Date A Live Fragment - Date A Bullet 5

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Table of Contents
○Prologue
○Casino Battle Royale
○Texas Hold’em
○Uninvited Guests……
○What was Cut Down?
○Thus the Mansion Collapses
○Eternal Bond
○Epilogue
Credits
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○Prologue
Two girls walked through the empty hallway.
One of them would be regarded as a beauty by everyone that saw

her. Fair black hair, white skin like a porcelain doll, a clock piece
device for a pupil, and an elegant Astral Dress called Spirit Dress of
God’s Authority No. 3 <Elohim>.
The other one was a white girl with lavender hair. Although the
whiteness of her skin wouldn’t lose to the previous girl, her eyes
shining in curiosity stood in stark contrast. Above all else, she was
dressed in a pure white Astral Dress that gave an illusory atmosphere
surrounding her.
If the former girl was a diamond, then the latter girl would be a rose
quartz. The faintly red-colored crystal-like girl was snuggling close to
the sparkling diamond.
The girl jumped into the opened gate──Tokisaki Kurumi, as the other
girl followed after her──Higoromo Hibiki. Both of them departed for
the Seventh Region Netzach.
“Kurumi-san, this is too boring. Let’s play Shiritori.”
Hibiki vigorously approached Kurumi after having enough of the long

and monotone
<Shamayim Kaveesh>, but that girl was walking forward with her
thoughts focused on another matter.
──Kurumi thought about the White Queen.
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Banouin Kareha was forced to die because of that love. In other
words, the White Queen has an understanding of what love is.
Then what was that love for?
The more she considered it, the more disgusting the premonition
became……the perception of an icy malice crawled up her spine.
If the White Queen was an inverse, then that would mean the
awakening of her love would also be twisted and distorted. ……What
twists and turns brought the Queen to this conclusion?
There was too little information to be used in a conjecture.
However, the danger the White Queen presented to that person was
imminent.
What should she do now? Even though she was moving towards the
Seventh Region Netzach, the First Region Keter was still so far away.
Not only that, even now she still──
──Couldn’t remember that person’s name.
And her love was growing day by day. She wanted to hear his voice,
to walk beside him.
No, even if that was impossible to hold true──at the very least, she
wanted to be near him.
The problem she put on hold reared its head once again. Tokisaki
Kurumi, a Spirit, and also clone of herself.
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What was the reason for her existing in this Neighboring World?
Did she fall into this world dying like any other Quasi-Spirit, or
perhaps──
“Ku─ru─mi─san!”
Opening her eyes, Kurumi felt dizzy. As Hibiki’s face pressed close to
her own, it felt like her cheeks were swelling up in frustration.
“……”
For the time being, just out of amusement, Kurumi used both her
hands to pinch Hibiki’s cheeks.
Pushu, a noisy cry echoed across the air.
“Nya! Stop that! What do you think someone else’s face is!?”
“I don’t know why I want to do this, but the voice coming from my
heart is telling me to do so.”
Kurumi clutched her stomach as she laughed. Hibiki adjusted her

mood as she returned to walking side by side with Kurumi.
“So, what were you thinking about?”
“I don’t want to say it.”
“Aah, so it’s about that person as usual.”
Having been suddenly exposed, Kurumi turned her head around

while looking embarrassed.
Hibiki grinned, giving a look as if seeing through it all.
“Please──stop──that──”
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“I──won’t──stop──”
Kurumi grabbed Hibiki’s cheeks and swayed it up and down. To be

honest, this was a little fun.
“Speak up, why do you know what I am thinking?”
“That’s easy. Because that’s a face that Kurumi-san has never shown
to me, an enemy, or anyone else besides that person.”
Hearing those words, Kurumi reflexively buried her face.
“……S-So, what kind of expression is it?”
It felt embarrassing. When thinking about him, sometimes it was

sorrowful and inconsolable, and on other occasions she was beaming
with happiness. But no matter what, she would always have no
peace of mind thinking about him. So her expression must look
completely entranced.
“That’s not to say it is wonderful. However, as a Kurumi enthusiast,

that expression just can’t be missed! I really want to decorate it in a
picture frame!”
“Please stop.”
If she didn’t ward off that girl’s words right now, a picture like that
might actually be hanged in the future. Therefore, Kurumi quickly
moved to stop her.
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After all, a long term friendship had been formed between the two.
After her revenge was completed in the Tenth Region Malkuth, Hibiki
became Kurumi’s partner.
She was the sort of girl who would never give up her goal and do
everything to her utmost ability.
If she ever spoke of decorating a picture frame, then that means she
would really do that──
“……I’m asking you as a reminder to never do this, but how big is the
picture frame size?”
“Eh, it’ll probably be a picture frame scale of 1000/1.”
So that was it. 1000/1 rather than 1/1000. Kurumi couldn’t help but
imagine a nightmarish scene of Hibiki, saying “Ladies and gentlemen,
Kurumi’s face while in love is super cute! Why!” with a photo of her
face magnified to a 1000 times
“You listen well, absolutely, absolutely──never allowed.”
“Fine──”
Despite that carefree reply, Kurumi’s vigilance increased in a single

run. It was to the extent of being on alert the moment there’s an
opportunity for a camera to be taken out.
“……Speaking of which, has Hibiki-san also not visited the Seventh

Region Netzach?”
“Yes. But Ace of Spades-san wrote out an outline of Seventh Region

Netzach. Would you like to read it?”
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“Sure, let’s read it together.”
Kurumi peeked into the letter that Hibiki opened.
──Degozaru!
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Isn’t that a greeting?”
──Ah──he─llo──he─llo, always in your debt, Ace of Spades.
“It seems to be like a frank business greeting.”
“So is the beginning also like this?”
──About the Seventh Region Netzach. To sum it up, it’s more or less
like this. First of all, the greatest characteristic of that region is the
currency circulation. In that world, money is eeeeeeeeeverything!
“Why is the face of a loan shark the first thing that comes to mind?”
“It’s a representation of how one needs to make the best effort in

knowing how important money is……right?”
──As for why a currency circulation, the answer is simple, the region
holds a casino establishment for gambling. Slots, roulette, mahjong,
playing cards, everything that can be used for wager is there. It is the
best paradise for some people.
“Gambling.”
“Casino region.”
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──Because it is like this, fraud and scams run rampant. Please be
careful. My master, a beauty in male clothes, who went first, recalls
that it is absurdly easy to be swindled and thus wrote those words in
a hurry.
“Carte-san, she does have a face that looks easily deceived……”
“Aren’t there too many attributes there? Hibiki is once again in pout
mode!”
──I am presently heading to the Ninth Region Yesod from the Eighth
Region Hod to ask a request for an important Quasi-Spirit from
Banouin Mizuha. If something should happen to my master……I’ll be
eternally grateful if you’ll protect Carte À Jouer.
“Important……Quasi-Spirit?”
“Who could that be?”
“Is it a lover?”
“Or maybe a love card?”
──It’s a Quasi-Spirit lawyer.
“Ah…… (understanding)”
“Aah…… (understanding.)”
──Ah, also the Dominion Sagakure Yuri-dono is mad siscon scientist

who manufactures a mechanical doll little sister and sends her out to
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every region. No matter what you think, please be careful because
she is that sort of type.
“That’s quite fanatical.”
“It’s true. No wonder that person always felt a little lacking in human
warmth.”
──Farwell, until next time.
“Ace of Spades-san, she feels like a Quasi-Spirit that would

frequently come and go on Internet chats of the past.”
“I don’t get why Hibiki-san is using such metaphorical expression.”
The letter ended there. Both of them sighed and folded the letter.
The door to the Seventh Region Netzach soon appeared right in front
of them. It wasn’t locked.
Touching this door would immediately open it.
“Then, let’s proceed.”
“By the way Hibiki-san, are you the type that is easily deceived?”
“Hmm……I consider myself average. But I am confident in having a

strong sense of smell.”
“Then I feel relieved. I will never be deceived.”
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“That’s setting off a very dangerous flag!”
“It doesn’t matter. I can just use <Zafkiel>.”
“……Threatening with a gun, isn’t that a tactic of a criminal

syndicate……”
In spite of this, Kurumi was capable of crossing over numerous

scenes of carnage, the title Quasi could not be attached to her.
It would be impossible for her to be swindled through. After all, they

were only planning on passing through this region. In any case, it was
difficult to imagine Tokisaki Kurumi being obstructed by Sagakure
Yuri.
Both the Eighth Region Hod and Ninth Region Yesod tried to
safeguard themselves by obstructing her. But on the other hand,
neither of them chose to confront her with violence.
That was to be expected.
She was likely the only Spirit currently in the Neighboring World.
Governing the laws of time and shadows, she was a monster that
should have been excluded from this Neighboring World.
“Yes, yes. There’s no need to be afraid.”
“Right──!”
It was because she was Tokisaki Kurumi.
Both of them smiled fearlessly as they clapped their hands.
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Here was a gambling house filled with various schemes. A vulgar
world, a place where the currency humans yearn for the most
fluttered and interacted with each other in the air.
Tokisaki Kurumi and Higoromo Hibiki have stepped into the Seventh
Region Netzach───
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○Casino Battle Royale
“──So that it’s just like that. With a payment of 100 million YP (Yui
Points) to open the gate to the Sixth Region Tiphereth!!”
After arriving at the Seventh Region Netzach, Tokisaki Kurumi and

Higoromo Hibiki found one of the several Sagakure Yui patrolling the
gate (or perhaps that name was only given to the best machines) and
asked to be taken to the Dominion Yuri.
“─────────Yes, understood.”
Her expression stiffened a little at the proposal, but ultimately she

faintly nodded at the two and flew into the sky without the slightest
warning.
“……That was surprisingly nice.”
“No, it’s too soon to be certain yet. Let’s be careful. Even so──”
Hibiki glanced around each direction in amazement. Although all of

the previous regions so far had their own unique characteristics, the
Seventh Region Netzach had a sight that could only be described as
bizarre.
For instance, all of the clocks had the numerals I to V removed.

When asking for an explanation from Sagakure Yui, who was walking
forward, she replied with a faint voice.
“In this region, the day is always 6 hours from 6pm to 12 am. The day
begins at 6pm and ends at 12am.”
“That means……it’s always night here?”
Yui lightly nodded.
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“But that is appropriately suitable for a gambling region.”
Speaking of casinos, most of them officially opened at nighttime. If it

was nighttime for the entire day, then the casino would always
continue to operate.
Moreover, no matter which buildings with those clocks, they were

decorated with neon signs that were shining brightly.
“A nightless city……”
Even though the scenery of the sky was indeed that of nighttime, the
buildings here were all rejecting the notion of the evening. Even the
Quasi-Spirits walking on the road, contrary to what they had seen
previously, had the illusion of a more mature style.
The Quasi-Spirits walking on the road held sake bottles in their

hands. They jugged the bottle down as they sang vigorously.
“There’s not much liquor in the other regions, but that’s different
here. As long as they have YP, residents can do whatever they
please.”
“YP?”
“It’s an abbreviation for Yui Points.”
“Ara, seems you’re quite loved.”
“……”
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Yui didn’t particularly responded, only slightly slanting her head. The
transparent gaze seemed to be lacking emotions unlike the Yui
whom they had met in the Eighth Region Hod.
“──I am just a batch product. Performance is completely different

from the Sagakure Yui that personally attends to the master.”
“You have no emotions?”
“Yes.”
As Hibiki asked, the mass produced Yui only nodded. After some time
had passed, the other mass produced Yui also stared at Kurumi and
Hibiki with a stern look.
“This is the center of the Seventh Region Netzach. Master is in the

Casino IS.”
Hibiki raised her head to see a conspicuously tall building standing in

front of her.
“IS……what does that stand for?”
Hibiki grinned upon hearing Kurumi’s question.
“I understand! It means Infinite · Sisters!”
“……No, it’s abbreviated for Imouto · Sisters.”
Both of them sincerely felt that abbreviation was in terrible taste.
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The cheap metallic chair creaked. Leaning against it as if completely
exhausted, Sagakure Yuri looked at the two visitors with an
indifferent look.
While lab coat piled up with a white dress. It was a strange style for
sure. Each time she opened her mouth, her sharp and jagged fangs
were seen flickering.
“Want to go to the Sixth Region Tiphereth──?”
“Yes, yes. I really want to go there. So can I obtain your permission?”
“We have no plans of causing a ruckus here──!”
Swish, as if finding this boring, Yuri turned her chair around.
As the sounds coming from friction gradually increased, Kurumi

frowned.
“So how about it?”
Behind Kurumi and Hibiki, the mass production Yui were lined up
awaiting Yuri’s orders.
In the event that negotiations break down, a battle would inevitably

erupt.
“Of course it’s possible. ──But shouldn’t there be a condition

attached?”
Yuri gave a contemptuous smile.
“I’m just asking you to listen. Whether you follow or not is another
matter.”
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Kurumi already had her hands gripping on <Zafkiel>. As expected,
known for being belligerent, Kurumi-san’s reputation of having a low
boiling point was well deserved. Hibiki wiped away her sweat as she
had no choice to watch on from the sidelines.
“It’s not anything difficult. Anyway, this condition cannot be

changed. Good? If you want to open the gate for the Sixth Region
Tiphereth──”
──Please go make some money (YP).
Yuri instructed them to do so.
“Money……”
“Well, you’ll understand looking at that gate before shooting me

with that gun. Is it too troublesome? Well, then I really can’t help
you.”
Snapping her fingers, the video screen on display behind Yuri

changed its image.
The familiar sight of a huge gate, that which connected the various
regions of the Neighboring World with each other.
“This the door to the Sixth Region Tiphereth──, as you can see on the
right side of the gate, there’s a coin slot.”
Indeed, it was just as Yuri had said. The gate was tightly sealed by
chains that were connected to a device similar to a coin slot.
Yuri tapped on the big screen with her finger.
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“When you insert YP here, the chains unlock and the gate will open.”
……Fu, after a brief silence, Kurumi asked.
“Is it possible to destroy it through force?”
“Don’t waste your time, Third Spirit! There’s no guarantee what will
happen if you destroy it.
For example, the <Shamayim Kaveesh> may be destroyed. In the

