Chapter 4: The Innocent, Lovable Sphinx

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VOLUME 3

“Hau…?”

I felt my entire world shake violently, and I fell off my bed.

After the Yagami sisters had pierced through the Ama-no-Iwato, the shockwaves reverberated through my room, shaking it in all directions.

The Oniichan Surveillance Tool fell off my head, and I felt a sharp pain in my back. I groaned.

The manga on my shelves and the stuffed animals in my room also started tumbling to the ground as well.

“Ooo…”

As I expected, normal methods won’t work here.

This was the Ama-no-Iwato we were talking about: the strongest barrier in j.a.panese legend, rivaling the strength of the Chikaeshi-no-Oooiwa (the Thousand-Man Boulder) which protected the entrance to the Underworld. And yet, it had been broken. It really seemed like I wouldn’t be able to keep these girls at bay with normal methods.

But I had one more ace in the hole.

I dragged my c.u.mbersome body back into bed and put the Oniichan Surveillance Tool back on my head… I then mustered my strength and created more alterations.

“Ow owwow ow…”

Kagami sat herself up, her eyes tearing up.

It was good and all that Tama had managed to eat through a part of the Ama-no-Iwato, and that they were able to make it inside the black ball.

However, they had come in at such a high speed that they couldn’t brake fast enough, and so they magnificently crashed into the ground.

After their emergency landing, the four of them slid along the ground and ended up letting go of each other, which sent them flying in all different directions.

This was the inside of the black ball… the inside of the Ama-no-Iwato.

Luckily, Kagami didn’t seem to be hurt very badly, and she took a look around.

“Where are we…?”

Kagami was sitting flat on her a.s.s in the middle of what appeared to be a very normal park.

It was a place for children to play; it had swings and a slide and other toys you’d expect in any average park in any average town.

The world had been painted over in silver just a minute ago, but there were no longer any signs of snow. Instead, the skies were clear and the weather made it feel more like mid-autumn.

Kagami blinked again and again, and stood up timidly.

“According to legend, there is a huge, deep cave within the Ama-no-Iwato. After the famous incident with the Supreme G.o.d Amaterasu, the Itsuno-o-Habari and other G.o.ds settled down there. In other words, it is a wide territory where the G.o.ds can do as they please…”

Kagami fell into thought and c.o.c.ked her head to the side.

“So we can consider this a small world, a miniature garden that Sasami-san created. It’s quite peaceful here though… hm?”

Kagami knit her brows and continued to mumble.

“It’s becoming quite difficult to talk. As if I cannot move my tongue very well…”

“Ahh, Kagami-nee?”

Tama had also stood up next to Kagami.

Kagami was immediately at a loss for words when she saw Tama.

“Tama…?”

“Hohehh? Yes, I’m Tama.”

Tama responded with a smile. Yes, it really was her.

But… she looked way too young.

Her blonde hair and that circular hair ornament of hers were unchanged.

But, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and b.u.t.t were now much flatter, and she had become much shorter. She looked almost like a normal elementary schooler now.

Her face was also a lot younger now, and she even had one of those elementary school backpacks on her back. She looked completely like a child now.

“Hey hey.”

The now-young Tama approached Kagami, a worried look on her face.

“You’re Kagami-nee, right? Why are you so small now?”

“Huh?”

Tama’s words seemed to have worried Kagami a bit so she took another good look at herself.

At her much shorter limbs and her cherubic, chubby face.

And at the backpack on her back.

Together with her hairstyle that made her look like a j.a.panese doll, Kagami now looked very innocent and lovable.

“W-Why am I a child now?!”

“Kagami-nee is small… but Kagami-nee is just as big as Tama. So, Tama is also small? Hm~~?”

Tama looked down at her own body and looked back up with a sparkling smile.

“Yay yay~~! Kagami-nee, look look! Umm, Tama is small! Tama is! Tama is like an elementary schooler!”

