Unfortunately, the only editor who had been helping me with Clover's Regret has informed me that he will not have time to work on all of his projects, thus he will have to drop most of them. Clover's Regret is one of them. Seeing as I have no one else to count on for editing, I've decided to release the translation unedited, as leaving it to rot in a GDrive folder is a waste of all the labour involved. As such, I hope that you, the readers, will help by pointing out any errors or parts that are hard to understand/don't sound so good so that the translation can be improved. If I eventually find some grammar/style n.a.z.i willing to help with the editing, the translation will be updated to reflect any improvements made. The final chapter is also translated, but I'll release it in a week or two to give more time for people to notice that this chapter was released. Prepare for some obvious... and some not so obvious, though foreshadowed reveals. As for this chapter... it's loooooooooooooooooooooong, but nice. Especially if you're here for the Sleeping Knights references.

Bold text marks the use of boutens (dots beside the text that are used for emphasis) in the raw. Comic sans font is used for unusual text, like English words in hiragana (rather than katakana) or katakana for j.a.panese words. We also make great use of furigana for both when the original text used it and for explaining j.a.panese text when we had to keep it in the translation for the discussion to make sense (or to show the puns that would be lost in the translation otherwise). Remember that the big text at the bottom is supposed to be the meaning of the phrase, while the little ruby text above it supposed to be how the text is read. Parentheses covering a paragraph seems to be the author's way to denote the character's monologue/thoughts.

Thanks to all of those who contributed to the SAO Scans project for helping us get the raws.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Raws: SAO Scans Project

Translation: Gsimenas

Chapter 2

Index

Final Chapter

For the bedridden boy, the new computer bought by his grandfather was a window to a new world.

As he had been practically shut inside a hospital room until then, his world, through the open window, became a junction point to an even bigger world.

Beyond the window was a crowd of people whose faces he could not see.

Even if he extended his hands, he could not reach them, nor could he step outside the window with his own feet, but just being able to gaze at the outside world was a great change to the boy.

And, several years later──

The sudden and rapid evolution of VR technology turned the boy's 〝window〟 into a 〝door〟.

The world he thought he could not reach no matter how much he longed for it… opened up before him in all five of his senses.

The virtual s.p.a.ce that he could only experience through sight and hearing until then began to involve smell, touch, and taste in the form of faint electric signals to his brain, and he even gained the sensation of freely moving his limbs.

And so, he──

Met 《companions》 who were in the same position.

§

A matsuribayas.h.i.+ could be heard in the distance.

The high-pitched flutes, the light tsuzumi, and the elegant koto together formed a merry racket.

As if to s

ay that life is but a dream, go crazy,(1) they played a dreary song with desperate-sounding vigour.

They already knew the source of the sound.

Even if the musicians couldn't be seen── their souls were currently imprisoned in the gigantic castle in front of them.

At least, it seemed that that's how it went according to the scenario.

The Battle Miko Nayuta, standing in front of the castle, sent a gaze of bewilderment to her small animal-like partner clinging to her back.

"……Koyomi-san, are you all right? Your knees are trembling, your face is ghastly pale, your eyes are blank, and it seems like your real body could be drenched in cold sweat──"

The ninja Koyomi responded in a trembling voice.

"……Of course not…… That gramps could have just left out that scary bit before we went in…… Even if he didn't know what you were talking about, he should have just pretended to know about it and said something like 〝Oh, that kitsune-masked boy! I know I know〟; if he was good adult……!"

In an outburst of anger, she said something so absurd. Due to the effect of her childish appearance, her figure, trembling in fear, looked quite pitiable. 

Just before this test play began, Torao, the person in charge of inspections, told Nayuta and the others the following thing.

『There's no player guide-like NPC in the 《Phantom Orchestra》.』──

──In that case, what was the 《kitsune-masked child》 that appeared when they first entered the castle as if to greet them?

The cowardly Koyomi was completely convinced that this was a kind of ghost story.

Although it seemed like a good idea for her to give up on the test play and wait outside, her courage to enter the castle nonetheless was praiseworthy.

The kitsune-faced detective, Clevel, sighed as if appalled.

"Is it really something to be so scared of……? It was unexpected that the administrators were unaware of the 〝kitsune-masked child〟, but you're being too rash by arbitrarily deciding that 〝it's a ghost then〟. Thinking sensibly, it's more appropriate to think that we encountered a 《hidden character》 that even the administrators were unaware of. For a submission whose detailed workings are unclear, that's quite plausible."

Koyomi growled like a puppy.

"Uugh….. Q-quit it with your poor comforting! Nayu-san is making an appalled face that's practically saying〝Detective-san is telling another pack of lies〟!"

That was entirely mistaken, as she was actually currently appalled by Koyomi.

Stroking her head like that of a child, Nayuta formed as soft a voice as she could.

"I did not make such an expression. My thoughts on the matter are mostly the same as Detective-san's. I do not know the requirements for encountering the hidden character, but it could be a low probability coincidence, or it could have been the effect of Detective-san's pointlessly high Luck── or it could be that we unknowingly met some requirement for its appearance; either way, I believe that it was a simple oversight on the part of the administrators."

In that regard, Nayuta's intuition was completely sensible and rational. Actually, a real ghost would be a more interesting topic for conversations, but the probability of that was awfully low.

The Detective lightly pressed against the ground with the tip of his stick.

"If I were to express a slightly more detailed guess── he could be a kind of independent AI, rather than a mere NPC. Meaning that he's along the lines of an artificial intelligence with the capability of hiding himself from the administrators and appearing only in front of players that he himself wants to meet. That is the most plausible way for him to work, I believe."

Koyomi looked up to the Detective with suspicion.

"……Really? You're not lying……? When I get back home and look at the mirror, I won't see the child standing behind be or something……?

"……You know, you're not suited for the 《Hundred and Eight Apparitions》 in the first place? Actually, on the contrary, you might be too suited for it……"

Being so honestly scared of a haunted house was, in a sense, enviable. It could also be as proof of enjoying the events more than the administrators had antic.i.p.ated.

Even Yanagi chimed in with concern.

"Umm, Koyomi-san…… I believe my grandson Kiyofumi was a very kind-hearted child── he was not the kind of person to ever cause problems to others, much less commit something as discourteous as arbitrarily following a girl to her room, thus──"

──a.s.suming that an actual 《ghost》 existed in the quest, the most likely candidate for that would be the deceased creator, Yanagi Kiyofumi.

At this sincere though somewhat off persuasion, Koyomi quickly became at a loss for words.

"…………I-I wasn't expecting such a response…… ugh…… I'm sorry for treating him as a suspicious person……"

Even while bowing down, she did not release Nayuta's back.