current situation where the White Queen is causing trouble
everywhere, the consequences would be fatal if we can no longer
connect to the Sixth Region Tiphereth. If you still intend to destroy
it──”
“An all-out war can’t be avoided, that would be the conclusion led
to.”
Behind the scenes, the Sagakure Yui already had their weapons
ready. With a sigh, Kurumi let go of <Zafkiel> and let it dissipate
away.
It seemed that no matter what sort of person Sagakure Yuri was, she
would never relinquish her position as the Dominion protecting the
Seventh Region Netzach.
So there was no other choice.
This was exactly just as they did in the Ninth Region Yesod.
“……So how much do we need to earn?”
Yuri showed off her jagged teeth as she smiled while informing them.
“Just pay 100,000,000 YP and the gate to the door to the Sixth
Region Tiphereth!!”
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Both of them were stunned to hear the words 100 million.
“We don’t have so much as 1 YP in our hands.”
“Ah, that’s fine. For people who arrive at the Seventh Region
Netzach, a non-interest loan of 1
million YP can be obtained at the very beginning. It’s your choice

whether to treat it as capital or make more money through it by
gambling.”
Yuri flicked a coin that came out of nowhere with her thumb. After
receiving it, Kurumi frowned upon inspecting the coin.
And expressionless and deformed image of Sagakure Yui had been

engraved onto the coin.
“Yes, yes, one more question. How much longer will it take to earn
work our way up through this?”
“It should take about a year to earn 10 million.”
Hearing what Yuri had said, both Kurumi and Hibiki let out a shared
sigh.
“So gambling is the only way.” “For sure.”
Kurumi threw the coin into the shadows.
“I’ll leave this to you.”
Cistus’s hand came out of the shadows to catch the coin.
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“……Incidentally, if you don’t buy or sell the coins in a formal
transaction, an error message will occur. So, it’s useless to think of
robbery.”
Tch, Kurumi clicked her tongue in open dissatisfaction.
“Now do your best. Oh, if you earn a certain amount, there’s a way
to make a huge reversal to earn even more.”
Yuri waved good-bye to send them off.
“Aah──really, this is completely unreasonable.”
“100 million, 100 million……”
“The route to earn money through working is completely out of the

option. It’ll be too foolish to spend 10 years.”
“And that also factors the cost for living expenses……”
In the blink of an eye, Hibiki confirmed the prices of drinks in a

vending machine. It costed around 12,000 YP. In other words, if using
the yen of the real world as a benchmark, 1 million YP was the
equivalent to 100,000 yen.
“And I also asked Yui-san, but it seems even the cheap hotels cost
300,000 YP here. So anyway, if we don’t do anything, we’ll be forced
to sleep on the streets after four days. Considering the money that
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we’ll also inevitably lose gambling, that time will become even
shorter.”
The 1 million YP in their hands was completely unreliable.
“Let’s work hard today to change that 1 million YP into 3 million YP.”
“Is Kurumi-san good at gambling?”
“How could that be? I don’t have any memories of that sort of thing.
But, we can always try to swindle them like you said before.”
“That’s……”
“Hibiki-san?”
“Listen well! I’ve been trying to hide that part of me!”
“Yes, yes. Judging from past practice, Hibiki-san seems to have an

unexpectedly powerful ability.”
“Please listen to me properly! I may be strong at gambling, but that

doesn’t mean I’m not well acquainted with the taste of defeat. Long
ago in the Sixth Region Malkuth, there’s the legend of Hibiki shaving
away her life with each match of mahjong!”
“So then Hibiki-san, which game should be played first?”
“Fumu.”
Hibiki looked into the map of the casino of the Seventh Region
Netzach, which was distributed free of charge.
“First of all, mahjong is bad. Even if the enemy’s abilities are lower
than yourself, there’s still the possibility of bad luck. Since it’s still too
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early to compete with the dealer, it’ll be safer to head for playing
cards or roulette. Let’s head to a game with a machine first.”
“A machine……”
There are slots! Let’s start from there!”
Hibiki grabbed Kurumi’s hand and pulled her towards a nearby

casino.
Sagakure Yuri sighed as the Yuis wiped away her sweat.
“No, that level of pressure is bad.”
The mass produced Yui didn’t reply back. While knowing this, Yuri
muttered to herself.
“If I had seriously refused, I would have seriously been killed. Even if I
tried my best, it probably would have been no good. As I expected, a
Spirit is in a different league.”
Yuri’s words rang true. Although Tokisaki Kurumi had lost some of
her power, she still had enough strength to kill her and the mass
produced types surrounding them.
However, Kurumi chose to cooperate──and follow the rules of the

Was the reason to suppress the potential damage as well, or did she
merely want to avoid turning other Quasi-Spirits into her enemies?
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Or, or, or alternatively.
Was she also considering the life of that girl?
“……Gather information about Higoromo Hibiki.”
“Understood.”
The dolls stepped back one by one. Seeing them off, Yuri softly
sighed.
……After all, I still have a mission.
A simple desire, an important mission to protect and love her little

sister──────
Night will never end for the Seventh Region Netzach. The neon lights
will continue to shine the glory of both prosperity and decadence.
Sagakure Yuri called for her little sister while watching this scenery
from the window.
“Yui-chan, are you there?”
“──Yes.”
Very smoothly, Sagakure Yui appeared from the shadows. She was
different from the Sagakure Yuis that were in the room just now.
Different structure, different materials, and an overall different

impression felt from her.
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Of course, she was also a mechanical doll──however, looking closely,
there were sporadic differences in detail that could be seen.
“About Tokisaki Kurumi.”
“Do you want me on alert?”
“Leave that to the mass production models. You will follow after
them. Do you understand?
Shouldn’t they already be acquainted with your face?”
As Yui nodded, Yuri whispered to her ear while smiling.
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“……Come.”
Yui gently walked forward and kneeled in front of Yuri.
Yuri gently touched Yui’s cheeks, raising her brow at the coldness.
“Can you generate heat?”
“Yes.”
Her cheeks felt a little warmer. Yuri gave a satisfied smile while
gently stroking her cheeks.
“My lovely, lovely, lovely Yui. No matter what, keep on living.”
“……Thank you very much for your care.”
Yuri reluctantly let down her hand.
“Now, go.”
Yui nodded, hiding in the shadows before disappearing in the blink of

an eye.
There was no doubt that Tokisaki Kurumi was a foreign element. So

for a foreign element, it was necessary to prepare an appropriate
interception system.
“Yuri-sama, those two have arrived.”
Hearing that, Yuri jumped out of her chair.
“Guide them here──”
Those words suddenly came to a halt. There were two girls standing
behind Yui. The mass production types turned around in a panic. It
seems they didn’t notice being followed.
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Yuri had no intention of blaming Yui. In the first place, both of them
were anomalies comparable to herself and Tokisaki Kurumi.
“There was no need.” “……I tried to stop her.”
One of them raised her chest as the other let out a sigh.
One of them was wearing an elegant dress, with a thin rapier at her
waist and a graceful folding fan to cover her mouth.
The other one was wearing a large winter coat and holding a book to
the side.
Accompanied by that overwhelming Reiryoku, it was measurable to a

bottomless extent.
Yuri welcomed them by stretching out her hands forward.
“Welcome to the Seventh Region Netzach. Miyafuji Oka, Yukishiro

Maya.”
“……Yes, can you let us enjoy ourselves here for a while?”
“Is it only the two of you?”
Yukishiro Maya shook her head at that question.
“Eh?”
“No. Today is special for the Seventh Region Netzach. ──There still
one more person coming.”
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Hearing that, Yuri’s eyes widened.
Waking up from a calm nap, she found that it was nighttime.
“Are ~? What happened ~?”
The Dominion of the Fourth Region Chesed, Ariadne Foxlot leisurely

muttered while looking around. Below was her Astral
Dress──Pleasant Sleep Spirit Dress No. 30 <Nightfall>, her attire had
changed to sleep mode with pajamas and a futon even added.
Thanks to this Astral Dress, not only could she fall asleep anywhere,
but it also eliminated all insignificant hazards──rain, wind, insects,
noise, and so on.
Looking up to the sky, it was Ariadne’s favorite night sky. However,

the neon lights flashing on the ground emitted a sinister light.
“Ah, that’s right.”
Ariadne nodded to herself while recalling. Her request, the whims of

her own temperament, and the rumors heard about the Seventh
Region Netzach, half cautious and half wanting to have fun had
brought her here today.
So when she arrived, she fell asleep early. The friend who was
supposed to accompany her seemed to have abandoned her.
Truly horrible person, Ariadne pouted while thinking about this.
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“Are you awake?”
“Rererenore.”
Hearing Ariadne’s reply, the mass production Yui bowed.
“Hmm…….it’s nothing, nothing.”
“I will now guide you to the Dominion Sagakure Yuri.”
Ariadne stood up and transformed her Astral Dress into outing

mode.
A light blue blouse and miniskirt to feign that she was a lively girl.
“Forget that, I don’t want to go. I want to play according to my own

preferences.”
Ariadne spoke out as she stepped forward with footsteps as light as a

feather.
“That also does not matter.”
The mass production type Yui trailed behind her. Ariadne wasn’t
concerned as she stepped into a nearby casino.
Slots were reverberating at high volume, cheers raised by Quasi-

Spirits, and the mechanical dolls on patrol monitored everything
from the sidelines.
And also──
In a complete coincidence, Ariadne encountered her.
“Ah, White Queen……no this is Tokisaki Kurumi.”
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When the White Queen appeared on the scene, she was wearing a
completely white Astral Dress……this was the complete opposite.
This girl had a black and red Astral Dress covering her body──Tokisaki
Kurumi was standing there.
The name of the casino was called Octopus Pot.
“The meaning of that name can be interpreted as──”
“Once you’re pulled in you can never get out. Putting it like that
really shows their full enthusiasm for doing something.”
Kurumi and Hibiki spoke while looking around.
Ignoring the playing cards and roulette, they had their eyes first on
the slot machines. From the lowest of 1,000 YP to the highest of 1
million YP, all sort of slot machines were made available.
“777 having an x50 multiplier seems to be the foundation.”
“Now, where should we attack……?”
Hibiki whispered while staring at the slot machines. Since these were
machines, there should be a way to capture them. This was the so-
called meoshi. (meoshi 眼押 is the act of trying to land the reels in a
slot machine just by watching and pressing the buttons at the right
time) Normally, many slot machines were in fact controlled by a
program. The probability is set so that a winning combination is not
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so easily established and some slot machine had already determined
the combination given the moment the coin is inserted.
Over 90% of slot machines in this casino can only be played in such a
way that only pre-determined points are given.
90%.
Looking at it from another perspective, the remaining 10%......no,

perhaps even fewer than that.
Those were the slots that could be purely played through meoshi.
“Fumu, fumu. I see, I see. I’m learning a lot.”
“Well, that is only the basic stage. The bigger problem is determining
which slots can be played on sight. Which starting amount is better?”
“Ah, that doesn’t matter. Just stake all of the 1 million YP in a single
throw.”
Kurumi cleared her throat and stood up.
“OH, are you crazy! ……No, are you serious, Kurumi-san, wouldn’t a
single out spell complete defeat!? Life debt! Destitution! Living life
by the fire! Two people snuggling by the Kanda River!
Four and a half tatami-sized apartments! Ah, actually I think the last
one would be nice too!”
“Please stop talking.”
After having her forehead pressed, Higoromo Hibiki regained her

sanity.
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“……No, anyway it definitely won’t work. It would be leaving it
entirely to luck.”
“That’s no such thing. It’s rather easy.”
“Ehh〜……”
In spite of Hibiki’s dumbstruck expression, Kurumi once again looked

at the 1 million YP slot machines.
“Aren’t you forgetting that I am a gunslinger?”
“Eh? Ah, yes……but what about that?”
Kurumi pointed her finger at her eyes as she softly spoke.
“Isn’t it necessary to have sharp eyesight in order to shoot a gun?”
Hibiki seemed to hear a distinct ticking sound from Tokisaki Kurumi’s

left eye.
Muu, Hibiki grudgingly nodded while grimacing.
“I understand. Well, even if Kurumi-san fails, it’ll still be okay

somehow! There’s always the Kanda River!”
“There is no Kanda River here.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Here we go, let’s fail!”
“Isn’t that somehow deviating from the topic? Anyway, Cistus!”
A girl emerged out from the shadows.
“Me will choose the slot machine.”
Page | 40
“Well, that’s fine, but I would have started from the 100,000 YP.”
Hearing what Cistus had said, the corners of Kurumi’s mouth were
provoked into a smile.
“I’d like to run with the shortest distance.”
There were five slot machines in total with 1 million YP. It was a
grand occasion. Those that had earned YP through their previous
gambling headed back to the slot machines like an infinite stream.
Of course, most of them were defeated and had to go home. There

were even some customers that had thrown away all of their assets.
There were also some rare customers that made some money, but as
a whole they constituted for less than 10%.
Kurumi and Cistus were watching this situation unfold from behind.
Out of the five, four were already out of the question. After all, it was
a machine that displayed a pre-set role at a fixed interval regardless
of when the stop reel was pressed. Of course, if they challenged it at
the right moment, landing a 777 wouldn’t be just a dream. However,
that would require tens of thousands of trial opportunities.
But with only once chance, the meoshi strategy could be

implemented to perfection.
The spin of the slots were much greater than the other slot
machines, with each of the three individual slots also going at
different speeds. Therefore, in order to perfectly grasp this slot
machine, it was necessary to have the dynamic vision to
Page | 41
simultaneously and accurately capture three high-speed rotating
objects.
However, Quasi-Spirits would not be able to make that distinction.