“Well, technically you really are an elementary schooler though…”

Kagami once again fell into thought as she watched Tama excitedly hop all over the place.

“What’s the meaning of this…? Also, we are supposed to possess the highest cla.s.s of divinity, so it would be quite difficult to affect us through an alteration. Is this an illusion? No, none of the weapons equipped on my body are responding, so it’s as if I really have been transformed into a powerless elementary schooler…”

Kagami nervously twisted her body to and fro while looking around.

“This is not good. If we’re attacked while we are like this, then we will be helpless. Also, I cannot freely enact alterations here… perhaps it is because Sasami-san controls this s.p.a.ce, or perhaps it is because we have reverted to elementary schoolers. Right now, defeating me would be like taking candy from a baby!”

“Hey hey, Kagami-nee! How old does Tama look? Seven? Eight? Kyahaha~~! Kagami-nee! Tama is so small! Tama could wear kid’s clothes now, right?! She can go play with all the kids in the park and the police won’t come, right?! Tama’s dream has come true! Tama is so happy~~~!”

“Ugh, shut up…”

Kagami did not look very happy as she tried to pry Tama off her, but then she looked a bit puzzled as she moved her gaze around.

“But, is it just me and Tama here…? What happened to sensei and neesan?”

“Ah, Kagami-nee! Isn’t that Tsurugi-nee over there?!”

Tama pointed across the flowerbed where a head of reddish hair was poking out.

Tsurugi didn’t seem to have noticed the others yet, but Kagami let out a sigh of relief.

“Ahh, neesan, you’re all the way over there… neesan has always been rather small so it seems like she didn’t change much at all. Let’s go, Tama. We’re going to meet up with neesan over there.”

“Okaaay~~.”

Tama responded positively, so Kagami took her by the hand and rushed over on her tiny feet.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the flowerbed, Tsurugi was swiftly stripping off her one-piece dress.

“Ufufu…”

She seemed to be straddling a child version of my brother.

She had already tossed her backpack off to the side.

“It’s a small Kamiomi-kun… so cuuuute~~.”

Tsurugi licked her lips and began to strip my brother of his clothes as he shivered in fear.

“Don’t be afraid. Just leave it to me… you’re going to be a man way sooner than all your friends at school, you know? Makes my heart race~~. I’ll be the first to bruise this green, unripened fruit… and make you into a man, Kamiomi-kun!”

“What the h.e.l.l are you doing you loli b.i.t.c.h?!” yelled Kagami as she rushed over.

“Tch.” Tsurugi clicked her tongue when she saw Kagami. She then quickly wrapped her clothes around herself and stood up with a bit of a blush, acting like nothing had happened.

“Ahh, so I guess Kagami-chan also turned into a child… I wonder what’s going on?”

“You seem to be trying to act as if nothing had happened, but we live in times when that kyah kyah ufufu ufufu stuff is forbidden between two elementary schoolers! Please avoid that type of behavior in the future!”

“Kagami-chan, look look! I’m wearing a kid’s backpack and I’m naked!”

Kagami smacked her older sister to the ground and then helped my small brother up to his feet.

“Are you alright, sensei?”

“Yes…”

My brother timidly stood by Kagami’s side, looking around.

If he was an adult, his actions would’ve come off as pretty suspicious, but as a kid, he just looked like a cowering pretty boy, and it made me want to gobble him up. It was strange.

By the way, my brother was still dutifully hiding his face behind his backpack.

“… Hm? I feel Sasami-san’s presence!”

My brother yelled out some crazy-sounding nonsense as he turned to face the park entrance.

And right as rain, right there was…

–

A young version of myself walking along and wearing a kid’s backpack.

–

Oniichan, how exactly did you sense my presence that easily?

Sometimes he does stuff that really makes me doubt his humanity…

“Sasami-san!”

Kagami and the others all made a dash for me.

They flew out of the park and surrounded this young version of myself.

“Please explain exactly what is going on here!”

