“Then, see you tomorrow”
Homeroom came to an end as the teacher left the class with a refreshing smile, then the class, 1-C , started to get noisy.
Kasugai Yuu took no attention to any of the topics the others were talking about and stood up while holding his bag.
He didn't particularly stand out or anything. He wore his uniform normally, though the color of his undershirt did violate the school rules it was still okay, at any rate he was just a normal obscure sixteen year old boy.
After the sunset outside met his eyes── which was certainly beautiful── he went ahead to the exit.
“Ooi, Yuu!”
The one who called him was a boy who stood out more than him. His hair had a light brown color and was also pretty tall. While only facing his face Yuu replied,
“What is it Kouta?”
Yuu responded to his friend. Itono Kouta. They've been friends since elementary school. Although their appearances were alike he was more of a spirited guy that goes well with innocent and pure people.
“It's been awhile, do you want to go to the arcade? Do you remember that person from middle school you beat up in a fighting game? She said she wanted to face you again for revenge”
From the looks of it, there were two guys from the class waiting for Kouta. They often chatted together with both of them during break time, but…
“…Sorry. I'm not really in the mood”
“I see. Well, can't be helped”
Kouta easily nodded and left the classroom along with the other two.
“Then see you later”
The smile Kouta left as he departed made Yuu's heart ache. As a friend since middle school, he understood Yuu’s “circumstances”. To be taken care by a friend, so pathetic.
Even so, he just didn't feel like having any foolish commotion with them. And while pitying his boring self, this time he finally went off to leave the classroom── but was once again stopped by an acquaintance.
“Fuyufu…”
“If you isolate yourself too much, your relationship with others will worsen”
Kudzuchi Fuyufu.
She was a girl who would perfectly fit wearing a S-size uniform, a small-sized petite girl. She was even shorter than Yuu who was shorter compared to an average guys' height. Yuu looked down on her head that seemed like a doll wrapped with sleek black hair.
But in contrast to her small physic, her facial expression was that of a grown-up. And despite having a pretty cute face, she's giving off atmosphere that hard to get close in.
“People call that 『Loner』”
And this part of her who loves to say things too much must also be noted.
“What up with that suddenly?”
“Nothing”
As she said that, the light in her eyes showed the cold color of condemn.
“It's been a month since we entered high school. And in this crucial time, I couldn't help seeing the kid from the neighborhood I used to play with losing even more friends than he already is, so I came here to warn you about it. I’m so kind right?”
There were some parts he couldn't let go but he understood it. He wasn't mad from what she said── since it was the truth── but the word “kid from the neighborhood” caught his attention.
Just how long do want to pull back our relationship from elementary school? He would retort.
“And what about you, do you have any friends?”
In response Fuyufu let out a casual yawn, reminiscent that of a cat.
“On the weekends we’re planning to go window shopping, eat sweats in the café, and taking flirty and sparkly pictures in photo booth, the three of us in total. Unfortunately they're all girls”
…It was frustrating, but it didn't sound like a lie. Fuyufu appears to be unfriendly but she has some nice sides as well, and she also has the kind of talent to build a good relationship with others.
Yuu who failed to counterattack could only stand still while looking down at the floor quietly.
“Then stop caring about me, just go and have fun”
“Eh? Those girls are busy with clubs so I just came here to play with a loner who seems to have nothing to do though?”
Oh sorry, could it be you haven't notice? As she looked into his face with a pitying look. Against that, Yuu could only clench his fist and hold down his frustration. His effort was worth some praises he thought, but that was an impossible demand to make.
He let out a sigh. It was his mistake for thinking that Fuyufu would cheer him up.
“Sorry but I don’t have any time to spare. Try someone else”
He said as he started walking. This is what you would call running away. He knew that it was impossible to win against Fuyufu verbally, if they continued who knew when his heart would break.
“Ah…”
Fuyufu's voice from behind sounded awfully weak.
But she didn't chase after him.
When he clearly saw that, he increased his speed and walked off.
Yuu’s back slowly disappeared from the hallway, and she couldn't even bid him a farewell
“Haaa…”
With an expressionless face, Kodzuchi Fuyufu let out a sigh. It felt like tears were flowing up, but she managed to hold it in. It wasn't like she was sad or anything, she was just a little nervous.
As the tension left, complaints started pouring out of her mouth.
“Idiot… that shut-in brat“
She knew that he was still shocked about his mother but it has been a year since then, he should’ve noticed his childhood friend’s attitude by now. It was just…
“Even though I did the trouble to comfort him”
“““No, no, no… you’re not comforting him at all!”””
Retorted from the group of three girls in softball and table tennis club uniforms who were watching over Fuyufu from afar.
Around 10 minutes away from the major private railways near the school, inside the famous market district there was a quiet station building.
And from there he exited the market district, and after around 20 minutes of walking he arrived at his destination. They say that half a century ago the real estate agent purchased this area all together and turned it into a residential area, but because of the low birth rates there has been a lot of vacant spaces.
At the back of that residential area right above the hill, stood a big house.
It was surrounded by grassy fields and woods, the house that looked dark and pale even in daylight was rumored to be haunted by the children of the neighborhood.
And in front of the haunted house, Yuu inserted a card key and typed in the password of the electronic lock. *Pssssssh*… the sound of air pressure escaped through the cylinder.
He opened the door and entered the house. The evening sunlight passed through the corner of the door. He closed the door from behind and the sounds from outside were severed and disappeared into the hollow.
This is the place that Kasugai Yuu returns to.
“…………”
He didn't think of anything in particular. After tossing some raw ingredients he brought from the market into the fridge, he walked straight to the living room.
He randomly threw his blazer and bag onto the floor and sat on the sofa while still wearing his uniform. His『CtG』 exclusive terminal, Rumeil, was on top of the table and was left charging.
After putting the familiar device onto his head, he pressed the start switch. A blue light shined from the device, showing that it was working. *Nnnnn*… The low startup sound somehow tickled his stomach.
And then, a song could be heard──
His consciousness started to fade away, melting and changing….
In a few seconds, his consciousness would no longer be in this world and have had made a journey to another world.
◇
| Quest： | Hunt Twenty Goblin. |
| Difficulty： | D. |
| Quest Type： | Monsters subjugation. |
| Special conditions： | Must be done by the player who received the quest. |
| Detail： | To hunt down Goblin troops dwelling in the abandoned house of Imperial City White Keter. The king who loves outstanding gladiators is looking for a person who’s willing to take care of those Goblins all by himself. Oh brave hero, show me your strength on this perfect occasion. |
| Rewards are as followed…… | |
It was at that moment a mail notification icon was seen on the corner of his vision and an attack from an axe was made.
Ignoring the mail for a while, he then quickly swung down his single-edged sword, a seax, onto the enemy’s nape.
“Keh……!”
The one who let out the low death throe voices, along with its head on the floor, was the Goblin monster. What was left from the remaining body was just an unsightly pile of meat──
In common RPGs they’re the typical small fry monsters and are treated no different even in 『CtG』. It was an opponent that even a beginner player could win in a one-on-one fight. But on the contrary, you need considerable amount of skill to win against a large number of them.
Yuu (Clamp) watched over the dead corpse from above── and the next moment, large amounts of blood started flowing out of the wounds and some splashed onto the wall. The blood that dyed the wall appears to be sprayed out from the dead body.
CUT OFF!
SINGLE BLOW KILLED!!
As a special effect of the result of his attack, some words were displayed with the shed blood, it was a system called Blood Descript. It was said that the system was added by the graphic designer, and Yuu honestly thought it was a bad taste. But if this didn't exist, some players would feel something was lacking.
“They sure have a good (bad) hobby…”
He muttered as he watched over the surroundings. The passageway of the deserted house was filled with the smell of mold and blood coming out from the Goblin corpses lying on the floor. Even though it was a corpse, by the fact that it had lost all its HP it made it look like nothing but a dead mannequin that lacked vividness and animation.
And in the corner of his sight was a blinking icon. By swinging his line of sight he pulled it to the front. If it was a normal mail he would've opened it after he finished the quest, but the color of this icon was red── designating that it was an “Emergency”.
There was still one more Goblin lurking within the deserted building. But there shouldn't be a problem if it doesn't attack from a blind spot. While resting his back on the wall, Clamp opened up the mail.
| Sender： | Mifa |
| Contents： | Somehow it’s been born. Contact me immediately |
He stared at it for a while.
“What the heck is this?”
It’s incomprehensible. It was from Mifa whom he 《Married》 with after defeating Megalon Evis. Her name was even written as the “Sender”, and a ring icon was shining next to her name.
But no matter how many times he read it, the contents of the mail was simply too abrupt and impossible to understand. Well, anyway, it said she wanted to contact him.
“Any at rate, I have to reply…”
As he said that, he sensed a presence. But there was no figure of a monster in his field of vision── and at the moment he looked up, the Goblin that was hiding above jumped at him!
Being caught completely off guard, he couldn't afford to swing his sword or even dodge. That’s why Clamp did neither.
He casually let go of his sword and caught the Goblin empty handedly. Even though it was short, the muscular Goblin was heavy and he got pushed down by the momentum. As he was being nailed onto the floor, he took a deep breath and then shouted
『Snatch !』
After usage of the 《Snatch》action, a notification sound of its success echoed through the building along with a burst of blood.
At the edge of Clamp’s vision was a message saying Skill success, you stole a “Hand Axe” .
What happened afterwards was Clamp kicking the Goblin’s body while simultaneously equipping the hatchet and attacking the goblin with it. It was strangely unlike him to be so impatient (or to be under pressure, if unrelated to sentences below).
──The 《Marriage》 he did just to achieve his goal.
──“It was just inside a game” but…
He couldn’t have not been curious. That’s right, the mail
“It’s from Mifa!”
When he split the Goblin head as if splitting a watermelon, the mail that was left open got dyed in red by the gushed out blood.
◇
Within the churches that scattered throughout Dragons’ Cradle, you could find a mysterious mirror, when you went inside it you will arrive at the “Terminus Cradle”. The world spheres that consisted in 『CtG』 are all connected together in this relay world. It’s what you would call the starting point of all adventurers.
On the blue velvet floor nine mirrors were lined up, this place was the lowest layer called the Parnassus room. As a place for all the players that come and go all the time, it had the size of an event hall.
Boarding the elevator that hung at the middle will take you up to the market area.
Stores are sectioned in an orderly manner, regardless of the stalls large varieties of merchandise were lined up, from medical herbs to machine guns, items from various worlds were being traded here.
“This place is Messy as always…”
It was an overwhelming sight no matter how many times you saw it. The center of 『CtG』 service was done by NPC's (Their appearances were like other player, but their character was controlled by the program) who are in charge of the shops lined up around here.
And at the corner of the market area, there stood a facility called Guild Hotel, a facility that was often rented by particular communities as gatherings and meeting spots.
And at one of those rented facilities, inside a small room managed by the guild 【Labyrinth Troupe】 a girl was waiting for his arrival──
“What… Is that? ……What?”
Seeing what Mifa was holding, Clamp couldn't help but ask twice. He even forgot about Mifa who was holding the thing in question. Unable to hide his surprise, his hands were trembling in shock.
Seeing what Mifa is holding, Clamp couldn't help but ask twice. He even forgot about Mifa who was holding the thing in question. Unable to hide his surprise, his hands were trembling in shock.
“Errrmm…”
The thing wrapped in pale colored cloth, the thing that was resting on Mifa's lap was…
A baby.
She had the same hair color as Mifa, and the same eye color as Clamp.
The figure that was wrapped in fluffy and soft babywear appeared to be less than a year old. She blinked and looked at Clamp with her strangely powerful eyes, while holding onto Mifa's finger with her marshmallow-like round hand with the lightness of cotton.
Mifa, who wore a mixed expression of tears and laughter lifted her head and said,
“Somehow, a baby… was born”
………………
He has never heard about this. Never. It was true that he had the 《Marriage》 event with Mifa but, even so…. You know, they never did anything that could make a baby appear, and a system like this didn't exist in 『CtG』 in the first place.
Even so...
The moment he saw the figure of the baby, the feelings of guilt paired with anxiety (or worries, your choice) instantly froze his body. Somehow Fuyufu's face appears in his head, delivering a cold stare of contempt and disgust,that image was planted deep inside of him.
“K-Keep yourself together! I've been in panic from quite a while ago!”
“Aa…. Sorry. This is quite an unexpected situation…”
Because she made a loud voice earlier, the baby’s gaze switched back to her. The baby’s reflexive actions were all too abrupt and sudden. Mifa flinched and let out a fake smile. The baby was emotionless but opened her mouth curiously.
T-That’s right. First we need to calm down. Clamp took a deep breath.
Calmly── Lets handle this situation calmly. Let’s first sort out the known and unknown stuff, we need to first understand the current situation. There’s the phrase “DON’T PANIC!” in the best-selling 『CtG』 strategy book , 『CtG Hitchhiker’s Guide』 (unofficial), wasn't it.[1]
First of all, let’s hear what happened.
“Aside from the baby… what is that big thing?
“Aaaa── ….”
Mifa didn't answer for a while. She glanced at “that big thing” while clumsily soothing the baby in her arms. Clamp followed her gaze and then,
“This child is the daughter from the two of you”
The one who said that…
Said that…
Was…
A stuffed doll.
On top of the two resting purpose beds in the cramped room, was a huge mushroom stuffed doll. It had limbs although it was a mushroom. Its width was as wide as its height and its face looked like it was doodled by an oil pen. That thing was the『CtG』 mascot named 『Kinokino』[2] based on an existing monster in the game. However, its size varied from fifty centimeters to 1 and up to 6 meters.
And that giant mushroom had certainly just spoke.
*CRASH!* The sound of Clamp hitting the wall of the hotel.
“It spoke!? I've never heard of a Kinokino that could speak!”
Clamp once again panicked like before but for a different reason. In response, the Kinokino gentlemanly lowered its head.
“Non. My name is Payakino, a Nanny NPC”
“Nanny…?”
“Oui. To take care of children born from the 《Marriage》 Event is my function as well as my duty”
Why it speaks like a monsieur even though it’s a nanny? It has high-pitched voice, or more like, it sounds synthesized. Its gender is also unclear. No, more than that…
“Wait a moment, I never heard that a baby would be born after 《Marriage》”
Yuu got lost in thought a bit, but if he believe in what this person said, then this NPC prepared by the system will answer it all.
The doll── Payakino then explain.
“Not knowing what will happen. That is the thrill of a RPG”
It’s a mushroom who loves saying whatever it wants.
But that sounds fair. It’s not like everything about the event is written on the manual, and considering this is an ultra-rare event no wonder that an unexpected thing like this would happen.
He was about to ask another question, but was interrupted by Mifa.
“I’ll explain first. Along with the time this baby appeared”
Mifa's story didn't go too well with her hair constantly being pulled by the baby, but summarizing it briefly it goes as follows:
When she logged-in as usual── she arrived at the Japanese-styled world, Bushido Grave southern church── And there stood Payakino that deliberately lowered its head in front of her.
Witnessing this mushroom…… thing, Mifa was truly startled, presumably more than she should have. Furthermore that mushroom was carrying a baby, and just like that it claimed that the baby was Mifa’s.
At first Mifa thought that there must've been some kind of mistake, but Payakino knew in great detail about Mifa and Clamp, furthermore it had the 『CtG』 digital signature of Imagine Ekphrasis corporation that was shown in the extended manual.
In short── The pair of players was randomly given a child to raise and have it grown. But if either of the players refused, the event will become invalid and so on.
Naturally, this was not the kind of situation that can be simply solved by herself, Clamp’s opinion was also required and so she called him to this hotel──
“──what do you think?”