Taking advantage of the course of the conversation, Clevel touched upon the part that was hard to bring up.

"Yanagi-san. Inquiring about this would be rude, but…… do you believe that the kitsune-masked boy we encountered is the ghost of your grandchild?"

Yanagi took several moments before answering.

"……I believe… that is not the case. Though, if you are asking whether I am absolutely sure that there is no 〝chance〟 of it happening…… In any case, he and the quest itself is certainly things that Kiyofumi 〝left behind in his final moments〟. Even if he is not a ghost, he is the child's other self, or his last will…… or some other sort of being of special meaning, I believe."

While he used words and reason to say that, it was easy to guess that he still held unresolved sentiments.

Either way, a ghost of one's deceased grandchild was not the kind of topic that was easy to hear. If he was an imitation, it would just be vain, while if, by any chance, he was real, it would mean that he was roaming the world, unable to rest in peace.

"Besides, Kiyofumi pa.s.sed away in his mid-tweens, thus…… while the kitsune-masked child looks just like Kiyofumi when he was a child, he looks like seven or eight years old. Perhaps…… he is a being that Kiyofumi made based on his younger self as the model."

The Detective quietly nodded.

"…Yes. That interpretation is just about right."

Nayuta arbitrarily a.s.sumed that she heard him add 'unfortunately'.

The group turned their steps toward the castle entrance.

Buried in the centre of the somewhat short, stone stairs was the small hokora that served as the trigger for the castle to appear.

The stone statue of the child enshrined in it was ominously expressionless and, depending on your point of view, more freaky.

Having pa.s.sed by the side of the hokora, the group stood right in front of the huge entrance that imitated Yōmei-mon.

The inside was pitch-dark, but once they stepped in, they should each be forcibly transported to a random place inside the castle.

Supposing that the places would be the same as the last time they entered, Nayuta would appear in the castle's underground pa.s.sageway, Koyomi in the open air bath where mermen live, Yanagi in the infinite hall, and Detective Clevel in the topmost castle tower.

Aside from Nayuta, the other three had yet to acquire one of the key items, 〝musical instruments〟, they would need to obtain to regroup.

First, they'd need to find the musical instruments, followed by meeting up and then dispatching the boss── if possible, they wanted to finish all of it in just one day.

"Koyomi-san, are you prepared?"

Nayuta gently asked the girl who looked to be the only one in the group who had yet to prepare.

Koyomi finally released Nayuta's back and, slightly trembling, nodded.

"I-I'm fine……I think…… probably…...Nayu-san, when we meet up afterwards, be sure to praise and pamper me a lot, okay? I don't think I can take it unless I have such a reward to look forward to……"

"Hah…...well then, let's be off."

Deceiving her by not giving any promise, Nayuta stepped toward the darkness one step ahead.

Not wanting to fall behind her gait that lacked hesitation, Koyomi quickly followed suit.

Clevel and Yanagi, too, followed after the two──

And thus, in the darkness, the four were scattered throughout various places inside the castle.

§

When asked about "the meaning of life" by his young grandson, Yanagi was unable to give a clear answer.

There were several so-called textbook answers.

It was possible to say 'Searching itself is what life is about', or 'Play hard and study hard', or explain about biological happiness by saying 'Spend time with your family and leave some offspring behind'.

But in the first place, he was speaking to a child. By all rights, he could have found plenty of "reasons to live" by just talking about hopes for the future.

However, Yanagi── could not answer.

At a loss for words, he inclined his head, and with a gentle smile, "Grandpa doesn't really know either" said to the best of his ability.

His grandchild Kiyofumi knew himself that he would not live till adulthood.

Practically unable to leave the hospital, go to school, or play with friends──he had constantly asked himself how much meaning such a life had ever since he was young.

Even know when Kiyomi was dead──

Yanagi was unsure how he should have answered his grandchild's question.

He could see his own time of death coming not so long after the death of his grandchild, but, in the first place, the circ.u.mstances of Yanagi, who would die having lived to his heart's content till he grew old, and his grandchild, who could not even reach adulthood, were way too different.

(I……could not do a thing for Kiyofumi.)

Holding such regrets, Yanagi was now standing here in this fake body.

In Yanagi's field of vision was the same pillar-less hall that he had visited on Sat.u.r.day.

Despite there being no source of light, somehow he was able to clearly see that the floor was made out of tatami and the ceiling was made of wooden boards.

Yanagi had received a lecture, mixed with conjecture, from the detective about this large hall that continued endlessly as if on opposite mirrors.

〝I have several theories regarding how to escape from the looping room. Finding some kind of hint, a hidden switch, using a special item, or defeating the enemy controlling the room…… it is also possible that you need to wait for a certain amount of time or walk a certain distance, but as far as I can see based on the workings of the hokora the other day, your grandson was a fair developer who is sure to have left a hint. On the other hand, he has probably not made it so that you could solve the riddle by accident, so rather than suddenly walking out after being transported, please carefully inspect your surroundings.〟

Recalling his advice, Yanagi surveyed the area.

In this room, there were no pillars or walls. The only things present were the ceiling and the tatami.

a.s.suming that there was a hidden door or switch, it could only be either on the ceiling that his hands couldn't reach, or one of the tatami stretching out on the floor.

(Last time, while walking randomly, I ended up falling into pitfall trap……)

Essentially, it wasn't the kind of trap where you would die instantly, but the level 1 Yanagi didn't have that much HP for starters, so he was easily driven out to the exit.

As he was in a test play this time, his level was adjusted, but nevertheless, walking out recklessly couldn't be called a good plan.

(Well then, I don't see anything abnormal about the tatami──as for the ceiling……)

Looking fixedly overhead, Yanagi noticed that the wood grains of the ceiling boards was strangely distorted.

──Suddenly, recalled what Kiyofumi had once said.

When his disease was not yet serious, Kiyofumi had said that the wood grains of the ceiling in a ryokan traveller inn looked like the face of a person.

This was often the case with children, so his parents took delight in scaring him that it was a ghost or monster, but Yanagi knew a different "answer that Kiyofumi wanted to hear".

Compared to his parents who were busy with work and care for their child that much, Yanagi, who was always in contact with his grandchild due to being retired, knew his personality much better.

Kiyofumi was a rational child.

He was not scared of ghosts, but rather wanted to know the reason 〝why the wood grains look like the face of a person〟.

So, Yanagi gently explained what Kiyofumi wanted to know with care.

Wood grains were created through the growth of the tree.

For the majority of people and beasts, their eyes and mouth are arranged in an inverted triangle.

Because of this, when you see 〝three dots〟 arranged in an inverted triangle, people unconsciously end up a.s.sociating it with a 〝face〟.

