Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou Vol 6 Chapter 3

The two Keenas seemed to have grown quite close. It may have been due to the rice pudding.

This made things a lot easier for Akuto. The amount of time Keena Dorons spent around him had dropped considerably. However, that did not mean the number of commotions had dropped as well.

“Doro-chan, this book tells the story of something that really happened a long time ago.”

“Really!? I should be able to learn a lot from that!”

Soga Keena had recently begun reading books to Keena Dorons. The blonde Keena was a too-honest reader who believed everything the books said.

—What are they reading now?

Akuto glanced over out of curiosity and saw the t.i.tle of an old entertainment novel about psychic powers. It was the story of a psychic network being constructed to oppose an evil spirit attacking from s.p.a.ce.

—At the very least, I know this is not a true story.

But the blonde Keena seemed to fully believe anything that was written down. In this case, the red-haired Keena believed it too, so the effect was doubled.

“The earth is under attack, isn’t it!?”

“Yes. If you don’t have a pure heart, the evil spirit can possess you.”

The two Keenas nodded at each other.

It seemed Keena Dorons’s insistence on being high society when she had first transferred in was due to believing a special feature in a magazine she had read. Based on her confession while drunk, it seemed someone had given her magazines to educate herself with when she was taken in by the knights.

At any rate, the recent commotions were mostly caused by Keena being affected by the books and magazines she read. When she was reading detective stories, she began investigating people and caused an incident when she revealed a teacher’s hidden possessions.

—Well, a psychic hero story shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

“According to the characteristics of the possessed people described in the story, Mitsuko-sensei might be possessed by the evil spirit! We need to purify her!”

—I take that back. This is a big problem.

“That isn’t a true story,” cut in Akuto.

“Ehh!?”

The blonde Keena’s eyes opened wide in complete surprise.

“You shouldn’t do that, A-chan. You need to read books as if they are true,” complained the red-haired Keena.

“That doesn’t work with fiction,” said Akuto with a smile.

However, Keena shook her head.

“No. Books create an original world, so it is good manners as a reader to not bring your knowledge of the real world into the book with you. Looking for a moral in every story or trying to make what you read useful in the real world would make you look stupid, right? Using your knowledge to make fun of the story is the same thing.”

Her tone was calm and foolish-sounding, but what she was saying was actually fairly difficult.

—Come to think of it, Keena has pretty good grades in everything but magic.

Akuto nodded in admiration.

“I see. In that case, I was wrong. But that means you need to warn Dorons-san if she tries to emulate the book in the cla.s.sroom.”

“She’s learning that bit by bit, so don’t worry. Doro-chan is a good girl. If she learns to deny what books say from the very beginning, she’ll end up not reading books at all,” said Keena with an innocent smile.

“You two really like books,” commented Akuto.

The two girls nodded. The blonde one’s nod was especially vigorous.

“The stories are so much fun.”

In the modern age, most books were digital. The network accessible through the student handbooks was enough to browse a ma.s.sive amount of written material. However, that had not caused an increase in readers. Having all that data at one’s fingertips did not bring about any desire to browse through past data. This was especially true for novels that were unnecessary in everyday life. Unlike with academic papers, there was very little meaning in viewing items from the past.

The digital novels written by modern authors were usually read as a onetime event. Once everyone had read them, they were used as conversational topics and to feel as if one fit in. For example, people would discuss what their favorite books or movies were online to show off their individuality.

However, this was sadly unnecessary for Akuto. He was the kind of person who saw no need for books. He viewed novels as nothing more than books expressing ideals in their themes. However, he was greatly interested in what Keena was thinking for the sake of a.n.a.lyzing the present situation.

“I suppose people who think the G.o.ds really do exist might try to find morals and teachings in the novels they read,” he said.

The red-haired Keena nodded and the blonde Keena tilted her head.

At that point, someone else interrupted.

“Sorry for interrupting your odd conversation, but the next cla.s.s is about to begin. It is a hands-on lesson. This one will use groups of three, so you, Keena Dorons, and I can make a group.”

This comment was made by Junko.

Ever since they had learned Keena Dorons could control Akuto’s power, Junko had stopped being afraid to perform magic lessons with him. After all, Akuto no longer lost control of his power.

“Today, we will be doing hands-on lessons in groups of three. We will be using potions to affect living creatures,” said Mitsuko-sensei.

Cla.s.s began after they moved to the practice room. In front of each group of three was a case with a frog inside and bottles of a few types of potions.

“Make the potion, alter it with magic, and then put it on the frog. Afterwards, you can see if it has the proper effect. You are in groups of three because we do not have enough frogs for everyone, so take turns. Make a potion that changes the outward color of the frog. Try to create the color you picture in your head,” explained Mitsuko-sensei.

However, Junko cowered down a bit and her expression stiffened. She was clearly nervous.

“What is it?” whispered Akuto out of concern.

With him losing control out of the picture, there should have been nothing to worry about.

“N-nothing… I am fine. Yes, perfectly fine. More importantly, do not mess this up,” said Junko in a trembling voice.

In truth, Junko was afraid of the frog. Akuto had actually been told this before, but he had completely forgotten.

“I will picture the color in my mind and transfer that pattern to the potion. I shouldn’t lose control then,” said Akuto.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t mess up,” said Keena confidently.

“S-sure. Go ahead. Go right ahead,” said Junko with a trembling nod.

“Actually, I’m not very confident. Could you go first, Hattori-san?” asked Akuto.

Junko heard Akuto’s words, but their meaning did not hit her until a moment later.

“O-oh, right. Sure. It is a simple spell, so just watch.”

Junko picked up potion and cast the spell. Transferring her mental image was handled by an automated program in the mana, but the coloration would not fully apply unless that image was distinct. It required practice and there was a trick to it.

