, they had fought against them several times already, but this was the first time the other side chose to attack first.

So, it seemed that today’s raid was about them. Brandt stopped thinking any further and proceeded to take action as the number『41』── though all he did was just holding his weapon. Crystal Hotel was much st.u.r.dier than it looked. To begin with, the strength of《Crystal World》 depended on how Ikui Librium was able to immediately antic.i.p.ate and counter even the opponent’s most bizarre of strategies.

That’s why there was neither need for uneasiness nor room for lies in this transparent chamber.

With a crystal-clear mind, Brandt began to chant the 《Acceleration(Accelerate)》spell in preparation to repel the attackers…

But then his whole torso burst open and flew off.

That moment── In other words, the moment 『41』’s upper half swelled up like a pumpkin and exploded, the masked Yusra heard the screams of the masked『1』, †Noa†, who was supposedly be protecting Ikui Librium, but had just now come down by elevator.

“Everyone, distance yourselves from those who just now arrived from Raiankarydi!

There are some kind of explosive hidden inside their body!”

However when that comment was made, Yusra’s mask was already dyed red by the fresh blood of their comrade. 『41』’s remains looked akin to a sticky anemone.

“H…… human bomb……!?”

“Great── it’s time to go!”

Under Clamp’s command, all members of the Ikui subjugation squad dashed and entered the Crystal Hotel.

Out of the blue, the crystal clear gla.s.s tower that was beautifully reflecting light a few minutes ago were now dyed red with blood.  It’s all because the Avatars who unknowingly entered the tower with a bomb planted somewhere within their body exploded one after another.

“Oaaah…… I did ask for their cooperation, but this is way too gruesome……”

The “Ghost” Yusra clamped her mouth with her hand to hold herself from vomiting. Approaching closer to the tower, she could see the bits of brains and organs sliding down the b.l.o.o.d.y wall. It must have been the remains of corpses of people that recently leaned on it.

The trick to it was surprisingly easy. All they had to do was, just wait for a masked avatar come out from the Raiankarydi church and ambush them. Afterwards, with ‘item installation coordinate’ bug, they planted a bomb trap within their bodies that would explode when magic was activated.

Normally one would notice when a bomb was planted within their body. But due to 『CtG』 specification, the condition of one’s stomach was based upon the player’s body in the real world so no one would realize when anything was put within their virtual stomach.

All that was left was to let the《Crystal World》 members to get into battle fervor. Since they’re within Wizards’ Glaive ground, there was no doubt that all the players here could use support magic.

The biggest advantage of this method was that people who brought the trap themselves had no knowledge about it so even Ikui Librium wasn’t be able to sense it.

Frankly speaking, among the 30 people stationed within the hotel, only 5 of them had the bomb planted within them, but it’s enough to bring 《Crystal World》 into panic.

The moment Yusra rushed into the hotel, she could see that the remaining masked men were dumbfounded. They had just witnessed the lifeless corpses(mannequin) pieces of their fallen comrades that was drowning in the sea of blood disintegrate with the explosion.

Before the opponents could recover, Clamp and Mifa quickly advanced up to the upper floor. After they defeated the masked men hindering their path, they climbed aboard the elevator leading to the top floor.

“Dammit!”

But, because of that, the masked man recovered instantly. Before, they couldn’t move, they were paranoid over who planted those bombs and what triggered them to explode. However, it was nothing compared to the fact that they’re now in the dire situation where Ikui was going to be killed. That realization itself reminded them that there was no time to waste dumbfounded.

“I won’t let you……!”

The shadow that chased after Clamp and his friends was the mask number 『44』── the real Yusra. She tried to get into the closing elevator door with bullet-like speed, but…

Suddenly she was tackled from her side and taken down before she was able to reach the door.

“Your opponent… is me!!!”

Wearing the exact same equipment as the real one, the “Ghost” Yusra wore a savage and maniacal smile on her face and fell into a stance.

“With you as my opponent… finally, I won’t have to run away from anything in this game anymore, right!!?”

Provoked, 『44』 stood up. “Ghost” Yusra could feel a strong hatred flaring up behind the mask.

There were people prepared to ambush them on the third floor, but the elevator Clamp and others rode went pa.s.s the third floor and safely reached the top floor.

On the third floor, Payakino, who bravely clung the outer wall like a slug, wielded a witch-ish broom and used it to defeat her enemies. Despite being awfully outnumbered, Payakino put up a good fight thanks to the tremendous impact of the element of surprise. It looked like Payakino was able to hold them down for a while.