Even though there were Quasi-Spirits that were skilled at gambling, it
wasn’t to the extent where they could accurately see something
spinning at such velocity. It was almost the same as confirming a
specific raindrop falling down.
However.
On rare occasions, there were a few who could see the raindrops
falling.
This girl obtained her eyesight from a baptism of bullets pouring

down like rain.
For this casino, in order to convey the false pretenses of equal

opportunities, they made the mistake of not putting one of these slot
machines under their direction control.
And also, they had the great misfortune of being selected by Tokisaki
Kurumi.
Towards a reel moving at 300 meters per second, Kurumi and Cistus
pointed their thumb and index finger forward like a gun and pressed
down on the button after determining their target.
7 (direct hit) 7 (hitting the mark) 7 (landing the mark) Tokisaki

Kurumi using a Tokisaki Kurumi style, even Hibiki looking on from
close proximity could only stare while completely stunned.
The spectators watching on the side couldn’t move as if they were

frozen.
Page | 42
Those that came to the casino didn’t care for anything other than
watching the most expensive slots. They had been spectating ever
since they saw the coin being inserted.
And after that, a 777 suddenly came into play.
While the fanfare resonated, a ka-ching sound of 50 1 million YP

coins were released from the slot machine.
At the same time, a burst of cheers came from the surroundings. A

one-shot game at the most expensive slot with a magical 777 wasn’t
something capable of coming from an ordinary person.
Furthermore, the more observant Quasi-Spirits were aware that this

wasn’t due to simple good fortune──the result was dependent on
extraordinary eyesight.
“With this we have 50 million, so we’re already halfway to the goal.”
“Now I’ll hold on to this for you. It seems that it will be a while till the
next round.”
As Cistus informed them, she jumped into the shadows with all of
the coins.
“What’s wrong?”
As Kurumi was about to slant her head, Hibiki started to pull on her
sleeves.
Page | 43
“Kurumi-san, Kurumi-san. Over there.”
Hibiki gave a bitter expression while whispering to Kurumi’s side.
“──My apologizes, honorable guest. Can I take up some of your

time?”
The Quasi-Spirit and her subordinate’s expression seemed somewhat

cramped as they called out to challenge Kurumi.
On the outskirts, another girl was staring at this scene unfolding.
“That looks interesting.”
Ariadne Foxlot opened her usually sleepy eyelids while watching

those two being taken to the manager’s room.
“……Um.”
“Please be quiet.”
Ariadne hushed the mass production type by pressed her index

finger against her lips and then leisurely strolled forward.
Page | 44
Page | 45
“Can you please show us some mercy?”
The Quasi-Spirit that served as the manager deeply bowed. While

prepared for high-pressure coercion, seeing this caused Kurumi’s
defenses to falter.
“Can you specify what you mean by mercy?”
The manager replied.
“It’s the slot machine. I won’t call it a foul──but we can win against
you. Please refrain from using that machine later.”
Once again, the manager deeply bowed.
After hesitating for a moment, Kurumi sighed and nodded.
“It can’t be avoided. I understand.”
Hibiki gave a look of asking Kurumi to pull back, but the manager
quickly grabbed Kurumi’s hand first while prostrating.
“Thank you! There is no issue with YP coins you’ve already earned

before! Please continue to enjoy the casino!”
──Soon afterwards, they were expelled from the manager’s room in

no time at all.
“You’ve really done it now, Kurumi-san.”
“Huh, what do you mean?”
Page | 46
“……Hmm. Let’s go to the other casinos. This way, you’ll understand
even if you don’t want to.”
Following Hibiki’s suggestion, Kurumi left the Octopus Pot for other
casinos.
However──
“I’m sorry. This slot machine is out of order.”
“I’m sorry. This slot machine needs to be removed.”
“I’m sorry. This slot machine is completely suspended.”
“……I’ve done it now……”
“Right?”
Kurumi looked on bitterly at the casino that was greeting her

enthusiastically. Being the third one, Kurumi also quickly picked up
on the situation.
It seemed that she was on the blacklist for the Seventh Region
Netzach. It seemed that the casinos have decided through their
internal network that Kurumi cannot be allowed to proceed.
Likely they had contacted each other when she was taken to the
manager’s room. More or less, they had placed a clever disguise on
their deception.
“Naturally, this is for me……but it looks like Cistus is no good either.”
Page | 47
“I would guess that our fingerprints and irises are scanned the
moment of entering into the casino.”
Because of the large amount of mass production Yui types, the

progress of mechanical engineering of the Seventh Region Netzach is
among the best to the extent where analysis techniques for
fingerprints and irises have developed.
“Now this is troublesome.”
“Even when trying to play against the dealer, I couldn’t make much
money……”
They sat in the chair to play blackjack and roulette, but the dealer
would always withdraw early.
If there was ever the chance of making big money, their opponent
wouldn’t let them take that opportunity.
They wouldn’t lose, but even if they won they wouldn’t earn that
much.
“Right now, we have a little more than 50 million YP. At this rate,
even if we live in the casino for 24 hours, it’ll take two months to
make 100 million YP……no, it’ll be around three months.”
“We’ve been wasting time running around in circles. Absolutely not.

It can’t be helped, there’s only one way to do this……”
“Yes.”
Cistus nodded as she took out her old fashioned rifle. Naturally,
Kurumi also took out her small pistol.
“Robbery……”
Page | 48
“Impossible, didn’t they say that would be made invalid!?”
“Look here, I’m sure there should be at least one or two Quasi-Spirits
doing money laundering.”
“Uh, that’s.”
After all, there wasn’t anything wrong with Tokisaki Kurumi’s sense
of ethics. For her, the Seventh Region Netzach was secretly trying to
prevent her from going to the Sixth Region Tiphereth.
From Kurumi’s perspective, this made no sense unless they gave her
a chance for a comeback.
“──Hi, please wait a moment.”
A voice suddenly sounded. Kurumi, Cistus, and Hibiki all turned to

that direction in turn. The two of them raised <Zafkiel> towards
there. In that instant, Hibiki also prepared her own Unsigned Angel
<King Killing>.
“Who are you?”
While inquiring, Kurumi forcibly took control of her own survival

instinct to shoot.
Ordinarily, Kurumi wouldn’t have attempted this. However, her

actions so far did indicate being at an impasse.
Page | 49
Trying to kill this opponent wouldn’t be easy──Kurumi felt a faint
sense of crisis in her heart.
If the opponent was holding a weapon or hiding something, Kurumi

wouldn’t hesitate on pulling the trigger.
However, the person being pointed at by <Zafkiel> didn’t take out a

weapon and simply raised her hands up in surrender.
This girl exuded a strangely relaxed atmosphere. Her cute eyes did
look sleepy. No, perhaps in this situation she truly was sleepy and
yawning.
“Fuaah……my name is Ariadne Foxlot.”
“The Dominion of the Fourth Region Chesed, Ariadne Foxlot……!?”
It was Higoromo Hibiki who cried out in response to that name.

Hearing that she was a Dominion, Kurumi once again strengthened
her vigilance.
As if troubled by this act, Ariadne once again raised her hands up.
“That’s right. I don’t feel like fighting you. Only, I’m suggesting that
you don’t attempt robbery.”
“……Why?”
“Simply, it’s because the sacrifice would be too big. Of course, that
means on your side as well.”
Page | 50
Ariadne pointed towards Kurumi. Kurumi revealed a sly smile as
murderous intent reappeared on her finger holding the trigger.
“Ara, ara. What you’re saying really is interesting. May I ask you for
the reason?”
“Well. Likely, the reason will be made clear soon. So, can I talk to you
before then?”
The other side had a gentle smile without any hint of murderous
intent. But on the contrary, this just made Hibiki feel even more
uneasy.
Both Kurumi and Cistus, while seemingly taking in the atmosphere of

a gambling room, were fully armed with <Zafkiel>. If Ariadne showed
any signs of hostility, this scene would become a battlefield in an
instant.
Hibiki understood. Of course, Ariadne also recognized this.
The problem was that Ariadne didn’t care about this in the slightest.
She dazedly was dozing off with a cat-like expression──while

continuing to speak calmly.
“──What are you after?”
“That is not something you will understand.”
“──Why do you look exactly the same as the White Queen?”
“Because she is my counterfeit. If you wish to knock her down,

please by all means do so.”
“──You have continued to advance from the Tenth Region Malkuth.

How far do you intend to go?”
Page | 51
“Until my goal is achieved, I don’t know how far I will go.”
“──So it turns out to be like this. Then your goal is the same as the
White Queen?”
Hearing those words that would trigger Kurumi, Hibiki could feel
every hair on her skin being raised.
This was unmistakably provocation, with words that should never be

spoken in front of Kurumi.
Sure enough, Kurumi narrowed her eyes. This was more than enough
evidence to completely regard this person as an enemy. But Ariadne
stared back at Kurumi without any fear.
Her transparent eyes were neither turbulent nor hollow. Simply, it

was as stable as the calm sea.
“The common point shared between you and the White Queen is
your indifference towards this Neighboring World. Because you don’t
care, correct?”
“That’s──”
Although Kurumi tried to refute that point, her killing intent was
slightly shaken.
Ariadne continued to pursue her attack.
Page | 52
“I also know about the rumors. Does that happen during the
Compile? Children in my region occasionally come across it──and
then fall.”
Fall, Ariadne stressed that word.
Surely, it was just as she said.
“……But, I think it’s better than not being able to live.”
As Hibiki said that, Ariadne shifted her eyes towards her.
“……Although I have never experienced it, that love can definitely be

used as food for living.”
“But, is that ■■■■ person present in the Neighboring World?”
There was noise mixed in with Ariadne’s words.
……Kurumi reflexively opened her mouth but then immediately

closed it. For some reason, she felt the need to refrain questioning
this. But more importantly, Kurumi didn’t want anyone else to
discover this.
“Kurumi-san?”
“……No. It’s nothing. Even if there is no such thing, I will go to see for
myself. If that person isn’t present here, I will escape from this
Neighboring World. Please do not hinder me.”
“I understand. But as long as there is the White Queen──we will

need to monitor you. It would cause complications if you act as you
wish within our territories.”
There was a brief silence.
Page | 53
Kurumi quietly whispered in a freezing tone.
“──You just said our, correct?”
Rather it was a perceptual attack. Therefore, only Tokisaki Kurumi,

who had encountered countless battlefields, could react to this.
Needless to say, Hibiki and even Cistus couldn’t respond in time.
Kurumi intercepted by raising the <Zafkiel> in her hands.
The attacks of two Unsigned Angels came from both behind and
front.
In front of her eyebrows was an Estoc sword and from behind her
head was a huge Shinigami scythe that emerged from a book. Kurumi
pulled the trigger on <Zafkiel>.
In a flash, the situation had reversed. Both Hibiki and Cistus didn’t
even move.
“──Nice to meet you, Tokisaki Kurumi-sama. My name is Miyafuji

Oka. I am the Dominion of the Sixth Region Tiphereth.”
“Dominion of the Second Region Chokmah……Yukishiro Maya.”
An elegant girl and a too serious looking girl.
And also, Hibiki, as an average existence, could understand the

terrifyingly enormous Reiryoku they had.
Page | 54
Including Ariadne Foxlot──no doubt all three of them were combat-
type Dominions!
However, to describe Kurumi, who intercepted that attack, as

extraordinary would be a gross understatement.
The reason those two stopped their attacks at the last minute was
due the premonition of death that fell on both of them. The two
likely sensed that they would be killed if they took another step
forward.
“……What are you going to do, me?”
Hearing Cistus’s question, Kurumi smiled fearlessly.
“Me (Cistus) does not need to get her hands dirty. Please, I will
handle everything here.”
Listening to that command, Cistus took Hibiki and jumped into the
shadows without any further comment.
“Wait! Cistus-san, what are you doing!?”
“It’s better to leave it to her. If we are there……likely the battlefield

would grow even more complex.”
“……Complex……?”
“──To say it bluntly, there’s the high possibility of Hibiki-san only

dragging behind.”
Page | 55
“……”
Silence. Hibiki understood that those words rang true. Neither her
ability nor Reiryoku could compete against them. If she had stayed
there, she would have only hampered Kurumi, No matter what I do, I
can’t help her.
In such cases, you can only rely on Cistus.
That was very──very,
Hard to swallow.
Cistus sighed as she gently stroked Hibiki’s head.
“You don’t have to be so sad. That is definitely not the intention of

me.”
Cistus using the same tone and voice as Tokisaki Kurumi just added
another layer of sadness for Hibiki.
On the other side, Kurumi, who was in a stalemate situation, pierced

her gaze across her surroundings.
“Three Dominions. That is to say, everyone here has decided to

become hostile towards me……is that the case?”
Ariadne replied──“Considering how this development flows, then

perhaps?”
“You say that after trying to thrust a needle in-between my

eyebrows?”
Oka replied──“……Honestly, I don’t want it to be like this. But if it

because of the White Queen, then it can’t be avoided.”
Page | 56
“So you all are trying to carefully observe the situation from
behind?”
Maya replied──“In any case, we must know more about the White
Queen.”
……With that silence, even the sounds of breathing stopped.
All four of them were growing impatient. None of the four wanted to
go to war in the truest sense. However, if any party gives in, that was
the equivalent of defeat.
In that case, who would be the one to give in first?
Or rather who would be the one to pull the trigger? In this tense
atmosphere, a fifth girl opened her mouth.
“……Can you not do this now? Here is still my region after all.”
“Ah, Yuri-chan. So you’re finally here.”
Sagakure Yuri patted Ariadne on the shoulder.
“Ara, ara. Even though I just saw you earlier, what is the matter now,
Sagakure Yuri-san?”
As Kurumi threw a provoking glare, Yuri smoothly warded it off.
“Hmm. My little sister told me a lot. So I thought it would better if I

came here.”
“……That is to say, we are chess piece currently stuck in an

antagonistic state.”
Page | 57
Ariadne sighed. In that instant, all of the murderous intent of
everyone on the scene faded.
The thick odor of death didn’t leave behind any remnants. Now, it
was a relaxed atmosphere spreading around.
Slowly, Oka placed her Estoc sword back in its sheath. Without any
malice, she informed Kurumi.
“──My apologizes, but I don’t feel sorry at all. After all, you have
power comparable to be called another White Queen. It’s natural to
do our utmost to avoid a rampage.”
Then, Yukishiro Maya pointed her finger at the book floating in the
air.
The book closed as the Shinigami’s scythe floating in the air

disappeared. She pulled the book towards her, hugging the
hardcover book tightly.
“I’ve heard about you from Kirari Rinemu. But I can’t trust you
without looking at you with my own eyes first.”
“Ara, how is Rinemu-san?”
“She’s fine. She still speaks her mind without any consideration. I
was hoping that wound to her heart would make that stop. But now I
think it’s impossible for her to mature in the slightest.”
“There’s……nothing that can be done……”
Page | 58
Not only Maya, but Oka and the other Dominions nodded in
agreement.
Even though she wasn’t a battle type, Kurumi somehow understood

why Kirari Rinemu was chosen to be Dominion.
Of course her talents as an idol need not be said. However, against

tough and rigid Dominions, perhaps the type of Quasi-Spirit that
spoke whatever was on her mind was ideal against that.
“……So may I ask what you want from me?”
“It’s because here is the Seventh Region Netzach.”
Giggling, Yuri held out her hand. The Yui, who was a mock genuine
little sister and not a mass production type, nodded as she
distributed out playing cards.
“A gambling match held for the remaining 50 million. If you win, you
can go to the Sixth Region Tiphereth. If you I win, please stay here for
a while as an experiment. Of course, living expenses will be provided
and you can go to the Sixth Region Tiphereth after the experiment is
over.”
“……By the way, although I don’t really want to ask, what is this
experiment specifically?”
“Clone, replicate, and becoming a cyborg, are you interested?”
“No. I’ve had enough of that already.”
Kurumi let out a heavy sigh.
“It will be decided by a game after all.”
Page | 59
“I don’t want to do this either. But after all these preparations and
Oka’s request, I had to listen.”
“……Oka?”
“Oka-chan, ah she’s sort of like the leader among the Dominions.”
“……So it turned out to be like this.”
Kurumi turned to gaze steadily at Miyafuji Oka. Startled, Oka took a

strong step back. Judging from her response, Kurumi took a step
forward which further pressed Oka to take another subsequent step
back.
“……Why take a step back?”
“Please don’t mind. This is my habit. I like to keep a larger personal

space.”
“In spite of that, I feel you’re drawing closer to those on the side.”
Kurumi shoot a glance at Oka’s side. Standing beside Oka was