After casting the spell, Junko tried to hand the potion to Akuto.

“H-here. I did it.”

“W-wait a second. If I touch it, the images will mix together, right?”

Akuto stepped back so as not to touch the potion bottle.

“N-not if you do not picture anything in your head.”

“You know it won’t work out that conveniently. And this is a hands-on lesson, so you have to do it yourself.”

Akuto was oddly diligent but also terrible at catching on. After everything she had said, he should have realized that Junko did not want to touch the frog, but he had a way of not picking up on that sort of thing. On top of that, Junko was stubborn, so she absolutely refused to say she did not want to even approach the frog.

“Right. I-I understand that. I do.”

Junko froze on place.

“What is it? Hurry up and do it,” urged Keena.

Keena was more innocent than dense, but she had not caught on either. She had seen the other students’ frogs changing color, so she could hardly wait to see it up close.

“Yes. I understand. I understand. Okay, here I go. Here I go!” Junko placed a hand on the lid to the case. “I am opening the lid!”

“You don’t have to give a running commentary.”

Keena gave a perfectly reasonable comment, but Junko was too preoccupied to listen.

“Once I open the lid, I have to drip the potion onto the frog so it permeates its body.”

She dripped the potion down from her trembling hand.

However, her hand was well above the frog. In fact, it was 30 centimeters above the case.

The frog was only ten centimeters across, so there was no way she would hit it.

At this point, even Akuto should have realized Junko was afraid of the frog. However…

“Are you trying to make this harder because it’s such an easy lesson?”

That was his interpretation.

And Keena was not going to allow it.

“Just splash the potion on it! Like this!”

Keena swiftly grabbed Junko’s arm and tugged it toward the frog.

The case shook and the shock caused the frog to cutely jump up. And it grabbed onto Junko’s hand that was still holding the potion bottle.

“Pyaaaaaah!”

Junko literally jumped. She dropped the potion bottle into the case and shook her hand vigorously, but the frog continued clinging to her fingers and would not let go.

“N-n-n-nooooooooo!”

Junko raised her hand and swung it around.

“Oh, that’s right. Hattori-san is afraid of frogs.”

Akuto finally caught on. And once he did, he quickly took action. He grabbed Junko’s arm and tried to remove the frog. However, Junko continued struggling even as he held her arm.

The frog that had been sticking to her fingers must have decided this pause in the motion of her fingers was a good time to flee. It jumped straight up into the air.

And after that, it of course fell.

The frog fell down the back of Junko’s neck and slipped right under the collar of her s.h.i.+rt.

“H-h-hyaaaah! Slipperyyyyyy!”

Junko began to wriggle around violently. Akuto grabbed Junko to stop her.

“Calm down. The frog isn’t going to harm you.”

“Th-that is not the issue… Hyah! I-it’s going innnnn!”

Junko continued wriggling while blus.h.i.+ng in Akuto’s arms.

“W-wait. Stop struggling.”

Akuto could not hold Junko too strongly. He might crush the frog if he did. He felt around, but he could not find the frog.

“Where is the frog?”

“M-my back! My back!”

Akuto circled around Junko’s struggling body and checked her back. He saw a faint green shadow in her s.h.i.+rt.

“I can’t just stick my hand in here… Oh, I know. We can use that precision manipulation from cla.s.s the other day.”

Akuto glanced over at Keena.

Keena nodded and seemed to understand what he meant.

“Leave it to me! We’re using that precision manipulation from cla.s.s the other day, right!?”

By having Keena control Akuto’s mana, they had succeeded in stacking cubes the size of grains of powder. If they could do the same thing, removing the frog from Junko’s clothes would be easy.

Keena touched Akuto’s hand.

“I’ll control your mana!”

With those words, Keena had Akuto perform the precise work with his mana.

However, this was a two-man activity. If they were not working toward the same purpose, it was meaningless. And in this case, Keena had completely misunderstood Akuto’s intention. And Akuto was unable to stop her.

“This will solve everything!” announced Keena as she sent all of Junko’s clothes flying up into the air.

It was a truly splendid undressing. None of the clothes were torn, the b.u.t.tons were undone, the hooks were removed, and the zippers were lowered. The rubber of her panties was stretched to lower them without resistance.

“K-kyaaaah!”

Junko let out a scream for a different reason than before.

Her nude body was splendidly displayed and a stir ran through their cla.s.smates.

“How did this happen during such a simple lesson?”

“Now that’s a demon king! He strips her for no reason!”

As the boys began looking on with great interest, Akuto frantically removed his coat.

“Ah! W-wait…”

But just as he tried to place that coat over Junko, it caught on one of the other potion bottles sitting on the table.

“Ah!”

The bottle clattered as it fell over. It rolled and dumped the potion on Junko’s head where she had crouched down.

“Oh, no…”

“Ee!” shrieked Junko at how cold it was.

But the true shock came soon thereafter.

Akuto had already transformed that potion. Junko’s white skin visibly began to turn gold.

“Th-this is a gold dust show[1]!”

The commotion among the students grew. This time, it was the girl as well as the boys.

“Exhibitionism! I can’t believe it!”

“This goes beyond horrible. It’s almost amazing…”

“Is this an adult eroticism of a previous age?”

The commotion poured down on Junko after she had been transformed into a golden statue.

“S-such humiliation…”

Junko wrapped her arms around herself and began to cry.

Akuto finally succeeded in placing his coat over her, but that did nothing but cause her anger to surge out.

“Y-y-y-you idiot!”

Junko’s golden punch struck Akuto.

“I cannot believe I am being punished as well,” complained Junko.

“Sorry. I’ll try to do most of the work,” apologized Akuto admirably.