The instant the elevator door opened, Mifa whispered.

“In here, I can help, so I’ll go too.”

Since the door opened immediately, Clamp had no time to think over what she said. Though he might have antic.i.p.ated that she would say that.

And, the one waiting for them on the top floor was their target Ikui and the two bodyguards who cut off both of Clamp’s legs the other day. They had already unsheathed their swords.

The two bodyguards had already cast their 《Acceleration(Accelerate)》 magic. Aided by a pair of lightning orbs, the two of them were ready and charged straight towards Clamp and Mifa.

The bodyguards were both experienced players and were of course many levels higher than Mifa and even Clamp.

If they take even a step outside the elevator they would instantly had turned into minced meat.

“………”

In such situation, Ikui, who might’ve read Clamp’s thoughts, opened her mouth.

“One should not go.”

Those words were for the two knights and were why Clamp stepped outside without even waiting for her to finish her words.

Reflexively──because Ikui failed to stop them in time──The two knights rushed forward.

The one who took the next action was none other than the person standing diagonally behind Clamp, Mifa, who had just finished her magic chant(charge).. What she cast was the same 《Acceleration(Accelerate)》 that the knights cast, but was directed towards Clamp. The orbs of lightning that exhibited great buffing effect ran towards Clamp.

And the《Magic Reflection(Reflect Magic)》 that she cast on Clamp in advance repelled the bulbs and they flew in all directions.

And that support magic hit one of the knights. Naturally the knight paid no heed to that. Not only did support magic not give any damage at all, it was actually increasing his speed── but, in the next moment.

“Nngh!?”

The knight, whose movement got accelerated beyond his imagination, couldn’t control his direction and hit the wall before he could attack Clamp. *Crash*… the heavy noise from the impact echoed.

He hit the wall headfirst, broke his neck and became a lifeless corpse.

The other knight drove towards Clamp, but the attack he unleashed was stopped by Clamp’s single-edged sword(Scaramax).. He might have been startled from the unexpected loss of comrade.

Mifa once again used 《Acceleration(Accelerate)》 and like before, it was repelled by Clamp. The knight who he was fighting with couldn’t avoid it. Therefore, he reflexively took a back step.

But that was a mistake.

“What!?”

Having only managed a half-a.s.sed escape, Clamp, who did not let the chance slide, quickly penetrated the base of his neck with his blade.

That was when Mifa had casted offensive magic in the form of wind blades, crippling the rest of his  endurance value(Hit Point) and turning him into a mannequin.

Ikui, who had till now just watched her two guards being defeated by such bizarre methods, muttered as she read what’s inside Clamp’s head.

“I see. You’re utilizing the bug that allows the same magic to overlap with each other. Same instances of support magic normally won’t overlap with each other, but the magic that got reflected by 《Magic Reflection(Reflect Magic)》 has a different registry ID to non-reflected ones and so the game takes it as different kind of magic and allow it to overlap.”

《Acceleration(Accelerate)》 was a magic that require considerable amount of skill to begin with, overlapping it would make one accelerate as fast as a race machine. And of course, being in such a state, one would be driven into a panic and caused an accident.

It’s obvious that no one would cast support magic on their ally who had 《Magic Reflection(Reflect Magic)》 on, so no one who played the game normally would figure this out.

(I’m amazed how he found these bugs one after another…… He said it’s due to his mother’s programming habit though.)

Thought Mifa as she let out a sigh.

“Iku thought the same. But Iku did not think that Kasugai Yuu’s attachment to his mother was anything remarkable.”

Receiving unexpected agreement, she got Gooseb.u.mps. She heard about her already, but it’s amazing how she was able to read other person’s thought so accurately.

Even now, could it be she’s reading all countermeasures they prepared for her…….?

“Well then……. Check!”

Along with Clamp’s shout as he faced his sword towards Ikui, Mifa felt even more nervous than the time she fought Memento.

Not yet. The crucial part started now.

“Ukyaaaa!?”

Anzu had a large build, but her scream was cute.

Not long ago she was wildly crushing the enemies with the hammer she wielded, but once the 《Crystal World》 members got hold of themselves again, she was quickly pushed back.

(Still…… I don’t want to die.)

After hearing that not only their body but also their sense of self were actually fake, getting a game over without having a real body was scary. They were reminded of how important it was for 『CtG』 to be a game that “no matter how realistic it was; you can go home anytime”.