Against Mifa's gaze after she finished the story, Clamp groaned.
“How… even if you say so”
It was a bit problematic. Clamp tried to look for information about this system he never heard of before, but…
“You know…. I think it's okay to raise her”
Mifa was unexpectedly up for the idea. Was *** just his imagination?
The baby then naturally switched her gaze to him.
Their “daughter” seemed to like Mifa's hair texture and continued to play with it.
Cute. He simply thought that.
Even though it looked like she was playing she didn't show a smile, could it be because she doesn't understand emotions yet, or that the Artificial Intelligence (AI) was just poor? Yuu who had never taken care of a baby before couldn't reach a decision. That’s why he spoke what he thought.
“……But, won’t it be troublesome? Raising a child”
“You think? From what I read from the manual and heard from Payakino, we can just ask for all the knowledge and skills we need for it, and Payakino will also take care of her when we're logged out.
If you’re too busy I’ll try to raise her alone… and, isn't it okay to not think about it too much?”
She smiled comfortably.
“This is just a game after all”
The reason he agreed with that, was it because of Mifa's optimistic way of thinking? Or because of the guilt of having the baby disappear when he refused? Or that he just simply wanted to finish this event to the end? Even he himself was unsure.
But, on the contrary to Clamp’s nodding, Kasugai Yuu felt uneasy and had worries about this strange chain of events.
The criteria aside, only those who are perfect with each other must marry, was that truly the right way of thinking. Even that person will one day regret that she chose the wrong partner. However an NPC baby was born without warning, it felt slightly off from the 『CtG』 developer’s typical unscrupulous surprises.
It came from Kasugai Mana’s game philosophy, Yuu’s mother who continued to work for Imagine Ekphrasis in the third development office of 『Cradle to The Grave』 as the lead developer till the day of her death.
“Let’s give her a name!”
Clamp, who was thinking while staring at the floor, got called and he returned his gaze to Mifa in a hurry.
“Name?”
“Yes. This child still doesn't have a name. We have to give her one”
Mifa held out the baby to Clamp when she said that. The baby’s pitch black pupil looked straight to his eyes.
Uuuu…. He received the baby while trembling.
The baby that was now resting in his arms was unexpectedly soft and terrifyingly light. It was much lighter than the cat Fuyufu kept in her house.
The part where the gravity center did not changes when remained idle might because the lack of data inputted. And also the baby stayed the same even on Clamp’s clumsy hand, instead of just simply meek it felt like it was lacking something.
──This child… did not possess a full human body. That was natural. NPC's are just people with a human body but not a human brain, let alone this baby that was just recently made.
He felt that.
He felt that really well.
Together, he wanted to blow life into this empty vessel, into the empty existence. Just like dolls that we treat as if having a personality.
He recalled back his childhood days as he thought about it. It was a time when Kasugai Yuu played with his first friend. What he did that time was, playing house.
It was just like the current situation. The girl from that time named the doll. Yes, the name was──
“How about… Haruha? This child’s name”
It was a name that was taken from my memories. Although the baby in question didn't have any reaction in particular,
“Hee…?”
Somehow Mifa opened her eyes wide, not blinking at all.
“……? What about it?”
“Aaa……… unn, nothing. I think it’s a good name.
Haruha…… Haruha-chan huh. Nn, it has a cute sound to it”
After that she continued to repeat, Haruha, Haruha, again and again.
She seemed to like the name as well, the baby── Haruha was then returned to Mifa's arms.
While embracing the small body, Mifa narrowed her eyes gently and formed a broad smile with her mouth.
Clamp who felt something in his chest diverted his eyes.
And then the two… No, three of them, along with Payakino with its featureless face, continued to watch over the baby in delight.
And thus the two players who were wandering in the world of 『Cradle to The Grave』, Clamp and Mifa, were linked together by Haruha’s arrival. Her birth was just too sudden and treated very lightly.
The time for them to learn about the meaning of that day, that moment, was still far in the future.
◇◆
Two months have passed in a flash after that incident.
Every day they visited the guild hotel in Terminus Cradle── Not the hotel rented by 【Labyrinth Troupe】, but the one prepared by Payakino── Mifa and Clamp’s first and furthermost job was to talk with Haruha.
According to Payakino that resides at the corner of the room, the first thing Haruha needs for her growth was “Words” and after that is “Experience”.
Both of them simply had conversations with Haruha who continued to cling at them. They also did information exchange as part of their small talk.
When they were tired talking, they showed some replay videos. It was part of the Ramiel purchase bonus called private data storage, it would automatically record images in time of in-events.
This ended up affecting Yuu’s real life. He would often be absentminded and would be reminded by others, like in this instance at the school hallway.
“Yuu”
“Ueeeuwawaaaa!!? F-Fuyufu…?”
“…What is it? You look strangely in a good mood I thought. And your reaction just now is like that of a man being caught having an affair”
“No way, that’s absolutely not, right?”
“Why are you asking yourself…? Well anyway,
……Is something happening recently? You seems to be awfully want a hurry to go back”
“Nothing in particular… I’m just busy”
“Hmmm… Even so you appear to be way more energetic than before”
That might be true, he thought.
When Fuyufu pursued the reason, cold sweats started leaving his skin. Why did this happen? He tried to not think about it.
Payakino said, due to 『CtG』's system ──embryo’s effects or whatever── Haruha's growth was accelerated. She became larger at an incomparable speed compared to normal children.
In fact, Haruha learned how to talk in a very short amount of time.
“Mommy!”
There was the figure of Mifa, raising her fist high to the air, taking a guts pose along with Clamp who was sitting down, depressed.
“Next say “Father”, please”
He patted Haruha's head, which has extended a considerable length. It had a ticklish soft feel. Haruha rings her throat several times, letting out a“Auuu” sound while burying her face into his chest like a mole.
Mifa also had some changes happening in her private life.
Previously, she logged-in around 8:00 to 9:00 at night and would log-out after midnight, but ever since Haruha was born she would appear in Terminus Cradle at six o’clock. There were also days where she even showed up earlier than Clamp.
When asked why, she answered with,
“......It's also because I want to meet Haruha, but stuff happened and I no longer have to do club activities. Because of that I now have time to spare”
Her answer was a bit worrisome, but…
She said clubs, so it means she was either a high school or junior high school student── He thought a little.
After two months Haruha had already earned the body and mind of a two year(s) old.
“Maybe it’s about time we should show her the other world spheres”
Following Payakino’s advice, they took Haruha outside. Since they were bringing a child, they only roamed around the cities to guarantee her safety.
For example the White Keter Imperial City in Dragons’ Grave. From afternoon to midnight, millions of players are flooding this giant city and within such mess the small Haruha continues to cling to Mifa's arms while being simply being stunned.
They thought bringing Haruha who was an infant would stand out, but that didn't appear to be the case. Thinking back, baby NPC's normally exist in this world, and babysitting part-time jobs was one of the classical early quests.
However Haruha, unlike normal “predetermined sloppiness” baby NPC's have── doesn't wet herself or cry in the middle of the night. She doesn't even need to sleep or eat to begin with.
In the historical world, Bushido Grave Oedo capital, they watched the fireworks sparkling in the sky on a houseboat sailing above the waterway. Right on his side was Mifa wearing a relaxing light blue Kimono[3], while singing a song in a clear beautiful voice.
It was a song he had never heard of before, and it didn't appear to be one of those stereotyped songs from the game.
“………Do you like singing?”
When he asked, Mifa blushed a bit.
“Well, yeah, but it's just a hobby. I can’t let out a loud voice at home so I practice here”
From her way of talking, it seems she played this game as a replacement for a karaoke box. Indeed, you don't need that much money to use the rental terminal (Ramiel), and it was way cheaper than going to a karaoke. Unsurprisingly, people with home-related circumstances numbered quite a lot.
“It’s a foreign folk song I arranged myself…… I’m sorry if it’s bad”
Mifa who shyly said that let out a modest singing voice in the sparkling night, her skill was truly great and made her words from earlier sound like mere modesty. Hearing that, he spoke what he had in mind,
“Your song, I love it. I don’t know much about songs but it shows how clear your feelings are or something”
The transparent-like singing voice, as if fast-forwarded, lost its pitch and shook the moment Clamp saw Mifa's bewildered eyes.
After replying “Thanks…” with a blank look, Mifa resumed the song. And behind those words of hers, her face appeared to be shrinking.
(Eeeh? Did I sound like flattering…?)
As he thought about it, a warm sensation rode on his knees. It was Haruha. Daddy, daddy, she said in a lisp, like a little creature she was stirring restlessly above his knees.
Small. Round, wherever you stroke her. It was soft like a full-body cushion. She tried to stand wobbly but easily fell, and let out an “Uuu~” while staring at him curiously.
──Ultimately, she was cute.
That must be because she wouldn't cry in quirky timing, her diapers wouldn’t suddenly be “that”, and she won’t barf out her lunch, since she didn't have any of that, she was purely cute.
A daughter that won’t cause trouble to her parents, it might truly be an ideal child to have.
But not seeing her sleeping and crying faces made Clamp (Kasugai Yuu) feel something was lacking. Mifa might be thinking the same thing as their eyes met each other.
But if compared to parents who were suffering from parenting their child, they couldn't really ask for such luxury.
Their wishes might never come true, but.
As Haruha slowly grew and learn more words, she began to show more emotions.
“……Daddy, Mommy, you’re slow!”
That day── A month after Haruha's birth.
With her five-year-old figure, Haruha made Clamp and Mifa kneel in a Seiza position[4] in front of her.
In the usual hotel room. Haruha folded her arms together. It was amazing how a baby who used to be so round and small became……… so grown up and dazzling. And beside her was Payakino deliberately playing with a shinai[5], swinging it back and forth.
“You two said you'd come as soon as possible!”
Haruha's enraged voice sounded similar to Mifa’s. And her awkward tone of her voice reflected an innocent childishness.
“The soy sauce at the market was on sell… and it was very crowded”
“I-I’m sorry… something little happened in the house”
The two of them earnestly apologized with a silky voice as if reading a script.
“Ah, look Haruha. I brought throwing knives. See, it has cute engravings on it, it’s small and light so even girl can easily use it!”
Clamp took out the throwing knives from his item box and showed it. It was within a small six blades set, and it was also popular as both an accessory and a decoration.
”Really? A weapon for a souvenir, that’s why boys are no good”
After staring at Clamp with eyes of contempt, Mifa turned to Haruha with a smile.
”Look Haruha, equip this 『Crimson Tree』 Mommy brought for you. It’s a Kimono armour sold in Bushido Grave!”
”Haruha won’t be fooled with presents!”
Various items were presented to please her but it seems that Haruha's displeasure won. *Tch*, Clamp was mad at his own lamentably.
Haruha's item storage was already filled full with presents like a children guitar, canned slimes, dragons’ bones (fake), and mechanical dolls from the two of them. The small Haruha used to be unconditionally happy from their present and that made them want to give her more.
“You two just overdid it!”
With a sullenly sigh, Haruha sat down on Mifa’s knee.
Her mind’s growth seemed to be slower than her body, even though she would often walk around by herself, Haruha was still a spoiled mole. She loved playing with the weapons Clamp and the others brought for her but she loved hugging Clamp and Mifa even more.
“Haruha…… waited a long time you know”
That’s why her eyes looked very lonely as she stared at the both of them while twisting herself in Mifa's arm.
That’s right. Haruha had always, waited.
Not just waiting together with Payakino at daytime. Even though she had a place to sleep, as a resident of 『CtG』,the action of “Sleeping” did not exist within her. So at day and night, she continues to wait for Clamp and Mifa fully awake the entire time.
From now, let’s give up soy sauce sales and protect your promise. Said Payakino through its mind while beating Yuu (Clamp) with its shinai.
“Hiyaaa!?”
Screamed Mifa as she saw the head of a Kobold[6] fly up into the air. The monster’s face that appeared was suddenly cut by Clamp as it came across── Critical Hit!!
The blood splashed in a flashy manner and formed letters. Mifa avoided the bloody shower so it didn't hit the lantern she was carrying. After that she weakly let out an amazed voice,
“Ughh…… it’s how amazing you’re fine with that. A severed head…… even now I’m still not okay with it. And those that walk with two legs are especially scary”
Mine area of Dragons’ Grave. “It’s about the time for Haruha to learn about battle, take her with you and show her the drill” Following Payakino’s advice, Clamp and Mifa are currently previewing low difficulty quests for the plan in the future.
Subjugation quest 【Tunnel Kobold Extermination】 was what the name implied. A quest to hunt a certain number of Kobolds within the back of the mine, it was a quest for beginners.
While wielding his blood dyed sword, Clamp illuminated the surroundings with his lantern. It was then Mifa asked,
“Is it because you’re a boy? Are you type who likes zombie movies?”
”It’s not like that, but…”
Letting out a troubled voice, Clamp tried to come out with a proper answer.
”You often say it too right. This is just a game, you said”
”Even though it’s this real?”
”Exactly because it’s this real. Having my strength increased making me able to perform amazing movements, every time I perform superhuman-like skills through semi-automatic combat I feel an ascertained difference between my actual self.
The strong me right now is not actual me. That’s why I can properly separate both”
“Not your real self huh…”
Clamp who was being wary of his surroundings did not see Mifa who was looking down in bitterness. Half consciously, Clamp spoke what he had in mind.
“The more realistic a virtual reality becomes, the more it decreases the player’s external sense to the real world. It was my mother's theory, that's why this game──”
“Mother?”
Clamp let out a bitter face as he realized his own mistake. And it was a face that was unthinkable coming from that composed self-confident “Clamp of Scarabaeus”. Something inside Mifa started being fueled.
“So your mom plays game too. What kind of person?”
“this isn't important right?”
But his rejection by not wanting to face her face, instead did nothing but lure her interest even more. Mifa was just that kind of person.
“It’s okay right. We’re husband and wife for one”
While continuing to plead, Mifa clung to Clamp’s empty hand. Mifa then confirmed her victory after realizing that Clamp had just stopped his breath.
“Why are you so flustered? This is just inside a game isn't it?”
Clamp who got a point taken groaned, and while being upset he said,
“Come on, let’s look more into the back”
And they begun to walk while Mifa kept hanging onto his arm.
After a while, the dim light of the lantern started to fades away, Mifa let out a little gasp and they continued to walk through the dark tunnel.
They walked little by little, the heat coming from the snuggled up pair made them grow restless. But that heat was not the heat coming from the lantern's flame or magic. That's why it wouldn't cool down no matter how much time had passed.
“It might be just a game”
The one who speak after that was Mifa.
“Just a game, but Haruha is cute, right”
“……That’s right”
The moment Clamp formed a smile with his mouth, Mifa held down her chuckle.
“You’re just like me……”
After holding back her laughter she let out a smile, and the remaining heat disappeared.
“What happened Yuubocchi[7]? Thinking hard like that is very unlike you”
“What the heck was…… that? It sounds like some derogatory term coming from a fairy tale”
“Sounds like a name from a fairy right? A person who's always alone = could be a strange creature that only I can see, that is 『Yuubocchi』”
“It sounds pretty scary…”
He was in the cafeteria during lunch break when Fuyufu called him out.
Even though he got his savings that his mother left behind, he couldn't afford wasting money when there was a future to think about. On the other hand, because of 『CtG』 he doesn't have much time to make lunch, so he's been living off one bread a day.
However a little while ago in 『CtG』, he was in the middle of talking with Haruha But lost consciousness and was forced to logged out── In other words “Sleep Failing” ── caused by his lack of sleep and declining health. In order to spend more time with Haruha, he began to eat properly and also eat healthy food every day.