“But taking off your clothes is the best way of getting a frog out! Ha ha ha,” laughed Keena Dorons.

The three of them were headed for the old library. As punishment for disrupting cla.s.s, they had been ordered to clean the library and sort the books.

The old library contained paper books. Books that had yet to be digitized were gathered and then turned into data. Instead of discarding the paper books afterwards, they were stored while kept off limits. 20 million such books had been collected.

“The books we need to sort are the most recent ones, right?” asked Junko to change the subject.

Keena answered by reciting what she had read.

“Only a very small number of people want to own actual books. The number of books published for those people is small, but they are still collected. Some of those are digitized and some are not. A lot of the time, the author has not given permission to have the book digitized. That is why modern paper books are usually not digitized and end up in storage forever without being sorted.”

“And so we need to sort them and clean up.”

“Yes. We are librarians right now.”

Keena sounded delighted. She probably could barely wait to touch a paper book.

“I’d heard that people who love books ultimately insist on having paper ones,” muttered Akuto and Keena nodded happily.

“That’s right! I’ve never touched a real one, but I’m still really excited! I feel like this is the real, real deal!”

“The real, real deal? The only person I know of that insists on real books is Etou-senpai, but I suppose something you can actually touch would seem more real than simple data. What we read is the writing though, so we get the same information either way.”

—The information we read will never gain any real form. But would the information stored by the G.o.ds become real humans if the world were reconstructed?

That thought suddenly came to Akuto. He had heard from Bouichirou during that war that information could gain real form as long as the Law of Ident.i.ty existed.

—What world do we truly live in? That’s probably something we cannot know from the inside.

And it seemed the Law of Ident.i.ty was a term referring to Soga Keena. Or more accurately, it referred to some kind of will that would suddenly awaken within her.

“What is with the distrust we have of digitized data? Can we only rely on originality?”

Akuto had been speaking to himself, but Junko tilted her head.

“Sometimes I have no idea what you are talking about. Actually, it happens a lot more than sometimes.”

However, Keena Dorons greatly reacted to his words.

“Originality! That’s it! That’s what I want. Even if I have no memories, I can surely become myself if I read a bunch of books!”

Keena smiled innocently, but for some reason Akuto felt an emotion similar to sadness when he heard it.

Meanwhile, Fujiko had been called in by Korone.

“This is a rare pairing.”

Fujiko had entered an empty cla.s.sroom. Korone had asked her to keep all the students away.

“Indeed. Actively becoming involved in your actions seems as if it would bring a lot of secret information to light. I decided I did not want to increase my workload unnecessarily.”

Korone’s words were terrible, but she spoke them with perfect calm.

Fujiko of course did not look pleased.

“Yes, you are strictly on the government’s side. But I a.s.sume you did not call me here to provoke me. It would have to be something important if you are willing to leave Akuto-sama’s side while he is taking such an irregular action.”

“Yes. I would like to exchange information.”

“Regarding Keena Dorons?” asked Fujiko.

Korone nodded.

“Yes. You were joking around during that date, but I am sure you have gathered a fair bit of information on her.”

“Of course. But unfortunately, I do not know very much.”

“Neither do I. That is why I would like to try a certain method that would be impossible without the two of us working together.”

“In other words, you want the black magicians’ logs on people’s actions. The illegal ones.”

“Yes. That would increase the accuracy of my data.”

“You wish to reference the actions of every imperial citizen to check on the data deviation between before and after the war, don’t you? If you ask me, that is absurd.”

Fujiko grinned.

“Exactly. I am glad you catch on so quickly,” said Korone.

After the war, memories inconvenient to Akuto had disappeared from people’s minds. Someone had erased the memories as they pleased. If there was a correlation between that and Keena Dorons’s appearance…

“I hope you are planning to give me something in exchange,” said Fujiko while grinning.

“I thought you would say that. You can have this.”

Korone held out a bag of ningyou-yaki.

“I do not want that!”

Fujiko tried to brush aside the bag of ningyou-yaki, but Korone swiftly avoided her hand.

“I also thought you would say that. What I will actually do is overlook your crime of cultivating Sai Akuto’s cells.”

Fujiko’s eyes opened wide.

“I see. You are the only person aware of that who would be able to cause a real problem for me. The logs related to the war were altered after all.” Fujiko thought for a bit. “Understood. I accept. I will provide you with limited browsing permissions for accessing the data.”

Fujiko opened her student handbook and displayed an address and pa.s.sword on the mana screen. Black magicians had not yet acquired fully open use of magic. They had several domains created in the G.o.ds’ memory that they used to save life logs. They used primitive codes to exchange the pa.s.swords.

Korone’s eyes lit up.

“I have accessed the data. I am adding the black magicians’ data to my previous calculations. This will increase my accuracy from 90% to 99%.”

A few seconds later, the light disappeared from Korone’s eyes and she nodded in understanding.

“How did it go?”

“I had already hypothesized this, but now it is almost certain. Keena Dorons is a human created from the data distortion caused by the Law of Ident.i.ty.”

“Wow!”

Keena Dorons’s eyes sparkled as she looked back and forth.

The bookshelves filling the vast library were much taller than her. They towered above her in orderly rows like buildings in a futuristic city from old SF.

“Sorry, but our work is over there.”

Junko pointed toward a counter to the right of the entrance. Books had been placed in cluttered piles there. There were several hundred of them there. A cart with caster wheels was placed beside the counter and it was overflowing with cluttered piles of books as well. It had been left after someone brought the books in.

“Those poor books.”

Keena walked over to the cart and made a pile on the counter using the books that had fallen off the cart.

“I don’t really understand how you feel, but I agree that you should treat things with care.”

Akuto began helping Keena.

However, it seemed Keena had not liked what he had said.

