Haseo!
You can't even handle a melee attack from a Harvest, how do you intend to defeat Tri-Edge?
I'll get stronger...
I'm the one who'll save Shino.
You don't feel like moving elsewhere?
There's no need for that.
Eh?
"Why?"
Because I have nothing to say to you.
No matter how much you ask me, I don't plan on telling you about my relationship with that kid.
When was it that you began to sit there like that?
One day, she...
Eh?
...took interest in you since you always sat here and came to talk to you.
Based on your appearance, and since you were just sitting there, she may have thought that you were a stuffed animal.
It seems that she was enjoying this world, talking to you while waiting for someone.
Am I wrong?
And you have the authority to search other peoples' memories?
Through her, you and Ovan met one another.
But is that all?
If you've investigated it, then there's no need for me to answer you.
I want to know the truth about the relationship between you and Ovan.
There's nothing beyond what you just told me.
Oh?
Coming here is a waste of your time.
Where are you going?
It's time for dinner.
Yata-sama...
There's no problem.
Sign, huh...
Haseo... I wonder if he's working hard...
I don't really understand what it means to work hard in a game...
I agree.
I thought that Haseo wasn't very comfortable with things like official events...
What about you?
Me?
Yeah. Are you going to do it?
No way.
I can't really do much of anything so...
Don't you think that if you keep thinking "No way" then you really can't do anything?
If you don't intitate it then it won't start.
Maybe, but...
Kind of like how a person who's afraid of heights gets hooked on sky-diving...
No more.
Hm?
No more...
I've been called.
I see.
If you stay hesitant like that, worms'll start growing out of your head.
Damnit!
You don't need to call me out here every single time.
You contacted a PC other than myself, so from now on we must be more careful than before.
You're planning on making me do something risky.
It's within the rules.
And, what's next?
The Black Multi-Weapon who was in the Brigade.
You remember him right?
Haseo, right?
I'll have you go to the Painful Forest in order to follow him.
Oh, so that was the one after all.
You just have to follow the orders.
So I should contact Haseo.
I'll message the post-contact orders to you later.
I think I totally understand the meaning of the word "detour" now.
I don't understand your example...
I've heard that the Painful Forest is an amazing place.
They say that it's full of monsters that don't show up in normal areas.
There's no shop, and the only items there are the ones that the monsters drop.
That means that it's not an area that you can just jokingly go to.
I wonder if he went there in order to get stronger.
What other reason is there?
I wonder if he's okay.
If it's just to raise his PC level, then there should be no problem.
In order to fight against Tri-Edge, that's not enough...
I wonder if there's something that I can do...
That just now... was that you?
Your healing magic... why don't you use it?
Don't expect any thanks from me.
This is the Lost Ground...
So, even if you clear it you don't get anything.
What?
That's just what I think.
But, I don't think that I'm wrong.
You don't know until you try.
I guess that's true.
You... who are you?
Saburou. Nice to meet you.
Do you have a prejudice too?
Huh?
The difference between a PC's name and gender.
I don't really care.
You're a nice guy.
I don't understand you.
Why're you doing this event?
Isn't it strange?
The reward for clearing it hasn't even been revealed.
The administrators who have been passively watching this Lost Ground suddenly decided to open this event for appearances sake.
I don't think I'm wrong but...
This game has a mysterious independent nature so...
That's right Haseo.
This game has a mysterious independent nature...
Independent nature?
That means that there are parts of this game which move based solely on the game's rules
without any interference from the system administrators and outsiders.
That's enough.
Don't follow me.
He's an interesting kid.
So you've come.
Hey.
Do you know Tri-Edge?
Do you know something?
Because, they say that the people who're attacked by him fall into a coma.
Are you saying that it's an NPC?
No way.
If it was a NPC then the administrators would delete it or take some kind of action against it.
Then, what is it?
AI.
AI?
That's right, artificial intelligence.
That's why the administrators can't touch it.
You could just delete the program.
Aura...
You know her?
Aura...
They say that a long time ago there was a statue of a girl here.
A girl...?
Aura.
That's what she was called.
The statue in the Cathedral?
You're half right and half wrong.
In the past, there was an AI named Aura in this world.
They weren't able to delete it?
Probably not.
It was written in the BBS for the previous version of this game.
That AI named Aura.
It's not here now.
I don't know.
The fact that there's no rumors about it probably means that it's not here, but...
I was wondering if Tri-Edge might have appeared in her place...
Kind of like how a father furiously searches for his daughter who's run away from home.
Taking the place of... what?
Who knows.
I guess that you'd have to ask him yourself.
What're you doing?
Hm? Oh, what about you?
I'm not doing anything...
I believe that I'll decline.
I see.
Well, if anything happens then give me a call.
Oh, I started a guild and I was asking him to join it.
Nice to meet you.
I am Seisaku.
I'm Tabby.
But, a guild?
A guild for supporting newbies, I guess.
After what happened last time, I realized that there was something that I could do.
A guild for supporting newbies...
It's called Canard. Would you like to join?
Are you listening to me?
No, I'm fine.
I see.
Well, I'll be going.
What you can do, huh?
What I can do...
What did you come here to do?
Observation.
You're... that...
Huh?
If I go to the deepest part then I've cleared it, right?
Whether you go or not, I can't say.
I don't believe that the clear flag would say something like "You've reached the deepest part".
You be quiet.
What do you think, miss?
There's no such thing as a clear.
This isn't an event.
That is one part of it.
Which is it?
Whether you think it's there and play, or believe it's not there and play...
Whichever one is more fun varies from person to person, doesn't it?
It exists!
You play under the premise it exists.
That's us, the Twilight Brigade.
Did I say something strange?
No.
I will be going now.
Yeah.
If I meet you again...
...it will be in the deepest part.
Okay.
Why didn't you join Kuhn's guild?
You mean the reason why I turned down the invite from Canard?
Yeah.
Because I thought that newbies weren't the only ones in this world who had problems.
It's not just newbies?
It's true that it's a game with a lot of PK's, making it very hard for a newbie to carry on.
However, I think that it's hardest for the mid-range players.
If you mistakenly have a powerful weapon equipped, you'll be targeted by PKers.
I see...
Continuing to PK until the opponent drops something worth keeping...
There are PC's like that as well.
I think that the ones who truly need help are the mid-level PC who've attained some degree of power.
What does Tabby-san want to do?
What do I want to do?
I don't know what I can do...
That's not it.
What is it that you yourself wants to do?
I want to save Shino-san...
I want to help Haseo...
But...
Hm...
I've analyzed the things that happened at Bruna Gideon recently.
Did you discover something?
Just yesterday I found some data that I was unable to analyze.
Ovan, huh.
That's what I think.
What else?
There is evidence that he fought with Tri-Edge.
Oh?
Sign!
Since when...
I would prefer to be alone...
You were at the deepest part earlier, right?
Is that your goal?
Well, there's only one day left till the end of the event,
and even if I'm only here to observe, I'd like to see it.
Do you know what they call that?
Huh?
They call it regulation.