by Sakon Kaidou
The aberration dragged me into the room with unwomanly — borderline inhuman — strength, making me feel like a hamster being swallowed whole by a snake. Then she pushed me onto the bed they most likely used to play Dendro on.
“You’re here to join the club, aren’t you? Why are you running?”
Was that even a question? I was basically encountering an eldritch abomination right after having a nightmare about one. Of course I’d run.
“Oh dear, what a bad expression. Why are you so...?” she said before looking at my student card. “Umm, your name is...”
“Ah?!” I gasped as I realized she’d taken the card case out of my pocket without me even realizing it. She was strong as hell and had sticky fingers!
“Okay, so your name is ‘Reiji Mukudori’... Oh?” She slightly tilted her head to the side, clearly noticing something.
Oh, crap.
“That look in your eyes, your voice, and... ‘Reiji Mukudori’? Ray Starling?”
Shit! This is what I get for just translating my last name into English! I should’ve made it less obvious!
“Oh, I see. So that’s what this is about,” she said and cracked a grin.
To me, that expression was the very epitome of horror.
“Well, well... you can’t run away here, can you?”
Oh no. This is really bad.
She was about to force me into joining her cult, and I had no means of escape. How do I handle this...?!
“Okay,” she said as she started slowly moving her hands. “Let’s begin with my thanks for yesterday.”
And then...
“Hello.” The clubroom’s door opened, and a third party entered the room.
A part of me thought it was King of Assassins, but it was actually someone I’d never met before.
It was a girl with long hair in a braid, slightly slanted eyes, and glasses, all of which came together to make her look like the diligent type.
“Vice President Tsukikage asked me to bring him the relevant papers to the club invitation tent, and...”
She stopped mid-sentence and noticed the situation in the room. The aberration — all smiles — was holding me down on the bed, while I — scared beyond words — fruitlessly struggled to escape. The sight made the girl heave a sigh.
“President, could you refrain from pushing boys down on college grounds?” she asked, speaking in such a normal tone that it almost didn’t seem to fit the scenario. That made a flicker of hope light up within me.
This girl might actually be... I thought as I anticipated what she’d say next.
“More importantly, he doesn’t seem to want whatever you’re doing. Sexual misconduct against men is as valid as the reverse. Let him go ASAP.”
She is. My God, she’s actually normal.
She wasn’t an eldritch being, nor was she some weird super secretary.
“Oh, come onnn, I just caught him, you know?” said the aberration.
I’m not some pocket monster for you to catch, damn it!
“I was about to invite him to the club... and make him one of us, of cooourse,” the aberration purred.
“Don’t you think you’re being a little too forceful?” asked the normal girl. “Let him go.”
“Nooo, I wanna make him miiine!”
I’d very much prefer it if you didn’t!
“President, if you don’t listen to me, I will leave the club.”
“Eh?”
“That would leave only you and the vice president, and two people aren’t enough to keep a club active, correct? Do you want that?”
The normal girl’s words made the aberration falter. “That... would be a problem...”
“Then please refrain from approaching him improperly and inviting him so forcefully. I’ll say it again. Let him go.”
At this moment, in my eyes, she seemed somewhat divine.
“But...” muttered the aberration.
“‘But’ what?” demanded the normal girl.
“Okaaay...”
And thus, although reluctantly, the woman finally let me go.
Freedom! I thought as I jumped out of bed and distanced myself from the eldritch creature so much that my back was against the wall.
“He’s so scared,” said the normal girl. “Did you do more than just make unwanted sexual advances?”
“Nooo, I didn’t do much. I just kidnap— invited him over in Dendro.”
In response, the normal girl just looked at her in silence.
The aberration was clearly far too guilty to plead “I didn’t do much.”
The normal girl then sighed and said, “President, I have something to say to you. Please sit where you stand. Properly. On your knees.”
“Umm... but this is the floor.”
“No worries there. I’m sure your legs can handle it just fine.”
“That’s not the problem here...” The aberration was actually being overpowered.
Just what is this girl...? I wondered, astonished.
“You should run away right now,” the normal girl told me. “You can’t let yourself be caught by a person like... this...”
“Like whaaat...?” the aberration complained.
I felt like I’d been pulled into a boat when I was seconds away from drowning.
“Thank you,” I said, expressing my sincere gratitude. Then I left that wicked lair. Once outside, I took a moment to listen to their conversation.
“President,” said the normal girl, “I know that Infinite Dendrogram gives us great freedom, but you shouldn’t bring that mentality over to reality. You might’ve been able to kidnap him with no repercussions in the game, but here, unwanted sexual advances are a breach of public order and morals. Do you want to become a criminal?”
“Ehh? But you’ve got it all wronnng. He came here himself this time. And secondly, when you’re online, you also...”
“I separate my game life and real life, thank you very much.” The normal girl was thoroughly scolding her for this.
Anyway, thanks to her intervention, I’d escaped the aberration’s venomous fangs.