“You don’t understand why I feel sorry for the books?”

“No, I mean books are not special. I of course think you should take care of your tools.”

“That’s not it! Books are special!”

Keena began swinging her arms around and pa.s.sionately objecting, but she did not continue for long.

“I know that is how bibliophiles feel. I’m sorry, but I just don’t have that same love for books. My dislike of them may come from people’s obsession with stories being too similar to their obsession with the books some of those stories come in. It reminds me of people’s belief and faith in the G.o.ds who are nothing but a system,” explained Akuto.

Keena puffed out her cheeks.

“Don’t make this so difficult! Fine! If you hate books, then go on hating them!”

“Sorry. I’ll do my best to try to like them.”

Akuto picked up a book.

During modern times, only books with elaborate binding were published. The book he randomly picked up had a wonderful leather cover that was dyed red. He flipped through the pages and listened to the rustling of the paper.

—I have to admit, this feels pretty nice. But I don’t think Dorons-san knew about this when she fell in love with books.

As Akuto thought about that, someone struck him lightly on the head from behind.

“Do not read the books while sorting them. That should go without saying.”

Junko held the spine of a book toward him.

“I suppose so. You’d never get anything done otherwise.”

Akuto gave a bitter grin. He looked over at Keena, but she was already lost in reading a large volume sitting on her lap.

“Let’s leave her be,” said Akuto while smiling at Junko.

Junko gave an exaggerated shrug and smiled back.

“Then you had better do her share of the work.”

“I will.”

Akuto circled around the counter and checked on the scanner. The manual displayed on the screen said it could instantly scan the contents of a closed book.

“So we have to pa.s.s each book through the scanner to get its data.”

“The digitized ones will give us a category number, so we just have to transfer them to the bookshelves. That is our job. The real work is moving the books to the bookshelves.”

Junko smiled at Akuto.

“Then let’s get to it.”

Akuto moved out from behind the counter and switched places with Junko.

“She is a human created from the data distortion caused by the Law of Ident.i.ty?”

“Yes. You may not believe it, but the Law of Ident.i.ty has the ability to do such things.”

Fujiko and Korone were on their way to the old library.

“Then can the Law of Ident.i.ty create a new world?”

“Most likely. However, it appears she does not have the power needed to transform this entire world.”

“Then we are in an extremely unstable position, aren’t we?”

“There is no need to be so pessimistic. Humans have a sense of self as well as free will. Unless their life is physically destroyed in this world, no one’s existence can be erased.”

“In that case, what does it mean for someone to be a human created from the data distortion caused by the Law of Ident.i.ty? Does her existence in this world cause any harm?”

“I believe she was born as a human in order to correct the distortion. Her existence itself causes no harm.”

“Then why did you say we have to hurry to the old library?”

“It is possible the data alteration to truly correct the distortion is occurring.”

“How exactly is this data alteration carried out?”

“A story that ‘might have happened like that’ will be completed in a virtual alternate dimension,” explained Korone.

Fujiko stared back with a blank look.

“What does that mean…?”

“The world was altered in order to hide what Sai Akuto had done. The distortion created by this has taken human form. In other words, the distortion will disappear when she is satisfied.”

“When Keena Dorons is satisfied?”

“It seems I do not have time to explain.”

Korone stared off into the distance.

“What is it?”

“I have detected a mana fluctuation. The Law of Ident.i.ty will soon make contact with the distortion. It seems the distortion is being corrected. I will be going on ahead.”

Korone drew a transport circle in midair. She then dove into the circle.

“W-wait a second!”

Fujiko stretched out an arm, but Korone had already disappeared inside the circle.

“Please hurry to the library. Although I think you will only be able to watch on from outside.”

“H-how irresponsible can you be?” complained Fujiko, but the transport circle had already disappeared from the hallway.

“A-chan, are you working hard?”

Soga Keena came floating into the old library. Her carefree expression made one horribly sleepy just by looking at it.

“Hard enough.”

Akuto was standing on a tall ladder and holding several books. He was sorting the books on an empty shelf.

“Do you need any help?”

Akuto shook his head at Keena’s offer.

“No thanks. Could you look after Dorons-san instead? She’s been reading books this entire time, so she should be fine. Still, we can’t keep an eye on her.”

“Okay!”

Keena flew off toward the other Keena.

And Akuto continued sorting the books. He focused on his work for a while, but he turned around once more when he heard Soga Keena’s voice.

She said something odd.

“Well? Have you decided on your favorite story?” she whispered to the blonde Keena.

Akuto was not close enough to hear a whisper, yet he had definitely heard her.

The blonde Keena sat atop a pile of books and had a green book open on her lap. The red-haired Keena placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Kee-…” began Akuto.

In that instant, the blonde Keena’s lips moved as she said something.

As she did, her body gave off a brilliant light that filled Akuto’s vision.

“Eh?”

Akuto sank into a white world. As he did, he thought he heard a shout from Junko and the emotionless voice of Korone.

“W-wait. What is going on?”

“It looks like I made it in time. No. Perhaps I should say I managed to be caught up in the middle of it.”

In the next instant, Akuto lost consciousness.

When he came to, he was wearing a luxurious frock coat.

“Hm?”

Akuto wondered if Fujiko had put it on him, but that was most likely not the case.

He was in a Western-style bedroom. It contained a rococo dresser and large bed with a canopy. His feet sank into a deep carpet.

“What is going on?”

He focused on his surroundings. The room was large, but he was the only person standing within it.

However, someone was sleeping in the bed. It was Keena Dorons.

“She was reading that book… I guess I should wake her.”

Akuto walked over to the bed and stopped in surprise.

Keena did not seem to be wearing anything. Only a thin sheet covered her body. The lines of her body came through all too well.