“W-Wait, Kagami-chan… this is…”

Tsurugi interrupted Kagami and touched the young me.

“This isn’t Sasami-chan herself… it seems to be one part of her, but her main body is not here. You could say this is a branch, or an offshoot of her being.”

“……?”

The young me looked suspiciously at Tsurugi and the others before seeming to get frightened and trying to walk quickly away.

At a bit of a loss at this behavior, Kagami began to give chase.

“Wait, neesan! Take a look at that!”

Kagami pointed to the backpack the young me was wearing.

It seemed somebody had scribbled a message there in pen or something.

–

This young version of myself is Tsukuyomi Sasami’s dere side.

–

“Dere?! What the h.e.l.l is going on…?!”

Kagami’s eyes darted back and forth in bewilderment.

At any rate, the message continued.

I have the utmost respect for you all for breaking through the Ama-no-Iwato and making it this far.

No matter what I put in your way, no matter how much I tell you to go back, it seems everyone is set on trying to enter my room.

It is possible that nothing I can do will be able to stop you, but there are various things happening, and I really don’t want to meet with anybody.

So, as a compromise, I would like to play a game with you.

“A game…?”

My brother and the Yagami sisters exchanged glances.

This is a virtual s.p.a.ce I created through an alteration within the Ama-no-Iwato, and you three now are no stronger than a elementary schoolers.

Tsurugi can no longer use her divine blade, Kagami can no longer use her spiritual weapons, and Tama can no longer use her ability to consume other G.o.ds.

This is an alteration I made using the full power of the Supreme G.o.d, so it will take quite a while before you can break out no matter how much you struggle.

Also, trying to struggle will be considered a rule violation and will result in you being ejected from this s.p.a.ce, so please be careful.

Do not worry. Once the game is finished, you will be returned to normal.

“A game…? Well, I guess that’s alright then…”

Kagami c.o.c.ked her head to the side and looked to be at a loss.

“So, why do we have to be elementary schoolers…?”

Starting now, the young me will start walking to school.

Each time you do something that makes the young me happy, you will receive “Sasami Points.”

On the other hand, if you do something that the young me does not like, you will lose “Sasami Points.”

That young version of me thinks pretty much the same way as the real me, so she has similar hobbies and preferences. So, if you act in a way that would make the real me happy, you will naturally gain Sasami Points.

“I see, so it’s like affection points in an eroge…”

Kagami mumbled to herself before blushing a bit as a shiver went through her.

“Is what neesan would probably say if she still had her memories…”

In other words, a person who can earn a lot of Sasami Points is a person who understands me well.

I would be okay with letting a person like that help me with my troubles.

“……!”

My brother jumped a bit.

It seemed like he was really determined to win this game.

There is a display of your Sasami Points above your heads, so please use that as a reference.

“Ah, it’s true. There it is.”

Kagami looked up and saw a lit up number was now listed there.

KG00000.

She had zero points right now.

And KG was probably an abbreviation of “KAGAMI.”

My brother was KM, Tsurugi was TR, and Tama was TM.

When the game ends – in other words, when the young me reaches the school – all players who have positive Sasami Points will be invited into my room.

However, if you have zero points or less, I refuse to see you, so you will have to withdraw from this place.

So, please try your best to do things that will leave you with a positive amount of Sasami Points.

Well then… game start!

“Hm…”

Kagami furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

“What is the meaning of this…? Could it be that Sasami-san plans to give us no Sasami Points, and because those are the rules of the game, plans to claim she has a legal (?) reason to keep us out of her room? That’s quite roundabout…”

“Tama doesn’t know…”

Tama raised her hands into the air seeming to be genuinely happy that she now looked like a child.

“But we’re close to Tama’s school! That small Mamarin is going to the same school as Tama, right?!”

Mamarin was referring to me, in case you didn’t know.

“Hm, this seems to be quite a detailed recreation of our neighborhood. Now that you mention it, I do recognize many of these buildings. In that case, the elementary school is… ah, it’s quite close. We do not have much time here.”