Oh, I forgot to ask for her name, I thought as I walked away.
◇
Thanks to the normal girl, I’d been able to escape the eldritch monstrosity. That was the second time the woman had held me in her grasp, and the second time someone had saved me from her.
Still, I couldn’t ignore the fact that she was in the same college as me. That could become a huge problem going forward. Though I’d avoided whatever she had planned for me this time, the aberration was now a part of my real life, and I definitely wasn’t excited about that.
For some reason, she was obsessed with me, and that made me feel really unsafe.
I sighed, realizing that this might lead me to involve Shu... or perhaps even my sister.
No, that’s not an option. Things would only escalate further, I thought as I pictured The Lunar Society’s IRL building, completely reduced to rubble. If someone unrelated to the conflict got hurt, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Anyway, after getting out of the lion’s den, I made my way to the college library, since one of the fellow students I’d met today had told me something intriguing about it. He’d said he’d been there before, and told me that he’d seen several Dendro-related books.
Curious as to what they were like, I came to the library to check them out and read them, and it didn’t take long for me to find where they were.
Though the publishers sold them as strategy guides, they had titles you’d expect to see on adventure novels or travel magazines. Exploration Records of the Maxim Brigade, Twenty Thousand Metels Under the Sea, and Vagrants in Tenchi were good examples.
Basically, Infinite Dendrogram was so vast that getting the required information for a proper strategy guide was no small task.
Not even the walkthrough wiki had all the info on all the maps, spawns, or dungeons, and some of it could even become obsolete as time went by. Like everythi
ng relating to Noz Forest.
Because of this, most of the so-called “Dendro strategy guides” were focused on describing the editors’ personal experiences, rather than presenting data. I found that interesting in its own right, so I didn’t hesitate to pick those three up.
With this, I’d have something I could use to keep myself occupied during breaks between lectures or other times I couldn’t go online. Many of the books were about countries other than Altar, so I was looking forward to reading them.
Now, all I had to do was check them out, and...
“Ah,” I exclaimed as I realized that my student card was still in the aberration’s hands.
What now? I wasn’t too keen on exposing myself to the danger of going there again, so... hm?
Without saying a word, I reached into my pocket and found the very same case I’d thought was still in her hands.
“That’s even scarier than going back there,” I muttered.
The eldritch creature had probably returned it, but just like with the time she’d stolen it, I hadn’t felt it happen at all.
Monstrous strength, inhuman slyness... It wouldn’t surprise me if I learned I’d actually labeled her correctly with the term “eldritch aberration.” Anyway, with my student card on me, there was nothing stopping me from checking out the books.
With the three books in hand, I walked to the borrowing counter, where the nearby “New Releases” corner caught my eye. One of the books there was the Dendro-related A Gourmand’s Tour of Caldina.
I reached to take it, too, but...
“Ah!”
“I’m sorry.”
...my hand touched the hand of a girl who reached for it at the same time I did.
I apologized, hastily took my hand back and looked at her.
“Oh, you’re the one from before...” she said.
“Ah, thank you for helping me back there!” I replied upon realizing that it was the normal girl from the club room.
My expression of gratitude made her look somewhat troubled. “No need for that... I’m just glad the club didn’t end up having someone with a criminal record. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Kozue Fujibayashi. I’m a second-year in Liberal Arts I.”
“I’m Reiji Mukudori. Starting today, I’m a first-year in Liberal Arts III.”
I’d finally gotten her name and found out that she was an upperclassman.
Following our introductions, Fujibayashi said, “I want to make up for what happened back there,” and invited me to a café on school grounds.
“But there’s nothing for you to feel guilty about,” I replied.
“Well, the president would never apologize for what she did, so, as someone who knows her, I feel I have to do it in her stead.”
She really is diligent, I thought.
“I’m really sorry about what the president did. She doesn’t usually have this many screws loose.”
I wasn’t sure if I could believe that. From what I’d seen of the aberration yesterday and today, it seemed to me that she was always like this. Actually, I wasn’t capable of picturing her without any screws loose. That creature caused trouble wherever she went.
“This is actually the first time something like this has happened since I joined,” Fujibayashi continued.
I was inclined to believe the aberration had just been hiding her true self. Honestly, I’d probably prefer a literal wolf in sheep’s clothing over her.
“Oh, by ‘joined’ I only mean the club,” she added. “I’m not interested in her family’s cult in any way whatsoever.”
“I can tell.” I nodded. A cult adherent would never force their spiritual leader to kneel on the floor.
“How long have you been in that club?” I asked.
“A short while ago, the fourth-years and apprentices graduated or went professional. The club lost some members and they desperately needed more, so the president and vice president went around inviting people. That was when I decided to join... Oh, and in case you’re curious, both of them are third-year medical science students.”
...The eldritch being is a soon-to-be doctor? I thought, baffled.
“Also, I’m sure you’re aware of this by now, but those two are as crazy as their cult, so they didn’t have much luck getting new people. As far as I know, not a single freshman has joined today, either.”