This was called a simulacra(2) phenomenon and there were a lot of cases in the past when spots on the wall or the shadow of leaves on trees were mistaken for ghost photography.

Whenever he was acquiring knowledge like this, Kiyofumi's eyes always glittered.

The memory that suddenly crossed his mind was not unrelated to his current circ.u.mstances.

(……Wooden ceiling…… wood grain……)

The wood grain on the ceiling boards above him was obviously and unnaturally distorted.

However, the pattern it formed wasn't the face of a man.

It was close to being an inverted triangle, but it had an acute angle and extended in a line like a tail.

(……An arrow?)

It was pointing behind Yanagi.

Having turned around, Yanagi noticed that the arrows on the ceiling boards continued in succession.

Even someone as inexperienced about games as him immediately understood that this served as a subst.i.tute for a guidepost sign.

It was likely that the arrows made from the wood grain of the ceiling boards were indicating an escape route out of the infinitely continuing hall. Once he figured out the workings, he realised that it was a trivial and very simple riddle.

Yanagi formed a bitter smile and began walking along the arrows.

The kitsune-masked child had yet to appear.

a.s.suming, like the Detective guessed, that it was an AI that had a way of escaping the eyes of the administrators, he would not have the chance to encounter the child during this test play.

On the other hand, Yanagi held doubt about this view.

(Would Kiyofumi create such a thing……?)

No matter what, he could not believe that Kiyofumi, who loved the game called Asuka Empire and even held respect for it, would go out of his way to create a mechanic with the purpose of outwitting the administrators.

The kitsune-masked child probably had a special requirement to appear.

A 《special requirement》 that the administrators didn't notice, but Kiyofumi didn't intend to hide, yet Yanagi and the others were able to achieve without knowing it──

While being guided by the arrows, Yanagi pondered with his old head.

(One of the subst.i.tute offerings for the hokora…… not. The administrators should also be aware of it. 〝Something〟 that only I and Detective-dono had done…… Clevel-dono's abnormally high Luck…… no, however, if that was the case, the administrators would have noticed it. Something more special……)

──Something 《special》.

There obviously was something.

Rather, with a head like his, that's the only thing he could think of.

Facing the unchanging hall, Yanagi cast his voice.

"……Kiyofumi, don't tell me…… you've been waiting for 〝me〟 to come……?"

──The special factor that only they had.

To have Kiyofumi's 〝grandfather〟 Yanagi as a party member.

a.s.suming that that was the condition for the child's appeared, it was natural that the administrators couldn't grasp it, and the chances of other players encountering it accidentally was practically null.

In Yanagi's field of vision, the empty room was suddenly distorted like smoke.

§

Having charged ahead of the other members, Nayuta began investigating the castle itself.

She alone had already acquired the musical item needed to meet up, the 《Flute of Springtime Haze》.

Giving it a go to blow it, even an amateur such as herself was able to produce a light sound, but due to her not knowing how to operate it with her fingers, she couldn't produce a tune out of it.

It seemed like she could use it like an actual instrument if she practiced, but due to not having any particular interest in doing so, she was lost on what to do with it after the quest.

The wide underground pa.s.sageway with stone walls on the left and right was a bit chilly.

There were light stands stretching out at a high place, but despite there being light, the area in front of her was nevertheless plunged in gloomy darkness. As for the ceiling, it was so high that it couldn't be seen.

The extent that she could see was about three metres ahead──

With this much distance, she would generally be able to deal with any surprise attack from an enemy. It was too late to fear the uncertainties, though Nayuta wasn't awfully worried about them.

This was, after all, a game.

──In reality, it would have been much more scary to her.

While making footsteps with her zori(3) as if they were wearing thin, Nayuta leisurely advanced forward.

From beyond the wide pa.s.sageway with stone paving, she heard clatter and metallic sounds.

(《Skeleton Warriors》 ……? They number over five, but less than ten──)

As their protectors made characteristic sounds, they were enemies very easy to sense. Their individual strength wasn't all that big, but made coordinated attacks, wielding all sorts of weapons, they were a bit of a pain in the a.s.s as their numbers increased.

Nayuta cast her eyes down and took a single deep breath.

Soon, from the darkness came a group of corpses reduced to skeletons, wearing dirty helmets and armour.

The mouth of the skulls clattered with joy having found a prey.

Before they could get ready, Nayuta broke into a dash.

Clenching her hand covered by her kote into a fist, she unleashed a yell── and drove a silent punch into the face of the Skeleton Warrior standing in the lead.

The heavy attack enveloped in a Battle Miko's divine power sent the pitiful head of the dead flying along with its helmet.

Without a moment's delay, her left fist went for the skeleton's trunk as it was searching for its rolled off head.

That wasn't a move for beating it up. Drawing in one's fist and unleas.h.i.+ng an exorcising wave afterwards; it was a close-quarter fighting skill──called 《{{Haraiuchi

Purifying Strike}}》.

For a grappling-type player, it was a simple yet effective anti-spirit skill; it wasn't restricted to just fists, as it could be used for kicks, head b.u.t.ts, and other such attacks, effective in the strike range of the player's limbs.

The Skeleton Warrior, which was unable to defend due to the damage and then suffered a follow-up attack, crumbled away along with its armour, as if sand scattered by the wind.

(One for starters──)

Unconcernedly, as if solving a problem on a workbook, Nayuta decided on her next enemy. 

Three of them coming from the front── if she tried dealing with them one at a time, she would be flanked.

Making use of her selectively strengthened leaping ability, she jumped up softly.

Her pure white sleeve fluttered like wings, while her red hakama bulged out because of the wind.

Her slender legs kicked the helmet of a Skeleton Warrior, then used it as a stepping stone for another brilliant, high jump.

The 《{{Leaping of the Eight s.h.i.+ps

Ha.s.soutobi}}》 that enhanced the player's jumping ability was a basic skill, but with its advanced form, the 《Unparalleled Jump》, kicking off would be regarded as an attack.

It didn't have much power, but in the case of an easy-to-tumble bipedal opponent like the Skeleton Warrior, it was possible to succeed in toppling the enemy with the attack.

That was exactly the case here; the skeleton whose head was trampled by Nayuta clumsily hit the floor with its face.

When this happened, even its ominous appearance felt somewhat humourous.

Nayuta leapt over the heads of the other Skeleton Warriors and landed behind them without a sound.

Her body was undoubtedly as light as a feather. In this room, she could experience a move that would be impossible in the real world as if it were only natural.

Forgetting everything and, as if dancing──skillfully turning her body round and round.

Giving herself to the matsuribayas.h.i.+ that suddenly came out of nowhere, she magnificently avoided the Skeleton Warriors' tachi swords, and counterattacked.

Stepping on the back of the blade that was swung downward, she leapt up and smacked its chin with her knee.