Yukishiro Maya. There were no notable changes in Oka’s expression.
“Ah, Yukishiro-san is fine. My body knows she’s safe, so there’s no

negative response produced.”
“And me?”
“Ariadne-san is a little scary, so please stay away.”
Page | 60
“Ehh, how shocking. Don’t say something that horrible……fuaaah.”
Despite saying she was feeling shocked, Ariadne stretched out an

elongated yawn.
“──Anyway, a poker match with the five people present here. Is that
okay?”
After hearing Maya’s calm voice, Kurumi considered quickly, shaking

her head in disagreement before deciding to nod in agreement.
“The contents of the game have changed over time. Well then, I
won’t be able to win without defeating all four of you.”
“……I’ve heard that Tokisaki Kurumi is the type to be quick to anger,

but it seem her head is also quite good.”
Maya muttered while having an unexpected face.
“Are you looking for a fight, do you want a fight? Then I promise that
I will come after you mercilessly.”
Naturally, the relaxed atmosphere on the scene instantly reverted

back to a battlefield.
……However. Maya quickly said, “eh, why has the atmosphere

suddenly change?” while twisting her neck.
Oka coughed a little to interrupt.
“Ah, Tokisaki Kurumi. My apologizes. Yukishiro-san is the type to not

be able to read the mood.
It’s a rather fatal shortcoming.”
“……Aah, so that’s it……”
Page | 61
Kurumi was convinced as she nodded back.
“How rude, I was just praising her. Ferociously strong and a good
head and face on her shoulders.
It’s worthy of being called a Spirit.”
“Please remove the word ferocious. I am willing to accept the rest.”
“Just like a gorilla driven by violent impulses (praise).”
“So you really are asking to be killed!! Hand over your head
immediately!”
“Yukishiro-sa───n! Please be quiet for a while!”
“Those words shouldn’t be said──”
Finding time passing too slowly, Cistus and Hibiki peeked out their
heads to find everyone present to be completely exhausted.
“Roughly, the agreement is not too different from before. I also have
no reason to fight against you all.”
“B-Because before I was the only Dominion…….”
“I see. So now that there’s three more, we’ve reached this

antagonistic state?”
Yuri embarrassingly nodded to what Kurumi had said. However, it

seemed that there was more to this than just that.
Page | 62
“You said a poker match. In other words, there’s someone here
stronger at gambling than Sagakure Yuri-san──is it right to assume
that?”
Those words caused Yuri to awkwardly fall silent. However, Kurumi

didn’t miss the moment where Yuri’s gaze turned to the other
Dominions.
…….She roughly grasped the situation. Even though Yuri was not
absolutely confident in winning a game of poker, one of the other
three must have absolute confidence.
So they chose to fight this way.
“How about it?”
“With all due respect, do think you can bluff your way out of this.”
“……”
──However, Kurumi had to accept this game. Although the risk was
high, the potential return was also considerable. Second, fourth, and
fifth, she could make three Dominions recognize her
power and clarify her position. Doing so would make the second half
of her journey go all the more smoothly.
“I am willing to accept this game, but I have a condition I need you all
to accept.”
“Condition……?”
“Everyone here is a Dominion, correct? If I win unconditionally in the

poker game, allow me to pass through each of your regions.”
Page | 63
“Mu……come over.”
“Naturally, otherwise I have no specific reason to fight against a

Dominion.”
“……I don’t mind. What about you Ariadne?”
Ariadne waved her hand in agreement to Oka’s words.
“I don’t care. Is Maya-chan good as well?”
“……I’m going to be the dealer, so I’m not going to compete.

However, I will only answer that Tokisaki Kurumi’s request will be
carefully considered.”
Kurumi frowned at the ambiguous reply. However, if she could easily

pass through the Sixth Region Tiphereth and Fourth Region Chesed,
it should be fine.
“I hope the detailed rules will be written and not verbal. Please sign
this document along with all of the Dominions. Naturally, I will also
sign this.”
“Understood. Ha, it’s finally over……so tired.”
Yuri rubbed her exhausted face. If there was just a single mistake,
the Seventh Region Netzach would have turned into a battlefield. It
was an extraordinary high level of pressure.
“It’s over. Then let’s all take a nap, good night, Zzz……”
Ariadne, who had used up all of her strength, turned her Astral Dress
into sleep mode and entered into her sleeping bag.
“Ariadne-dono. Please don’t sleep here…..aah, she’s already

deploying the sleeping bag.”
Page | 64
“Miyafuji Oka, Tokisaki Kurumi. I am asking for a correction. I am not
a Quasi-Spirit that cannot understand the mood. I will always look
into the atmosphere of a conversation.”
“No, you can’t tell it at all. I swear on the name of the Dominion of
the Sixth Region Tiphereth.”
“Yes, yes. You completely can’t read it at all. To imagine you would
describe a person as a gorilla.”
“Please don’t underestimate a gorilla. A gorilla is a gentle, polished,

and burly intellectual known as the sage of the forest.”
“I’m not looking down on gorillas!”
“To be honest, gorillas are quite graceful. So comparing you to a

gorilla is actually a compliment.”
“Your! Standard! Of praise! Is the problem!”
“……What’s going on here?”
Cistus asked a nearby Sagakure Yui. The difference between the

special models and the mass produced type was obvious. It could be
understood at a glance if there was any polish to their eyes.
“Um, actually……”
Cistus could help but clutch her head after hearing Yui’s explanation.
Page | 65
“……So you’re saying a Dominion in control of the Neighboring World
and the sole Spirit there are arguing about something completely
pointless……”
Cistus sighed at this unreasonableness.
“Our reputation is at stake, me! And Hibiki-san, don’t you think so as

well!”
Kurumi turned back at Hibiki.
Hibiki approached Maya with a steep expression while pointing and

shouting.
“I need you to correct that statement. Yukishiro Maya-san!”
“Yes, that’s right. As expected of Hibiki-san. Yes, yes, you go tell her.”
“A girl named Tokisaki Kurumi can’t be expressed in such words like a

gorilla! Listen here, for a comparison──”
“Eh? This doesn’t feel right. Do you really need to continue?”
“Yes, for example, she is as beautiful as a butterfly.”
“……Uh. Well, that’s not wrong…..yes.”
“And possessing brutal poison just like a giant hornet.”
“Hibiki-san.”
Page | 66
“And with the same fierceness as a brown bear.”
“Hibiki-san, there’s something important you need to say.”
“And also, um, as beautiful as a flower blooming in a field.”
“Why did you go for such a weak analogy!? Focus on what’s

important! What’s important!!”
Because of her connection to Hibiki, the situation grew even more

and more chaotic.
After the contract was delivered by Sagakure Yui, the meeting spot
here was temporarily dissolved.
“……So it ends up being a game after all.”
Cistus muttered while having the same impression as Kurumi.
“Ugh, my forehead hurts like it was beaten by a plus screwdriver.”
Hibiki muttered to herself, clutching her head while having a

grotesque expression. Needless to say, that was the price for her
previous behavior.
“But well, anyway……ouch……sure enough, it’s because that self-

assured Dominion paid a visit.”
“That’s right. To choose to make a legitimate gambling match, that

can only be done with a strong power backing her.”
“She’s confident in challenging a match because the three other

Dominions came?”
Page | 67
“……Well, certainly Sagakure Yuri must have been considering the
possibility of being defeated by Kurumi-san in gambling if she was
alone. With three of them, she must consider there to be an
opportunity now.”
“On the contrary, those girls cannot also show their shameful side of
being a Dominion. We are also as of this moment cannot turn back.”
Hibiki had a difficult look upon hearing Kurumi’s words.
“Ah, yes. Perhaps they’ll consider the results of the game fair……but
is this game fair in the first place?”
“──Cheating, is that right?”
Kurumi quickly caught on to what Hibiki was thinking.
“Yes. It’s not difficult to imagine those three have something like that
in mind if they’re confident Kurumi-san will lose.”
“The lack of understanding in the abilities of their Unsigned Angels is

a fatal shortcoming.”
“That’s true. Only……there’s one thing I’m sure of.”
“Oh.” “What’s that?”
Hibiki spoke while raising one finger.
Page | 68
“They aren’t concerned because they have an ability to cheat in
poker, or perhaps there is an application with their Unsigned Angel
that would allow them to cheat.”
After a moment of silence, Kurumi nodded as if convinced.
“The former should be considered a given. Incidentally, my own

Unsigned Angel would be considered ideal for cheating. As for the
latter──”
“I’ve only heard rumors, gossip, and hearsay from information

brokers. Among the Dominions gathered here now, at least Ariadne
Foxlot and Oka Miyafuji are battle-type Dominions. The Unsigned
Angel of Yukishiro Maya, the Dominion of the Second Region
Chokmah, is unknown.
But judging from Kurumi-san’s story, it may be a summon battle

type.”
“Summon battle type?”
“Rather than fighting directly with an Unsigned Angel, it’s the type
that fights through something created with the Unsigned Angel. In
her case, perhaps──”
“That book, right? She sent out a Shinigami from the book to deal
with me.”
“……There should be more to that. Anyway, besides Sagakure Yuri, all

of the Dominions here were chosen for their combat prowess. In
other words, they may not be suitable for cheating.”
“That can’t be it. In that case, there would be no point in choosing a

poker match.”
Page | 69
Cistus, being ever the pragmatic realist, refuted. The other side had
proposed the game, so it should be taken as a given cheating would
be involved. Her accusation was cold but full of veracity.
“……In any case, it’s useless unless I know their abilities.”
“But, if you gather information──”
“No. I think it would be more dangerous to gather information.”
“……Ugh.”
Hibiki groaned as Cistus slanted her head.
“What do you mean that it’s too dangerous to collect information?”
“Here is the Seventh Region Netzach, the mass produced Sagakure

Yui types that serve as an extension of Sagakure Yuri’s limbs are
everywhere.”
“In fact, haven’t you already noticed the one behind us?”
A Sagakure Yui smoothly appeared hiding in the background. Not a

mass production type but a special model──it was the exact same
Sagakure Yui that Kurumi had already once seen in the Eighth Region
Hod.
“Ah, I see. I understand. We are being guided.”
Page | 70
“I’m sorry. I’m not too familiar with the Seventh Region Netzach, so I
can’t find a reliable information store. ……And when the opponent is
the Dominion.”
“Excessive information can also slow down thinking. Hibiki-san

shouldn’t be too concerned about this.”
“But. What will you do for countermeasures? That person──”
Hibiki shoot a quick glance behind at Yui. Yui hid in the shadows as if
ashamed but still didn’t leave this spot.
“As long as she’s here, the battle plan is sealed.”
“……Fufu, well that’s about true. Anyway, let’s head to the hotel first.
Yui-san, can you please guide us there? I won’t cause any ruckus in
the hotel suite.”
“Y-Yes!”
Yui jumped out from the shadows and rushed to guide the three of
them.
──Sagakure Yui thought to herself.
What they had said had largely landed on the bull’s eye.
The poker match──although she didn’t personally know too much

about it──without a doubt attempts at cheating from the inside
would ensue.
Page | 71
Tokisaki Kurumi will be captured and used to fight against the White
Queen. Or perhaps, she will be dissected to find the White Queen’s
weakness.
But.
Was that really possible?
In the first place, what did her older sister even desire?
Each time she was born, Sagakure Yui recognized her identity as
Sagakure Yui and looked up to Sagakure Yuri as her older sister and
master.
If Sagakure Yuri commanded it, she would become a shinobi

following Kirari Rinemu and Banouin Mizuha.
“But, isn’t that like twisted?”
She recalled Kirari Rinemu once muttering that. When she used to be
Dominion, she was dispatched to monitor her and gather
information.
……Well, it was like that.
Sagakure Yui also thought it was twisted. And sometimes, those

thoughts would terrify her.
A tangled doll, a robot built only to be faithful to Sagakure Yuri.
……It should be just like that. For some reason, there was something
deep in her heart that couldn’t deny those words.
A terrifying thought, she was a thing to be made. But was it

inevitable or by chance in this world?
Page | 72
Why think like this──to be able to have thoughts just like a normal
girl.
Sagakure Yui was terrified by this.
And so, she envied the mass production Yui types they passed by.
They could devote everything to their mission without any worries.
スイート (Suīto), usually it is spelled S・W・E・E・T to refer to

sweetness. However, when that word was put in context of a hotel,
the spelling becomes S・U・I・T・E. That is to say the word holds
implications of a “single set complete in everything”.
In other words, it means a place where people can enjoy luxury

without any inconvenience.
That was the meaning behind a hotel suite.
“……Well, this should be fine.”
Kurumi looked around the hotel room and gave her rating. Yui’s
choice was undoubtedly selected a top-notch hotel in the Seventh
Region Netzach. Valuing privacy, as long as they stayed in this room,
they couldn’t hear any noise from the outside world.
And at the same time──it also meant being closely monitored.
“I consider it a perfect score. Thank you, Yui-san.”
Page | 73
Hibiki bowed with a smile. With just that single movement, Yui’s
entire body stiffened a little.
“No, I am honored to be able to respond to your expectations.”
In fact, Kurumi and her little sister Cistus (?) were also terrifying, but
Hibiki thought that this was scary in a difference sense.
Neither fanaticism nor obedience, it was a hollow girl staring at the

world with transparent eyes.
Fighting against her, she wouldn’t lose. If including her <King Killing>,
she wouldn’t lose even once out of 100 times.
But.
What if fighting and losing to her was part of the calculations?
Higoromo Hibiki simply regarded herself as infantry (pawn).
In order for Tokisaki Kurumi (Queen) to survive, she would be

delighted to lose if it would assist in her triumphing.
“So then, Yui-san. Since this is a rare opportunity, why don’t we

chat?”
“……No. I’m fine.”
“No, no. Haven’t we once fought against each other in the Tenth
Region Malkuth?”
Page | 74
“That wasn’t me, but rather the same model. At that time, she was
destroyed by Tsuan-san.”
“Ah, I see. You can synchronize memories after all.”
“Ah, yes......yes.”
Hibiki twisted her neck to the side.
“In other words, Yui-san has been dispatched to various regions. Sure
enough.”
“Yes, by regularly collecting information and synchronizing

memories.”
“……Is it okay to say that?”
“Yes, of course.”
……Yui knew of course that this conversation was a means of probing

the other side.
Nevertheless, there should be no hesitation in elucidating

conclusions that could be naturally drawn by assembling logic and
information.
In fact, all the Dominions──employ Sagakure Yui on this premise.