That’s why, in order to get an inexpensive meal every day he goes to the cafeteria, and naturally eating together with Fuyufu becomes a daily occurrence. He stared at Fuyufu who was sitting on the other side of the table with her Kitsune Udon[8], and let out a terribly vague question,
“Fuyufu, do you think there are hearts dwelling inside computers?”
“What’s up with the out of the blue question?”
Maybe because her emotions were bland, but Fuyufu appeared to be spacing out but even so her academic score was pretty high. Unlike Yuu who only played games, Fuyufu read a lot of books.
After sipping her udon while raising her hair so that it didn’t get into the soup, she answered,
“It depends on your definition of “heart”, but it’s impossible to create self-consciousness through programs and calculation, this is a theory I heard before. Something about quantum brain theory or whatever”
“But doesn't that only apply to current computers?”
Fuyufu responded with a“You mean?” face. Yuu also felt that he had became too stubborn. While pointing at her with the chopsticks he used to stab his fish hamburger with , he continued.
“It’s 『CtG』. You know, the computer used for that is known for having stronger capabilities than any other. If it has that much power, won’t it be possible to create a human-like mind?”
But Fuyufu unceremoniously shook her head.
“It’s not the problem of capability or processing power. It’s the nature of the problem itself. No matter how fast it calculates, even a computer that can respond to a diverse amount of situations, would still give the same result as any other computer. Even if it can create the same entrance and exit as a human, it won’t able to create the same maze inside. The “Heart” is that maze. If you want to create the same thing…… there’s no other choice but to give those computers flesh and blood as well”
After saying it like a javelin, she continues.
“Or could it be, Yuu, you heard something about it? The computer used in that…… did you heard that from your mother?”
Fuyufu let out a face of regret as she said that. It might just be a slip of tongue mentioning his mother, but it was impossible to say that he didn't care about it.
“Could it be, a one-in-the world machine exists somewhere…… no way, I’ve never heard anything about it. Even if I heard about it I wouldn't know”
”That might be so”
Because of the abrupt agreement, the conversation stops for a while. Over three quarters of the seats in the school cafeteria were filled with students bustling. Within that environment, the distant they had that allowed them to distinguish the sound of dishes, that distant just like old time ago.
In contrast to Yuu who fell silent, Fuyufu opened her mouth after she finished swallowing her udon.
“Yuu…… did something happened in that game?”
His heart jumped. Words spoken can’t be taken back. Fuyufu persisted with her gaze.
“Could it be…… Non Player Character, is it? Did you fall in love with one or something? That’s why you asked stuff about the heart and all……”
It wasn't a direct hit, but it was a blow that managed to graze his neck. Even so,
“Of course not, it’s not like that”
It wasn't a lie so his voice was straight. But Fuyufu continued to press on the matter.
“…………Really? Then why do you look strangely happy recently?”
“…......Really? Then why do you look strangely happy recently?”
“I-It’s just your imagination"
Somehow an image of Mifa tilting her head mumbling “Nn? Nn?” appeared on his head. It wasn't her. She was not a NPC, much less a girlfriend. She was something else. The thing that happened in the mine was just her messing around.
Fuyufu suspiciously stared at him and then averted her eyes in displeasure.
Fuyufu stayed silent after that. After she silently finished consuming her udon, she took a paper napkin and started folding it.
“……Yuu. Do you know why I don’t play that game (『CtG』)?”
“Eh…… Because you’re not interested in it?”
She had always been like that. No matter how many times he recommended it, Fuyufu had never laid her hands on 『CtG』. When Yuu became a teenager he gradually became addicted to the game his mother helped develop, and ever since then his distance with Fuyufu slowly grew larger and larger. But.
“Wrong”
Incorrect. Fuyufu abruptly stood up, holding her tray and turned away. And then while showing her back, she told the correct answer.
“──It's because I hate it”
After seeing the small back go off?, he dropped his eyes to one of the paper cranes left on the table. As if harboring the same displeasures of its creator, it was directed straight at his direction. He naturally leaked a sigh.
It seems he had offended her somehow, but he couldn't figure out why. It was pathetic. It was always like that. Kasugai Yuu would never be able to understand others’ feelings unless said out loud.
Speaking of not knowing, his question towards Fuyufu still didn't provide a satisfying answer.
(──No matter how high-spec the computer is, it can’t bring the“heart” to life. Then, is Haruha who express's so much emotion also a… “Fake”?)
But Haruha was clearly different compared to other NPC's. Even though the NPC's in 『CtG』 possessed surprisingly large amounts of actions, it was simply piles of numbers of normal behavior patterns. If you continued to talk to them, you would feel an inevitable sense of Déjà vu. At first Yuu also thought that Haruha was one of those kind of things.
However Haruha did not feel or smell like a program at all. Every day she showed various different expressions on a whim and it never stopped changing── he had never seen her showing the “same face” at all. It might be that she changed as she grew, creating a new behavior pattern each passing day.
But there was certainly moments where such a trick couldn’t be explain. That was probably because she had what was called wisdom.
“Daddy, what is that?”
It was in the usual hotel room where she asked that.
This time Clamp was facing the item 『Parchment』──A paper── he spread on the table. Mifa was late because of some errands she had in the real world, so he was together alone with Haruha.
He folded the parchment paper and created a shape.
“It’s Origami[9]. I’m making a 『Yakko-san』”
”Origami? Yakko-san?”
Haruha climbed the table with her own body and peeked at what was in his hands. He attempted to give an answer to her bright sparkling eyes but── it was unexpectedly hard to explain.
That’s why he just continued to fold quietly and finally completed the “Yakko-san”.
When it was presented to Haruha, she received it curiously. She sat on top of the table and inspected it closely.
Looking at her like that reminded him of the young figure, Fuyufu, and Origami was a play they learned together. The first time he finished making one she also look at the paper crane he made just like her.
“What is, this?”
“What do you think this is?”
The reason why he returned the question was because he recalled back the conversation he had with Fuyufu before. Can Haruha, who was born from a computer, “feel” shapes?
Haruha did not answer immediately. She just continued to stare deeply at the “Yakko-san”, and then answered.
“Is this… Haruha?”
It was the time for Clamp to be troubled now.
“Nnn…… half correct. That is the paper model of a person who used to work as a servant[10]. Look, it has legs and arms right? In other word it’s a doll”
“A doll…”
Haruha looked at “Yakko-san” for a while and then stroked her head with her finger. Then all of a suddenly she looked up.
“Haruha want to make one too. A more, bigger one!”
The girl’s hands were moving like magic.
She only saw Clamp making it once, but she folded the papers with terrifying precision without any hesitation. Open and by the time he noticed, “Yakko-san” was already completed.
He had heard that an origami had a mathematical structure, and this was precisely that. Even 『CtG』, which possessed a lot of mechanical skills, didn't have one called origami auto-folding. Nevertheless, the skill that Haruha possessed── was certainly a mechanical skill.
As if proving that his hunch was correct, Haruha once again folded another “Yakko-san” in an instant, it was identically the same as the previous one. Rather than the same work, it was more of a copy.
(As I thought…… she’s different from us)
It was an obvious thing, why was he disappointed in realizing it now? It was a strange story. What operated Haruha was『CtG』 and the thing that operated that nothing other than a computer, accomplishing small things like this was not surprising at all.
──However, Haruha’s hand stopped as she worked on the third one.
Opened and folded again, after some trails and errors “Yakko-san” was finally finished, but somehow it looked strangely different from the previous ones, its head was a little too big.
“? This is……”
In response to the confused Clamp, Haruha let out a warm fufun voice and a smile, and then she asked.
“What do you think this is?”
“Nn…… could it be, Payakino-san?”
The one who answered that wasn’t Clamp, but Mifa who appeared out of nowhere. Haruha sharpened her mouth saying “It was a quiz for Daddy!”, Mifa replied with a sorry and lifted Haruha's body up and put her down onto the floor.
”Sitting on the table is bad”
”But then I won’t be able to make origami”
Rather than mother and daughter, both of them looked more like sisters. He then returned his gaze towards the four origami on the table.
There were two big “Yakko-san”, one mushroom-like thing, and one small “Yakko-san”.
Needless to say── It was himself, Mifa, Payakino, and Haruha together.
““Is this… Haruha?””
““A doll””
He recalled back Haruha’s words.
Clamp── Kasugai Yuu, felt hatred towards himself.
(Why did I think like that? “As I thought…… she’s different from us”?)
Even though he bad mouthed Fuyufu who denied the personality that was born from this game, he had just treated Haruha like an object. But she put him in. Within the origami family, the figure Clamp was in there.
She was…… she such a child. Furthermore,
Being taught only the concept of “Origami”, Haruha created a mushroom-shape by herself. She could create “free ideas” from given information. No matter how splendid an artificial intelligence was, there was no way it could do that.
Mysterious, strange, but helplessly cute “daughter”.
Haruha.
(How should I treat this child?)
Recently, because he prioritized meeting Haruha, he had neglected his goal to fully complete 『CtG』. Raising a child was also not an event that was a part of it.
Whatever happened, he must play through everything in 『CtG』.
The more he liked Haruha, the more troubled he became.
◇
”Ahahaha”
But strangely, he no longer worried about his concern when he looked at Haruha's smile.
Two months have passed since Haruha was born. She had quickly obtained what human's called the physique of seven-year-old.
“It’s shaking. It’s shaking, daddy!”
Just a while ago she was walking like an awkward doll but was now running around in the carriage like an energetic cat.
Western-styled world Sphere “Gunman’s Grave”. The powers of firearms in here were multiple times stronger than in any other Spheres, this was a world for Gunman.
Starting from the capital city, you would find huge railways connected to various locations across the towns and villages in this world, it was essential for traveling in Gunman’s Grave and was a tourist attraction. It was a large locomotive that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere in modern Japan, and the views outside the shaken carriage were magnificent as well.
Today was a public holiday in the real world, so Clamp and Mifa entered 『CtG』 during the day. Since they had a lot of time to spare, they asked Haruha where she wanted to go and she answered that she wanted to try riding a train.
And so, the three of them boarded the train and enjoyed the scenery from the window. It was wilderness as far as the eye could see. From a distant you could see a wild Land Worm (A large roundworm-like monster) being hunted by a couple of cowboys with their monster rifle.
When he was captivated with this virtual landscape, Mifa stood from her seat and yelled at Haruha.
“Haruha, don’t do that, you’re bothering the other guests so please calm down”
”Okke~!”
Haruha waves the sleeves of her red Kimono while noisily replying the word of her mother.
Haruha waved the sleeves of her red Kimono while noisily replying the word of her mother. It was a present from Mifa made in Bushido Grave, ependymal (upper garment) armor.
It was Haruha's first “dress up”.
“She’s quite energetic”
He leaked out a smile seeing the scene of this mother-daughter exchange.
The border passages in the carriage were divided into two rows. Sitting right on the other side of him and Mifa were a kind-looking elderly couple.
From the small talk they had before, this couple wanted to enjoy their leisure time after retirement but they were worried about their health if they actually went on one…… eventually they decided on going to the virtual world instead. They both loved each other's easy way of thinking and they were a very harmonious married couple.
“That young lady in the Kimono, whose little sister is she?”
“Ha, haa…”
Clamp and Mifa's replies were inevitably ambiguous. They couldn't help but to speak humbly when talking to older people. Even so, if they answered honestly it would definitely sound more like a lie.
Unaware of their confusion, the elderly couple spoke in a merry voice as if saying “this is the main topic”.
“Could it be, the both of you are a couple?”
“”Ah, no, definitely not””
This time, the both of them slammed the table and stood up, and simultaneously answered. Both of them were certainly a married couple in『CtG』 but not a tiny bit of a “couple” even once.
The old lady seemed to be a little disappointed. And the husband next to her rebuked with “Don’t be so thoughtless” and changed the topic.
”Using a travel PC, even old people like us and that young lady can go on a trip without worry”
Travel PC (Player Carrier) was one of 『CtG』's unique systems that allowed youngsters and even elderly to experience the virtual world. They did not receive any damage from battle or a player attack. It was commonly known as “Travel” and even players below twelve years old could essentially dive into the game.
In 『CtG』 body damage and endurance value (HP) were valued from an entirely different concept. Body damage and wounds received will slowly heal and regenerate even when the remaining HP was low, but if all of the HP was completely gone it would be an automatic game over. But in case of the Travel PC, their HP was infinite and would never receive a game over in battle
“I still intend on staying as an active gamer. But playing on a normal avatar is bad for my heart or something and this wife of mine won’t let me”
“But dear, this is different from a video game you know”
The wife’s words were then interrupted. Before they knew it, Haruha had appeared beside her, pulling her sleeves. Haruha looked up at the old lady, and curiously said,
“Haruha is not a Travel PC?”
As she just said, while being a child Haruha was not a Travel PC. That’s why Payakino told them to watch over her very carefully.
However, from the eyes of people who didn't know the circumstances it was a mere violation of the terms.
”Hn? But, kid at your age──”
”But Haruha is……Mogyuh!?”
”N-No! It’s not that! This kid doesn't really know how the system works so!”
Mifa let out a fake smile as she forcibly held Haruha to prevent her from saying anything further. The elderly couple was then easily convinced and stroked Haruha's head, in exchange Haruha narrowed her eyes happily.
It was a pretty intense situation thinking of an excuse surrounding Haruha's circumstances that even her own parents hadn't fully understood yet."
The weather outside was good and the scenery that was spread was also beautiful, they were blessed with a cheerful companion in the journey. Mifa, and also Haruha seemed to be in a good mood as well.
I’m glad we came here── this was the praise he wanted to earn for today's holiday trip in the afternoon."
But all of a sudden, the train took an abrupt break in the middle of the wilderness.
In a way, this could be called a well-executed train robbery.
The railway was blocked by a drove of large Land Worms, it was a good thing that the train stopped at the right time.
But the safe box that had been placed on the wagon collapsed afterwards.
The strength of the security NPC's were nothing great, and could be easily overwhelmed by a player. It must have been going according to the plan so far. But the safe was empty inside. It seems they were given false information from the mischief of other players.
And then.
The four angry robbers boarded the carriage Clamp and the others were in.
“Okay, don't move! Frankly saying, I'm really strong!”
The one who shouted throughout the train was a bearded man who seemed to be the leader of the robbery. He appeared to be old due to his beard, but his voice was unexpectedly youthful. He must be at the age of a young adult.
”This is a robbery collecting funds for conquering Marionette Grave. We're on a completely different level compared to those who are just playing around! Got it!?”
What the man said “Marionette Grave” was a newly released world Sphere, a world of cyberpunk. In order to conquer it, expensive equipment was essential. Within groups of inpatient players, there were people who dared to cross the dangerous line in order to collect funds just like this.
Seeing from Expansion (AR) mode, all information was filtered other than their level, and around their shoulders there was a red placards (tag) floating above them. If someone tried to attack someone in public facilities he/she would receive a 《Criminal》 red tag, and they will be registered as a target of a subjugation quest for a period of time .
As expected from those who wanted to be on top, their levels were certainly higher than Clamps.
“Listen, we will collect 1/3 of your money after this. If you quietly give it to us, we won’t kill you. Not a bad deal right?”
Penalty given when dying was “Losing half a of all gold in possession”, it was certainly not a bad deal. More than anything, even though the pain was reduced, dying in this overly realistic 『CtG』 world would give quite a fear until until used to. It was quite a valid threat in its own way.
The other three men under the bearded man walked through the cramped passage ways and started collecting, each of them threatening their prey with their guns.
“H-Hiaaaa….. D-don’t shot! I will die!”
