Wonder Game - outbreak 3

[bakemonoremy]

Location: Garden Terrace

- Ten Minutes Or So Later -

Nagisa: ……….

Ibara: Your Excellency~! I apologize for the wait I’ve caused you, please forgive me for abandoning you in hostile territory!

I was busy handing down a swift preemptive strike upon our most formidable enemies at “Wonder Game”, Switch… There was a lot to do, you see!

It appears as though His Eminence Eichi has anticipated our visit, to an extent… From what I could tell from a slight investigation, he hid all confidential matters carefully ahead of time.

Fufufu. But even so, compared to CosPro, Yumenosaki is 10 years behind the times…

As soon as you infiltrate the school, there’s no point to their security anymore, from what I gathered.

Nagisa: ……? I’m sorry Ibara, I was reading a book and wasn’t listening at all.

Ibara: Oh no, no need to apologize! If anything, I am sorry for causing a fuss in your vicinity and disturbing you while you were reading!

Nagisa: ……Fufu. Right back at you, Ibara. There’s no need to say “I am sorry”.

……Apologizing in order to make the other feel at ease, how thoughtful. I learned something new.

Ibara: Yes. These kinds of shrewd skills are necessary to maneuver adult society.

Nagisa: ……How complicated. But if you say they’re necessary, you’re probably right, Ibara.

……More importantly. Ibara, you’re not with Tsumugi-kun and the others?

……Even though you said you would call them here for a briefing session.

Ibara: Aah, they said they have some cleaning up to do so I should go ahead by myself. I wonder what they were doing…

From my light observation, I could tell that the poison I injected into them earlier is starting to circulate already, though.

But we can’t let our guard down just yet. Trickstar was quite formidable after all…

Maybe it is due to Yumenosaki’s idols being used to doing battle in their “unit” system for such a long time, but their solidarity is quite strong.

In order to crush them, we’ll need one more push.

Nagisa: ……I wonder about that. I don’t know how the world sees him, but I wouldn’t underestimate Tsumugi-kun.

……Back in fine, Eichi-kun ruled the unit from the shadows, and used him to fulfill his dreams.

……In terms of skills as an idol as well popularity, the leading actors Hiyori-kun and I outshined him.

……And yet. I am sure if it wasn’t for Tsumugi-kun, the revolution couldn’t have happened.

……Fine would have probably broken apart at some point, and been defeated. We only managed to avoid meeting that fate due to Tsumugi-kun’s deeds.

Ibara: Hm~m? I can’t quite agree with that.

Your Excellency must be biased because he was once part of fine himself. For a piece* like him, I think any substitute would do the job just as well, if not better.

Nagisa: ……That’s true. Because there is no piece on a chessboard that’s unneeded.

Tsumugi: I’m sorry for the wait~♪

Er, huh? Nagisa-kun, you came too~, I’m so happy that I get to see you so often lately ♪

Nagisa: ……Yeah. I’m happy too. When I transferred schools, I kind of thought I’d probably never see you again. 

Natsume: …………

Nagisa:  ……Hm? Aah, it’s you, that child of the “Five Oddballs”. It’s been a while.

Natsume:  ……Don’t address me so familiarLY, ex-fiNE.

Tsumugi: Alright, alright. I doubt it’ll be possible for an ex-fine and one of the Oddballs to have a pleasant chat between friends, but please at least try to refrain from fighting, if possible.

There’s people around, so let’s behave, okay?

Natsume: No need for you to tell me thAT. I won’t say “Hate the sin, love the sinnER”, but there’s no point in me venting my anger to a weapon that was merely used because he was convenieNT.

Nagisa: ……You must be jealous. Since no one had any use for you, a child who was just there to “make up the numbers”.

Natsume: …………

Tsumugi: (Uu! I saw this coming, but the mood really turned hostile all of a sudden?)

(Natsume-kun is usually a rational kid, and he’s willing to get along with most people to some degree, but…)

(In front of an ex-fine member, he speaks his mind bluntly, it seems.)

Ibara: (Fufu. His Excellency said something provocative on purpose just now.)

(Even he might be a little shaken, being confronted with the personified sins from his past, one of the “Five Oddballs”.)

(I’m not sure if this is going in a good direction or not…)

(If this causes some sort of fighting spirit to budden within the usually somewhat unassertive Excellency it’d be a cause for joy, but he will become more difficult to handle if he lets his emotions get the best of him.)

Tsumugi & Ibara: (Sigh… Somehow, I feel like I’m raising a child.)

Natsume: ……? Hey SenpAI, aren’t you two thinking something really rude right nOW?

Nagisa:  ……Ibara, you make this kind of expression every once in a while. What’s wrong, does your stomach hurt?

Sora: (Hnn~... Sora somehow feels like he is the only one being left out of the loop.)

(Sometimes, it happens for a moment. Everyone gets worked up about something unrelated to Sora, that he doesn’t know anything about.)

(Only Sora is left behind all on his own. It feels kind of lonely~, like Sora returned to the past. Back to that time before Sora met Shisho~ and Senpai, when he was all alone.)

……Fuwah? W-what’s wrong, Anzu? Why are you patting Sora’s head?

? Anzu, you can tell how Sora is feeling?

Sora gets it~... Ehehe, Sora isn’t alone anymore, so he isn’t lonely at all~♪

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* Ibara refers to a 種の駒, Race Piece or lit. Seed Piece. These are used in No Game No Life.