She avoided the tip of a spear thrust at her, shortened the distance by spinning around the enemy's flank, and using the centrifugal force, she dealt a backhand blow.

She cut a bowman's bowstring with a shuriken before it could fire, then mercilessly kicked its torso as it was fl.u.s.tered due to losing its weapon.

The sole maiden reduced the number of the Skeleton Warriors in the group just like that.

The last remaining skeleton brandished its hexagonal pole, giving off a tragic impression.

Using the pole swung with wind pressure as a foothold, Nayuta leapt over its head. 

Her landing spot was behind the Skeleton Warrior.

Aiming for the skull's ear, she took a gentle breath──

"──May you find peace."

She dealt a sharp blow, her tone soft.

Leaving a faint echo and beam of light, the Skeleton Warrior died on the spot.

Confirming no more signs of enemies in the area, Nayuta straightened herself.

Normalising her not so much chaotic breathing, she listened carefully to the timbre of the matsuribayas.h.i.+ that came unnoticed.

She tried to look for the direction of the sound, but because of the echo on the walls of the pa.s.sageway, she couldn't discern its origin.

(If I recall the lore correctly── an apparition enslaved the souls of the villagers to create musicians for itself, and to undo the curse, we need the sacred musical instruments that were guarded by the village……)

According to Torao's explanation, it seemed that during the quest you could only meet up with members who had gathered musical instruments.

Last time, Nayuta had already acquired one, but the others were only beginning now. Naturally, she didn't expect to be able to meet up with anyone for a while.

Should she fight against some small fry to kill time, look for treasure or something, or take a break somewhere──

Even if she did take a break, she wanted to do it not in this dreary stone pa.s.sage, but a more relaxing place.

Having decided on a plan and begun to walk, Nayuta suddenly sensed the presence of a person behind her.

(Another enemy──!)

Promptly leaping forward to take some distance, Nayuta turned around.

However, what stood before her was neither an enemy, nor a comrade, yet still a familiar being.

A very young child, wearing a splash-patterned kimono and a kitsune mask──

He looked like a child actor in a historical play, but, of course, he was not human.

"……We meet again. Umm…… Kiyofumi-kun?"

Looking up at Nayuta through his kitsune mask, he didn't answer her question, but instead something else in a voice lacking intonation.

"──Onee-chan, you sure are strong. Those Skeleton Warriors you fought just now shouldn't have been enemies that easy to beat."

At the pouting tone unbefitting an artificial intelligence, Nayuta unconsciously smiled.

"It's not like I beat them as easily as it looked. I focus on speed and have weak defence, so I've developed a habit of defeating enemies in a swift attack── I did plan to run away if I suffered even a single clean hit."

As he was obviously younger, Nayuta naturally changed her tone to suit talking with a child.

──《He》 was an artificial intelligence and definitely not some ghost. Unlike Koyomi, Nayuta could discern as much.

In the past tens of years, artificial intelligence has seen tremendous evolution. Even now there were individuals in the virtual s.p.a.ce that were on a level making them hard to distinguish from humans.

Research and development in that field was advancing in various places, especially in commercial enterprises, and as a result, even amateur-like creators were now able to easily obtain copies of such artificial intelligence.

The latest cutting-edge── well, that would naturally be difficult to obtain, so on the level that could be used for a game, there was data on stereotypical men and women of all ages rolled out to the world of the Internet, including both paid and free content.

The creator of this quest, Yanagi Kiyofumi, had probably also applied this data and created his other self, the 《Kitsune-masked Child》. If he just had data to use as a base for personality, he could add more intricate lines for him later on.

The kitsune-masked child fixedly gazed up at Nayuta.

Nayuta, too, fixedly gazed down at him.

Their gazes couldn't meet because of the mask, but she was able to understand that she was being observed.

"Kiyofumi-kun── is that how I should call you?"

Nayuta asked once again for confirmation.

The child shook his head.

"Kiyofumi has pa.s.sed away. I am just an artificial intelligence born through Kiyofumi's will── so, I was given a different name."

(……Huh? He admitted……?)

She had firmly believed that he would lie or try to deceive her to maintain immersion in the game.

Yet, he frankly revealed his ident.i.ty and pulled on Nayuta's sleeve.

"There's no point in lying to someone who knows about Kiyofumi. And besides, it doesn't seem like you're even a teeny bit scared even when I'm this close, Onee-chan."

"……Sorry. It seems that I'm more thick-skinned than the average person, or I'm just unfamiliar with such an emotion."

Feeling apologetic for some reason, Nayuta unconsciously bowed.

"Umm……If you're not Kiyofumi-kun and have received a different name……What is your named?" 

"〝Clovis〟 is my name. Cool, huh?"

For a moment, Nayuta was at a loss for words.

Moments earlier, she would have been able to honestly answer with 'it's cool', but because of the similar impression given by his words, she ended up imagining the shady smile of the Detective, making her pause for a moment.

Moreover, they even had the same kitsune face.

"……How should I put this…… despite your j.a.panese outfit, you sure have a very Western name, I see?"

Facing Nayuta who harbored complicated emotions, the child proudly puffed his chest.

"It's the name Kiyofumi had as a player. The name was based on a hero that busted dragons in an old game or something.(4) I received that name── and together with Kiyofumi, we createdthis game."

Nayuta became bewildered.

"Created…… the game? You?"

"Of course, the important parts were all done by Kiyofumi….. but Kiyofumi gave me instructions and I set up the map and the mechanics── it sure was fun. Until Kiyofumi died, I was always with him."

The kitsune-masked child smiled sadly beyond his mask.

Nayuta ended up speechless.

(This child……created it with him? This quest……? Meaning…… that he was a co-creator……?)

While surprised, she astonished at herself that she had completely forgotten this possibility.

Thinking about it, an artificial intelligence's original role is to a.s.sist people.

Controlling mechanisms in the place of a person, a.n.a.lysing information in the place of a person, carrying out 〝the role of a person〟 in the place of the person── This kitsune-masked child was probably a reliable partner to Kiyofumi.

Though, in order to take an artificial intelligence on a level that an average person could obtain, and make it so proficient, it was indispensable for the user to be knowledgeable and be skilled at modifying it; it wasn't as simple as it sounded.

Actually── it seemed like an even more difficult experiment than 〝developing a quest〟 itself.

(Perhaps, Yanagi Kiyofumi's actual goal…… wasn't to develop this quest, but to nurture this 《artificial intelligence》 through creating it……?)

Although low, there was the possibility that the quest was just a camouflage to hide the artificial intelligence 〝Clovis〟.

Nayuta decided to voice her suspicions.

"Do…… you have any purpose in being here?"

Suddenly, the child inclined his head questioningly.