One of them pointed his gun at a girl wearing a nun (Sister) outfit who sat nearby. All the other robbers were one tier lower than the bearded man but still a higher level than himself. They were also considerably stronger than Mifa as well.
(Maybe… No, don’t think about resisting……)
Peeking at Haruha who was hugged tightly by Mifa, he let out a sigh. If he was alone he would think of resisting and would prepare to gamble a Game Over, but now he had Mifa and Haruha with him.
Seeing the passengers being obedient, the bearded man licked his lips in delight. The color of his pupils appeared to have brightened and it seems he had activated the Extended (AR) mode vision.
“First of all, in order to not let anyone do anything strange in the middle of collecting money, we will be taking some hostages.
………The first one will be that pseudo Sister, and who's next. No matter how much they resist, we can’t really make a Travel who can't be killed as a hostage”
Somehow he got a bad feeling, and it was a hit.
As if licking the passengers within, the bearded man shot around with his gaze, and his eyes stopped at Mifa.
“Oi, you woman there, you’re not a Travel right!”
Being called, Mifa screamed in response. Clamp's waist was floating above the seat.
(This is bad…!)
It was a frustration he had never felt before, to have lost his composure.
But that anxiousness was not because of Mifa.
”No, Haruha don't!”
By the time they realized, she had already escaped from Mifa's arms.
The girl in red Kimono── Haruha left the passage, and faced the bearded man around seven meters away.
The bearded man, the other robbers, and the passengers must have all realized after Mifa raised a scream. The bearded man looked at Haruha as if he had just inhaled poisonous gas.
“Oi…… what is it brat. I don't have business with a Travel──”
The bearded man’s words were interrupted.
sharply.
He then noticed a Throwing Knife stuck on his shoulder.
“Oooh….?”
It was a unique sensation of 『CtG』. Because of the system, the pain was changed to a slight sense of discomfort so you wouldn't feel any actual pain. But that’s why the sensation of cold metal transmitted through his flesh could be clearly felt── passing beyond the realm of pain, he was haunted by an illusion of being a corpse.
And then the bearded man saw. The young girl in red Kimono, slowly come close and threw the second knife.
So casually, so agilely, and without hesitation.
Now to his flank. As if being sucked into the gap of his bones, the sharp blade continued to invade inside until it reached the handle.
“──Hey”
The voice who called for the bearded man was from no one else, Clamp couldn't recognize it for a moment. This cold and sharp piercing voice.
“Why?”
Realizing that the shining Throwing Knives on Haruha's hands were his gift, for the first time he recognized the owner of this penetrating cold voice.
The bearded man finally realized the opponent who attacked him was, he then glared at Haruha with wide open eyes and pointed his automatic gun at her.
”Why do you do this?”
But Haruha was undaunted. Her large unwavering eyes, as if being sucked in pushed the bearded man to his limit. He pulled the trigger of the gun.
“W-What── You… shitty brat!”
BANG*. The sound of the gunshot from the bearded man’s hand. Even though it was in a virtual world, no one would stand watching a scene of a kid being shot.However, Haruha was unharmed.
The sleeves of her red Kimono were fluttering like a flower petal. With one rotation, it seemed as if she was dancing.
In that moment, while throwing knives with both of her hands she dodged the bullets with incredible swiftness. It was as if knowing where the bullet was going in advance, truly a bland miracle.
The knives that we thrown pierced the bearded man’s right shoulder, receiving damage on his leg the bearded man fell on his knees and laid on the floor. If he felt pain he would be screaming, but fortunately that did not happen. But then he turned his gaze towards Haruha── and his anger turned into fear.
In both of Haruha's hands, the next set of knives had already appeared. A small sized weapon like Shuriken[11] that could be hidden under your sleeves could be replenished/equipped immediately if you had a skill called 《weapon sleeve》.
The shadow from her bangs covered her face to her nose. The only thing seen on that face was just the cold light from her eyes, but that stare of hers appeared to be showing nothing but apathy to the bearded man.
That knife, those eyes…
With no mercy or hesitation, the girl showed the blade in her hand. In a way, it was really child-like. Because she was a child, she could beat down her opponent without showing any anger.
The girl’s movements had reached the front of the bearded man’s face. The cold wind was cut by the knife, this time the knife changed objectives from throwing to slashing.
”Haruha, was looking forward to this you know!”
And then.
Haruha stared at the intruder who interrupted her holiday with all her might, and naturally let out a condescending voice.
”Mommy and daddy said that we would have a lot of fun. Haruha was looking forward to it!”
The face seen from the shade was no longer a cute spoiled mole. Her face── her face had clearly exploded with anger.
“A lot!
Haruha endured a lot!
and finally! Finally!
It’s finally!! It’s finally the day when we will play a lot!
but why!? Why don't you understand? Is old man stupid!?
Why? Haruha said, why? Why would you do such a mean thing!?”
It was a child's impeachment yelling to children for children. She believed that breaking her “Promised holiday” was nothing but pure evil and did not doubt that even slightly, it was the unconditional trust she had for her family and the world. And now all of that was crushed, due to that it also enhanced her childish emotions and caused an explosion inside her.
Naturally, the bearded man didn't understand what she meant. He just listened to her while being dumbfounded. He turned his head left and right searching for an answer but all he got was a stare from the girl in the nun outfit.
Compared to the bewildered man, Haruha is way way younger. She was way too young to understand other people's position and circumstances. That was why she was so straightforward, selfish, and merciless.
“A thing like this──”
The blade in her hand, as if sliding from the sky, sliced the man.
“Is bad you know!”
The blade tore across the bearded man’s neck and formed a cross, the blood spraying out vigorously formed the Critical Hit!! words on the ceiling.
In that opportunity.
“W-What the heck is this brat!?”
The other robbers who couldn't react properly to Haruha's overly imposing actions finally moved.
The first to react was the person who stood right beside the bearded man, he pulled out his revolver but was then interrupted by the nun woman from earlier.
In nearly the same time, the tall robber who was right in front of Clamp raised his rifle and aimed at Haruha. His aim was quickly blocked by Mifa who had jumped out of her seat, but there was no reason for him to re-adjust his aim. He pulled the trigger and──
That moment, Clamp moved as well.
While pushing down the tall man, he simultaneously took his gun. Along with a 『Snatch!』 notification sound, the message saying You stole item “Automatic M1905”[12] was displayed.
”Agh, bastard!”
”I won't say sorry”
Sorry── before he finished saying that, he started shooting down every bullet available in the magazine, the guy might've not even caught the word he said earlier. After around five shots, the guy’s HP drops to zero and his body turned into a lifeless mannequin.
After he shot out every bullet, Clamp instantly threw the gun and stood up.
Then.
His eyes met a big-framed robber aiming his rifle at him. The gun was pointed straight at his head.
””……………Haha””
Feeling tension between each other, both of them exchanged a maniac smile.
The robber then changed into a serious look after a moment and pulled the trigger.
There was not enough distance where he could simply avoid all the bullets; and if he got hit like this he wouldn't be saved. Normally he would get a Game Over in this situation, but.
The bullet missed. No, the prey (Clamp) just disappeared from the place the robber aimed at.
”……He disappeared? How? Did he logged-out because of an external influence?”
”Nope── Got you”
The moment after that word was heard, the disappointed robber’s torso was blown away onto the air.
Clamp who had returned back into a shooting position instantly shot him with a Sawed-off shotgun[13]. The robber who got shot and shredded into pieces, was clinging onto an unattended seat and glared at Clamp.
”What the heck with that instant warping…… was it the connection lag that has been happening these days?”
Clamp didn't answer him and walked off, ignoring the robber. The robber’s eyes brightened, a sign which shows that he was trying to check Clamp’s player status.
”Clamp……? Are you…… are you that “Clamp of Scarabaeus”? ………Wait, if so your level is too low──”
”Then you got the wrong person”
Not waiting for the robber to be convinced, Clamp bombarded the rest of the shots inside the shotgun. The mannequin that lost its head rolled on the floor.
Looking at the surroundings, the last remaining robber was turned into a mannequin, he must've been taken down by another passenger.
The mannequin that used to be the bearded man, suffering from its miserable fate had its entire body pierced with knives. The blade sunk deeply inside and its lower half was drowned in a sea of blood flowing from out of its neck.
And at the end of this sight, the girls were there. Clamp’s “Family”.
Mifa who had trembling shoulders held Haruha tightly, and Haruha who questioned her mother’s action.
When his eyes met hers, she showed a bright golden smile.
”Daddy! I beat him down with the knife you gave me!”
Other than a forced smile, what else could he show?
”Hey…… that kid isn't a Travel PC?”
(Here it comes……)
The first thing everyone asked after everything settled down was that. Of course, it was about his “Daughter” who was in the middle of the room being held by Mifa
”She appears to be an elementary school student no matter how I see her……”
The man’s voice that was representing the other passengers was strong. A non-Travel PC under the age of thirteen was against the law.
“Well…… You see, this kid is──”
He wanted to cover it up but wasn't able to come up with a good lie. Kasugai Yuu wasn't particularly smart or had a foul mouth, he was just a simple high school boy.
He might as well have spoken the truth.
Haruha was a baby born as a part of a 《Marriage》 event. That was why he didn't have to worry. Because she wasn't a human, but.
──Terrifying. It was not a joke.
He was convinced. Haruha was not a human, only an existence within the game. That was the truth. But once it has been revealed, how will others treat Haruha from now on?
An NPC that could think, create, and possess human emotions. There was no need to recall back the conversation he had with Fuyufu, Haruha had easily exceeded the limit of an artificial intelligence. She was an impossible existence.
Clamp and Mifa thought she was cute, but that was only because they had been with her for a long time. But in the eyes of other people, as an errant object she was a subject of their curiosity and fear.
Fearful. They were afraid to be in contact with a non-human like Haruha. They were afraid to be targeted by her. If everyone learned the truth about Haruha, could Clamp and Mifa treat her the same way as before? Would they wake up from this dream?
Still── it was too early to think like that. Just a little bit more, please let her be as what she is now.
At the same time Yuu reached his conclusion.
”Haruha is── this kid is……”
Mifa stood up and began talking. Clamp reflexively put his hand on Mifa's shoulder. Her voice was shaking.
Mifa put her hand on Haruha's head who didn't get the situation. Mifa declared in a loud voice.
”This kid is… is not───ach!!”
…………………………
And there was silence.
Well, of course. These were truly troublesome words── and if said with a big voice pushed with only courage it was natural. In addition, the beautiful girl, Mifa, had called out very desperately.
”No, not about that…”
The player who had asked about Haruha perplexedly let out a word of denial.
They became silent again. It was an atmosphere where everyone goes quiet.
Except one person, Haruha, who watched over the hard faces of the adults restlessly.
It was not that she was stupid or dense (My child is clever and intelligent you know), and not even because she was young. She just simply didn't understand how “Special” she was. When Yuu thought about that he somehow felt a bit sad, and tears seemed to be flowing out.
And within this situation…
Out of the blue, the door of the vehicle was suddenly opened. It was the entrance that was blocked by the robber from earlier. Naturally, everyone’s attention concentrated there── They were all amazed.
”Well, hello and hello~”
Because, somehow a giant mushroom had just entered the carriage.
──It was as you expected. Payakino lowered its head as if it was a cowboy hat.
”AAaa-! It’s Payakino-san!”
The first one who raised her voice was Haruha, and she dived into it, with all her might onto the stuffed-doll body. The Nanny NPC caught the cannonball-like girl.
”Bonjour. Monsieur mon ami”
And then somehow, it spoke out a greeting that sounded like it was coming from the TV version of a “Detective Poirot”[14] rather than actual French. Imitating that, Haruha repeated the word “Monsieur mon ami” over and over.
Everyone within the carriage── Even Clamp and Mifa── were taken aback, and on behalf of the elderly couple the husband opened his mouth.
”Haa…… So, who are you ……?”
”Me?”
And then Payakino, while saying “Well up’n go” rose Haruha up and tossed her into a big bag. And from inside, the muffled voice of Haruha could be heard── “Waaai! I’m inside a bag!”
Everyone’s eyes went wide wondering what had just happened, and then the mushroom shamelessly introduced itself.
“I am the wilderness kidnapper, Paya The Kid!”
”Eh?”
Not waiting for anyone to respond, Payakino turned backwards and jumped onto the back of the horse waiting outside.
“Yeeehaa~ go Silver Star!”
Riding the horse, it quickly disappeared in an instant. ──
………… ………………
While carrying the bag that had Haruha inside.
””AAAAAAAAA!!! SHE GOT KIDNAPPED!!?””
Finally understanding the situation Clamp and Mifa screamed in unison, and their voices echoed throughout the wilderness…
About an hour after, everyone had gathered in the usual hotel room.
”……Well anyway we're saved”
Just a while ago they were frustrated from having their travel interrupted, but now Haruha was glaring at the card in her hand while learning how to play old maid with Mifa, Clamp was lowering his head against Payakino.
”Honestly, I'm out of options in those kind of situations”
After that event, they left the carriage pretending to chase over Paya The Kid, and regrouped back with Haruha and Payakino who had returned earlier. They managed to leave the scene without answering anything…… maybe, he wasn't really sure.
Payakino unceremoniously assured him.
”What are you talking about? This is a part of my job as a Nanny NPC. You don't have to worry about it, everything happened today will be taken care by people above so it’s okay. They should’ve erased all evidence, not even a dust left”
”Thank you… but, it sounds kind of scary”
Anyway, He would learn from this matter and avoid having any naive thoughts like before.
”May I ask….. how should I treat Haruha from now on?”
”How, you mean?”
”When she grows bigger, she can go out without being suspected as a Travel PC anymore. But, when that time comes we…… what should we do?”
Indeed. Haruha possess an ability to perform independent actions, in the『CtG』 world she was a “free” being. She needed protection for now, but in the future she would have to be independent enough to act on her own.
──What will happen when Haruha no longer needed “Parents”?
It was not explained in the extended manual given by Payakino.
“I see. Your worry is understandable, but it’s okay to consider it more carefully”
”Carefully…… even if you say so, Haruha has already grown so big. She would probably reach our age in merely half a year”
”About that──”
Payakino's words were cut.
Who knows when she showed up, Haruha was clinging onto Payakino’s arm. From the looks of it, Mifa was putting away the trump cards back into the item box, and taking out a cursed music box she recently got in exchange.
”Hey, Payakino-san…”
Clamp who had his eyes taken by the sight of Mifa letting out a sigh with downcast eyes, missed Haruha's words to Payakino.
And thus, he began to regret missing it later──
“How long will Haruha be able to be with daddy and mommy?”
◆
Biiiii──────────────
──iii.
The electronic's noise reminiscent the buzz of insects that vibrated throughout the room.
In a certain apartment, the corner of the dimly lit room was filled with trash and had soon surpassed the furniture.
The item that was making the noise, belong to a device worn by the man, the owner of the house.
It was the terminal-Ramiel, used to play 『Cradle to The Glaive』. The message “Malfunction” was displayed repeatedly on the semi-transparent surface of the visor.
The error sound would absolutely not stop. However the man did not react to the sound ringing right next to his ear.
He just loosely folded his back on the chair and let the foam on the edge of his mouth to accumulates and fall.
Biiiiiii──────────────
The electronic buzzing continued to vibrate inside the small room. And the man's body in the middle was similar to maggots on a pile of dead meat.
Forever and always……
This man was then found fainting in the middle of playing an online game and was taken to the hospital by a family member who had discovered him. It was reported on news the day after. However, there were no eyewitnesses at the moment of his death.
In real life he had a clear face with no beard at all, but his appearance in the game was completely different.
That was why no one would know that he was the robber at the train at Gunman’s Grave who had his throat slashed by a certain girl.