The dimly distorted world seen through her narrowed eyes, Anzu recalled the face inside the mask of the person who tried to break her head open was her own face. It’s clear that the current her was trying to kill the past her.

When she was still in kindergarten she thought of becoming a magical girl and by the time entering elementary school, she’s aiming to become a pastry chef. It changed every single time, and now…… what was her dream again?

Wasn’t it normal for her “Ghost” self to end up just like her other dying dreams?

Anzu felt composed and closed her eyes.

But no matter how long she waited, the final blow never came.

The knight that was attacking Anzu had turned into a neck-less mannequin.

There’s no need to think who did it. It’s that girl, even now that girl was ma.s.sacring both in and out of Anzu’s field of vision.

The girl was wearing a witch’s pointed hat, black clothes, and wielded two hatchets with her tiny little hands. The figure of her dyeing the clear crystal tower with the letters of blood in a flash was like that of a small black whirlwind.

The only reason why they were able to fight equally on the first floor where they lost in both quality and numbers was thanks to none other than this girl.

(Amazing……. She really is the OKG!)

Finally overcoming the worse, she was impressed. But, even such Haruha was not invisible.

“Haruha-chan, watch out!”

The moment she shouted, it’s already too late. Along with the knights who were holding Haruha back, they were hit by powerful electric shock.

Mask number 『１』. It was †Noa†’s work.

Haruha seemed to have retreated with a jump but it should’ve dealt damage to her. She dropped one of her axes and dropped to one knee. She glared at †Noa† expressionlessly.

“That’s not good. Even though this is a game, it’s wrong for a kid like you to fight. A kid is born to be loved, protected, and grow. That’s the truth.

Let alone to do such scary surprise attack(lie)”

Despite saying so, †Noa† still attacked her. To Anzu, what he did was nothing but eerie. It’s also strange how no one had ever seen his “ghost”. Could it be that he had this kind of twisted personality like the rest of 《Crystal World》 to begin with? (But Clamp, who nonchalantly carried out a plan using human bombs, was also a problem I think.)

†Noa† stepped up and presented his hand to her.

“I heard that you’re an equal existence to Ikui Librium.

But, you won’t be able to grow properly in this lie-filled world. You must return to our side before your heart gets changed by the chemical reaction.

Let’s become Ikui Librium just like us and live in the world of crystal.”

“……Why don’t you understand?”

Answered Haruha without a single bit of anger or malice. She just simply wondered from the bottom of her heart, her voice sounding hollow.

“You people hurt Sakura-chan you know?

You know, Sakura-chan is very good with games, she even gave Haruha a sheep doll, and it made mommy really happy, Sakura-chan also tried her best to defeat daddy, and she taught Haruha that delinquent is strong and cool.”

†Noa†── couldn’t understand what she’s saying. Anzu couldn’t either, but she somewhat got what she was trying to say. Yusra, whom Anzu first met as a fellow newbie, continued to support her till she could play by herself.

Yusra was a very blunt and clumsy girl, but she was also very kind and good with taking care of others.

Yusra was that kind of person.

“Haruha…… hates you people.”

Haruha stood up.

“To do the same thing with that kind of people──

Haruha, can’t stand it, it’s sickening!”

The fight between two Yusras had inevitably become a long battle.

“Ghost’s” stats were equal to their counterpart and it was the same for their equipment. Knowing full well the strengths of each other, the two felt hesitant to stand forward.

As if they had forgotten that they were in a virtual world where there’s no pain, the two were awfully anxious.

Losing was not an option. Both of them hated each other.

She wanted to be praised, she didn’t want to be hated, and in doing so she overdid herself and destroyed her own dreams, therefore she hated such an obedient self.

She directed anger to everyone, she rebelled needlessly. In doing so, she refused to acknowledge her own powerlessness and could no longer enjoy the game that she liked. Thus, she hated such an annoying self.

Neither of them would stay sane unless they beat the other person.

There can only be one! ──That was the conclusion Yusra had reached as a “Ghost”.

Therefore, Yusra moved in a desperate rush. The other her reflexively intercepted it and launched a counter.

That’s when she grabbed the arm of her other self.

“Aagh…….”

“You’re really naïve huh…… even though we are inside a game, you are always like that.”

That’s why, she was able to predict her attack. It was a battle of wits.

And so she was able to catch “her own” shoulder ── The shoulder that was injured in the real world ──, and detached it’s joint without hesitation. The abnormal sound of her ligament tearing, which should only ring from inside her body, was played inside her head.