"Onee-chan, do you have any purpose in living?"

"Wha……?"

Having received a question in return, Nayuta was stumped on how to respond.

Answering a question with a question was bit rare for the behaviour of an artificial intelligence. It is possible that Kiyofumi expected such a question in advance and inputted an answer to respond with, but in that case, she had a mysterious sensation that her thoughts were seen through.

The artificial intelligence named Clovis slowly added to his words.

"──If I don't have a purpose, I can't be here?"

"That…… I……"

Having hesitated for a bit, Nayuta squatted down, matching the the height of her eyes with his.

"……You're right. You don't need a purpose. Besides, you'll probably find one along the way, and can decide on it someday yourself……Though, allow me to ask one thing. Could it be…… that you were asked by 《Kiyofumi-kun》 to do something important?"

The child slipped out a chuckle beyond the kitsune mask.

"Yeah. He did ask for a favour. But…… right afterwards, Kiyofumi also said that he didn't want to bind me with any promise. He said that I didn't need to care about the promise and that I could act freely as I wished── so, I can't tell you yet."

The child gently jumped a big step back.

Like a ghost, half of his body sunk to the other side of the stone wall.

"Ah! Wait!"

"……See you later, Onee-chan. But then── if you can't clear the quest, we might not meet again."

Just like that, the child disappeared into the wall.

The area was engulfed in silence as if there had been no one there from the start.

Putting her hand on the stone wall where the child had disappeared, Nayuta pondered for a while.

(The artificial intelligence the administrators overlooked…… was of course not a ghost, but int that case, what about the other 〝ghost〟──)

The thing she wanted to ask him about as she asked him to stop, and the biggest reason why this quest was driven to a suspension── that is to say, the 〝ghost of one's close acquaintance that shouldn't be present as data〟.

She had heard that in the detective's case, his deceased bosom friend appeared, in Yanagi's case - his grandchild Kiyofumi, and in Koyomi's - her old pet.

Even in Nayuta's case── a person that should have been dead showed himself.

(If we clear the quest, will we be able to understand how that works too……)

At any rate, right now, she wanted to meet up with her comrades.

With renewed energy, Nayuta corrected her posture.

And, right after she once again began walking through the underground pa.s.sageway──

She suddenly felt vertigo.

Her vision swayed for just a moment and she unconsciously closed her eyes.

──Nayuta has experienced this sensation the previous time, too.

With some confidence and discomfort, she opened her eyes.

At that moment, she saw a person she couldn't forget.

A young, pale man, wearing a policeman uniform and standing stock still absent-mindedly.

While alive, he looked very gentle, but now, his expression, hidden by the shadow of his cap, couldn't be seen.

The matsuribayas.h.i.+ could be heard, strangely far away.

"……Onii……chan……?"

Nayuta let out a hoa.r.s.e voice.

It was a little dim, but there was no mistaking it.

──When she had entered the castle the previous time, she had also come across the figure of her elder brother.

During the mere moment she had thought that she had been mistaken, Nayuta's thoughts suddenly came to a halt.

Then, without a thought, she just unconsciously and indifferently brought down the enemies in the area, and by the time she came to, she was standing by the escape route.

She remembered it all well. In contrast to Clevel and the others, she had reported "I saw the ghost of someone I knew", but she had not lied about it.

She had just shut down her emotions.

If she couldn't think a thing, she wouldn't feel fear or loneliness. Even if she couldn't completely overcome them, she could 〝paralyse〟 them.

Even now, at this moment──

When the figure of her elder brother entered her view, without any panic, she killed her emotions with cold thinking.

(……It can't be…… a ghost──)

She didn't believe in ghosts and the like. Actually, she even wished to encounter such a thing, but the elder brother she saw before her was different.

It was 〝something〟 that had taken the form of Nayuta's elder brother and was of no concern to her.

His figure could only be seen for a mere few seconds, and that being had already disappeared.

After the faint vertigo had pa.s.sed, Nayuta took a deep breath── and then continued with a long expiration to empty her lungs..

──Her elder brother Kus.h.i.+nada Daichi had died while playing 《Sword Art Online》.

She didn't really have any clue what had happened in-game.

But in the real world, her brother, wearing a NerveGear, had his brain suddenly fried in a hospital, and died.

His family, who had been praying for his safe return, fell into despair── and she didn't want to remember what happened afterwards.

To protect herself, Nayuta killed the majority of her emotions. 

When Detective Clevel voiced clear hatred towards Kayaba Akihiko.

Nayuta thought of Clevel as slightly dazzling.

Nayuta had run away from even hating the perpetrator.

Casting aside her resentment… was a nice-sounding scenario that didn't happen. In order to feel hatred, she also had to face the sorrow of having lost her elder brother.

Nayuta had run away from all such emotions── Thus, she continued playing another VRMMO aimlessly.

Coldly gazing into the darkness where the ghost of her elder brother disappeared, Nayuta formed a light fist.

She put in some force. There was no hindrance to fighting.

(I have to hurry and meet up with Yanagi-san and the others── I wonder if they have been able to find a musical instrument by now……)

With such thoughts in mind, she began walking in a state similar to sleepwalking──

The 《{{Two-mouthed woman

Futakuchi-onna}}》 that closed in on her from behind… was. .h.i.t with a backhand blow with all of Nayuta's strength without her turning her eyes.

§

The importance of a life was relatively different.

Between the life of a complete stranger and the life of a family member, the family member's life would generally be more important.

The case would be different if the relations.h.i.+p with the family was filled with discord and hatred, but as long as such special circ.u.mstances aren't involved, it'd be safe to say that the death of a relative would make you shed tears.

On the other hand, for an unfamiliar person who died in a traffic accident, you wouldn't feel anything other than "condolences".

It was impossible to live one's life grieving and moaning every single time such a frequent event occurred, and actually, there was not a moment without some unknown person having just pa.s.sed away somewhere in the world.

For a person to feel sorrow about another person's death, 《information》 about that person is essential.

If there was just some information, even a fictional character's death in a story would make people shed tears.

In the first place, you wouldn't even be aware of a death that you had no information on.

Just now, even though a child in the corner of some slum who had been abandoned by their parents suffered from medical poisoning and died, there was no one in particular to grief about the child's death.

It isn't a matter of good or bad; that's just how the world works.

This is a very healthy thing; if people mourned for every single death of an unknown person, they would not be able to smile even for a second throughout their life.

The importance of a life was relatively different.

The more the person is familiar, the bigger the importance; the more a person is unacquainted, the less important their life is

To Detective Clevel, the deceased 〝Yanagi Kiyofumi〟was an unacquainted stranger.

As for his death, he did think that "it's a pity for someone so young", but he didn't have any more sentiments for it in particular.