“Then, see you tomorrow”
Homeroom came to an end as the teacher left the class with a refreshing smile, then the class, 1-C , started to get noisy.
Kasugai Yuu took no attention to any of the topics the others were talking about and stood up while holding his bag.
He didn't particularly stand out or anything. He wore his uniform normally, though the color of his undershirt did violate the school rules it was still okay, at any rate he was just a normal obscure sixteen year old boy.
After the sunset outside met his eyes── which was certainly beautiful── he went ahead to the exit.
“Ooi, Yuu!”
The one who called him was a boy who stood out more than him. His hair had a light brown color and was also pretty tall. While only facing his face Yuu replied,
“What is it Kouta?”
Yuu responded to his friend. Itono Kouta. They've been friends since elementary school. Although their appearances were alike he was more of a spirited guy that goes well with innocent and pure people.
“It's been awhile, do you want to go to the arcade? Do you remember that person from middle school you beat up in a fighting game? She said she wanted to face you again for revenge”
From the looks of it, there were two guys from the class waiting for Kouta. They often chatted together with both of them during break time, but…
“…Sorry. I'm not really in the mood”
“I see. Well, can't be helped”
Kouta easily nodded and left the classroom along with the other two.
“Then see you later”
The smile Kouta left as he departed made Yuu's heart ache. As a friend since middle school, he understood Yuu’s “circumstances”. To be taken care by a friend, so pathetic.
Even so, he just didn't feel like having any foolish commotion with them. And while pitying his boring self, this time he finally went off to leave the classroom── but was once again stopped by an acquaintance.
“Fuyufu…”
“If you isolate yourself too much, your relationship with others will worsen”
Kudzuchi Fuyufu.
She was a girl who would perfectly fit wearing a S-size uniform, a small-sized petite girl. She was even shorter than Yuu who was shorter compared to an average guys' height. Yuu looked down on her head that seemed like a doll wrapped with sleek black hair.
But in contrast to her small physic, her facial expression was that of a grown-up. And despite having a pretty cute face, she's giving off atmosphere that hard to get close in.
“People call that 『Loner』”
And this part of her who loves to say things too much must also be noted.
“What up with that suddenly?”
“Nothing”
As she said that, the light in her eyes showed the cold color of condemn.
“It's been a month since we entered high school. And in this crucial time, I couldn't help seeing the kid from the neighborhood I used to play with losing even more friends than he already is, so I came here to warn you about it. I’m so kind right?”
There were some parts he couldn't let go but he understood it. He wasn't mad from what she said── since it was the truth── but the word “kid from the neighborhood” caught his attention.
Just how long do want to pull back our relationship from elementary school? He would retort.
“And what about you, do you have any friends?”
In response Fuyufu let out a casual yawn, reminiscent that of a cat.
“On the weekends we’re planning to go window shopping, eat sweats in the café, and taking flirty and sparkly pictures in photo booth, the three of us in total. Unfortunately they're all girls”
…It was frustrating, but it didn't sound like a lie. Fuyufu appears to be unfriendly but she has some nice sides as well, and she also has the kind of talent to build a good relationship with others.
Yuu who failed to counterattack could only stand still while looking down at the floor quietly.
“Then stop caring about me, just go and have fun”
“Eh? Those girls are busy with clubs so I just came here to play with a loner who seems to have nothing to do though?”
Oh sorry, could it be you haven't notice? As she looked into his face with a pitying look. Against that, Yuu could only clench his fist and hold down his frustration. His effort was worth some praises he thought, but that was an impossible demand to make.
He let out a sigh. It was his mistake for thinking that Fuyufu would cheer him up.
“Sorry but I don’t have any time to spare. Try someone else”
He said as he started walking. This is what you would call running away. He knew that it was impossible to win against Fuyufu verbally, if they continued who knew when his heart would break.
“Ah…”
Fuyufu's voice from behind sounded awfully weak.
But she didn't chase after him.
When he clearly saw that, he increased his speed and walked off.
Yuu’s back slowly disappeared from the hallway, and she couldn't even bid him a farewell
“Haaa…”
With an expressionless face, Kodzuchi Fuyufu let out a sigh. It felt like tears were flowing up, but she managed to hold it in. It wasn't like she was sad or anything, she was just a little nervous.
As the tension left, complaints started pouring out of her mouth.
“Idiot… that shut-in brat“
She knew that he was still shocked about his mother but it has been a year since then, he should’ve noticed his childhood friend’s attitude by now. It was just…
“Even though I did the trouble to comfort him”
“““No, no, no… you’re not comforting him at all!”””
Retorted from the group of three girls in softball and table tennis club uniforms who were watching over Fuyufu from afar.
Around 10 minutes away from the major private railways near the school, inside the famous market district there was a quiet station building.
And from there he exited the market district, and after around 20 minutes of walking he arrived at his destination. They say that half a century ago the real estate agent purchased this area all together and turned it into a residential area, but because of the low birth rates there has been a lot of vacant spaces.
At the back of that residential area right above the hill, stood a big house.
It was surrounded by grassy fields and woods, the house that looked dark and pale even in daylight was rumored to be haunted by the children of the neighborhood.
And in front of the haunted house, Yuu inserted a card key and typed in the password of the electronic lock. *Pssssssh*… the sound of air pressure escaped through the cylinder.
He opened the door and entered the house. The evening sunlight passed through the corner of the door. He closed the door from behind and the sounds from outside were severed and disappeared into the hollow.
This is the place that Kasugai Yuu returns to.
“…………”
He didn't think of anything in particular. After tossing some raw ingredients he brought from the market into the fridge, he walked straight to the living room.
He randomly threw his blazer and bag onto the floor and sat on the sofa while still wearing his uniform. His『CtG』 exclusive terminal, Rumeil, was on top of the table and was left charging.
After putting the familiar device onto his head, he pressed the start switch. A blue light shined from the device, showing that it was working. *Nnnnn*… The low startup sound somehow tickled his stomach.
And then, a song could be heard──
His consciousness started to fade away, melting and changing….
In a few seconds, his consciousness would no longer be in this world and have had made a journey to another world.
◇
| Quest： | Hunt Twenty Goblin. |
| Difficulty： | D. |
| Quest Type： | Monsters subjugation. |
| Special conditions： | Must be done by the player who received the quest. |
| Detail： | To hunt down Goblin troops dwelling in the abandoned house of Imperial City White Keter. The king who loves outstanding gladiators is looking for a person who’s willing to take care of those Goblins all by himself. Oh brave hero, show me your strength on this perfect occasion. |
| Rewards are as followed…… | |
It was at that moment a mail notification icon was seen on the corner of his vision and an attack from an axe was made.
Ignoring the mail for a while, he then quickly swung down his single-edged sword, a seax, onto the enemy’s nape.
“Keh……!”
The one who let out the low death throe voices, along with its head on the floor, was the Goblin monster. What was left from the remaining body was just an unsightly pile of meat──
In common RPGs they’re the typical small fry monsters and are treated no different even in 『CtG』. It was an opponent that even a beginner player could win in a one-on-one fight. But on the contrary, you need considerable amount of skill to win against a large number of them.
Yuu (Clamp) watched over the dead corpse from above── and the next moment, large amounts of blood started flowing out of the wounds and some splashed onto the wall. The blood that dyed the wall appears to be sprayed out from the dead body.
CUT OFF!
SINGLE BLOW KILLED!!
As a special effect of the result of his attack, some words were displayed with the shed blood, it was a system called Blood Descript. It was said that the system was added by the graphic designer, and Yuu honestly thought it was a bad taste. But if this didn't exist, some players would feel something was lacking.
“They sure have a good (bad) hobby…”
He muttered as he watched over the surroundings. The passageway of the deserted house was filled with the smell of mold and blood coming out from the Goblin corpses lying on the floor. Even though it was a corpse, by the fact that it had lost all its HP it made it look like nothing but a dead mannequin that lacked vividness and animation.
And in the corner of his sight was a blinking icon. By swinging his line of sight he pulled it to the front. If it was a normal mail he would've opened it after he finished the quest, but the color of this icon was red── designating that it was an “Emergency”.
There was still one more Goblin lurking within the deserted building. But there shouldn't be a problem if it doesn't attack from a blind spot. While resting his back on the wall, Clamp opened up the mail.
| Sender： | Mifa |
| Contents： | Somehow it’s been born. Contact me immediately |
He stared at it for a while.
“What the heck is this?”
It’s incomprehensible. It was from Mifa whom he 《Married》 with after defeating Megalon Evis. Her name was even written as the “Sender”, and a ring icon was shining next to her name.
But no matter how many times he read it, the contents of the mail was simply too abrupt and impossible to understand. Well, anyway, it said she wanted to contact him.
“Any at rate, I have to reply…”
As he said that, he sensed a presence. But there was no figure of a monster in his field of vision── and at the moment he looked up, the Goblin that was hiding above jumped at him!
Being caught completely off guard, he couldn't afford to swing his sword or even dodge. That’s why Clamp did neither.
He casually let go of his sword and caught the Goblin empty handedly. Even though it was short, the muscular Goblin was heavy and he got pushed down by the momentum. As he was being nailed onto the floor, he took a deep breath and then shouted
『Snatch !』
After usage of the 《Snatch》action, a notification sound of its success echoed through the building along with a burst of blood.
At the edge of Clamp’s vision was a message saying Skill success, you stole a “Hand Axe” .
What happened afterwards was Clamp kicking the Goblin’s body while simultaneously equipping the hatchet and attacking the goblin with it. It was strangely unlike him to be so impatient (or to be under pressure, if unrelated to sentences below).
──The 《Marriage》 he did just to achieve his goal.
──“It was just inside a game” but…
He couldn’t have not been curious. That’s right, the mail
“It’s from Mifa!”
When he split the Goblin head as if splitting a watermelon, the mail that was left open got dyed in red by the gushed out blood.
◇
Within the churches that scattered throughout Dragons’ Cradle, you could find a mysterious mirror, when you went inside it you will arrive at the “Terminus Cradle”. The world spheres that consisted in 『CtG』 are all connected together in this relay world. It’s what you would call the starting point of all adventurers.
On the blue velvet floor nine mirrors were lined up, this place was the lowest layer called the Parnassus room. As a place for all the players that come and go all the time, it had the size of an event hall.
Boarding the elevator that hung at the middle will take you up to the market area.
Stores are sectioned in an orderly manner, regardless of the stalls large varieties of merchandise were lined up, from medical herbs to machine guns, items from various worlds were being traded here.
“This place is Messy as always…”
It was an overwhelming sight no matter how many times you saw it. The center of 『CtG』 service was done by NPC's (Their appearances were like other player, but their character was controlled by the program) who are in charge of the shops lined up around here.
And at the corner of the market area, there stood a facility called Guild Hotel, a facility that was often rented by particular communities as gatherings and meeting spots.
And at one of those rented facilities, inside a small room managed by the guild 【Labyrinth Troupe】 a girl was waiting for his arrival──
“What… Is that? ……What?”
Seeing what Mifa was holding, Clamp couldn't help but ask twice. He even forgot about Mifa who was holding the thing in question. Unable to hide his surprise, his hands were trembling in shock.
Seeing what Mifa is holding, Clamp couldn't help but ask twice. He even forgot about Mifa who was holding the thing in question. Unable to hide his surprise, his hands were trembling in shock.
“Errrmm…”
The thing wrapped in pale colored cloth, the thing that was resting on Mifa's lap was…
A baby.
She had the same hair color as Mifa, and the same eye color as Clamp.
The figure that was wrapped in fluffy and soft babywear appeared to be less than a year old. She blinked and looked at Clamp with her strangely powerful eyes, while holding onto Mifa's finger with her marshmallow-like round hand with the lightness of cotton.
Mifa, who wore a mixed expression of tears and laughter lifted her head and said,
“Somehow, a baby… was born”
………………
He has never heard about this. Never. It was true that he had the 《Marriage》 event with Mifa but, even so…. You know, they never did anything that could make a baby appear, and a system like this didn't exist in 『CtG』 in the first place.
Even so...
The moment he saw the figure of the baby, the feelings of guilt paired with anxiety (or worries, your choice) instantly froze his body. Somehow Fuyufu's face appears in his head, delivering a cold stare of contempt and disgust,that image was planted deep inside of him.
“K-Keep yourself together! I've been in panic from quite a while ago!”
“Aa…. Sorry. This is quite an unexpected situation…”
Because she made a loud voice earlier, the baby’s gaze switched back to her. The baby’s reflexive actions were all too abrupt and sudden. Mifa flinched and let out a fake smile. The baby was emotionless but opened her mouth curiously.
T-That’s right. First we need to calm down. Clamp took a deep breath.
Calmly── Lets handle this situation calmly. Let’s first sort out the known and unknown stuff, we need to first understand the current situation. There’s the phrase “DON’T PANIC!” in the best-selling 『CtG』 strategy book , 『CtG Hitchhiker’s Guide』 (unofficial), wasn't it.[1]
First of all, let’s hear what happened.
“Aside from the baby… what is that big thing?
“Aaaa── ….”
Mifa didn't answer for a while. She glanced at “that big thing” while clumsily soothing the baby in her arms. Clamp followed her gaze and then,
“This child is the daughter from the two of you”
The one who said that…
Said that…
Was…
A stuffed doll.
On top of the two resting purpose beds in the cramped room, was a huge mushroom stuffed doll. It had limbs although it was a mushroom. Its width was as wide as its height and its face looked like it was doodled by an oil pen. That thing was the『CtG』 mascot named 『Kinokino』[2] based on an existing monster in the game. However, its size varied from fifty centimeters to 1 and up to 6 meters.
And that giant mushroom had certainly just spoke.
*CRASH!* The sound of Clamp hitting the wall of the hotel.
“It spoke!? I've never heard of a Kinokino that could speak!”
Clamp once again panicked like before but for a different reason. In response, the Kinokino gentlemanly lowered its head.
“Non. My name is Payakino, a Nanny NPC”
“Nanny…?”
“Oui. To take care of children born from the 《Marriage》 Event is my function as well as my duty”
Why it speaks like a monsieur even though it’s a nanny? It has high-pitched voice, or more like, it sounds synthesized. Its gender is also unclear. No, more than that…
“Wait a moment, I never heard that a baby would be born after 《Marriage》”
Yuu got lost in thought a bit, but if he believe in what this person said, then this NPC prepared by the system will answer it all.
The doll── Payakino then explain.
“Not knowing what will happen. That is the thrill of a RPG”
It’s a mushroom who loves saying whatever it wants.
But that sounds fair. It’s not like everything about the event is written on the manual, and considering this is an ultra-rare event no wonder that an unexpected thing like this would happen.
He was about to ask another question, but was interrupted by Mifa.
“I’ll explain first. Along with the time this baby appeared”
Mifa's story didn't go too well with her hair constantly being pulled by the baby, but summarizing it briefly it goes as follows:
When she logged-in as usual── she arrived at the Japanese-styled world, Bushido Grave southern church── And there stood Payakino that deliberately lowered its head in front of her.
Witnessing this mushroom…… thing, Mifa was truly startled, presumably more than she should have. Furthermore that mushroom was carrying a baby, and just like that it claimed that the baby was Mifa’s.
At first Mifa thought that there must've been some kind of mistake, but Payakino knew in great detail about Mifa and Clamp, furthermore it had the 『CtG』 digital signature of Imagine Ekphrasis corporation that was shown in the extended manual.
In short── The pair of players was randomly given a child to raise and have it grown. But if either of the players refused, the event will become invalid and so on.
Naturally, this was not the kind of situation that can be simply solved by herself, Clamp’s opinion was also required and so she called him to this hotel──
“──what do you think?”