Nevertheless, the reason she is used at all is because her information
gathering skills were that top notch.
They sneaked into hostile organizations and brought back

information even if it meant dying.
Since there was no hesitation of them dying, torture wouldn’t work.

Because of being a mechanical doll, brainwashing abilities were
Page | 75
ineffective. However, everyone was still wary about information
leaking into the Seventh Region Netzach.
However, there were no such traces.
The Seventh Region Netzach didn’t threaten any other Dominions,

nor did it sell such information.
Sagakure Yuri was only intently obsessed with improving Sagakure

Yui’s performance.
Despite having said that, Yui also couldn’t disclose any information
about the other Dominions.
However, she judged that otherwise there wouldn’t be any demerit

caused to the upcoming gambling match. After all, Yui also had no
idea what they were planning to do.
“……If there’s anything else, please speak up.”
“Ah, may I also ask something about Yui-san?”
“Ha……eh……me……?”
Yui was left puzzled by those words.
“Ah, do you think I was going to ask about Yuri-san and the other
Dominions? I wouldn’t do something so inefficient.”
“No, but…...t-there’s nothing special about me.”
──I am just a mechanical doll, nothing more nothing less. Why would
the opposing side ask about such an existence?
Page | 76
“Your interests?”
“……I have none.”
“What do you like? Food or anything like that?”
“I don’t have anything of the sort.”
“Do you have a favorite movie or game?”
“There are no movies or games made in the Neighboring World.

……No, I know that we rarely find something like that as a residue.
There are still a few people working on this, but I’m not interested.”
“Is that so?”
“Then──what do you dislike?”
“……That’s.”
For a moment, Yui wanted to answer earnestly.
Only after desperately keeping herself under control──a sudden

agony emerged. Moreover, Higoromo Hibiki was watching all of this
carefully.
“Do you like your older sister?”
Continuing on, a deep part of her heart where she wanted to avoid
contact was touched.
Just as Yui was about to stand up, Kurumi muttered.
Page | 77
“Your heart looks shaken and disturbed, Sagakure Yui-san.”
Hearing those words slightly calmed down Yui’s thoughts.
Sitting back on the chair, she corrected her posture.
“Yuri-sama is my older sister and creator. I definitely like her. I was a

little upset. I offer you my apologizes.”
“No, that was poor of Hibiki-san to ask, right?”
Kurumi smiled as Hibiki’s cheeks swelled up from pouting.
“I’ve also been thinking as much as possible in order to win──”
Feeling of danger, Yui tightened up. After all, the next question
seemed to be what was needed to win at the casino.
Although she didn’t know what this would be used for.
……Her master must know these next words.
“Ah, sorry. But may I also ask some questions?”
Suddenly, Kurumi asked for that.
“──Please ask away, as long as I can answer.”
“Do you feel scared?”
“……No, not at all.”
“Ara, ara. That was a lie. You are a respectable Quasi-Spirit. And by
respectable, I mean that you have a very upright personality. So then
fighting and being hurt……are you scared?”
Page | 78
Kurumi’s words, more powerful than any bullet and sharper than any
sword, deeply engraved a scar on her heart.
“No, I──I am scared.”
“It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be. Right now, you’ve been on alert
against us. If you weren’t afraid, you wouldn’t be on alert. Without
that alertness, you would be incompetent as an espionage agent.”
“……Certainly that should be the case. But we have no fear of death.”
“Ah, but that sort of thing──shouldn’t it be considered natural?”
Yui tilted her head at those words.
“Fear of death is human……isn’t it normal for a Quasi-Spirit?”
“I don’t know what the ratio is. Some are afraid of dying. Others are
afraid of something else.”
“Something else……?”
“Something like being useless.”
Suddenly, a cold chill struck Yui’s entire body.
Kurumi looked directly at her as if killing Yui with only her gaze.
“Rather than not wanting to die, it’s the regret of having to die here.
And that has become the source of your fear.”
“Uh……”
Page | 79
“Wasn’t that the case for the Sagakure Yui-san that was killed by
Tsuan-san?”
Hearing those words, Yui remembered the moment she told them
that their memories were synchronized.
……It wasn’t unusual. For espionage missions, Sagakure Yui would be

willing to die without hesitation.
She had gone to the Tenth Region Malkuth to investigate about Doll
Master for the sake of the princess Banouin. And then she was killed
without any effort by Tsuan.
Even though she wanted to emphasize there was no regrets…...
But right now Sagakure Yui could understand that regret even if she
didn’t want to.
“……Do you think that I am mistaken?”
“No……perhaps. I am afraid of dying without doing anything.”
“Right?”
“But──that’s irrelevant for you.”
“That’s right. Yes, yes. That’s exactly correct. Well, we’ll take a rest
after we get our room service dinner. Ah, please also accompany us
Yui-san. It would be troublesome if it’s poisoned.”
“My master wouldn’t use poison.”
“If it were me, I would use it without hesitation.”

Page | 80
“That’s terrible Kurumi-san. That’s not something to be proud of.”
Yui also greatly agreed with this.
Dinner brought by the mass production Yui types was first class. The
dish was Amirstan lamb’s thigh meat with bite sized avocado,
cucumbers, and tomatoes all wrapped in lettuce and garnished with
Greek yogurt sauce. But the word Amirstan didn’t seem to have any
meaning or so Kurumi thought as it looked like ordinary sheep. This
preference appeared to be a joke in poor taste.
Hibiki shouted out delicious while eating.
“Just being French cuisine means showing a luxurious atmosphere.”
“Your impression is too rude to the person who cooked this. Who is
the chef that made this?”
“I’m sorry. At the chef’s request, the name and face will not be
disclosed. Another chef will be responsible for cooking tomorrow.”
The mass-produced Yui coldly replied.
“Ara, ara. That’s not surprising. But if we ever stay in this hotel again,
I would like the opportunity to taste this again. Can you make a
reservation?”
“……I will convey that to them.”
“──I’m so full! Kya, it was so delicious!”
Hibiki laughed as she spoke to the three of them. Although there

wasn’t any need to do so after dining together, Kurumi also nodded.
Page | 81
“So there’s no poison?”
“Um, you see, it could be a time-delayed poison.”
“Speaking of which, even if poison is used, I don’t believe the

specifics of the game have been exactly decided──”
The mass production type Yui gently took out a letter from the
dinner cart.
“Everyone. After the meal has concluded, my master has

commanded me to deliver this.”
Those words caused the soothing atmosphere to suddenly turn

tense.
“……Synchronize to me. I’ll give the explanation.”
As Yui stood up, the mass production Yui shook her head.
“This is my job.”
“……R-Right.”
The mass production type took only a step forward, then spreading
out her hands to read the letter in a flat tone.
“1. The game will begin at 20:00 in seven more days. The game is
Texas Hold’em. The players are Sagakure Yuri, Tokisaki Kurumi,
Miyafuji Oka, and Ariadne Foxlot.”
“Is Yukishiro Maya the dealer?”
Page | 82
Yui quietly nodded.
“2. Yukishiro Maya will be the dealer since her abilities are necessary
for keeping the game fair.”
“Well, that is fine. Please continue.”
“3. Cheating qualifies for disqualification once discovered.”
“Yes, yes. It is exactly as you say. Cheating is not allowed.”
“4. The ranking of two of the players, Miyafuji Oka and Ariadne
Foxlot, will not determine the result of the game. The game will be
decided on whether Sagakure Yuri or Tokisaki Kurumi ranks higher.”
“May I ask a question? Who will win if Sagakure Yuri and I are equal
in YP?”
“……5. In the scenario where no victory of defeat occurs, each player

will be provided a loan for a rematch. In this case, it will be a game
only between Sagakure Yuri and Tokisaki Kurumi.”
“I see, I see. This is not the end, correct? There should be still many
important details left.”
“6. For rules of Texas Hold’em, please refer to this rulebook.”
Kurumi received a green colored rulebook from the mass production

type Yui.
“……That is all.”
“Ara, ara. That isn’t good at all, Yuri-san.”

Page | 83
Kurumi smiled, estimating that Sagakure Yuri must be listening
through this mass production model.
“I would like to add these additional conditions. First, Higoromo

Hibiki and Cistus are allowed to compete as members.”
Kurumi’s first additional condition surprised everyone present.
“Eh……!? M-Me, Kurumi-san!?”
Ignoring the crowd, Kurumi raised two fingers.
“Second. Everyone must vow in front of the cards that the cards
won’t be altered in any way. In particular, Yukishiro-san will be in
trouble if this responsibility isn’t taken care of. I will not accept a
victory obtained through cheating in cards.”
“……”
“Third. Regarding funds. We currently can offer 500,000 YP. This

should be regarded as the limit that everyone should equalize their
funds to. We will accept a little extra, but if you use 100
million YP to start an endurance war, there are no chances for our

victory.”
Kurumi raised another finger.
“Fourth. No matter where the match is held, there should be no

audience. Even if only watching through a video, it is difficult not to
speculate cheating when several people are looking around.”
Kurumi raised her final finger.
Page | 84
“Finally. Let us investigate the playing field three hours before the
start of the match. We won’t compete unless we can confirm that
there isn’t stage equipment that could assist in cheating.”
Although the mass produced Yui was silent as if frozen, she nodded
in response.
“I will convey this to the master. Please wait a moment.”
“No, I won’t wait. Anyway, shouldn’t this conversation be

transmitted in real time? Please answer immediately now.”
Kurumi stood up and stared at the mass production Yui’s

expressionless eyes.
“Come on, come on, come on!”
The mass production Yui opened her mouth──as Sagakure Yuri’s

voice could be heard.
“How scary. If I resist, you’ll start pointing your gun. Okay, I

understand. There are no problems with requests 2 and 4. Originally,
there was no audience planned. As for 5, naturally we will also be
present. You could also set something up then on the contrary.”
“Of course, that is fine.”
“As for 3……let’s see, how about a 75 million YP ceiling?”
“70 million.” “60 million.”
Page | 85
“65 million, is that okay? Tokisaki Kurumi.”
“……Well, I’ll compromise on this.”
“And now for 1──that won’t be allowed. This game is meaningless

unless it is competed by Dominions. Even if it is your companion, it
won’t work. Of course, the other Tokisaki Kurumi is also rejected.”
“Hmm. So if it is a Dominion class Spirit, there should be a problem?”
“Eh, that’s……”
Kurumi grinned.
“Carte À Jouer. I will compete against you with her as my partner.

Despite losing to the White Queen, she is a former Dominion of the
Third Region Binah, so there should be no issues with that?”
“……Understood, that’s okay.”
Yuri spoke in a terribly blunt voice.
“But here’s my condition. She will share the same YP as Tokisaki

Kurumi. In other words, it’ll be a total of 65 million YP. I won’t yield
on this point.”
Hibiki was about to complain that this was too much, but Kurumi
pulled her back with a stare.
No problem, it was certainly a huge disadvantage, but the chance of

victory in cards were much higher than when playing alone.
Page | 86
Moreover, the amount wasn’t too much of an issue. Regardless if the
amount was a billion YP or half a billion YP, it will be gone in a split
second. It was poker game after all. Rather than focusing on the
amount of money, just having one more member playing will
increase chances of victory, or so Kurumi thought.
While having a greater amount may be beneficial in the beginning, it

could also lead to carelessness and complacency. Kurumi judged that
it would be wiser to have as little funds as possible before the game.
“……Alright. This should be fine.”
“Then, goodbye. I’m looking forward to the match in a week.”
“I am the same. Then, goodbye.”
The mass produced Yui suddenly trembled. She opened her eyes and
looked around. Then, probably realizing the situation, she lowered
her head.
“Then, please excuse me.”
After seeing her leave with the cart, Kurumi sighed.
“I managed to add that in.”
“Um, sorry, I don’t understand what happened at all. Ah but, I think

the rules are important……but the subsequent exchange……”
Hibiki raised her hand to ask a question.
Yui also slightly took notice of this concern. Meanwhile, Cistus was
drinking her black tea with a calm expression.
“Me (Cistus). I find it troublesome, but as me shouldn’t you also

understand?”
Page | 87
“Yes, yes, of course I understand……but troublesome. The point is
that we can’t say anything in front of Yui-san, right?”
Cistus pointed to the shadows.
“If there’s something secret to discuss, please do so. I’ll stay here.”
“……Yes. Then Sagakure Yui-san, please stay here for a moment. I

have something I need to explain to Hibiki-san.”
After saying that, Kurumi jumped into the shadows with Hibiki.
“Eh……!”
Yui rushed over in a hurry, but Cistus stopped her in her tracks with
an antique pistol.
“In the Seventh Region Netzach, there is nowhere you cannot

see……did you imagine it like that?
Unfortunately, no one can peek into the realm of shadows and

darkness that we control.
Leaving behind Yui and Cistus glaring at each other, Kurumi and
Hibiki began secretly talking within the shadows.
“So then. What does this mean in the end……?”
Hibiki looked around at her surroundings. Despite having experience

in these shadows, she still couldn’t get accustomed to this complete
darkness.
Page | 88
“──First of all, there are eight or nine chances out of ten that our
opponents will be cheating.”
“……Really?”
“Please remember the request made by the other side. When

cheating is discovered, you will be punished. If cheating isn’t
discovered, you can cheat as much as you want.”
“Ah……that’s right.”
Of course even in the real world, unless it was physically established,

it wouldn’t be considered as cheating.
But here in the Neighboring World, a world where physical existence

carries little meaning.
There were also many ways to lie. However, since their opponents
did do, which was tantamount to already confessing to cheating.
“Additionally, our opponent is aiming for me to cheat. It would be

easier to accuse me of cheating rather than risking it in the results of
the game.”
“Are you going to cheat?”
“I wasn’t intending on it. But I’ll make them regret looking down at
me.”
“……Fufufu.”
“Hibiki-san, what are you doing?”
Page | 89
“No, no, nothing at all.”
Within the bottomless shadows, the two of them were plotting out a
sinister scheme……or rather Hibiki was enjoying this as if whispering
something secret during a school.
“Kurumi’s desire is to have control over how the other side

cheats……is that right?”
“Yes, yes. But nevertheless, there will definitely be cheating present.