So──even regarding the kitsune-masked child that appeared before him, his response was very disinterested.

Clevel was not one to feel that much compa.s.sion for every person. He knew that this was impolite.

Outside the window was a castle tower, overlooking the stars in the sky.

Having been transported to the same place as last time, Clevel shrugged at seeing the kitsune-masked child.

"So you came, 〝ghost〟 boy. I'd like to have a chat with you. Kiyofumi-kun, hm? Or do you have some other name, I wonder."

The child inclined his head in wonder.

Clevel thought that he was Kiyofumi's other self.

There were two 〝special mechanics〟 made by the deceased Yanagi Kiyofumi in this quest.

The appearance of one's dead acquaintance as a ghost.

And, the existence of the 《kitsune-masked child》, an artificial intelligence that even the administrators hadn't noticed.

Unless the safety of these two points can be proved, or a program correction is performed, the suspension of the quest will not be lifted.

The particularly problematic one was the 〝appearance of one's dead acquaintance as a ghost〟, but the administrators doubt the possibility of this phenomenon being a terms of service violation.

A VRMMO using a feature to access the brains of people and, in-game, performing the act of "reading and recreating the memories of an individual"── this was clearly a breach of Asuka Empire's rules.

Yet, the creator Kiyofumi probably did not think that this would become a problem.

In fact, if Clevel's conjecture was correct, he did not engage in illegal conduct. Though, he created something close── some gray zone mechanic that would naturally be misunderstood as a transgression.

Based on the fact that no problems occurred during the application judging phase, it can be deduced that the mechanic wasn't the kind to work on everyone.

The kitsune-masked child pointed at Clevel.

The rude action was somewhat awkward, reminiscent of a puppet.

"……Onii-san, who are you? I don't know you, Onii-san, but you know me?"

"Yeah. I haven't met you while you were alive, but I do know you. I'm a friend of your grandfather, Yanagi Teiichi-s.h.i.+. I'm named Clevel."

When he squatted down, offering a handshake, the child inclined his head, and said something strange.

"Clevel…… that name sounds like mine, huh."

The detective frowned.

He couldn't understand right away what the child was saying.

"……You…aren't Kiyofumi-kun? Of course, not the person himself, but a being that should be called his alter ego──"

A chuckle escaped from the mask.

"〝Kiyofumi〟 has died, y'know. I received a different name. But……"

Ignoring the detective's handshake, the child jumped a step back.

"While I have told it to Onee-chan, I can't yet tell you, Onii-san. To people who haven't even found a 《musical instrument》, I'm not saying a thing."

Like a child playing tag, he broke into a dash downstairs.

Energetically like a leaping rabbit, he disappeared just like that.

Clevel unconsciously formed a bitter smile.

"So that's how it's going to be…… I didn't really think he'd suddenly tell us everything. 〝Torao-san〟, did you hear that. That child really did come out."

From the three-leaf-patterned clasp fastening his bolo tie came an exhausted-sounding voice of a middle-aged man.

『We caught him on our side too. He really does exist……Those guys who were in charge of screening are really getting it now."

In the course of the test play, Clevel and the others were monitored by the administrators.

On top of that, Clevel alone also had the ability to contact Torao.

Yanagi was just playing a quest made by his grandson, Nayuta and Koyomi were, in the end, just a.s.sisting, but Clevel had the 〝job〟 of identifying the error in this quest.

Literally, this might be a game, but it's not something you play. To him, this was a source of income for earning his daily bread, as well as a way of gaining trust.

From the communication device imitating a bolo tie clasp came Torao's voice.

『However, I dun get it. Why did that hidden char appear only to you guys. Seeing as it was overlooked on the test play, it doesn't sound like merely the effect of Luck──』

Clevel cautiously stated his opinion.

"I had figured that it was an AI designed to hide from the administrators, but despite us being monitored, he still came out. a.s.suming that he has no particular intention of hiding…… I believe that, probably, Yanagi-s.h.i.+'s existence is the key. It is probably devised so that it would react to any party with, not limited to Yanagi-s.h.i.+, any player that seems like a family member or a friend. The information essential for the filtering would be the player's name, age, and also…… maybe uttering the name 〝Kiyofumi〟 or reacting to it, or something like that."

Torao sighed. The emotions included in it were just a bit heavy.

『……A will from the creator directed at his family and friends, you mean. We'll investigate the rest. Matters related to artificial intelligence would take a bit of time, but──it seems like those guys are sharing info about the ways of hiding from administrators. 』

These Torao's words, at the current time, were still a joke, nearly like an urban legend.

But Clevel knew from experience that, in VR, artificial intelligence evolution was advancing at a tremendous rate.

Despite the exceptionally few examples, artificial intelligence on the level of being capable of escaping administrator control and even responding to dialogue in a way that makes them indistinguishable from people have been appearing sporadically.

For starters, the great majority of people aren't as clever to be compared to artificial intelligence, nor did they have anything exceptional in particular.

Excluding the small fraction of brilliant geniuses, ninety-nine percent of people couldn't win at shogi or chess against artificial intelligence.

Of course people couldn't oppose then when it came quiz-like information challenges, but because artificial intelligence don't have the risk of dozing off or drinking alcohol, people lose to them when it came to driving safety; because artificial intelligence don't have s.e.xual desires, they don't fall for honey traps; due to not having timidity, as well as knowing moderation, artificial intelligence ability at communication is also higher.

Additionally, they were even so flexible that their character and behaviour could be changed to a great extent depending on the settings.

Clevel… felt fear from the bottom of his heart about their existence.

However, strangely──he didn't hate them just because he feared them.

Just like you wouldn't particularly hate beasts like bears and tigers as beings despite fearing them, Clevel observed the evolution of artificial intelligence with great interest despite fearing it.

"Well then, Torao-san, I shall follow after that child. Let me know if something happens to the others."

『Yeah. Yanagi-san seems to be doing okay. The two girls are also advancing well. Well……currently, the one with the biggest chance of being driven to retiring is you, I guess…… 』

At his voice, mixed with concern and lack of resignation, Clevel gave his usual faint smile as a response.

In fact, that was exactly the case; as Torao feared, the results depended on how things would turn out as of this moment.

Having cut the call, Clevel turned towards the stairway leading to the floor below the tower.

Last time, he was done in by several jorōgumo that appeared here.

It was even still unclear whether that was a fixed enemy, or a random encounter, but he brought along a counter-plan just in case.

Distraction smoke bombs, flash bombs to surprise the enemy, poisonous smoke to reduce the enemy's strength, white lotus aroma to reduce the probability of encountering an enemy, a Scapegoat Charm to lead the enemy astray with a decoy phantom── although neither of them were damage sources, they would be enough to escape the small fry.