Against Mifa's gaze after she finished the story, Clamp groaned.
“How… even if you say so”
It was a bit problematic. Clamp tried to look for information about this system he never heard of before, but…
“You know…. I think it's okay to raise her”
Mifa was unexpectedly up for the idea. Was *** just his imagination?
The baby then naturally switched her gaze to him.
Their “daughter” seemed to like Mifa's hair texture and continued to play with it.
Cute. He simply thought that.
Even though it looked like she was playing she didn't show a smile, could it be because she doesn't understand emotions yet, or that the Artificial Intelligence (AI) was just poor? Yuu who had never taken care of a baby before couldn't reach a decision. That’s why he spoke what he thought.
“……But, won’t it be troublesome? Raising a child”
“You think? From what I read from the manual and heard from Payakino, we can just ask for all the knowledge and skills we need for it, and Payakino will also take care of her when we're logged out.
If you’re too busy I’ll try to raise her alone… and, isn't it okay to not think about it too much?”
She smiled comfortably.
“This is just a game after all”
The reason he agreed with that, was it because of Mifa's optimistic way of thinking? Or because of the guilt of having the baby disappear when he refused? Or that he just simply wanted to finish this event to the end? Even he himself was unsure.
But, on the contrary to Clamp’s nodding, Kasugai Yuu felt uneasy and had worries about this strange chain of events.
The criteria aside, only those who are perfect with each other must marry, was that truly the right way of thinking. Even that person will one day regret that she chose the wrong partner. However an NPC baby was born without warning, it felt slightly off from the 『CtG』 developer’s typical unscrupulous surprises.
It came from Kasugai Mana’s game philosophy, Yuu’s mother who continued to work for Imagine Ekphrasis in the third development office of 『Cradle to The Grave』 as the lead developer till the day of her death.
“Let’s give her a name!”
Clamp, who was thinking while staring at the floor, got called and he returned his gaze to Mifa in a hurry.
“Name?”
“Yes. This child still doesn't have a name. We have to give her one”
Mifa held out the baby to Clamp when she said that. The baby’s pitch black pupil looked straight to his eyes.
Uuuu…. He received the baby while trembling.
The baby that was now resting in his arms was unexpectedly soft and terrifyingly light. It was much lighter than the cat Fuyufu kept in her house.
The part where the gravity center did not changes when remained idle might because the lack of data inputted. And also the baby stayed the same even on Clamp’s clumsy hand, instead of just simply meek it felt like it was lacking something.
──This child… did not possess a full human body. That was natural. NPC's are just people with a human body but not a human brain, let alone this baby that was just recently made.
He felt that.
He felt that really well.
Together, he wanted to blow life into this empty vessel, into the empty existence. Just like dolls that we treat as if having a personality.
He recalled back his childhood days as he thought about it. It was a time when Kasugai Yuu played with his first friend. What he did that time was, playing house.
It was just like the current situation. The girl from that time named the doll. Yes, the name was──
“How about… Haruha? This child’s name”
It was a name that was taken from my memories. Although the baby in question didn't have any reaction in particular,
“Hee…?”
Somehow Mifa opened her eyes wide, not blinking at all.
“……? What about it?”
“Aaa……… unn, nothing. I think it’s a good name.
Haruha…… Haruha-chan huh. Nn, it has a cute sound to it”
After that she continued to repeat, Haruha, Haruha, again and again.
She seemed to like the name as well, the baby── Haruha was then returned to Mifa's arms.
While embracing the small body, Mifa narrowed her eyes gently and formed a broad smile with her mouth.
Clamp who felt something in his chest diverted his eyes.
And then the two… No, three of them, along with Payakino with its featureless face, continued to watch over the baby in delight.
And thus the two players who were wandering in the world of 『Cradle to The Grave』, Clamp and Mifa, were linked together by Haruha’s arrival. Her birth was just too sudden and treated very lightly.
The time for them to learn about the meaning of that day, that moment, was still far in the future.
◇◆
Two months have passed in a flash after that incident.
Every day they visited the guild hotel in Terminus Cradle── Not the hotel rented by 【Labyrinth Troupe】, but the one prepared by Payakino── Mifa and Clamp’s first and furthermost job was to talk with Haruha.
According to Payakino that resides at the corner of the room, the first thing Haruha needs for her growth was “Words” and after that is “Experience”.
Both of them simply had conversations with Haruha who continued to cling at them. They also did information exchange as part of their small talk.
When they were tired talking, they showed some replay videos. It was part of the Ramiel purchase bonus called private data storage, it would automatically record images in time of in-events.
This ended up affecting Yuu’s real life. He would often be absentminded and would be reminded by others, like in this instance at the school hallway.
“Yuu”
“Ueeeuwawaaaa!!? F-Fuyufu…?”
“…What is it? You look strangely in a good mood I thought. And your reaction just now is like that of a man being caught having an affair”
“No way, that’s absolutely not, right?”
“Why are you asking yourself…? Well anyway,
……Is something happening recently? You seems to be awfully want a hurry to go back”
“Nothing in particular… I’m just busy”
“Hmmm… Even so you appear to be way more energetic than before”
That might be true, he thought.
When Fuyufu pursued the reason, cold sweats started leaving his skin. Why did this happen? He tried to not think about it.
Payakino said, due to 『CtG』's system ──embryo’s effects or whatever── Haruha's growth was accelerated. She became larger at an incomparable speed compared to normal children.
In fact, Haruha learned how to talk in a very short amount of time.
“Mommy!”
There was the figure of Mifa, raising her fist high to the air, taking a guts pose along with Clamp who was sitting down, depressed.
“Next say “Father”, please”
He patted Haruha's head, which has extended a considerable length. It had a ticklish soft feel. Haruha rings her throat several times, letting out a“Auuu” sound while burying her face into his chest like a mole.
Mifa also had some changes happening in her private life.
Previously, she logged-in around 8:00 to 9:00 at night and would log-out after midnight, but ever since Haruha was born she would appear in Terminus Cradle at six o’clock. There were also days where she even showed up earlier than Clamp.
When asked why, she answered with,
“......It's also because I want to meet Haruha, but stuff happened and I no longer have to do club activities. Because of that I now have time to spare”
Her answer was a bit worrisome, but…
She said clubs, so it means she was either a high school or junior high school student── He thought a little.
After two months Haruha had already earned the body and mind of a two year(s) old.
“Maybe it’s about time we should show her the other world spheres”
Following Payakino’s advice, they took Haruha outside. Since they were bringing a child, they only roamed around the cities to guarantee her safety.
For example the White Keter Imperial City in Dragons’ Grave. From afternoon to midnight, millions of players are flooding this giant city and within such mess the small Haruha continues to cling to Mifa's arms while being simply being stunned.
They thought bringing Haruha who was an infant would stand out, but that didn't appear to be the case. Thinking back, baby NPC's normally exist in this world, and babysitting part-time jobs was one of the classical early quests.
However Haruha, unlike normal “predetermined sloppiness” baby NPC's have── doesn't wet herself or cry in the middle of the night. She doesn't even need to sleep or eat to begin with.
In the historical world, Bushido Grave Oedo capital, they watched the fireworks sparkling in the sky on a houseboat sailing above the waterway. Right on his side was Mifa wearing a relaxing light blue Kimono[3], while singing a song in a clear beautiful voice.
It was a song he had never heard of before, and it didn't appear to be one of those stereotyped songs from the game.
“………Do you like singing?”
When he asked, Mifa blushed a bit.
“Well, yeah, but it's just a hobby. I can’t let out a loud voice at home so I practice here”
From her way of talking, it seems she played this game as a replacement for a karaoke box. Indeed, you don't need that much money to use the rental terminal (Ramiel), and it was way cheaper than going to a karaoke. Unsurprisingly, people with home-related circumstances numbered quite a lot.
“It’s a foreign folk song I arranged myself…… I’m sorry if it’s bad”
Mifa who shyly said that let out a modest singing voice in the sparkling night, her skill was truly great and made her words from earlier sound like mere modesty. Hearing that, he spoke what he had in mind,
“Your song, I love it. I don’t know much about songs but it shows how clear your feelings are or something”
The transparent-like singing voice, as if fast-forwarded, lost its pitch and shook the moment Clamp saw Mifa's bewildered eyes.
After replying “Thanks…” with a blank look, Mifa resumed the song. And behind those words of hers, her face appeared to be shrinking.
(Eeeh? Did I sound like flattering…?)
As he thought about it, a warm sensation rode on his knees. It was Haruha. Daddy, daddy, she said in a lisp, like a little creature she was stirring restlessly above his knees.
Small. Round, wherever you stroke her. It was soft like a full-body cushion. She tried to stand wobbly but easily fell, and let out an “Uuu~” while staring at him curiously.
──Ultimately, she was cute.
That must be because she wouldn't cry in quirky timing, her diapers wouldn’t suddenly be “that”, and she won’t barf out her lunch, since she didn't have any of that, she was purely cute.
A daughter that won’t cause trouble to her parents, it might truly be an ideal child to have.
But not seeing her sleeping and crying faces made Clamp (Kasugai Yuu) feel something was lacking. Mifa might be thinking the same thing as their eyes met each other.
But if compared to parents who were suffering from parenting their child, they couldn't really ask for such luxury.
Their wishes might never come true, but.
As Haruha slowly grew and learn more words, she began to show more emotions.
“……Daddy, Mommy, you’re slow!”
That day── A month after Haruha's birth.
With her five-year-old figure, Haruha made Clamp and Mifa kneel in a Seiza position[4] in front of her.
In the usual hotel room. Haruha folded her arms together. It was amazing how a baby who used to be so round and small became……… so grown up and dazzling. And beside her was Payakino deliberately playing with a shinai[5], swinging it back and forth.
“You two said you'd come as soon as possible!”
Haruha's enraged voice sounded similar to Mifa’s. And her awkward tone of her voice reflected an innocent childishness.
“The soy sauce at the market was on sell… and it was very crowded”
“I-I’m sorry… something little happened in the house”
The two of them earnestly apologized with a silky voice as if reading a script.
“Ah, look Haruha. I brought throwing knives. See, it has cute engravings on it, it’s small and light so even girl can easily use it!”
Clamp took out the throwing knives from his item box and showed it. It was within a small six blades set, and it was also popular as both an accessory and a decoration.
”Really? A weapon for a souvenir, that’s why boys are no good”
After staring at Clamp with eyes of contempt, Mifa turned to Haruha with a smile.
”Look Haruha, equip this 『Crimson Tree』 Mommy brought for you. It’s a Kimono armour sold in Bushido Grave!”
”Haruha won’t be fooled with presents!”
Various items were presented to please her but it seems that Haruha's displeasure won. *Tch*, Clamp was mad at his own lamentably.
Haruha's item storage was already filled full with presents like a children guitar, canned slimes, dragons’ bones (fake), and mechanical dolls from the two of them. The small Haruha used to be unconditionally happy from their present and that made them want to give her more.
“You two just overdid it!”
With a sullenly sigh, Haruha sat down on Mifa’s knee.
Her mind’s growth seemed to be slower than her body, even though she would often walk around by herself, Haruha was still a spoiled mole. She loved playing with the weapons Clamp and the others brought for her but she loved hugging Clamp and Mifa even more.
“Haruha…… waited a long time you know”
That’s why her eyes looked very lonely as she stared at the both of them while twisting herself in Mifa's arm.
That’s right. Haruha had always, waited.
Not just waiting together with Payakino at daytime. Even though she had a place to sleep, as a resident of 『CtG』,the action of “Sleeping” did not exist within her. So at day and night, she continues to wait for Clamp and Mifa fully awake the entire time.
From now, let’s give up soy sauce sales and protect your promise. Said Payakino through its mind while beating Yuu (Clamp) with its shinai.
“Hiyaaa!?”
Screamed Mifa as she saw the head of a Kobold[6] fly up into the air. The monster’s face that appeared was suddenly cut by Clamp as it came across── Critical Hit!!
The blood splashed in a flashy manner and formed letters. Mifa avoided the bloody shower so it didn't hit the lantern she was carrying. After that she weakly let out an amazed voice,
“Ughh…… it’s how amazing you’re fine with that. A severed head…… even now I’m still not okay with it. And those that walk with two legs are especially scary”
Mine area of Dragons’ Grave. “It’s about the time for Haruha to learn about battle, take her with you and show her the drill” Following Payakino’s advice, Clamp and Mifa are currently previewing low difficulty quests for the plan in the future.
Subjugation quest 【Tunnel Kobold Extermination】 was what the name implied. A quest to hunt a certain number of Kobolds within the back of the mine, it was a quest for beginners.
While wielding his blood dyed sword, Clamp illuminated the surroundings with his lantern. It was then Mifa asked,
“Is it because you’re a boy? Are you type who likes zombie movies?”
”It’s not like that, but…”
Letting out a troubled voice, Clamp tried to come out with a proper answer.
”You often say it too right. This is just a game, you said”
”Even though it’s this real?”
”Exactly because it’s this real. Having my strength increased making me able to perform amazing movements, every time I perform superhuman-like skills through semi-automatic combat I feel an ascertained difference between my actual self.
The strong me right now is not actual me. That’s why I can properly separate both”
“Not your real self huh…”
Clamp who was being wary of his surroundings did not see Mifa who was looking down in bitterness. Half consciously, Clamp spoke what he had in mind.
“The more realistic a virtual reality becomes, the more it decreases the player’s external sense to the real world. It was my mother's theory, that's why this game──”
“Mother?”
Clamp let out a bitter face as he realized his own mistake. And it was a face that was unthinkable coming from that composed self-confident “Clamp of Scarabaeus”. Something inside Mifa started being fueled.
“So your mom plays game too. What kind of person?”
“this isn't important right?”
But his rejection by not wanting to face her face, instead did nothing but lure her interest even more. Mifa was just that kind of person.
“It’s okay right. We’re husband and wife for one”
While continuing to plead, Mifa clung to Clamp’s empty hand. Mifa then confirmed her victory after realizing that Clamp had just stopped his breath.
“Why are you so flustered? This is just inside a game isn't it?”
Clamp who got a point taken groaned, and while being upset he said,
“Come on, let’s look more into the back”
And they begun to walk while Mifa kept hanging onto his arm.
After a while, the dim light of the lantern started to fades away, Mifa let out a little gasp and they continued to walk through the dark tunnel.
They walked little by little, the heat coming from the snuggled up pair made them grow restless. But that heat was not the heat coming from the lantern's flame or magic. That's why it wouldn't cool down no matter how much time had passed.
“It might be just a game”
The one who speak after that was Mifa.
“Just a game, but Haruha is cute, right”
“……That’s right”
The moment Clamp formed a smile with his mouth, Mifa held down her chuckle.
“You’re just like me……”
After holding back her laughter she let out a smile, and the remaining heat disappeared.
“What happened Yuubocchi[7]? Thinking hard like that is very unlike you”
“What the heck was…… that? It sounds like some derogatory term coming from a fairy tale”
“Sounds like a name from a fairy right? A person who's always alone = could be a strange creature that only I can see, that is 『Yuubocchi』”
“It sounds pretty scary…”
He was in the cafeteria during lunch break when Fuyufu called him out.
Even though he got his savings that his mother left behind, he couldn't afford wasting money when there was a future to think about. On the other hand, because of 『CtG』 he doesn't have much time to make lunch, so he's been living off one bread a day.
However a little while ago in 『CtG』, he was in the middle of talking with Haruha But lost consciousness and was forced to logged out── In other words “Sleep Failing” ── caused by his lack of sleep and declining health. In order to spend more time with Haruha, he began to eat properly and also eat healthy food every day.