Even though she shouldn’t feel any pain, the eyes inside that mask were wide open…… Did it hurt? It was painful even for a “Ghost” after all.

But the “Ghost” lied to that pain. To change and to grow up she could just lie to her current self.

After that, that lie would become the truth.

Then, with her strongest offensive Fist skill, Yusra crushed the face of her other self.

──Meanwhile, as Kanna Sakura’s fight with herself finally reached a conclusion.

Clamp and Mifa were at their wit’s end.

They have used up all possible methods to defeat an opponent who could read other people’s mind like in a fantasy novel or manga.

Thinking of nothing but a brick wall── except, they couldn’t move while doing that.

Trying to overwhelm her by the sheer number of moves── except, they’re no match for Hadzar’s battle prowess.

Attack her with a wide AOE (*Area of Effect*) magic or bombs that targeted the entire room── except, she would quickly figure it out and take cover behind Clamp and Mifa’s bodies.

Using hypnosis to forget their own plans and wait till that plan was ready to be executed── except, they didn’t have any method to hypnotize themselves with.

Presently, after being casted 《Acceleration(Accelerate)》 on him by Mifa, Clamp simply swung his sword furiously. Unsurprisingly all of his attacks were completely blocked.

Ikui loosely held her wand and indifferently stopped attacking.

“There will always will be a few milliseconds of lag before the human body can move in response to the signal sent by their brain. The same applied even in 『CtG』.

But Iku can see that signal. And with Hadzar’s processing speed, Iku can plan countermeasures to any actions that is intuitive            .”

“……It’s not that you can read other’s minds, but you live in a different flow of time compared to other humans, is that what you’re saying?”

Clamp clicked his tongue. So it meant, to her, it was like playing a winning game.

Ikui heard that with her unchanging, expressionless face. But, she did not ignore it.

“That’s right. It’s accurate to think that the time Iku sees is different compared to other people. But, the same applies for the current humanity.

Since the speed of light is finite, the person that another person sees is actually younger than they currently are, therefore a human is a lonely creature that cannot share the same time with others.

But Iku’s disproportionation unifies their brains, nullifies that lag, the lie of time.”

Ikui’s power to unify human beings’ thoughts might be the only solution to unify the time differences between people. But…

“It’s so complicated that I don’t get it but…… isn’t trying to fill up that gap of lag is what makes people grow right!? Once you try to think of the other person, you should be able to know even things 10 years ahead!

That’s right── the feeling for others can surpa.s.s time itself!”

Said Mifa strongly. Clamp couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m amazed you aren’t embarra.s.sed saying that…….”

“I-It’s not embarra.s.sing!

After all, when I thought that Haruha will sleep 3 minutes after getting into bed, she really did. I also know that when you start becoming conscious of my eyes, you will go to the toilet the minute after, Kasugai-kun──Geez, just why do you act so embarra.s.sed like that──

It’s va…. valuable scientific data right!”

Insisted Mifa. Miharu couldn’t help but feel affection for Haruha who continued to worry about Yusra so much that she couldn’t sleep. Therefore, there’s no way she would admit that her daughter was inferior to Iku.

“”If that is the case, then all you have to do is to be one step ahead of her.”

But, no matter how much she worked her imagination she wouldn’t be able to predict Ikui Librium’s movement. Ikui wielded her wand like a spear and played around with Clamp’s sword, all the while poking at Mifa’s staff.

Then the two of them flinched, and were hit by the shockwave magic, 《Shot Blow》. It was not that powerful but they were blown off far away. The same thing happened repeatedly, and the two were defeated despite their two-on-one advantage.

Ikui had low attack power and unlike Haruha or Memento, she didn’t attack their weak points, so they were able to survive without receiving a fatal wound.

It’s not that she’s going easy on them, but it’s because Ikui was determined to “Disproportionate” them. Her aim was not to defeat Clamp and Mifa.

Ikui was calm. She delivered a powerful stare that was enough to intimidate her enemies. She’s the complete opposite of Haruha who let her emotions control her.

Clamp took a deep breath as he held his single-edged sword(Scaramax)..

(This situation… has deteriorated.)

Ikui’s main goal was to separate the two of them and disproportionate either one of them. That’s why as long he continued to stay by Mifa’s side, she wouldn’t go for the kill. But, doing that won’t fully prevent her from killing them. As long as one of them received a game over in one way or another, she could just take out the remaining one.