On that basis, we’ll have to prevail against whatever cheating takes
place.”
“Ah, then what should we do about money?”
“……That is where I am worried. Gambling is game involving funds. At

most, we have 50
million, while the opposing side has 195 million.”
In terms of gambling, funding is the equivalent to physical strength.

No matter how strong a hand could be, it made no sense if the other
side had no incentive or risk to make a huge wager.
“I want to obtain at least another 15 million……but it seems that

gambling is no longer possible.”
“In terms of earning money, we should look for other ways besides
gambling. It’s impossible for the entire economy of the Seventh
Region Netzach to run entirely on gambling. Like this hotel, there
must be another way.”
“Will the Sagakure-sans get in the way?”
Page | 90
“No. It’s probably the other way around. They’ll overlook us until we
get 65 million YP……after all, pretensions of fair play should extend at
least until there.”
“I see……. By the way, do you really want Carte-san to participate?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“If it was Carte-san, well……I think she’ll be happy to accept.”
Hibiki looked a little annoyed, but she then turned away to avoid
showing this. Thinking over this awkward performance, Kurumi
grinned.
“Unfortunately, I can’t rely on her just because she’s fought

alongside us briefly in the Third Region Binah. Although I don’t think
she would betray us, regardless there isn’t enough time spent
communicating for us to fight together.”
“Eh? Then what are we going to do?”
“……”
Kurumi grinned while looking at Kurumi.
Hibiki.
……Had an awful feeling.
“Ah, um, so I guess you want to use <King Killing>?”
“That is an excellent answer, Hibiki-san.”
Page | 91
“What nonsense are you saying now!? Well, seeing you like this, I
already expected that it would end up like this!”
“So, will it be possible to enact then?”
“……How long would Texas Hold’em take?”
“It would depend on the amount of bets wagered……but at most it

shouldn’t take up an entire day.”
“If it is just exchanging faces, I should be able to hold that up for half
a day. But then I won’t be able to make a copy of the Unsigned
Angel. In other words, I would have nothing left to use for a fight……”
“That is enough.”
“……?”
“Likely, just as the game begins, Hibiki-san’s identity will be

revealed.”
“Eh!?”
“They should already know about <King Killing>. If Carte-san appears,

that would likely be their first assumption.”
“T-Then what should we do!?”
“It’s fine to leave that point alone. Once the game begins, it won’t be
stopped.”
Page | 92
“……Huh?”
Kurumi responded by slanting her head.
“Do you remember my fourth request?”
“Ah, yes. Uhh……there’s no audience to hinder us, so they’ll just be

watching through video……right? I took that to be expected.”
“Listen, when I put forth my request about an audience, Yuri-san said

‘there is no audience’, In other words, there will be wagers held via
video over who will win.”
“……Aah!”
Hibiki clapped her hands together.
“──So, even if the other side has Higoromo Hibiki use <King Killing> in
order to participate; we won’t be able to refuse──”
As Sagakure Yuri sighed while informing this, Ariadne Foxlot simply

shrugged in response.
“……Isn’t it fine? Because the name and abilities of the Unsigned

Angel of that former Empty has been seen through. Isn’t it a power
that can be used to cheat in poker?”
Yukishiro Maya nodded in agreement to this opinion.
“Indeed, rather it would be more troublesome if it was actually Carte

À Jouer participating.
There are too many unknowns in her ability. I don’t know if I’ll be
able to handle it.”
Page | 93
“Don’t joke about that. At most, it will be the Empty that joins the
game.”
Miyafuji Oka pursed her lips as she complained.
“……If Tokisaki Kurumi wins, can that be used as a means to deny her
victory?”
“No, no, no, Mayamaya. That’s not a good move. Forget about it,
that’s not okay to do in the Seventh Region Netzach.”
Yuri nodded to what Ariadne had said.
“Absolutely not, Sagakure Yuri’s (my) credence would be affected by

that. If cheating is discovered after the fact, it can’t be disavowed.”
In the Seventh Region Netzach, all of the gambling was done on a

massive scale. Although viewers would accept the invalidation
judgement if they found the improper behavior during the real time
video, invalidity proposed after the fact would not be accepted by
the YP operating tables gambling over the match results.
If this was done, someone may even attempt to impeach the

Dominion.
If this were to occur, the situation wouldn’t be just limited to the

Seventh Region Netzach. Maya, Ariadne, and Oka, all three of them
would be dragged into this as well for participating.
Therefore, it was to the extent where Higoromo Hibiki transforming

into Carte À Jouer couldn’t be called out as cheating.
Page | 94
“Fumu. Then it’s simple. We will win fairly. There are three people
here. And isn’t Yukishiro-san still the dealer? If so, then we must win
with absolute justice.”
Clearing her throat, Oka proudly raised her chest. Maya clapped her
hands in applause.
Ariadne secretly whispered to Yuri.
“Didn’t you tell her that we’ll be cheating?”
“Miyafuji-san’s sense of justice is too strong, so it’ll be scary to tell

her……”
“……Do you plan to keep that from her?”
“I intend to if possible……”
“I find it difficult. But if you think so……I’ll think of a way.”
“Thank you. Please do so.”
“What about Maya?”
“Ah, I already told Yukishiro-san. But she said it was impossible for
her to act so recklessly as the dealer.”
“Understood.”
Without knowing that such an exchange was going on, Miyafuji Oka
shouted as her determination came to a boil.
“Absoooooolutely. We will triumph. Tokisaki Kurumi!”
Page | 95
──One person swore to win.
──One person intended to understand Tokisaki Kurumi.
──One person was committed only to her own desires.
──One person quietly waited for her chance.
After deciding on various matters, Kurumi and Hibiki came out from
the shadows. Yui glanced at them with a worried look, but Hibiki
flashed a smile and began idly chatting with her.
……There are two reasons for talking to Sagakure Yui.
First, of course was to gather information about Sagakure Yuri.
Knowing more about her might reveal her weakness. Even if it wasn’t
a weak point, it was meaningful to know more about Sagakure Yuri.
That being said, nothing had been gained so far from their previous
chats together.
“Cistus.”
“Yes, yes. It means staying up all night……but I understand.”
Cistus blended into the shadows. She was now going to be involved
in information gathering.
Honestly, Kurumi thought about creating another clone using the

Eighth Bullet <Het>.
Page | 96
However, Kurumi wanted to do that only at the most critical
moment. ……Without him in the Neighboring World, even if born, it
would only give birth to something embracing an endless emptiness.
……With that being said.
Cistus left the hotel without Yui even realizing it, all in order to
gather as much information about Sagakure Yuri as possible.
Kurumi and Hibiki were now speaking to Yui for another reason.
Since this Sagakure Yui was regarded as an individual, they wanted to
see if they could pull her away from Sagakure Yuri.
Not only in this hotel, but everywhere in the Seventh Region Netzach
was being monitored by the mass production Yui models.
……In turn, this created a plethora of information. And here was the
crux of the matter, from chatting with her Hibiki was able to
conclude that this special Sagakure Yui had an individual personality.
While serving her older sister Yuri, this Sagakure Yui was thinking,
worrying, and acting like an ordinary girl.
Then treating her as an individual would help separate her from

Sagakure Yuri.
Incidentally, this idea belonged not to Kurumi, but rather to Hibiki.

Despite having no experience being in the Seventh Region Netzach
Page | 97
before, she had already once gathered information about Sagakure
Yui.
Of course, she didn’t know if this would work.
In any case, it was impossible for Sagakure Yui to betray Yuri.
But──if she focused solely on shaking her trust in Yuri just a little, the
information Yui could bring about Kurumi would deteriorate in
quality.
While keeping that in mind, Hibiki kept talking.
As a result, Hibiki kept talking to Yui until she was weary and fell
asleep. There was almost no real content, but the voice of a single
person could still be heard.
Incidentally, the contents were 10% about herself and 90% about
Kurumi.
Feeling embarrassed by the contents of the discussion since the very

beginning, Kurumi decided to go to bed early.
Kurumi made earplugs to apply to her ears. While various forces

were still targeting her, Kurumi thought she should be relatively safe
right now.
If she was on guard at all times, it would be long before her mind
completely breaks down.
Despite several nights having already passed in the Neighboring

World, she rarely dreamed.
Even if she dreamed, it wouldn’t be a dream about that person.
Longing for you.
Page | 98
The person she fell in love with.
The person that she cherished.
However, she couldn’t recall. She couldn’t remember. Everything,

everything.
As if sinking into a deep sea, Kurumi fell asleep.
──The next day. Despite having said that, it was always night at the
So even after opening her eyes, it remained nighttime outside.
For the remaining seven days, Kurumi’s basic policy was to collect
information and earn money outside of gambling.
“……This is the job magazine you requested.”
Kurumi and Hibiki read through the magazine that Yui presented.
“Uhh, there’s a bartending job.”
“Making a cocktail. ……No, let’s put a stop to that. I’m still a minor.”
“Eh, um.”
“……What does that response just now mean, Hibiki-san?”
“Kurumi-san is a pretty girl!”
“Alright.”
Having phrased it like that, Yui wondered if it was really alright.
Page | 99
“Anyway, this is no good. Unless it’s a job that earns 2 million YP per
day, focusing on simplicity is tantamount to hard labor.”
“Is there such a convenient part time job?”
“Yes, if the Seventh Region Netzach truly is a night city.”
Hibiki had learned that Kurumi only gave this smile when having to
make a choice between
“something interesting” and “something boring”.
In this case, this was the former.
“Night city, doesn’t that mean it’s a naughty job?”
“That’s right.”
“Eh?”
Although it isn’t well-known, there are smartphones in the

Neighboring World. Although it consumed a bit of Reiryoku each
time to use, there was nothing more convenient than long distance
communication. Despite saying that, due to the possibility of being
monitored in the Seventh Region Netzach, using it should be avoided
as much as possible.
“Ara, ara.”
Cistus was staring at her vibrating smartphone.
Page | 100
It was extremely rare for Hibiki to try and contact her. Perhaps Hibiki
kept her distance from Cistus because she was also Kurumi.
……Nevertheless, Hibiki wasn’t hostile towards Cistus. In regards to

supporting Kurumi, Cistus and Hibiki shared the same position.
“Hello, is there anything wrong?”
“Cistus-san! Kurumi-san……Kurumi-san. Kuru──────mi-san!”
“Calm down. What happened? A sneak attack?”
“No, that’s not it! Kurumi-san……has become a rabbit!”
It seemed necessary to go to them as soon as possible.
Cistus decided on that.
──And so. This was it.
“Bunny girl……”
“Wooooooow! Woooooow! My Kurumi-san, Kurumi-san, has

become the most popular bunny girl in the Seventh Region Netzach!”
“You’re in the way, Hibiki-san.”
Kurumi, who had become a bunny girl, was standing there. High
heels, fishnet stockings, a black corset, and a rabbit ear headband.
Seeing this perfect bunny girl dressed up, Hibiki stood crying while on
her feet.
“……What are you doing?”
Page | 101
Page | 102
“Working.”
Rather than a <Zafkiel> in Kurumi’s hands……there was a signboard

there. It seemed to be a part-time job promoting the casino.
“I see, so you’re working.”
Cistus deeply nodded while convinced.
“Please go do something else!”
“No, there’s nothing wrong. You will continue gathering information.