That’s why, in order to get an inexpensive meal every day he goes to the cafeteria, and naturally eating together with Fuyufu becomes a daily occurrence. He stared at Fuyufu who was sitting on the other side of the table with her Kitsune Udon[8], and let out a terribly vague question,
“Fuyufu, do you think there are hearts dwelling inside computers?”
“What’s up with the out of the blue question?”
Maybe because her emotions were bland, but Fuyufu appeared to be spacing out but even so her academic score was pretty high. Unlike Yuu who only played games, Fuyufu read a lot of books.
After sipping her udon while raising her hair so that it didn’t get into the soup, she answered,
“It depends on your definition of “heart”, but it’s impossible to create self-consciousness through programs and calculation, this is a theory I heard before. Something about quantum brain theory or whatever”
“But doesn't that only apply to current computers?”
Fuyufu responded with a“You mean?” face. Yuu also felt that he had became too stubborn. While pointing at her with the chopsticks he used to stab his fish hamburger with , he continued.
“It’s 『CtG』. You know, the computer used for that is known for having stronger capabilities than any other. If it has that much power, won’t it be possible to create a human-like mind?”
But Fuyufu unceremoniously shook her head.
“It’s not the problem of capability or processing power. It’s the nature of the problem itself. No matter how fast it calculates, even a computer that can respond to a diverse amount of situations, would still give the same result as any other computer. Even if it can create the same entrance and exit as a human, it won’t able to create the same maze inside. The “Heart” is that maze. If you want to create the same thing…… there’s no other choice but to give those computers flesh and blood as well”
After saying it like a javelin, she continues.
“Or could it be, Yuu, you heard something about it? The computer used in that…… did you heard that from your mother?”
Fuyufu let out a face of regret as she said that. It might just be a slip of tongue mentioning his mother, but it was impossible to say that he didn't care about it.
“Could it be, a one-in-the world machine exists somewhere…… no way, I’ve never heard anything about it. Even if I heard about it I wouldn't know”
”That might be so”
Because of the abrupt agreement, the conversation stops for a while. Over three quarters of the seats in the school cafeteria were filled with students bustling. Within that environment, the distant they had that allowed them to distinguish the sound of dishes, that distant just like old time ago.
In contrast to Yuu who fell silent, Fuyufu opened her mouth after she finished swallowing her udon.
“Yuu…… did something happened in that game?”
His heart jumped. Words spoken can’t be taken back. Fuyufu persisted with her gaze.
“Could it be…… Non Player Character, is it? Did you fall in love with one or something? That’s why you asked stuff about the heart and all……”
It wasn't a direct hit, but it was a blow that managed to graze his neck. Even so,
“Of course not, it’s not like that”
It wasn't a lie so his voice was straight. But Fuyufu continued to press on the matter.
“…………Really? Then why do you look strangely happy recently?”
“…......Really? Then why do you look strangely happy recently?”
“I-It’s just your imagination"
Somehow an image of Mifa tilting her head mumbling “Nn? Nn?” appeared on his head. It wasn't her. She was not a NPC, much less a girlfriend. She was something else. The thing that happened in the mine was just her messing around.
Fuyufu suspiciously stared at him and then averted her eyes in displeasure.
Fuyufu stayed silent after that. After she silently finished consuming her udon, she took a paper napkin and started folding it.
“……Yuu. Do you know why I don’t play that game (『CtG』)?”
“Eh…… Because you’re not interested in it?”
She had always been like that. No matter how many times he recommended it, Fuyufu had never laid her hands on 『CtG』. When Yuu became a teenager he gradually became addicted to the game his mother helped develop, and ever since then his distance with Fuyufu slowly grew larger and larger. But.
“Wrong”
Incorrect. Fuyufu abruptly stood up, holding her tray and turned away. And then while showing her back, she told the correct answer.
“──It's because I hate it”
After seeing the small back go off?, he dropped his eyes to one of the paper cranes left on the table. As if harboring the same displeasures of its creator, it was directed straight at his direction. He naturally leaked a sigh.
It seems he had offended her somehow, but he couldn't figure out why. It was pathetic. It was always like that. Kasugai Yuu would never be able to understand others’ feelings unless said out loud.
Speaking of not knowing, his question towards Fuyufu still didn't provide a satisfying answer.
(──No matter how high-spec the computer is, it can’t bring the“heart” to life. Then, is Haruha who express's so much emotion also a… “Fake”?)
But Haruha was clearly different compared to other NPC's. Even though the NPC's in 『CtG』 possessed surprisingly large amounts of actions, it was simply piles of numbers of normal behavior patterns. If you continued to talk to them, you would feel an inevitable sense of Déjà vu. At first Yuu also thought that Haruha was one of those kind of things.
However Haruha did not feel or smell like a program at all. Every day she showed various different expressions on a whim and it never stopped changing── he had never seen her showing the “same face” at all. It might be that she changed as she grew, creating a new behavior pattern each passing day.
But there was certainly moments where such a trick couldn’t be explain. That was probably because she had what was called wisdom.
“Daddy, what is that?”
It was in the usual hotel room where she asked that.
This time Clamp was facing the item 『Parchment』──A paper── he spread on the table. Mifa was late because of some errands she had in the real world, so he was together alone with Haruha.
He folded the parchment paper and created a shape.
“It’s Origami[9]. I’m making a 『Yakko-san』”
”Origami? Yakko-san?”
Haruha climbed the table with her own body and peeked at what was in his hands. He attempted to give an answer to her bright sparkling eyes but── it was unexpectedly hard to explain.
That’s why he just continued to fold quietly and finally completed the “Yakko-san”.
When it was presented to Haruha, she received it curiously. She sat on top of the table and inspected it closely.
Looking at her like that reminded him of the young figure, Fuyufu, and Origami was a play they learned together. The first time he finished making one she also look at the paper crane he made just like her.
“What is, this?”
“What do you think this is?”
The reason why he returned the question was because he recalled back the conversation he had with Fuyufu before. Can Haruha, who was born from a computer, “feel” shapes?
Haruha did not answer immediately. She just continued to stare deeply at the “Yakko-san”, and then answered.
“Is this… Haruha?”
It was the time for Clamp to be troubled now.
“Nnn…… half correct. That is the paper model of a person who used to work as a servant[10]. Look, it has legs and arms right? In other word it’s a doll”
“A doll…”
Haruha looked at “Yakko-san” for a while and then stroked her head with her finger. Then all of a suddenly she looked up.
“Haruha want to make one too. A more, bigger one!”
The girl’s hands were moving like magic.
She only saw Clamp making it once, but she folded the papers with terrifying precision without any hesitation. Open and by the time he noticed, “Yakko-san” was already completed.
He had heard that an origami had a mathematical structure, and this was precisely that. Even 『CtG』, which possessed a lot of mechanical skills, didn't have one called origami auto-folding. Nevertheless, the skill that Haruha possessed── was certainly a mechanical skill.
As if proving that his hunch was correct, Haruha once again folded another “Yakko-san” in an instant, it was identically the same as the previous one. Rather than the same work, it was more of a copy.
(As I thought…… she’s different from us)
It was an obvious thing, why was he disappointed in realizing it now? It was a strange story. What operated Haruha was『CtG』 and the thing that operated that nothing other than a computer, accomplishing small things like this was not surprising at all.
──However, Haruha’s hand stopped as she worked on the third one.
Opened and folded again, after some trails and errors “Yakko-san” was finally finished, but somehow it looked strangely different from the previous ones, its head was a little too big.
“? This is……”
In response to the confused Clamp, Haruha let out a warm fufun voice and a smile, and then she asked.
“What do you think this is?”
“Nn…… could it be, Payakino-san?”
The one who answered that wasn’t Clamp, but Mifa who appeared out of nowhere. Haruha sharpened her mouth saying “It was a quiz for Daddy!”, Mifa replied with a sorry and lifted Haruha's body up and put her down onto the floor.
”Sitting on the table is bad”
”But then I won’t be able to make origami”
Rather than mother and daughter, both of them looked more like sisters. He then returned his gaze towards the four origami on the table.
There were two big “Yakko-san”, one mushroom-like thing, and one small “Yakko-san”.
Needless to say── It was himself, Mifa, Payakino, and Haruha together.
““Is this… Haruha?””
““A doll””
He recalled back Haruha’s words.
Clamp── Kasugai Yuu, felt hatred towards himself.
(Why did I think like that? “As I thought…… she’s different from us”?)
Even though he bad mouthed Fuyufu who denied the personality that was born from this game, he had just treated Haruha like an object. But she put him in. Within the origami family, the figure Clamp was in there.
She was…… she such a child. Furthermore,
Being taught only the concept of “Origami”, Haruha created a mushroom-shape by herself. She could create “free ideas” from given information. No matter how splendid an artificial intelligence was, there was no way it could do that.
Mysterious, strange, but helplessly cute “daughter”.
Haruha.
(How should I treat this child?)
Recently, because he prioritized meeting Haruha, he had neglected his goal to fully complete 『CtG』. Raising a child was also not an event that was a part of it.
Whatever happened, he must play through everything in 『CtG』.
The more he liked Haruha, the more troubled he became.
◇
”Ahahaha”
But strangely, he no longer worried about his concern when he looked at Haruha's smile.
Two months have passed since Haruha was born. She had quickly obtained what human's called the physique of seven-year-old.
“It’s shaking. It’s shaking, daddy!”
Just a while ago she was walking like an awkward doll but was now running around in the carriage like an energetic cat.
Western-styled world Sphere “Gunman’s Grave”. The powers of firearms in here were multiple times stronger than in any other Spheres, this was a world for Gunman.
Starting from the capital city, you would find huge railways connected to various locations across the towns and villages in this world, it was essential for traveling in Gunman’s Grave and was a tourist attraction. It was a large locomotive that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere in modern Japan, and the views outside the shaken carriage were magnificent as well.
Today was a public holiday in the real world, so Clamp and Mifa entered 『CtG』 during the day. Since they had a lot of time to spare, they asked Haruha where she wanted to go and she answered that she wanted to try riding a train.
And so, the three of them boarded the train and enjoyed the scenery from the window. It was wilderness as far as the eye could see. From a distant you could see a wild Land Worm (A large roundworm-like monster) being hunted by a couple of cowboys with their monster rifle.
When he was captivated with this virtual landscape, Mifa stood from her seat and yelled at Haruha.
“Haruha, don’t do that, you’re bothering the other guests so please calm down”
”Okke~!”
Haruha waves the sleeves of her red Kimono while noisily replying the word of her mother.
Haruha waved the sleeves of her red Kimono while noisily replying the word of her mother. It was a present from Mifa made in Bushido Grave, ependymal (upper garment) armor.
It was Haruha's first “dress up”.
“She’s quite energetic”
He leaked out a smile seeing the scene of this mother-daughter exchange.
The border passages in the carriage were divided into two rows. Sitting right on the other side of him and Mifa were a kind-looking elderly couple.
From the small talk they had before, this couple wanted to enjoy their leisure time after retirement but they were worried about their health if they actually went on one…… eventually they decided on going to the virtual world instead. They both loved each other's easy way of thinking and they were a very harmonious married couple.
“That young lady in the Kimono, whose little sister is she?”
“Ha, haa…”
Clamp and Mifa's replies were inevitably ambiguous. They couldn't help but to speak humbly when talking to older people. Even so, if they answered honestly it would definitely sound more like a lie.
Unaware of their confusion, the elderly couple spoke in a merry voice as if saying “this is the main topic”.
“Could it be, the both of you are a couple?”
“”Ah, no, definitely not””
This time, the both of them slammed the table and stood up, and simultaneously answered. Both of them were certainly a married couple in『CtG』 but not a tiny bit of a “couple” even once.
The old lady seemed to be a little disappointed. And the husband next to her rebuked with “Don’t be so thoughtless” and changed the topic.
”Using a travel PC, even old people like us and that young lady can go on a trip without worry”
Travel PC (Player Carrier) was one of 『CtG』's unique systems that allowed youngsters and even elderly to experience the virtual world. They did not receive any damage from battle or a player attack. It was commonly known as “Travel” and even players below twelve years old could essentially dive into the game.
In 『CtG』 body damage and endurance value (HP) were valued from an entirely different concept. Body damage and wounds received will slowly heal and regenerate even when the remaining HP was low, but if all of the HP was completely gone it would be an automatic game over. But in case of the Travel PC, their HP was infinite and would never receive a game over in battle
“I still intend on staying as an active gamer. But playing on a normal avatar is bad for my heart or something and this wife of mine won’t let me”
“But dear, this is different from a video game you know”
The wife’s words were then interrupted. Before they knew it, Haruha had appeared beside her, pulling her sleeves. Haruha looked up at the old lady, and curiously said,
“Haruha is not a Travel PC?”
As she just said, while being a child Haruha was not a Travel PC. That’s why Payakino told them to watch over her very carefully.
However, from the eyes of people who didn't know the circumstances it was a mere violation of the terms.
”Hn? But, kid at your age──”
”But Haruha is……Mogyuh!?”
”N-No! It’s not that! This kid doesn't really know how the system works so!”
Mifa let out a fake smile as she forcibly held Haruha to prevent her from saying anything further. The elderly couple was then easily convinced and stroked Haruha's head, in exchange Haruha narrowed her eyes happily.
It was a pretty intense situation thinking of an excuse surrounding Haruha's circumstances that even her own parents hadn't fully understood yet."
The weather outside was good and the scenery that was spread was also beautiful, they were blessed with a cheerful companion in the journey. Mifa, and also Haruha seemed to be in a good mood as well.
I’m glad we came here── this was the praise he wanted to earn for today's holiday trip in the afternoon."
But all of a sudden, the train took an abrupt break in the middle of the wilderness.
In a way, this could be called a well-executed train robbery.
The railway was blocked by a drove of large Land Worms, it was a good thing that the train stopped at the right time.
But the safe box that had been placed on the wagon collapsed afterwards.
The strength of the security NPC's were nothing great, and could be easily overwhelmed by a player. It must have been going according to the plan so far. But the safe was empty inside. It seems they were given false information from the mischief of other players.
And then.
The four angry robbers boarded the carriage Clamp and the others were in.
“Okay, don't move! Frankly saying, I'm really strong!”
The one who shouted throughout the train was a bearded man who seemed to be the leader of the robbery. He appeared to be old due to his beard, but his voice was unexpectedly youthful. He must be at the age of a young adult.
”This is a robbery collecting funds for conquering Marionette Grave. We're on a completely different level compared to those who are just playing around! Got it!?”
What the man said “Marionette Grave” was a newly released world Sphere, a world of cyberpunk. In order to conquer it, expensive equipment was essential. Within groups of inpatient players, there were people who dared to cross the dangerous line in order to collect funds just like this.
Seeing from Expansion (AR) mode, all information was filtered other than their level, and around their shoulders there was a red placards (tag) floating above them. If someone tried to attack someone in public facilities he/she would receive a 《Criminal》 red tag, and they will be registered as a target of a subjugation quest for a period of time .
As expected from those who wanted to be on top, their levels were certainly higher than Clamps.
“Listen, we will collect 1/3 of your money after this. If you quietly give it to us, we won’t kill you. Not a bad deal right?”
Penalty given when dying was “Losing half a of all gold in possession”, it was certainly not a bad deal. More than anything, even though the pain was reduced, dying in this overly realistic 『CtG』 world would give quite a fear until until used to. It was quite a valid threat in its own way.
The other three men under the bearded man walked through the cramped passage ways and started collecting, each of them threatening their prey with their guns.
“H-Hiaaaa….. D-don’t shot! I will die!”