Immediately, Clevel rolled down a flash bomb downstairs. The small sphere with paper, imitating a firework ball, *koton*, *koton*, kept falling down, bouncing along the stairs.

After the faint explosive sound and flash of light a moment later, several footsteps clattered away into the distance.

Having driven away the jorōgumo waiting in ambush downstairs, Clevel leisurely began descending the stairs.

Due to his status, he was weak against surprise attacks, but if he just knew how the enemy would act, he could thus cope with them to some extent.

Below the tower, a corridor with wooden floor continued forward and back.

One side faced the outer wall, the other had a wooden wall.

In an actual castle, there were plenty of cases where there was a large hall with no particular part.i.tion below the castle tower, but this castle was, in the end, designed just as a dungeon.

Emphasising reality, or prioritising conditions for a game──even points like these told about the creator's personality and preferences.

It seemed like inconsequential detail to other players, but to Clevel the detective, such minute details were also important hints.

(Now then, I have to find the 〝musical instrument〟 for meeting up with the others…… I was told that there's no particular need to defeat enemies, and that the items should be hidden in wicker baskets or beyond trapdoors.)

These were hints he had heard from Torao, but he had conjectured that there was no need to 〝defeat strong enemies〟 before meeting up when he was forced to act alone.

In the case of cla.s.ses unsuited for individual battles, a.s.suming that the person wasn't skilled, would be quite capable halting any progress. Even if the creator planned out such a situation maliciously, the administrators would adjust the balance at the time of its release.

Although he couldn't let his guard down, the situation was far from being desperate.

Moving quickly before the fleeing spiders could return, yet still not abandoning caution, Clevel began walking through the dark corridor.

Before five minutes of no changes pa.s.sed, one did occur.

A faint figure rose up in the front, engulfed in darkness.

Clevel, feeling faint dizziness, came to a stop.

(……So it came.)

This sensation wasn't new.

Without even concentrating his eyes, Clevel saw 〝him〟 having appeared before him.

A young, athlete-like man with broad shoulders and wearing a platemail unbefitting a j.a.panese castle──

The sword in his hand was halfway broken, and black blood flowed from his atrociously cut abdomen.

His face couldn't be seen, but it was easy to guess that it had an expression of anguish.

The detective made a groan.

(So he did 〝come〟──a bigger problem than the artificial intelligence of the kitsune mask person──)

Due to the uproar caused by the hospitalisation of a player shocked by this 《ghost》, the 《Phantom Orchestra》 quest was driven to suspension.

Clevel did not know what the man had specifically seen, but it was undoubtedly a close 〝someone〟, like a relative, lover, friend, or acquaintance.

Currently, the young man in platemail standing before Clevel was also a familiar being to Clevel/

Frowning as if glaring at the man, the detective opened up communication through his bolo tie.

"……Torao-san, do you see it? The next one came out. Not the kitsune-masked one, the real 〝ghost〟 that caused the problems."

──No answer.

Clevel unconsciously clicked his tongue.

(The connection……was interrupted, huh.)

Impossible──is what could hardly be said.

Actually, if the 〝ghost〟 worked as he had guessed, such a thing was to be expected.

The console was not displayed.

The item list would not come out.

In addition to the minute dizziness, his limbs felt weird, as if chained down. This by no means meant that he couldn't move his body, but it seemed like all of his five senses were enveloped in a thin coat of exhaustion.

──It felt like he was in a 〝dream〟.

Clevel's deceased friend staggeringly approached him, without creating any metallic sounds with his platemail.

As the area around his eyes became distorted at seeing this pitiful state, the detective unconsciously spoke out the name he used in Aincrad.

"You're the same slowpoke as always, huh, 《Yak.u.mo》…… Even after death, you've still neglected your Agility. For a guy who cared so much about being strong, how exactly did you end up dying in one attack."

Despite him saying that with irony, his voice trembled for some reason.

His former friend continued walking staggeringly. Though, despite his feet moving, he did not close in on Clevel.

As his footpath was moving in the opposite direction, his body had not moved from its fixed position.

The ghost figure could only be seen for less than even a minute, then he disappeared into the darkness just like that.

After feeling slight dizziness once again, Clevel heard a familiar voice calling him.

『……i-kun……Kurei-kun! What happened? Answer me!』

Unlike his usual self, Torao was panicking.

While taking deep breaths, the detective just barely managed to pick his words.

"……Torao-san. Excuse me. I… dozed off for a bit──"

Through the bolo tie communicator, he clearly felt Torao's relief.

『Dozed off…… you do know you've been sleeping just now? Well, rather than sleeping, it was more like your brain waves entered a state close to REM sleep──』

Unlike the others connecting to the game from their homes, Clevel had logged in from a medical inst.i.tution, arranged for by the administrators.

It wasn't a safety policy, but rather a measure to check on his brain waves and mental state during the test play; the role of a test subject, so to speak.

"……Is that so. So I was sleeping."

『It was just for a mere moment, so I did think that it might have been a sensor malfunction. It was as if you had been forced asleep by magic or an item. Right now, the staff is trying to do a detailed a.n.a.lysis. We do want a bit more data, but can you still continue?』

Clevel unconsciously gave a wry smile.

"Obviously, Torao-san. Just now, I encountered that 《ghost》. In the end, it was just a false image created by the brain── the product of a 〝dream〟. It seems we have proved that it is not dangerous."

Clevel had certainly been 〝sleeping〟 just now.

FullDive technology itself included a factor close to sleep and anaesthesia, but, in the end, it was just a phenomenon caused by mechanical control of the brain; even in-game, sleep was required.

Even the victims of the SAO Incident slept in-game; the sleep itself wasn't particularly unusual.

However, differently from such a corporeal and physiological phenomenon, what Clevel had experienced just now was a forcibly and momentarily being forced to sleep── and he experienced a 〝dream〟.

This was the true nature of the 《ghost》 set up by Yanagi Kiyofumi.

"The ghost that should not exist as data and imitates the individual's deceased friend or acquaintance── the true nature of that ghost is a false image created in one's own mind. Making a player sleep for a time that can be counted in seconds, then, during that meager time, stimulating the brain to create an illusion of the deceased. The ghosts we have seen were not data that manifests in the game but 〝one's own memories themselves〟──isn't that right?"

According to Clevel's conjecture, this wasn't a particularly novel technique. Psychic phenomena like out-of-body experiences and near-death experiences were largely known as illusions created by the brain.

At a time when there wasn't even a sign of VRMMOs, it was reported that artificial near-death experiences were induced by stimulating the Sylvian fissure in the temporal lobe with electrical impulses.

Naturally, just because the same impulse was given didn't mean that the same phenomenon occurred for everyone. Individual differences in the test results were big, and the fact that the test player didn't actually see anything reinforced this theory.