“Is this an illusion?” he muttered.

He heard a knock and the door opened.

“Excuse me. I know this is an odd thing to say after suddenly entering, but this is not an illusion.”

Korone walked in. She wore a maid uniform.

“Korone… Why are you dressed like that? And I take it you understand what is going on here.”

Korone nodded.

“I will explain it all from the beginning.”

Korone explained that Keena Dorons was a human created from the data distortion caused by the Law of Ident.i.ty and that she was an existence meant to correct that distortion.

“We were sent here to correct the distortion?”

“This is a virtual alternate dimension. The dimension itself is what we normally use for magical transfers, but it has been altered a bit.”

“How has it been altered?”

“We are closed in so we cannot leave. And the dimension has been designed based on the book Keena Dorons was reading.”

“The book she was reading?”

Akuto looked around again. They appeared to be in a European n.o.ble’s mansion.

“It was a literary work ill.u.s.trating various love stories of a European n.o.ble during the 1900s. It was written as an entertainment novel, but appreciation of it grew in a later era. It is now studied as a literary work.”

“I see. So to put it simply, we’ve been trapped in the world of that story?”

“Yes. And that is heavily related to Keena Dorons.”

“In what way?”

“She is the distortion in the world. Her disappearance will stabilize the world and free us from this virtual alternate dimension.”

“W-wait a second. You mean she… You mean Dorons-san will die?”

Akuto looked over at Keena as she slept. The expression on her face was one of pure happiness. Akuto had never seen someone look more satisfied as they slept.

“Figuratively, yes. However, it will be nothing more than a distortion disappearing,” explained Korone calmly.

“You aren’t going to tell me to kill her, are you?” asked Akuto worriedly.

“No, I will not. I will tell you to make her disappear. However, she will disappear on her own eventually. That is her duty. That is what she was born to do.”

Korone nodded.

—She was born to disappear?

Akuto was conflicted. This meant Keena Dorons had been born in order to save him and she would disappear in order to save him.

“I’m not sure I can do that…”

“Do not worry. The distortion will disappear on its own, so she will receive something suitable in return.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” said Akuto.

Korone paused for a moment before explaining.

“The distortion is also people’s memories. If those memories are satisfied… That is, if she is satisfied, she will disappear.”

—She is people’s memories? And if she is satisfied…

Akuto felt as if he had glimpsed the truth of the world that Bouichirou had spoken of back then. If the world was thoroughly inspected, one would find parts that did not add up. And a truly alternate world existed outside of this one that was apparently closely related to the destruction of the world.

“The Law of Ident.i.ty is regulating this world?”

“How very perceptive of you. However, that does not directly mean this world does not exist. We exist here and we are alive.”

“But she is a human, too…”

Akuto looked over at Keena once more.

“Yes, but you can also say this: in this world, humans are supported by the memories of others. No, it is too soon to come to a conclusion. At the very least, no one in this world can prove you are something that only exists in memories, so it is only natural to think you are real.”

Korone was an artificial human, so she could speak such frightening theories with absolute calm. However, Akuto was different. He trembled a bit.

“That’s scary. But we were born and we are alive. Is that what’s important?”

“Yes. The difference for Keena Dorons is that she suddenly became alive. Do not forget that. All of the above is based on a ma.s.sive number of calculations. It is the truth to a high degree of accuracy.”

Akuto let out a breath when he heard that.

“So how do we satisfy her?”

“That is an issue of human emotion, but I can make some predictions based on the patterns of emotions. If we measure the memories based on emotions, the memories are nothing more than a story. That story must be completed. And in a way she will enjoy,” said Korone.

—That means…

“I see. We just have to act according to the novel. I’m not a good actor, but I’ll just have to do my best.”

That was how Akuto interpreted it.

Korone nodded.

“Exactly. But Keena Dorons’s satisfaction is what matters, so there is no need to act it out all that perfectly. However, I expect anything that does not exist in the text will not exist in this virtual alternate dimension.”

“That’s a simple rule.”

“There should not be too many problems. The novel is a peaceful one in which we need not worry about dying. We should be able to enjoy acting it out.”

“That’s good.”

Akuto’s mood brightened a bit.

But what Korone said next caused him to suddenly pale.

“It will be quite enjoyable. After all, it tells of the love stories of a European n.o.ble. He becomes known for having affairs with many different women and finally enters into a relations.h.i.+p with the count’s daughter.”

Korone pointed at Keena.

“Eh? I’m the European n.o.ble?”

Akuto heard a voice from above.

“Eh? What? What?”

He looked around, but there was no one there. He could tell the voice belonged to Fujiko, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Senpai? Where are you?”

“A novel also has the narrative representing the author’s point of view. Etou Fujiko arrived late, so she will be playing that role,” said Korone.

“Look at that book. We are inside it. Your duty is to check the text and guide us to the end of the story,” explained Korone.

Korone continued explaining, but Fujiko caught on quickly due to the conversation they had had earlier.

“Even if you made it into the story, you would have been nothing more than the heroine’s cruel older sister. Please give up and focus on progressing the story,” said Korone coolly.

“Oh? Are you not aware that n.o.bles would have affairs with their maids? Heh heh heh heh heh.”

Korone’s laugh was plain, but it held an odd sense of intimidation.

Akuto was at a complete loss as to what to do.

“W-wait. Let’s stop this.”

“If we stop, there is no way to return. We must complete the story.”

“It does not matter what you will allow. After all, the n.o.ble protagonist has an affair with all of the female characters.”

“W-wait! You’re kidding, right?”

Akuto panicked, but Korone did not respond.

“Now, it is time for the opening. Sai Akuto the n.o.ble meets Keena Dorons!”

Korone pointed into empty s.p.a.ce.