And they did not have the option of retreating. They couldn’t just simply use the same tactics twice after all, if they did they wouldn’t even be able to face Ikui like this anymore.

And the team below who were holding back the enemy should already be at their limit.

(I wonder what Haruha is doing right now……)

What came to his mind was a small girl who had just recently became his family. It’s hard to imagine that she would lose to a normal human, but he couldn’t help but to feel worried.

Haruha’s main body was now in the real world, so even if she got a game over she wouldn’t disappear. But, if Clamp lost her and let Iku and her 《Crystal World》 run loose, sooner or later they would cause a disturbance and the administration team would have to shut down 『CtG』. If that happened, Haruha could no longer regularly log-in to『CtG』 and her life would be in crisis as she couldn’t clear up all the information processing errors she got from staying in the real world.

He couldn’t afford to let himself lose here.

“Why?”

Ikui tilted her head a little.

“Why are you obsessed over fake connections? You two are not connected to Haruha by blood or even have any social obligation towards her.

To begin with, she’s just a fake child whom was forced on you two by the inst.i.tute that is still hiding the truth.”

Clamp and Mifa did not answer.

Just read our minds as you please.

Even if their meeting with Haruha was arranged by someone, even if it was just for the convenient of others, and even if she’s not biologically or artificially Yuu and Miharu’s child….

Still, thanks to that lie, Yuu and Miharu were able to meet Haruha. She happily talked to them, jumped into their arms, and in the end they were able to smile together alongside her bright smile.

He began to understand the meaning of “It’s not what is wrong, but when that becomes wrong.” the phrase that Fuyufu had said.

Lies were── “What is not right.”, “What is not truth.”, and “What is different.” were the greatest obstacles in communication, but at the same time, a form of possibility that surpa.s.sed the reality.

And that could only be established if there was someone else who possessed a heart that was different from your own.

That’s why.

Even if it’s sometimes sad, even if it’s sometimes painful, even if it’s sometimes cruel, and even if it’s sometimes messy.

Yuu wished for a world where there were others.

That moment.

A person was climbing the stairs.

Reflexively, he thought it was Payakino who defeated the rest of 《Crystal World》 reinforcements.

It’s not. It was someone who shouldn’t appear here.

That’s why, to Yuu, and Miharu, it was precisely…

“You’re lying…… right?”

It was Ren.

A pet.i.te girl who was among the herd of “ghosts” hiding in the forest. She partic.i.p.ated in this crystal hotel conquer battle. Usually, she hid under the shadow of Anzu.

But Ren wasn’t a “Ghost”. Her status data seen through AR mode was not garbled and her name and status were displayed normally.

And right now, she took off her hood that she used to wear and exposed her face. Her black hair flowed out and fluttered right on top her shoulder.

On her face lay a pair of eyes that saw through everything.

──She looked quite different because of her long hair, but there’s no doubt that she’s Kodzuchi Fuyufu.

“Fuyufu!?”

Yuu(Clamp) yelled at her, but Fuyufu(Ren) ignored him and marched forward.

Her cloak fluttered, revealing her armour that perfectly matched her body-line and the wavy dagger in her hand.

“Follow me, Yuu!”

There’s no need for explanation.

With her wavy dagger (Kris Naga), she aimed at Ikui’s waist──

Naturally, Ikui Librium noticed that. Her field of vision expanded throughout the entire area of the transparent tower.

And then she figured it out, Ren’s──Kodzuchi Fuyufu’s plan.

By deeply investigating Kasugai Yuu’s personal information and that child, she managed to link herself to the Memento and OKG incident. As she continued to look for Clamp in CtG, she noticed the similarities between the Memento incident and the current bizarre phenomenon where people fell into a coma in real world.

Sniffing out the rumours concerning 《Crystal World》, Ren disguised herself as a “Ghost” to collect information and waited for Clamp’s arrival. Putting aside the fact that it’s related to “Haruha”, there was no way Yuu would simply allow the guys do weird things in the game his mother made.

Fuyufu herself had no intention of forgiving Ikui who caused troubles for the “Ghost” in Yuu’s game.

That’s why, she waited for Yuu to knead a plan to defeat Ikui who posseses the power to see into people’s mind.

And now, by revealing herself at this moment, she finally executed her plan.

The reason why Ikui Librium did not prevent her scheme was because she had doubts as to whether it’s possible or not.

Fuyufu’s plan was── to make Yuu confused.

On top of that, she planned to de