The two of us will continue earning as much YP as needed. Military
funds will likely be very important.”
Cistus blankly shrugged before disappearing into the shadows again.
Already Quasi-Spirits with wallets began gathering one after the

other.
“……Everyone, welcome to the casino Octopus Pot. Thank you all for
your patronage.”
“U-Um.”
A Quasi-Spirit raised a trembling hand. It seemed she had won a lot

of YP from the other casinos.
“Do you need funds?”
“……That’s right. I right now reaaaaaaally lack money. But if you raise
money for me──”
“If?”
“I will be very happy.”
Page | 103
A brilliant smile, immediately afterwards some Quasi-Spirits began
collapsing one after the other.
“Wooooooow, wooooooow, mine, mine──”
Then Hibiki grasped tightly on the raining downpour of YP coins.
“Well, Hibiki-san should also change clothes to work as well. You

should also try your best to earn YP. Let’s work together to earn
money.”
“Uhh, this feels like something a gigolo would support……but it

doesn’t feel bad!”
Hibiki whispered as she transformed her Astral Dress into a bunny

girl outfit.
“That reputation isn’t pleasing to hear!? I simply need to make

money independently!”
If Kurumi was a bunny girl wearing a black corset, then Hibiki was the
exact opposite.
Everything but her black fishnet tights was completely white.
“Okay, please hold on. I’ll put on my most attractive face now.”
Hibiki rubbed her cheeks and then turned to face the audience.
“──”
Page | 104
Several Quasi-Spirits were trembling. In front of Higoromo Hibiki
were bottomless everyday optimists.
“I don’t know if I have a tomorrow because of an illness……without

YP I’ll be very troubled.”
In front of them was a beautiful silver haired bunny girl with a

melancholic expression.
“Uh. I don’t know if that illness is a lie……but I’ll still give you YP……!”
Several people were drawn to Hibiki.
“……If I’m a gigolo, then you’re a scammer……”
“I’m doing my best, so don’t say that!”
Hibiki intensely protested against Kurumi’s whispers.
In any case, the two part-timers were on the main street advertising
for the Octopus Pot.
However, the twist was that the main source of income for those
two came in the form a money shower.
Of course, this was tolerable within their part-time job. After all, they
couldn’t complain that pedestrian Quasi-Spirits were simply throwing
an offering of YP at them while they were holding the sign.
In the first place, the audience size increased by 1.3 times each day
since they took this job. Even when deducting the 50 million YP
Kurumi had already earned from them, an excess of money was
entering the casino.
Of course, these things were also passed onto her ears.
Page | 105
“Kurumi-sama!”
“Geez, you’re here.”
As Kurumi was walking on the main street, there was a joyful cry.
Hibiki gave a look of disgust at the girl who appeared as expected.
Top hat with a sleeveless white blouse, this look seemed more
suitable for the Seventh Region Netzach than it did for the Third
Region Binah. She had fiery red hair and a teardrop and star marks
on her face.
“Cattle Mutilation-san who ran away from the Eighth Region Hod!”
“It is Carte À Jouer! My name doesn’t give the impression of

kidnapping cows! And I’m sorry for escaping!”
“Ah, it’s been a while.”
“Ah, Ace of Spades-san!”
As of Ace of Spades nostalgically called out, there were other cries of

“Long time no see”, “It’s been such a long time”, and “I’ve missed
you so much” as the other trump cards jumped out in harmony.
“I’ve heard all about it, Kurumi-sama! It seems you’re going to

compete in Texas Hold’em! If there is anything I, Carte, can do, just
mention it!”
“Yes, yes. There are two things I wish to ask of Carte-san. Can you
hear me out?”
“Yes!”
Page | 106
Carte replied immediately. It felt like she was going to follow no
matter what order was given.
Hibiki thought that the coordinated outfits between those two right
now looked subtly out of place.
“First of all, I want you to lend your face to Hibiki-san.”
As Kurumi explained the situation, Carte gave a distressed nod.
“Gu, mu. But why shouldn’t I participate? I have some experience in

Texas Hold’em──”
“Although I’ve considered that, I have another important role for

Carte-san.”
“Mu?”
“Actually──”
Kurumi secretly whispered to Carte.
“I can’t believe that Spirit is earning money through working. Doesn’t

that Spirit have any pride!?”
“Well, it’s not that difficult to do with that much popularity.”
Miyafuji Oka was biting into her handkerchief. Ariadne was giggling,
Maya was impressed by such a hand being played, and Sagakure Yuri
was at a loss for words.
Page | 107
Of course, it was easy to place pressure on the casino where they
worked.
However, this was different than the order placed on not letting
Tokisaki Kurumi gamble. During that time, the casino was suffering a
loss in profits, so it gladly accepted Yuri’s order.
But this time was different. They were gaining profits.
And that knowledge was passed on to the other casinos. If they

placed pressure on Octopus Pot, it would just provide a chance for
another casino to hire those two.
“Well, I don’t think you need to worry.”
Ariadne said to Yuri while enjoying her nap.
“It’s impossible to earn 50 million from that alone. At most it will be

around 15 million.”
“Why?”
“It’ll get boring soon. There are not many people here obsessed with
idols like in the Ninth Region Yesod.”
“……That’s true.”
Sagakure Yuri gently stroked her chest. If so, the situation wouldn’t
change.
“65 million vs 195 million. There’s an overwhelming gap in terms of

funding. In this case──”
“It’ll be our victory.”
Miyafuji Oka’s eyes became as sharp as the tip of a spear.
Page | 108
Seeing this, Ariadne also narrowed her gaze.
“Ariadne-san, the lynchpin will be you.”
“Okay, okay. I know. Miyafuji-san, Yuri-san, I’ll also be in your care.”
As Ariadne said those words, the atmosphere of the room turned

frigid.
The mass produced Yui models doing chores here firmly clenched
their hands.
They are cheap mass produced models, almost like robots……but

despite that they had some degree of emotions left where they
could still tremble.
It happened when they instinctively recognized failure and

immediately withdrew as soon as possible to for the sake of self-
preservation.
That is to say, a feeling born when completely terrified.
Page | 109
○Texas Hold’em
──Seven days later, the day of the decisive game.
Texas Hold’em was a type of poker game. Typically, poker is a card

game where five cards are dealt to form a hand and compete.
Texas Hold’em differs from this in that only two cards are dealt.
Of course, each player’s hand (hole cards) is not enough to constitute

a full hand.
Next, three community cards are distributed by the dealer.
The community cards are revealed face up to all players at the table.
Suppose you have these two cards in your hand.
♠9 of Spades ♦8 of Diamonds
Naturally, this wouldn’t make a good hand. However, suppose the

three community cards were displayed like this.
♥8 of Hearts ♥Queen of Hearts ♣4 of Clubs
At this point, the hand consists of a one pair of eights.
However, up to five community cards can be distributed. After the

player makes the declaration of the next choice, two more cards are
added in.
♥8 of Hearts ♥Queen of Hearts ♣4 of Clubs ♣King of Clubs ♣9 of

Clubs Due to a good stroke of luck, 8 of Hearts and 9 of Clubs can be
used to form a two pair.
Players who want win through this would add in more chips.
Page | 110
However──please pay attention to the ♣4 of Clubs ♣King of Clubs ♣9
of Clubs.
If another player’s hole cards are two club cards, then that player has
a flush, which means the other player would be defeated.
Naturally, there can only be one winner to gather all of the

accumulated chips.
However, this was Texas Hold’em, not regular poker.
So for example, if a player who was watching the five community

cards suddenly raised the wager of chips, everyone else would
imagine that this player would have a huge hand to play.
If the community cards contain 3 cards of the clubs suit, then the
chance of there being a flush with one of remaining players having at
least two club suit cards is high.
……In this manner, folding is also an option. Damage is minimal if one

leaves early enough.
On the other hand, a player that can’t skillfully make use of a flush
will only get minimal chips.
That is the equivalent of missing the chance of a lifetime.
So a player must try to dodge their opponents’ heavy-hitting cards as

much as possible while at the same time trying to deceive their
rivals.
Page | 111
That is what makes Texas Hold’em so thrilling.
A famous player once said this about Texas Hold’em.
“It takes a minute to learn the rules of Texas Hold’em, but a lifetime
too truly master.”
──So, in order to challenge the game of Texas Hold’em, Tokisaki

Kurumi and Higoromo Hibiki formed a team.
“How about a secret communication signal?”
Kurumi thought for a moment about Hibiki’s question.
Communication, of course this meant communication through

physical gestures and signals.
Naturally, that would mean getting a foul in game.
However, since this actually a three-to-two group battle, Sagakure

Yuri’s side was likely to use a similar method.
“Of course, we should decide on a signal. But I don’t want to use it

every round. We’ll only communicate when we have a decisive
hand.”
“Are you worried about getting exposed?”
“Naturally, there are considerations on that regard, but──I intend to

value my instincts for as much as possible. I have a bad hunch that by
sharing information with Hibiki-san──sooner or later a fatal mistake
will be made.”
Page | 112
There was absolutely no gambling. Just like in shogi or chess, the
winner will be the one who makes the best moves……
The only thing that could guarantee victory was a royal straight flush.
But there is no chance for a simultaneous royal straight flush in Texas
Hold’em.
Also, there was no joker among the five cards.
“……I understand, Kurumi-san. Basically, unless there is a full house

(A combination of three cards a one pair, the fourth highest combo) I
won’t get involved.”
“Yes, yes. Hibiki-san has her eyes straight set out for victory.”
“What if the hand comes in conflict with Kurumi-san?”
“I don’t mind. Refraining from playing your fullest on the battlefield

will strain our luck.”
“What about abilities?”
“Cistus.”
Cistus’s head peeked out from the shadows, but her expression
wasn’t quite good.
“No good. It’s completely no good. Just──”
“Just?”
“Sagakure Yuri rarely gambles and isn’t very strong in terms of

victories.”
“……Interesting.”
Page | 113
“I tried searching for video records, but couldn’t find them. Anyway,
she’s regarded as very mediocre.”
“What about Ariadne Foxlot, Miyafuji Oka, and Yukishiro Maya?”
“Nothing, not even participation records were found.”
Hmm, Kurumi nodded her head.
“Well, the information will soon be available. Texas Hold’em is a

game that embodies human nature. Prudence, boldness, and
cunning……as long as those parts are determined, understanding
their capacities will come naturally.”
“Is that right?”
Hibiki slanted her head as Kurumi nodded.
“That’s all there is to it. Then, let us go to the match, Hibiki-san. Let
us be graceful, bold, and──brilliantly seize control of victory.”
“Yes!”
Kurumi turned her face to Sagakure Yui, who was staring at them
from the background.
“Yui-san, are you also coming along?”
“Yes.”
“Then, please make sure that we don’t cheat.”
Page | 114
“……Yes. I will watch over you. Because I feel that it will be connected
to your victory.”
“Ara, ara. Is okay for you to favor us so much?”
Yui shook her head to reject that notion.
“Indeed, I am in charge of monitoring you. Of course, there are

things that you may have not told me. I know that very well. It is my
role to report everything to my master──”
After a little hesitation, Yui spoke.
“But I will be cheering you on. Please do your best.”
……Hibiki was left confused by those words. This special model Yui
was rich in emotions.
Rather, it can be said that her emotions were too rich.
It was so rich that she had to question if she was truly mechanical.
Earlier, Hibiki had touched her cheeks just in case, but it was so cold
that she could instantly realize her as a doll. It was as if she was a
dead person.
An Empty was still more human. Because even though they are
dying, they are still not corpses.
So Hibiki was confused.
──How could she exist?
Page | 115
The designated casino was not “Octopus Pot”, but rather “Ground
Burner”. The largest casino in the Seventh Region Netzach──over 1
billion YP exchanged hands in just one hour here.
Kurumi, as they had previously agreed, visited the casino three hours
prior to the start of the game.
“──Please let us guide you.”
The mass produced Yui models lowered their heads. The casino,
which is usually in full swing every day, didn’t have even a single
Quasi-Spirit present today.
Hibiki had already plundered Carte’s face with <King Killing>. But
because she despises this face so much, she was constantly
scratching it with her hands.
“Please investigate as you please.”
“Yes, yes. I will investigate it thoroughly, <Zafkiel>.”
“Eh.”
Kurumi summoned <Zafkiel> without hesitation and chose the

selected bullet.
“──The Tenth Bullet Yud. Hibiki-san……no Carte-san, please place

your face on the table.”
“Uh, are you going to do it? I’m a little scared……”
While saying that, Hibiki squatted down and pressed her face against
the edge of the table. With no time for the mass produced Yui to ask
what they were doing, Kurumi shot at the table and her.
Page | 116
At that moment, the memories rushed into Hibiki’s mind just like a
high speed slideshow.
However, most of it was unnecessary memories. It was like

daydream about numerous unknown people either suffering defeat
or obtaining victory.
But in the last few days, there were no signs of this table being used
or having been approached by one of the Dominions. Nothing
strange was done to this table. Nothing, nothing…….
“Okay, Kurumi-san, there are no signs of anything having been done

to this table.”
“Yes, then let’s investigate the cards next. I’ll do this investigation
myself.”
One of the mass produced Yui asked while trembling.
“Just confirming the memories, my bullet can read the memories left
behind on an object.”
“……!”
A look of surprise appeared on their emotionless eyes. Hibiki silently

watched them, but only to discover that outside of being
surprised──there were no other emotions such as fear.
Page | 117
As previously speculated, they haven’t set up anything with the table
or cards. It should be like this. Once discovered, it was of course
Sagakure Yuri’s responsibility to accept defeat.
If they were in her position, they definitely not tamper with the table
or cards. On the contrary, they must be careful not to raise any
suspicion.
But──
Hibiki glanced upward. There were significantly more surveillance

cameras on the ceiling than usual.
As long as there was an audience, surveillance cameras were a must.

Generally speaking, the cards in Texas Hold’em will be flipped as
little as possible to prevent others from seeing the cards. But there
was no guarantee that they won’t be peeked at.
If they could confirm this, all they had to do was pass that
information to Yuri through a communication device. Part of the
gamble was how to prevent this.
……In the end, they searched thoroughly for three hours and found
no traces of cheating.
“Are you satisfied?”
Hearing those words, Kurumi looked back. Sagakure Yuri, Ariadne

Foxlot, Miyafuji Oka, and Yukishiro Maya, there were four Dominions
present here.
They were four monsters that literally ruled over the Neighboring
World.
Page | 118
As expected, Hibiki was overwhelmed by their power. The Reiryoku
drifting from them was magnitudes apart from other Quasi-Spirits.
Perhaps only the White Queen was on a comparable level or capable

of surpassing them.
“Yes, yes. I am very satisfied.”
But there was one more person here. Tokisaki Kurumi was also a
monster with Dominion-class Reiryoku.
Hibiki felt a little strange that such a small existence like herself was
mingling with five people that could shake the very foundation of the
Neighboring World.
“Then, next I think you should also know──”
After receiving the signal from Kurumi, Hibiki nodded and released
<King Killing>. Miyafuji Oka was startled as she stared at Hibiki……but
Hibiki didn’t shamefully look away as she stared back at them
directly.
In the first place, the situation was much better than when she
transformed into Tokisaki Kurumi in the Tenth Region Malkuth. At
that time, there was no one she could have called a friend.
“……Yes, yes. It’s Higoromo Hibiki. I know, I know. That’s fine. Rather,
Carte would have been more troublesome. No problem.”
Page | 119
Yuri shrugged and accepted Hibiki’s participation. Only Miyafuji Oka
was staring at Hibiki in dissatisfaction, but right beside her Maya
gently touched her arm.
It was as if asking her to calm down.
Even Hibiki could perceive that, and of course Kurumi was going to
use to this to aggravate her further.
“Ara, ara. Are you dissatisfied, you over there……what was your
name again?”
“My name is Miyafuji Oka. Does a Spirit have poor memory skills?”
Kurumi responded to Oka’s taunt with a provocative smile.
Of course, it was the same ferocious smile one might show to prey.
“Pardon me. It’s because you are of no concern to me. So, what are
your complaints?”
“Naturally, this battle is──”
The moment Oka took a step forward to say something, Maya tightly
pulled back on her arm.
“This topic is getting complicated. Stop it.”
“……No, it’s nothing.”
“Oh, really? Is that so? Are you sure? If you have something to say,
by all means──”
“Tokisaki Kurumi, please don’t make unnecessary provocations……we

came here to settle things through gambling.”
“That’s right. Let’s decide the outcome through gambling.”