Act 1

“I meet her? But I’ve already met her.”

Akuto stood confused in the bedroom. Korone was not in this scene, so she left. To start with, Akuto did not know why he was in that room.

Fujiko’s irritated voice descended from above.

“I see… Then I guess I should be staggering. Um… I am so drunk…”

“How should I know!? I’m not a professional,” complained Akuto.

Keena suddenly sat up from where she had been happily sleeping.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my bedroom!? Kyah! How rude! Get out! I will call for someone!”

Keena had already read the book, so her acting was perfect. In fact, she may not have been aware she was acting.

When faced with that realistic acting, Akuto accidentally returned to his true self.

“My apologies! I had no intention of frightening you. It’s just…I was charmed by how lovely your face looked as you slept.”

“…Are you serious?”

Akuto could not help but fall into self-loathing. However, the story continued before he could get too depressed.

“Such frivolous speech! You are no proper man!”

Keena hurriedly covered her exposed chest and spoke harshly.

“I may be a frivolous man, but I was not lying. Now, if you will excuse me, the night is not yet over. You need to get back to sleep.”

Akuto hurried out of the room.

And he spoke worriedly to some unknown area above him.

“Senpai, was that good?”

“Qu-quite sure…”

As he stood confused in the hallway, someone spoke to him from behind.

“B-b-b-brother…”

This person’s voice was incredibly nervous.

Akuto turned around in surprise and then stared dumbfounded. He found Junko standing in a gorgeous dress.

“Brother?”

Akuto was surprised by how different this was from how she usually dressed. He also did not know where to look. The chest of her dress was cut very low and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were pushed up by the corset she wore below.

“Y-you idiot! What is with that look in your eyes!?”

Junko tried to hit Akuto, but Fujiko stopped her.

“B-but, senpai… I am not used to wearing this kind of clothing…and this outfit is indecent…”

Fujiko sounded angry.

“C-calm down, senpai. Let’s put up with this and advance the story,” said Akuto timidly before Fujiko loudly interrupted him.

“L-like lovers? But we’re siblings.”

“H-how indecent is this story?”

Junko blushed and began to tremble, but she still leaned up against Akuto’s shoulder.

“W-wait, Hattori-san…”

“Call me Junko. I am your younger sister.”

“B-but…Okay, J-Junko…”

Akuto was fl.u.s.tered, but Junko pressed herself up against him even further.

“W-we need to walk. We have no other choice if we are to advance the story. We have no other choice…”

Even as she made that excuse, a hint of satisfaction appeared on Junko’s face.

“You are not even a character in this, so keep quiet. W-wrap your arm around my shoulder…brother.”

“Y-you won’t hit me…will you?”

Akuto placed a hand on Junko’s shoulder. And once he did, he realized the dress did not cover her shoulders. He was touching her bare skin.

“Ah…S-sorry.”

“Y-you idiot! Who would apologize for that?” said Junko as she placed her own hand over Akuto’s.

“K-keep quiet out there.”

Junko urged Akuto to begin walking.

As they walked off, Keena Dorons’s head was peering out from her bedroom door.

“H-he has a lover… No, that means nothing to me.”

Keena did a splendid job of showing a wavering heart.

Fujiko’s desperate shout reverberated through the hallway.

Act 2

Fujiko sounded hysteric.

“Wait, wait. I can’t do that… And what kind of literature is this?”

Akuto was confused as well.

“I-I see…”

As Fujiko shouted, three men wielding swords approached Akuto.

“Wah!”

Akuto frantically ran away.

He knew where he had to run to, but he could not help but complain because he wanted to avoid going there.

“C-can’t I just blow them away with magic?”

“No, you cannot. It is against the rules and you cannot use magic here anyway,” explained a maid who happened to be pa.s.sing by.

“You certainly appeared out of nowhere, Korone… Oh, I get it. A maid does not look unnatural in any scene within the estate.”

Akuto was impressed, but it did not improve his situation. As he fled, he made his way to Keena’s room where she was wearing a dress.

“Wah!”

“Kyah!”

“Shh. I am being chased. Um…Is there anywhere I could hide? Preferably a very normal hiding spot.”

Akuto altered his lines to avoid hiding in the skirt, but he was powerless in front of Keena who wanted to complete the story.

“Th-there is nowhere to hide in this room. N-no, wait. There is one place!”

Keena blushed and she lifted up the skirt of her dress and the petticoat underneath. This exposed her healthy legs and her panties.

“Wah!”

Akuto averted his gaze. However, Keena did not lower her skirt and the footsteps of his pursuers drew near.

“W-wait. What am I supposed to do?”

Akuto was frozen in place.

And…

“Wham!”

A maid who happened to be pa.s.sing by shoved Akuto forward. He fell down and rolled into Keena’s skirt.

She lowered her skirt and it completely covered Akuto.

“Milady, did you see an intruder around here?”

“He went that way.”

After that short conversation, the footsteps grew more distant.

“Whew.”

It was too dark to see anything, but Akuto still had his eyes squeezed shut. Relieved that it was safe, he tried to come out, but something soft held him in place. He quickly realized that “something” was Keena’s thighs.

He could feel Keena’s body heat over his entire body.

“W-wait!”

Akuto struggled.

“Ah! Please get out of there!” screamed Keena.

“Get out? I’m the one that wants to…”

Akuto trailed off as a fist struck his head through the skirt. Once he realized what that meant, Akuto cleared his throat and delivered his line.

“U-um… Excuse me. I…I am concerned that I am still being pursued. It is possible you have deceived me.”

“Oh, my. Not only are you cowardly, but you are rude as well. How could you doubt the courage I showed in lifting my skirt!?”

After giving her part of the performance, Keena loosened her thighs and lifted up her skirt.