One of them pointed his gun at a girl wearing a nun (Sister) outfit who sat nearby. All the other robbers were one tier lower than the bearded man but still a higher level than himself. They were also considerably stronger than Mifa as well.
(Maybe… No, don’t think about resisting……)
Peeking at Haruha who was hugged tightly by Mifa, he let out a sigh. If he was alone he would think of resisting and would prepare to gamble a Game Over, but now he had Mifa and Haruha with him.
Seeing the passengers being obedient, the bearded man licked his lips in delight. The color of his pupils appeared to have brightened and it seems he had activated the Extended (AR) mode vision.
“First of all, in order to not let anyone do anything strange in the middle of collecting money, we will be taking some hostages.
………The first one will be that pseudo Sister, and who's next. No matter how much they resist, we can’t really make a Travel who can't be killed as a hostage”
Somehow he got a bad feeling, and it was a hit.
As if licking the passengers within, the bearded man shot around with his gaze, and his eyes stopped at Mifa.
“Oi, you woman there, you’re not a Travel right!”
Being called, Mifa screamed in response. Clamp's waist was floating above the seat.
(This is bad…!)
It was a frustration he had never felt before, to have lost his composure.
But that anxiousness was not because of Mifa.
”No, Haruha don't!”
By the time they realized, she had already escaped from Mifa's arms.
The girl in red Kimono── Haruha left the passage, and faced the bearded man around seven meters away.
The bearded man, the other robbers, and the passengers must have all realized after Mifa raised a scream. The bearded man looked at Haruha as if he had just inhaled poisonous gas.
“Oi…… what is it brat. I don't have business with a Travel──”
The bearded man’s words were interrupted.
sharply.
He then noticed a Throwing Knife stuck on his shoulder.
“Oooh….?”
It was a unique sensation of 『CtG』. Because of the system, the pain was changed to a slight sense of discomfort so you wouldn't feel any actual pain. But that’s why the sensation of cold metal transmitted through his flesh could be clearly felt── passing beyond the realm of pain, he was haunted by an illusion of being a corpse.
And then the bearded man saw. The young girl in red Kimono, slowly come close and threw the second knife.
So casually, so agilely, and without hesitation.
Now to his flank. As if being sucked into the gap of his bones, the sharp blade continued to invade inside until it reached the handle.
“──Hey”
The voice who called for the bearded man was from no one else, Clamp couldn't recognize it for a moment. This cold and sharp piercing voice.
“Why?”
Realizing that the shining Throwing Knives on Haruha's hands were his gift, for the first time he recognized the owner of this penetrating cold voice.
The bearded man finally realized the opponent who attacked him was, he then glared at Haruha with wide open eyes and pointed his automatic gun at her.
”Why do you do this?”
But Haruha was undaunted. Her large unwavering eyes, as if being sucked in pushed the bearded man to his limit. He pulled the trigger of the gun.
“W-What── You… shitty brat!”
BANG*. The sound of the gunshot from the bearded man’s hand. Even though it was in a virtual world, no one would stand watching a scene of a kid being shot.However, Haruha was unharmed.
The sleeves of her red Kimono were fluttering like a flower petal. With one rotation, it seemed as if she was dancing.
In that moment, while throwing knives with both of her hands she dodged the bullets with incredible swiftness. It was as if knowing where the bullet was going in advance, truly a bland miracle.
The knives that we thrown pierced the bearded man’s right shoulder, receiving damage on his leg the bearded man fell on his knees and laid on the floor. If he felt pain he would be screaming, but fortunately that did not happen. But then he turned his gaze towards Haruha── and his anger turned into fear.
In both of Haruha's hands, the next set of knives had already appeared. A small sized weapon like Shuriken[11] that could be hidden under your sleeves could be replenished/equipped immediately if you had a skill called 《weapon sleeve》.
The shadow from her bangs covered her face to her nose. The only thing seen on that face was just the cold light from her eyes, but that stare of hers appeared to be showing nothing but apathy to the bearded man.
That knife, those eyes…
With no mercy or hesitation, the girl showed the blade in her hand. In a way, it was really child-like. Because she was a child, she could beat down her opponent without showing any anger.
The girl’s movements had reached the front of the bearded man’s face. The cold wind was cut by the knife, this time the knife changed objectives from throwing to slashing.
”Haruha, was looking forward to this you know!”
And then.
Haruha stared at the intruder who interrupted her holiday with all her might, and naturally let out a condescending voice.
”Mommy and daddy said that we would have a lot of fun. Haruha was looking forward to it!”
The face seen from the shade was no longer a cute spoiled mole. Her face── her face had clearly exploded with anger.
“A lot!
Haruha endured a lot!
and finally! Finally!
It’s finally!! It’s finally the day when we will play a lot!
but why!? Why don't you understand? Is old man stupid!?
Why? Haruha said, why? Why would you do such a mean thing!?”
It was a child's impeachment yelling to children for children. She believed that breaking her “Promised holiday” was nothing but pure evil and did not doubt that even slightly, it was the unconditional trust she had for her family and the world. And now all of that was crushed, due to that it also enhanced her childish emotions and caused an explosion inside her.
Naturally, the bearded man didn't understand what she meant. He just listened to her while being dumbfounded. He turned his head left and right searching for an answer but all he got was a stare from the girl in the nun outfit.
Compared to the bewildered man, Haruha is way way younger. She was way too young to understand other people's position and circumstances. That was why she was so straightforward, selfish, and merciless.
“A thing like this──”
The blade in her hand, as if sliding from the sky, sliced the man.
“Is bad you know!”
The blade tore across the bearded man’s neck and formed a cross, the blood spraying out vigorously formed the Critical Hit!! words on the ceiling.
In that opportunity.
“W-What the heck is this brat!?”
The other robbers who couldn't react properly to Haruha's overly imposing actions finally moved.
The first to react was the person who stood right beside the bearded man, he pulled out his revolver but was then interrupted by the nun woman from earlier.
In nearly the same time, the tall robber who was right in front of Clamp raised his rifle and aimed at Haruha. His aim was quickly blocked by Mifa who had jumped out of her seat, but there was no reason for him to re-adjust his aim. He pulled the trigger and──
That moment, Clamp moved as well.
While pushing down the tall man, he simultaneously took his gun. Along with a 『Snatch!』 notification sound, the message saying You stole item “Automatic M1905”[12] was displayed.
”Agh, bastard!”
”I won't say sorry”
Sorry── before he finished saying that, he started shooting down every bullet available in the magazine, the guy might've not even caught the word he said earlier. After around five shots, the guy’s HP drops to zero and his body turned into a lifeless mannequin.
After he shot out every bullet, Clamp instantly threw the gun and stood up.
Then.
His eyes met a big-framed robber aiming his rifle at him. The gun was pointed straight at his head.
””……………Haha””
Feeling tension between each other, both of them exchanged a maniac smile.
The robber then changed into a serious look after a moment and pulled the trigger.
There was not enough distance where he could simply avoid all the bullets; and if he got hit like this he wouldn't be saved. Normally he would get a Game Over in this situation, but.
The bullet missed. No, the prey (Clamp) just disappeared from the place the robber aimed at.
”……He disappeared? How? Did he logged-out because of an external influence?”
”Nope── Got you”
The moment after that word was heard, the disappointed robber’s torso was blown away onto the air.
Clamp who had returned back into a shooting position instantly shot him with a Sawed-off shotgun[13]. The robber who got shot and shredded into pieces, was clinging onto an unattended seat and glared at Clamp.
”What the heck with that instant warping…… was it the connection lag that has been happening these days?”
Clamp didn't answer him and walked off, ignoring the robber. The robber’s eyes brightened, a sign which shows that he was trying to check Clamp’s player status.
”Clamp……? Are you…… are you that “Clamp of Scarabaeus”? ………Wait, if so your level is too low──”
”Then you got the wrong person”
Not waiting for the robber to be convinced, Clamp bombarded the rest of the shots inside the shotgun. The mannequin that lost its head rolled on the floor.
Looking at the surroundings, the last remaining robber was turned into a mannequin, he must've been taken down by another passenger.
The mannequin that used to be the bearded man, suffering from its miserable fate had its entire body pierced with knives. The blade sunk deeply inside and its lower half was drowned in a sea of blood flowing from out of its neck.
And at the end of this sight, the girls were there. Clamp’s “Family”.
Mifa who had trembling shoulders held Haruha tightly, and Haruha who questioned her mother’s action.
When his eyes met hers, she showed a bright golden smile.
”Daddy! I beat him down with the knife you gave me!”
Other than a forced smile, what else could he show?
”Hey…… that kid isn't a Travel PC?”
(Here it comes……)
The first thing everyone asked after everything settled down was that. Of course, it was about his “Daughter” who was in the middle of the room being held by Mifa
”She appears to be an elementary school student no matter how I see her……”
The man’s voice that was representing the other passengers was strong. A non-Travel PC under the age of thirteen was against the law.
“Well…… You see, this kid is──”
He wanted to cover it up but wasn't able to come up with a good lie. Kasugai Yuu wasn't particularly smart or had a foul mouth, he was just a simple high school boy.
He might as well have spoken the truth.
Haruha was a baby born as a part of a 《Marriage》 event. That was why he didn't have to worry. Because she wasn't a human, but.
──Terrifying. It was not a joke.
He was convinced. Haruha was not a human, only an existence within the game. That was the truth. But once it has been revealed, how will others treat Haruha from now on?
An NPC that could think, create, and possess human emotions. There was no need to recall back the conversation he had with Fuyufu, Haruha had easily exceeded the limit of an artificial intelligence. She was an impossible existence.
Clamp and Mifa thought she was cute, but that was only because they had been with her for a long time. But in the eyes of other people, as an errant object she was a subject of their curiosity and fear.
Fearful. They were afraid to be in contact with a non-human like Haruha. They were afraid to be targeted by her. If everyone learned the truth about Haruha, could Clamp and Mifa treat her the same way as before? Would they wake up from this dream?
Still── it was too early to think like that. Just a little bit more, please let her be as what she is now.
At the same time Yuu reached his conclusion.
”Haruha is── this kid is……”
Mifa stood up and began talking. Clamp reflexively put his hand on Mifa's shoulder. Her voice was shaking.
Mifa put her hand on Haruha's head who didn't get the situation. Mifa declared in a loud voice.
”This kid is… is not───ach!!”
…………………………
And there was silence.
Well, of course. These were truly troublesome words── and if said with a big voice pushed with only courage it was natural. In addition, the beautiful girl, Mifa, had called out very desperately.
”No, not about that…”
The player who had asked about Haruha perplexedly let out a word of denial.
They became silent again. It was an atmosphere where everyone goes quiet.
Except one person, Haruha, who watched over the hard faces of the adults restlessly.
It was not that she was stupid or dense (My child is clever and intelligent you know), and not even because she was young. She just simply didn't understand how “Special” she was. When Yuu thought about that he somehow felt a bit sad, and tears seemed to be flowing out.
And within this situation…
Out of the blue, the door of the vehicle was suddenly opened. It was the entrance that was blocked by the robber from earlier. Naturally, everyone’s attention concentrated there── They were all amazed.
”Well, hello and hello~”
Because, somehow a giant mushroom had just entered the carriage.
──It was as you expected. Payakino lowered its head as if it was a cowboy hat.
”AAaa-! It’s Payakino-san!”
The first one who raised her voice was Haruha, and she dived into it, with all her might onto the stuffed-doll body. The Nanny NPC caught the cannonball-like girl.
”Bonjour. Monsieur mon ami”
And then somehow, it spoke out a greeting that sounded like it was coming from the TV version of a “Detective Poirot”[14] rather than actual French. Imitating that, Haruha repeated the word “Monsieur mon ami” over and over.
Everyone within the carriage── Even Clamp and Mifa── were taken aback, and on behalf of the elderly couple the husband opened his mouth.
”Haa…… So, who are you ……?”
”Me?”
And then Payakino, while saying “Well up’n go” rose Haruha up and tossed her into a big bag. And from inside, the muffled voice of Haruha could be heard── “Waaai! I’m inside a bag!”
Everyone’s eyes went wide wondering what had just happened, and then the mushroom shamelessly introduced itself.
“I am the wilderness kidnapper, Paya The Kid!”
”Eh?”
Not waiting for anyone to respond, Payakino turned backwards and jumped onto the back of the horse waiting outside.
“Yeeehaa~ go Silver Star!”
Riding the horse, it quickly disappeared in an instant. ──
………… ………………
While carrying the bag that had Haruha inside.
””AAAAAAAAA!!! SHE GOT KIDNAPPED!!?””
Finally understanding the situation Clamp and Mifa screamed in unison, and their voices echoed throughout the wilderness…
About an hour after, everyone had gathered in the usual hotel room.
”……Well anyway we're saved”
Just a while ago they were frustrated from having their travel interrupted, but now Haruha was glaring at the card in her hand while learning how to play old maid with Mifa, Clamp was lowering his head against Payakino.
”Honestly, I'm out of options in those kind of situations”
After that event, they left the carriage pretending to chase over Paya The Kid, and regrouped back with Haruha and Payakino who had returned earlier. They managed to leave the scene without answering anything…… maybe, he wasn't really sure.
Payakino unceremoniously assured him.
”What are you talking about? This is a part of my job as a Nanny NPC. You don't have to worry about it, everything happened today will be taken care by people above so it’s okay. They should’ve erased all evidence, not even a dust left”
”Thank you… but, it sounds kind of scary”
Anyway, He would learn from this matter and avoid having any naive thoughts like before.
”May I ask….. how should I treat Haruha from now on?”
”How, you mean?”
”When she grows bigger, she can go out without being suspected as a Travel PC anymore. But, when that time comes we…… what should we do?”
Indeed. Haruha possess an ability to perform independent actions, in the『CtG』 world she was a “free” being. She needed protection for now, but in the future she would have to be independent enough to act on her own.
──What will happen when Haruha no longer needed “Parents”?
It was not explained in the extended manual given by Payakino.
“I see. Your worry is understandable, but it’s okay to consider it more carefully”
”Carefully…… even if you say so, Haruha has already grown so big. She would probably reach our age in merely half a year”
”About that──”
Payakino's words were cut.
Who knows when she showed up, Haruha was clinging onto Payakino’s arm. From the looks of it, Mifa was putting away the trump cards back into the item box, and taking out a cursed music box she recently got in exchange.
”Hey, Payakino-san…”
Clamp who had his eyes taken by the sight of Mifa letting out a sigh with downcast eyes, missed Haruha's words to Payakino.
And thus, he began to regret missing it later──
“How long will Haruha be able to be with daddy and mommy?”
◆
Biiiii──────────────
──iii.
The electronic's noise reminiscent the buzz of insects that vibrated throughout the room.
In a certain apartment, the corner of the dimly lit room was filled with trash and had soon surpassed the furniture.
The item that was making the noise, belong to a device worn by the man, the owner of the house.
It was the terminal-Ramiel, used to play 『Cradle to The Glaive』. The message “Malfunction” was displayed repeatedly on the semi-transparent surface of the visor.
The error sound would absolutely not stop. However the man did not react to the sound ringing right next to his ear.
He just loosely folded his back on the chair and let the foam on the edge of his mouth to accumulates and fall.
Biiiiiii──────────────
The electronic buzzing continued to vibrate inside the small room. And the man's body in the middle was similar to maggots on a pile of dead meat.
Forever and always……
This man was then found fainting in the middle of playing an online game and was taken to the hospital by a family member who had discovered him. It was reported on news the day after. However, there were no eyewitnesses at the moment of his death.
In real life he had a clear face with no beard at all, but his appearance in the game was completely different.
That was why no one would know that he was the robber at the train at Gunman’s Grave who had his throat slashed by a certain girl.