Well, “as crazy as their cult” is pretty damn apt, I thought.
“Their lack of success is only obvious, I’d say,” she added. “In this college, The Lunar Society adherents are staggeringly rare, after all.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow.
“The cult is centered around escapism, so there aren’t many people here who would find it attractive.”
That made sense. I was told that The Lunar Society’s first teaching was “Escape the shackles of flesh and betake yourself to the true world of souls,” which basically meant “Escape this cruel reality” with fancy presentation. The cult’s believers picked Dendro as the “true world” they so revered, and they now lived on the other side at the expense of their real life.
Naturally, those who made it into this prestigious college wouldn’t be intrigued by a cult that thought this world was fake and tried to escape it.
When I think about it like that, the aberration’s and the KoA’s presence in this school seems really bizarre, I thought.
“And why did you join the club?” I asked Fujibayashi.
“For the info,” she answered.
“Info?” I tilted my head as she pointed at the books I’d borrowed.
“As you know from such books or the wiki, unlike walkthroughs and guides for other games, the ones for Infinite Dendrogram lack thoroughness and detail.”
“That’s true.”
“Well, and it just so happens that the president has vast amounts of detailed game info collected by her 1,000 followers.”
Well, I certainly can’t doubt the reliability and scope of data gathered by 1,000 no-lifers who see the world as real.
“Members of CID have free access to the info, so I joined because I wanted it,” she said.
“I see.”
“Of course, I ended up being the only one who joined. Everyone else was too scared off by the strong negative of ‘getting involved with The Lunar Society.’”
“I can understand why...”
I imagine people who simply wanted to enjoy a game weren’t too excited about the risk of having their real lives jeopardized by a cult.
“What did you think of that negative?” I asked.
“Nothing much. I was already involved with them beforehand,” she answered.
“Hm?”
“The president is a student at my family’s home.”
She then went on to explain what she meant.
According to Fujibayashi, her family were practitioners of the Way of Tea, and the aberration had been learning under them ever since she was young. They’d known each other for a long time, so joining the club hadn’t bothered Fujibayashi that much.
The fact that she’d been able to force the aberration to kneel made more sense than ever now.
“By the way, you were kidnapped in Infinite Dendrogram, weren’t you?” she asked.
“Yes.” I nodded. “They took me when I was sleeping there.”
“...Again, I’m really sorry.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault.”
80% of it had been the aberration’s fault, while the rest had been the King of Assassins’.
“Today is the first day of college, so I assume you escaped by using the suicide function?” she asked.
“No, thankfully, I didn’t have to resort to that. An acquaintance saved me.”
Although, even if Figaro hadn’t been there, instead of using the function, I’d have probably faced the head lunatic and KoA all by myself, completely ready to die.
“‘Saved’?” she repeated, looking startled. “Crazy as they are, the president and vice president are really powerful
. Just who in the world could save you from them?”
“Figaro. You might know him. He’s the top of the kingdom’s duel rankings.”
“Figaro...?” The aura about Fujibayashi underwent a slight change as the eyes behind her glasses became a tiny bit sharper. For some reason, I felt a sense of contempt, or fear, behind her gaze. “You had the duel champion come and help you? Just who are you?”
“I met him soon after I started. I later found out that he was friends with my brother, too.”
“Brother... Figaro... Superiors... Brothers... Mukudori...” she muttered, placing her hand over her mouth and pondering. “...The Starling brothers.” Then, seemingly having come to some conclusion, she looked into my eyes. “Sorry if I’m wrong, but... are you Ray Starling of the Starling brothers?”
“Ah, yes. That would be me,” I confessed.
Man, my real and avatar names were a bit too much alike. People were figuring out who I was way too quickly. Thanks to Franklin’s broadcast, quite a number of people knew my avatar’s name, which no doubt made figuring it out even easier.
“KoD’s younger brother and the Over Gladiator’s student? That Ray Starling?” Fujibayashi asked to confirm.
“I wouldn’t call myself his student,” I said. “We do spar every now and then, though.”
Also, this probably wasn’t a nice thing to think, but Figaro just wasn’t cut out for teaching. Honestly, even Xunyu was better at that.
...Although I didn’t know how to feel about being taught by a ten-year-old girl.
Oh, and Riser — the sixth in the duel rankings — was pretty good, too.
“I see,” Fujibayashi said before placing her hand over her mouth again and pondering for ten or so seconds. “Mukudori,” she said at last, seemingly having thought of something. “Would you go on a quest with me this weekend?”
It was an invitation to a Dendro activity.
“Sure. Gladly.” I accepted without hesitation, feeling that this was a start of a good relationship.
◇
“So yeah, that’s how it is,” I said.
“Right-o,” Shu confirmed. “Got it.”
I’d called Shu to tell him that I’d made plans to go on a quest with a new acquaintance, and that I’d take a while to return to Gideon. I’d also told him to pass it on to Rook and Marie, so everything should be settled now.