Akuto stood up. He was unable to look her straight in the face. However, Keena held his cheeks between her hands and forced him to look at her.

“This is the second time you have been rude to me,” said Keena angrily before sticking her tongue out mischievously.

—I see. She isn’t completely lost in this. She knows it’s all an act.

Keena’s expression was actually quite lively. She must have been truly enjoying this make-believe.

“And I will apologize as many times as it takes. You are both brave and beautiful.”

Akuto played his part and winked at Keena.

She smiled happily, but her tone of voice remained angry.

“Do you mean you plan to see me naked again? You are both cowardly and covered in dust.”

Keena and Akuto smiled at each other.

“I am just a maid who happens to be pa.s.sing by, but it is the elder person’s duty to forgive small things like this. Now, on to Act 3!”

Act 3

Fujiko started to panic.

“I am just a maid who happens to be pa.s.sing by, but I will be attacked from behind while I change the flowers in this vase.”

Korone placed both hands on a vase on a table while sticking out her hips.

“Now do it!”

“Don’t say that…”

Akuto actually flinched back this time.

“But if you do not attack me, the story will not continue.”

Korone moved her hips seductively.

“Please stop doing that with that expressionless look on your face…”

“The text says nothing about the maid’s expression.”

“Of course not. Why would it? …Wait, senpai! How exactly is this scene described?”

A good idea had clearly come to Akuto.

“In that case…!”

Akuto then attacked Korone’s backside with fierce intensity.

“Ahh, stop. Please stop.”

“Take this! And this!”

“Ahh, how cruel. My a.s.s… How could you hit me on the a.s.s?” said Korone disinterestedly.

Akuto was spanking Korone.

“Will this fiercely satisfy your desires?” asked Korone.

Akuto nodded.

“Your selfishness sometimes makes me angry.”

“Ah…Ow. Master, stop! It’s my first time!”

“I-I have a bad feeling about this. What does it say?”

“This is one h.e.l.l of a piece of literature…”

“It was released as an entertainment novel.”

“W-wait a minute! It jumps to that when it is my turn!?”

Junko’s face was already quite red and she was preparing to hit Akuto.

Fujiko seemed quite composed for how much she had blushed while describing the pa.s.sage.

“No, let’s think up a way out of this.”

Akuto began thinking with a serious expression.

“Y-you do not need to think that hard… A-as long as we find a way around the ‘guiding you inside’ part, I will allow you to go…rather far. I-If all you do is touch…”

Junko spoke quietly with her head hanging down, but Akuto did not hear her.

“I’ve got it. We might be able to get around it like this!”

“Th-there is no way around getting in the bed together naked, is there?”

After clearing everyone else from the room, Junko climbed into the bed and stripped off her clothes underneath the blanket. A thick negligee slid off the side of the bed.

Akuto turned away and answered Junko.

“No. This can’t be helped, but I’ll do my best not to touch you. I’m coming in.”

Akuto then climbed into the bed on the opposite side from Junko.

“Y-your legs touched me a bit. And you did not see me when you flipped up the blanket, did you?”

“D-don’t worry. You have your back turned, so all I would see is your back and I’m used to seeing that.”

“You idiot! You do not have to say that!” yelled Junko angrily.

“S-sorry…”

Akuto apologized and quickly removed his clothes under the blanket.

The bed was large, but his hands still ended up touching Junko’s back as he stripped. He ended up gently stroking up the center of her back.

“Pyah!” she cried and arched her back.

She quickly balled up and began trembling.

“Oh, sorry. Did it tickle?”

In his desire to apologize, Akuto reflexively held a hand out toward her. This time, his hand stroked her waist.

“Hyahhh!”

Junko twisted her body around.

“S-sorry. I guess it does tickle…”

“Th-that is not…it… Just stay still,” insisted Junko while trying to catch her breath.

“Oh. S-sorry.”

Akuto lowered his head because he did not understand.

After a moment, Junko spoke in a trembling voice.

“O-okay. Let’s do this.”

“Right.”

The two of them gulped.

Akuto reached a hand out toward Junko.

Junko squeezed her eyes shut and turned toward Akuto.

And…

“Uuh… This is pathetic. Even though this is all we are doing… No, because this is all we are doing, I feel like I am losing something important as a girl…”

“Yeah. It feels somehow pathetic to me too.”

The two of them had their shoulders sticking out from the blanket. They reached over and groped at each other’s hair. Akuto then poked his finger into the rose bud they had prepared ahead of time.

“It’s a good thing we had the scene with the flowers in the vase earlier.”

“Are the petals nice and wet?”

“I suppose…”

Akuto pinched the rose bud between his fingers and stuck a finger in between the petals.

“Even doing this feels really inappropriate,” groaned Junko as she watched the motion of Akuto’s finger.

“Let’s get this over with. Okay. You have to guide my finger into your ear. Don’t forget to moan.”

Akuto stuck his pinky finger in Junko’s ear.

“Hyah! Uuh…This is horrible… This is more humiliating then doing it for real… Uuh…uuh…”

It was mostly due to humiliation, but she was certainly moaning.

And then the door to the bedroom opened.

“Akuto-sama, as promised… Wait, what are you doing!? Pfhh! Ah ha ha ha! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

Keena began laughing as she burst into the room.

“Um, you aren’t supposed to be laughing here,” warned Akuto and Keena suppressed her laughter.

“R-right. Um, I cannot believe you, Akuto-sama! How indecent!”

“P-please wait, Keena! She is only…”

“No, you knew how I felt! I will tell father of this betrayal!”

Keena ran away.

“Wait…”

Akuto reached out toward the door and sat up. As he did, the blanket flipped up and exposed Junko’s body.

“Y-you idiot! Th-the blanket!”