Kagami nodded and closed in on the young me as I trudged along.

“Well, I suppose it does not hurt to try… let’s see what happens.”

Kagami stood in front of the young me and gave a greeting.

“Good morning.”

“……?”

The young me looked at Kagami suspiciously, when suddenly…

“Question One @ Sasami-san’s favorite snack is which of the following?”

“A: Chocolate.”

“B: Calor** Mate.”

“C: Biscuits.”

That came out of the young me’s mouth.

“…… Uh, what?”

Kagami froze up while the young me stared at her, waiting for an answer for a few seconds, when…

“Time’s up.”

The young me quickly looked away from Kagami and continued to walk.

The Sasami Points shown above Kagami’s head suddenly became KG(-)00020.

“H-Hey, wait just a second!”

Kagami seemed a bit fl.u.s.tered, and tried to grab the young me by the arm.

But she grabbed nothing but air.

Her hand pa.s.sed through the young me like I was a ghost. This caused Kagami to lose her balance and tumble to the ground.

“Time is up when I reach the school… all actions that might delay that like grabbing my hands and pulling me back or cutting off my legs, for example, are strictly prohibited. Depending on the action, there may also be a penalty incurred, so please be careful.”

The young me muttered that in a businesslike tone.

It seemed that Kagami’s actions this time indeed incurred a penalty, and her Sasami Points dropped even further.

KG(-)00220.

“I see.”

My brother seemed to figure out the trick to the game or something, and so he sprinted and quickly moved up to beside the young me.

“That little quiz earlier was related to Sasami-san’s likes and dislikes…! I’m not only Sasami-san’s family, but I love her more than anybody else in the entire world, so there’s no way someone like me wouldn’t be able to answer!”

My brother was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence.

“For some reason, Sasami-san has started really hating chocolate lately, and Calor** Mate isn’t really a snack. Biscuits just dry up Sasami-san’s mouth and that’s why she said she doesn’t like them! So this was a trick question! None of those choices were right!So, the snack that Sasami-san likes is…”

My brother suddenly stripped off his shirt and sprung himself upon the young me.

“It’s me, right?! Sasami-san’s favorite sweet in this entire world is her oniichan, right?! That’s the right answer, right?!”

Of course, n.o.body could touch this young me, so my brother’s body just pa.s.sed right through my younger self, sending him tumbling half-naked onto the road. He ended up collapsed by the roadside, completely beaten up.

The young me looked down at that brother of mine and mumbled.

“… At least make it something edible…”

KM(-)00050.

“This is pointless. Sensei is useless here.”

Kagami didn’t pay any heed to my brother as he lay collapsed by the road, and instead just ran up to me again.

“I remember exchanging mails with Sasami-san and learning what her favorite snack was. It was… hmm… vinegared kelp, right?”

“Correct.”

Ding dong~~!

A cheap-sounding bell rang out, and the score above Kagami’s head changed to KG(-)00170.

Kagami seemed quite excited about that, but then the young me turned to her and spoke in a low voice.

Now the real game begins.

Kagami c.o.c.ked her head at those ominous words. The next second, it happened.

A car suddenly rounded the corner and sped right for them, striking the young me hard and sending that body flying through the air.

“……!”

In the middle of a tragic, gruesome pile of blood and guts, the young me now spoke weakly.

“Question Two @ Sasami-san has been hit by a car! What do you do?”

“A: Try to call an ambulance but accidentally call a hea.r.s.e instead. -> Wow, what a time-saver!”

“B: Make the spilled organs into sausage and find huge success opening a butcher shop. -> HAPPY END!”

“C: Use biotechnology to cultivate the pieces of flesh strewn around and make a Sasami-san clone. -> A victory for science!”

“What kind of question is this?! Also, why are those the only options?!?!”

Kagami and the others continued to be tossed around by the waves of this game.

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