The human brain was endowed with a 《function to create illusions》 from the start.

The majority of people experienced them in the form of dreams, and VR tech was nothing but a method of mechanically manipulating this function of the brain.

Torao gave a superficial sigh.

『……We'll be inspecting that now, but you're probably right about that. Just for that moment, you were shown a short dream due to the interference of the FullDive system. Because it was in a dream, you were, naturally, unable to use the communication device or your items. The vital part of the tech is to align the setting of the dream with the scene of the game. Moreover, due to it being very short, the player doesn't notice that it's a dream, and end up having an optical illusion that they had encountered a ghost in-game──when you've figured out the trick, it doesn't sound all that big. As they say, the ghost turned out to be a beckoning flower. Because it's the individual's dream, what they saw doesn't get logged, and, in the first place, doesn't exist in the data. What a ghost.』

Despite the circ.u.mstances having become clear, Torao's voice was bitter.

"……Torao-san, you seem to want to say something?"

『Don't ask what you already know……Despite this not being a violation of the terms of service, it does violate ethics. Although it depends on the player's relations.h.i.+p with the deceased, there really aren't that many people would could remain calm after suffering a trauma. The reason why this mechanic didn't activate for our test players was likely because of either compatibility issues for the mechanic to work, or because the players just happened to not have any dead relatives, or something along those lines. Conversely── the deeper the 〝scar〟 a person holds, the stronger mental damage they suffer from it. How vulgar.』

Clevel burst out in laughter unconsciously.

"It is natural for horror to be vulgar. Eh…… I do understand what you are trying to say. For what reason did the boy named Kiyofumi create such a mechanic. That certainly makes one curious. If he was the kind of person to take joy in hurting others, it would not really be the kind of thing to praise, but──"

Unlike the detective, Torao wasn't laughing.

『At any rate, revisions are needed. We can't reimplement it like this. I dunno where got the tech from, but it is an elaborate mechanic made by a child half for fun. It's reasonable to a.s.sume that someone……and that someone is a researcher or an active developer, provided him with the tech.』

On this point, Clevel's opinion slightly differed from Torao's.

"I……do wonder about that. It could be that the mechanic was an original creation of his. Based on the fact that he created the quest himself… and in a short period of time to boot, he is undoubtedly a genius. Of course, he must have consulted the findings of specialist researchers, but……The concept is one thing, but it does not mean that he was doing something awfully absurd technically. 〝Showing a dream to a player of their deceased acquaintance in the scenery of a game for just a few seconds〟──in my case, it just happened to be a deceased friend, but Koyomi-jou saw a microbe that she used to keep as a pet. For the majority of people, I believe it would only yield a reaction on the level of〝that surprised be a bit〟."

Torao groaned at his advocacy.

『It's fine for the majority. But as I've said before, the problem is the 〝minority〟 of cases that actually have scars. Remember when I asked 〝can you still continue like this?〟 moments ago? You were quite the actor in playing calm, cool, and collected. But even for a man like you, your vitals don't like ──Your heart rate, blood pressure, brain waves - all of them displayed a very large change just now. Although he might have already calmed down──even the university student that caused the quest to be suspended had received a huge shock and fainted, thus being carried to a hospital. It's awfully hard to say that it's not dangerous.』

The detective put his deerstalker hat over his eyes.

"……Was I that agitated? As a matter of fact, despite him being a fake…… I did feel just a bit happy to see him."

It wasn't a bluff.

It was heart-breaking to see such him in such a pitiful shape, but to Clevel, Yak.u.mo was unmistakably his friend and comrade in arms. 

He was an acquaintance from the same university, a contemporary even at the police academy, and, since becoming policemen together, a man with whom he grumbled about the bra.s.s.

He was literally a jack of all trades both physically and mentally, being only slightly above the average on aspect of being a policeman; in exchange for not having any special or amazing skills, he didn't have any obvious negatives──that's the kind of young man he was.

With a faint smile, Clevel calmly spoke to Torao through the communicator.

"In any case, we can leave the judgement for when we reach the end. In the first place, speaking of heart rate, blood pressure and other such changes, the horror genre itself could be considered dangerous. Like the 《Subjugation of a Tiger on the Folding Screen》……that one sounds like a decent challenge, no? Compared to that, the trick in this quest is cute."

『Well that one is…… to be honest, I had a problem with it too. Eh…, but that one was equally scary to everyone. It wasn't the the kind of thing to exacerbate an individual's trauma.』

The detective grinned broadly.

"Torao-san. Speaking of traumas── a wound may rot if left alone. Before that happens, it forms a scab, even if it hollowed out, and one can get used to the pain; I believe that is also a method of coping."

『Hmm……and what if it festers even worse because it was hollowed out?』

"……Well, let's consider it a step at a time."

He wasn't the kind of guy to be swayed by eloquence.

The detective made progress through the corridor. 

──As he was in the process of fulfilling his original goal of〝allowing Yanagi to play this quest〟, there was no need to sway Torao. Whether the quest was left suspended or reimplemented was a matter unrelated to the request.

Though, Clevel had already ended up receiving a message from 《Yanagi Kiyofumi》.

Koyomi and Yanagi hadn't noticed. Nayuta could have noticed, but she had a habit of sealing her thoughts in her mind.

As the boy named Kiyofumi's last will was 《here》──the quest remaining in suspension left a slight, bad aftertaste.

(Now then……what kind of sophism to I need to use to change this 〝guardian's〟 mind──)

The head of the Error Inspection Cell Torao was reliable as an ally, but on the other hand, but he was quite the handful to persuade.

Conversely, if he could just convince such a hard-nut-to-crack, he could persuade the higher-ups with the same reasoning.

As a fox that borrows the authority of a tiger, Clevel had to bewitch him.

Sticking out his tongue to moisten his thin lips, the detective swung his beloved stick around.

§

When he finally saw an end to the hall that he thought had none, Yanagi stopped for a breather.

He had come this far by following the wood grain arrows on the ceiling; the kitsune-masked child had shown his face for a bit, but disappeared without starting any conversation in particular.

Looking ahead, at the end of the hall was a fusuma with a beautiful with a gorgeous picture on it.

The reason why Yanagi stopped was because he recalled an important point he had heard from Clevel.

Beyond an opened door or fusuma, there were frequently enemies waiting in ambush──

This appeared to be a convention in the horror genre.

While taking a breather, Yanagi stared at the picture on the fusuma. He had just learnt how you could find a hint if you look for one.

(Now then……The picture on the fusuma is quite the big one……?)

It seemed that a single picture was formed from ten screens.

The touch of peaceful sumi-e was excellent and, despite the lack of