“Ah! Sorry…”

As Akuto frantically fixed the blanket, his hand touched Junko’s waist.

“Pyaaah!”

“Actually, I think we have witnessed the birth of a machine that will continue touching girls’ erogenous zones for all eternity if no outside force stops it.”

Korone entered the room as she cut off Fujiko.

“Now, cover yourself with this towel and put on your clothes. It is time for the next scene.”

“Um? Between my sister, the maid, and the count’s daughter?” asked Akuto as he dressed.

“Everyone but the n.o.ble is to leave the room. Act 4 is about to begin!”

Korone once more pointed into empty s.p.a.ce.

Act 4

“The truth is, the two of you are not blood related. Your family took in your sister at a young age when her n.o.ble family fell on hard times,” said Korone in a perfect monotone.

“So that is why we were so attracted to each other. This means I must choose one of the two!” said Akuto as he delivered his line.

Akuto knew little about acting, but he could still feel the weight of this line. And so…

“Do I really have to choose someone here?” he whispered to Korone.

“What do you mean? Do you wish to choose everyone? It is not too late to redo the scene now. Or do you wish to choose no one? The story will never advance if you do that.”

“That’s what I mean. I don’t want the story to advance,” said Akuto.

Korone shook her head.

“You must choose, master. That is the responsibility you have to those women.”

That was obviously a line from the novel, but Akuto shook his head.

“I know I have a responsibility, but won’t the story end even if I choose my sister?”

“Are you saying you will change the story and give it a different ending?”

“Yes. Would this virtual alternate dimension close if I did that?”

Korone shook her head.

“I doubt that would satisfy Keena Dorons.”

“But if she is satisfied, she’ll disappear, right?”

“Yes. She is a distortion, so that is only natural,” replied Korone coldheartedly.

“She is a human,” said Akuto with a hint of displeasure.

And Korone answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Are you saying her disappearance would not be a problem if she were a L’Isle-Adam?”

“Please do not be so disagreeable. Of course I don’t want you to disappear.”

“In that case, I wish you would have slept with me instead of spanking me…”

Korone’s jokes usually had an effect, but Akuto did not respond this time.

“That isn’t what I mean. I was thinking it wouldn’t be all that bad if we didn’t satisfy her and stayed trapped here in this dimension.”

“Even if that was possible, you are wrong if you think that is in her best interest.”

“Eh?”

“Whether in this virtual alternate dimension or not, she will disappear soon. And if she is in here, it will likely end without her experiencing anything she truly wanted.”

“No…”

“In the end, this is all you can do for her. Tell her you love her, even if it is just an act. The rest of us will allow it just this once.”

“Why do I need your permission? But I guess that is all I can do. Understood. I will choose her. I will choose Keena Dorons.”

Akuto gave a nod.

And the final scene of action and romance began.

Keena was imprisoned in the tower while the count committed further evil. However, Akuto used splendid swordplay to corner the count and defeat him.

Akuto’s actions had been just, but the fact that he had killed her father weighed heavily on Keena. Also, one of the count’s subordinates destroyed the evidence and persistently pursued Akuto so he could take over the count’s position.

Just as it seemed Akuto would be killed, Keena awoke to her love and saved him.

“Akuto-sama! Stab your sword into the crack in that stone! That will cause the tower to crumble!”

“But Keena! It will collapse with you inside!”

“That is fine! I do not care what happens to me as long as you survive!”

Keena was resolute.

Akuto stabbed the sword into the stone.

With a great rumble, the tower crumbled. And with Keena inside.

However, Akuto rushed up the tower even as it crumbled. He embraced Keena and leapt out into the air.

“Akuto-sama!”

“Keena!”

Keena’s joyous expression s.h.i.+ned in the morning sun. They stood alone on the cliff the tower had stood on. As they stared at each other, no one came to interfere.

“Ah…Ah ha ha! Ah ha ha! That was fun. Really, really fun,” said Keena as she laughed.

“It was. I never liked this kind of hackneyed story, but I might need to rethink my opinion on that,” said Akuto as he caught his breath.

“I was…looking only at you,” said Keena in a serious tone of voice.

—That’s right. All stories have an ending.

Akuto did not know if Keena’s words were from the novel or from her heart.

“In this kind of story…it may be rude to say it, but…”

Akuto trailed off as Keena placed a finger over his lips.

“I know that you are rude.”

“Yes… It seems I am. I…”

Akuto started to say something again, but Keena shook her head.

“It’s fine. I was born for your sake and I will disappear in your arms. That is destiny. Right?”

“Destiny…?”

“No, I know. I alone am a person from within a story. I was different from the rest of you from the beginning. It was only for a short time, but you gave me everything I wanted.”

“I didn’t do anything! The time we spent together was so short! We didn’t even have time to really get to know each other.”

“No, you gave me everything. The story is complete. This is the end.”

“But why do you and you alone have to disappear?”

“Real humans must not live within a story. However, I am allowed to live within a story. That is the difference. I am not disappearing. I alone will remain in eternal happiness. And it is all because you gave me that happiness.”

“But I can’t stand this. It’s my fault. It’s all because I asked the Law of Ident.i.ty for my own freedom…”

“A story is a short dream. You must not live within a novel.”

“But surely I can-…”

“Do not be sad. Once the story comes to an end, we will have eternal happiness.”

Keena wrapped her arms around Akuto’s neck.

Their lips drew near.

However, Akuto never felt her soft lips on his own. Instead, warm tears flowed onto his cheek. He did not know if they were Keena’s tears or his own.

There was no longer anyone in his arms.

—A-ahh…

He turned around and found Korone and Junko standing there.

“She has gone somewhere else,” said Akuto.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor of the old library.

—Hm? What? What happened?

Akuto sa