Page | 120
“……Although I don’t know what you are thinking, I’ve planned for
that much at least.”
Standing in the dealer’s position, Maya gently opened a book.
“Break the seal──The Fourth Book <Light Law Apostles>.
“Unsigned Angel……!”
As Hibiki put herself on guard, Kurumi raised her hand to stop her.
“Is this supposed to give judgement?”
“You understand so quickly. This is one of my abilities. From here on

out, I will forbid all acts of cheating.”
“……Hoho.”
“Feel free to not believe at your own convenience──but I’ll prove it

right now.”
After making that announcement, Maya raised her hand to make an

oath.
“I declare a ban on cheating for this game. If broken, my face will be

cut by a blade.”
The golden scales let out a rattling noise as if being unlocked. At the
same moment, Maya’s body was bounded by two chains that then
mysteriously disappeared.
Page | 121
“──Oath accepted. If cheating occurs, your face will be cut.”
A dull system-like sound came from the scales.
“Tokisaki Kurumi and Higoromo Hibiki, please take to your seats.

Don’t worry, this is just an experiment.”
Hearing Maya’s request, Kurumi and Hibiki sat down.
“I’ll deal the cards. Now then……”
The moment when Maya handed two cards to Hibiki and Kurumi──it
happened.
“Confirming illegal activity. Executing punishment under oath.”
It wasn’t the wind blowing or someone waving a sword, but deep cut
appeared on Maya’s cheeks.
“……”
“W-Wait, are you okay!?”
Once again displaying her softhearted characteristics, Hibiki stood

up. However, Maya quickly pressed a handkerchief against her
cheeks and shook her head.
“No problem. Now, Tokisaki Kurumi, do you understand what just

happened?”
“……Well, it’s quite well-known. The second card dealt here is.”
Page | 122
Kurumi flipped over the second card that Maya had dealt.
Ace of Spades, it was arguably the strongest card. As long as one

consciously gave that card to someone, it is enough to put the others
at a disadvantage.
“Well, I can constrain myself in this manner. Of course, I will impose

heavier punishments during the official game.”
“Only for yourself? Will we be fine?”
“Only if you allow it.”
Kurumi shrugged her shoulders and fearlessly smiled.
“Yes, yes. Of course I will have to refuse. Although I swear to not

cheat, I honestly find it detestable to have a third party mechanism
mediate the process.”
“……Got it. Of course this side also shares the same sentiments.
Then, let’s have everyone take a seat. Let the game commence.”
Sagakure Yuri, Ariadne Foxlot, and Miyafuji Oka all took to their
seats.
“First thing to do is to confirm the amount of money on hand.

Tokisaki Kurumi and Higoromo Hibiki share 65 million YP. Sagakure
Yuri, Ariadne Foxlot, and Miyafuji Oka each have 65
million YP. The game is decided on whether Sagakure Yuri or Tokisaki

Kurumi has more money in the end. Therefore, a loss is determined
when either of those two reaches a balance of zero.
The game uses Texas Hold’em rules. Cheating merits an automatic

disqualification as soon as discovered.”
Page | 123
After seeing everyone agree, Maya opened the book again.
“Break the seal──The Fourth Book. After the match begins, I forbid
all act of cheating on myself. If I break this vow, my left leg will be
taken away.”
“──Oath accepted. If she cheats, Yukishiro Maya’s left leg will be

taken away.”
“Yukishiro-san, can I ask a question?”
“Ask away.”
“Why choose to take your leg rather than your hand?”
“……If I don’t have my hand, reading will become difficult. I can still
live if it’s just a leg.”
After hearing what Maya had said, Kurumi shook her shoulders as if
stunned. Maya slightly frowned upon seeing that expression, but Yuri
coughed a few times to bring the topic back on track.
“Excuse me. Now then, let’s begin Texas Hold’em match.”
Following Yukishiro Maya’s transparent voice, the game quietly

began.
The Texas Hold’em match was roughly the following process.
1. Pay an entry fee (ante)
2. The Small Blind and the Big Blind pay the bet (The two people to
the left of the dealer must pay a fixed bet. If the Big Blind wagers 10
Page | 124
chips, the Small Blind must wager at least 5 chips.) 3. Hole cards are
dealt in order starting from the Small Blind.
4. Players choose their actions in the prescribed order.
5. Dealer opens with 3 community cards.
6. Each player declares an action again.
7. If two or more players remain in with chips, the dealer will add
one more community card.
8. Return back to step 6.
9. The winner is declared when the dealer reveals all five community
cards.
The cards used in Texas Hold’em are marked with their number and
suit in all four corners so that it is easily noticeable. Still, cautious
about the presence of surveillance cameras, Hibiki gently flipped the
two cards dealt face down.
(♥8 of Hearts and ♦9 of Diamonds……average.)
Kurumi had already spoken about their game strategy.
“Unless you have a bad hand, keep fighting until I say it’s good. Don’t
fold.”
“Eh, what do you mean?”
Page | 125
“The main deciding factor in Texas Hold’em requires an
understanding of the personality of your opponent. Regardless of
offensive or defensive, it wouldn’t be a true fight unless that is
measured first.”
“Hibiki-san is responsible for drawing out the personality traits of

everyone on the table. In terms of funds, do worry about
squandering. Afterwards──”
First she needed to determine the outcome of this round. Hibiki

placed her wager in chips.
During a game of Texas Hold’em, the Big Blind (BB) and Small Blind
(SB) are responsible for paying the forward wager of chips. The other
players will then decide whether to bet or fold depending on the
quality of their cards.
Each time a round is over, the roles of BB and SB will alternate (with
the initial pre-bets gradually increasing over time). It is impossible to
evade the game through constant folds.
Without participating, the amount of chips will continue to decrease.
Starting off, the Small Blind Miyafuji Oka paid 100,000 YP. Ariadne
Foxlot, the Big Blind paid 200,000 YP. Next up, right beside her,
Sagakure Yuri shrugged and declared a fold.
Kurumi also declared a fold.
Despite only paying 100,000 YP, it was still a loss paying for the ante
fee. But Kurumi understood that such loses were tolerable.
Gathering information was the most important when gambling with

other people.
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Kurumi considered this the most essential part as she thoroughly
watched Sagakure Yuri and the others.
After seven rounds, neither Kurumi nor Yuri’s side changed very
much from their initial positions. After a peaceful beginning, the
strongest three cards for Hibiki were taken out.
In terms of chips──Hibiki was around 45 million YP, Kurumi at 32

million YP, Yuri at 58
million YP, Ariadne at 47 million YP, and also.
“Two pair. Sorry, but I’ll be taking it all.”
Miyafuji Oka was at the top with 70 million YP collected.
Kurumi glanced at her from sideways and was convinced.
The basic tactics of these three Dominions were roughly understood.

They would lose if Yuri lost all her chips. Then regardless if she goes
before or after──
(Their approach taken was to ensure Yuri-san’s safety)
Of course, this was normal. Anyway, Yuri losing all of her chips
spelled their certain defeat. So she was hiding behind while Ariadne
and Oka were out fighting forward. Considering Oka’s fast progress,
Ariadne was likely a sub-attacker……she was probably in charge of
protecting Oka.
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(Being common indeed means being commonly used. But──)
Kurumi glanced at Miyafuji Oka.
Her tactics are typical. Don’t fold when the hand is poor and fold
when it is poor.
Just like playing baseball, the difference between offense and

defense was obvious. There were no weaknesses in that regard.
If that was the case.
It would be up to you.
Kurumi confirmed her hole cards and the watched Oka’s confident
smile as she joined the game.
“Raise. 2 million.”
Oka announced a raise. Earlier Oka only did this when her hand was
good, but to go so far──she must have at least a two pair or more.
Until now, no one competed with her……
“……Raise. 4 million.”
It was Tokisaki Kurumi who declared the raise. The amount raised
caused Oka’s eyebrows to twitch with an unpleasant look.
“Call.”
Then, Hibiki also quietly participated in the final decision. Yuri and
Ariadne announced their folds early. Oka gritted her teeth while
staring at Hibiki.
“Raise, 4 million.”
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“……Raise, 6 million.”
“C-Call.”
Right now, Oka, Kurumi, and Hibiki have put out 25 million YP out on
the table. Oka was now forced to make a choice.
That is to say, she needed to make a choice between a raise and a

showdown.
Oka adjusted her breathing and looked at her cards. Her hole cards
are ♥9 of Hearts and ♥Queen of Hearts, and the community cards
are──
♥Jack of Hearts, ♥8 of Hearts, ♥3 of Hearts, ♠6 of Spades, and ♣Jack

of Clubs The community cards had one pair of ♥Jack of Hearts and
♣Jack of Clubs, so each hand will have at least a fixed one pair, but
the problem started here.
Miyafuji Oka’s greatest hand contained a five card flush of hearts

cards. Usually, this would be enough to settle the match.
But──
There are also two cards with Jack suit present, which means that
Tokisaki Kurumi’s hand may be a four of a kind.
In that case, a flush would be no problem.
She was forced into a corner……!
(──Do you two have any Jacks?)
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Oka gently signaled with a hand sign gesture. Unfortunately, both of
them responded with a no.
But──
(Ariadne-san, do you think Kurumi-san’s hand has a four of a kind?)

(No, that hasn’t arrived yet.)
Ariadne answered Oka’s question confidently. Oka believed this

without any hesitation at all.
(Even if you lose 32 million YP, Oka still has more than 40 million YP.
Let’s commence the game.)
Oka also agreed with Yuri’s proposal.
Oka chose to raise the wager. Of course, Kurumi would also be

forced to make a decision.
But somehow it ended just like that──
“Aah, fold.”
Kurumi quickly informed them as she tossed her cards away.
“Eh?”
Maya and Oka both stood frozen. Ariadne opened her eyes.
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“Oh, no. Sorry, it seems my cards have been turned face up.”
Maya gave an incredulous look to Kurumi. Oka, Ariadne, and Yuri

were also speechless staring at her hole cards.
“♣4 of Clubs and ♦9 of Diamonds……?”
Although there was the one fixed pair, there wasn’t much that could
be used with the community cards.
“Ara, ara. How could this be. 7 million YP remaining. But the game is
just starting now……right, Hibiki-san?”
For the first time, Oka’s gaze turned to Hibiki.
Kurumi was aware. Miyafuji Oka wasn’t conscious of Higoromo Hibiki

at all. Because of that she was hardly even considered a player in her
eyes.
Oka’s gaze was basically fixed on Kurumi. There was no response to

Hibiki’s attempts to call, raise, or fold. ……No, to be more precise, she
was consciously trying to ignore her.
Perhaps it was due to her pride of being a Dominion.
However, in the end this turned out to be a fatal weakness.
If there was a weakness──now was the opportunity to close the gap

and go all out!
“All in.”
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In addition to the 25 million YP on the table, Hibiki added in another
20 million YP.
Then, Oka quietly stared at Hibiki.
“…………!”
“……”
(Fold, Miyafuji Oka.)
(I think it’s better to fold too. I didn’t even look at Higoromo-san.)

Oka wasn’t listening to Yuri or Ariadne’s proposal at all. If the
opponent were Kurumi, Oka would have already folded. However,
she wasn’t dealing with Tokisaki Kurumi, but rather Higoromo Hibiki.
It was as if poison seeped into Miyafuji Oka’s entire body.
(I refuse. Against, a mere……a mere former Empty……!)
To begin with, Higoromo Hibiki wasn’t something that should belong

in this game arena.
Watch me get rid of her now……!
“Call! 13 million!”
Hibiki had already gone all in and Oka wanted to offer the same
amount of chips as Hibiki’s bet.
Therefore, it automatically came to the showdown──where both of

their two hole cards will be presented.
Oka’s hand had a 9 of Hearts and ♥Queen of Hearts, which formed a

flush with the community cards ♥Jack of Hearts, ♥8 of Hearts, ♥3 of
Hearts.
Page | 132
“Showdown. Miyafuji Oka, 9 of Hearts and ♥Queen of
Hearts……flush.”
After the reveal of Oka’ hand, Hibiki’s hand was also laid open.
“Higoromo Hibiki. ♠Jack of Spades, ♣3 of Clubs. Full

house……Higoromo Hibiki’s victory.”
“……!”
Oka couldn’t help but involuntarily clench her YP chips. Her 45

million YP, Kurumi’ 25 million YP, plus the amount added from
Ariadne and Yuri’s folds, it came to a total of 72 million YP.
From the perspective of a third party, Kurumi only had 7 million YP

left and was forced into a desperate corner. But for Miyafuji Oka, a
tremendous sense of shame enveloped both her body and mind. It
was because this shame was ultimately rooted in a fear of being
thoroughly defeated.
Also caught off guard by this, Yuri and Ariadne also noticed
themselves growing a little more restless. Until this mental upset
subsides, it would be best to slow down the pace of this game for as
much as possible.
Page | 133
Page | 134
However, Kurumi immediately urged them to continue dealing cards.
With gestures brimming with self-confidence, Hibiki gave a

determined look at Oka as if trifling with her.
“Fold……”
Despite having a hand good enough to compete with a two pair, Oka
was suppressed by Hibiki and Kurumi’s smile. Seeing that the flow
was poor, Yuri and Ariadne also choose to get out early.
“Tokisaki Kurumi, one pair. Higoromo Hibiki, no pair. Victory goes to

Tokisaki Kurumi.”
With their side in chaos, Yuri’s group chose to fold this round to calm
down. Seeing that they were the only ones left for this round, Kurumi
responded to Hibiki’s 50 million YP wager by choosing to go all in.
Naturally, Kurumi won.
Therefore, currently Hibiki had a total of 67 million YP while Kurumi

was at 37 million YP.
Both of them had nearly doubled their chips compared to when they
started.
“……”
Oka clenched her teeth from the sheer shame.
She should have recovered. She should have bounced back and taken
the challenge. Then, they would have won without any problems.
Just one more step away, they were pressed to the point where it
was just a single step from victory.
Page | 135
However, falling into the trap of being humiliated had distorted her
actions.
She didn’t even listen to Ariadne’s suggestions when choosing to

fold.
“──Would you like to take a small break? Oka-san over there seems
to be quite exhausted.”
At that moment, Kurumi spoke.
“Yes. I suppose……I would want that. Maya-san, can we take a

break?”
Maya nodded in response to what Yuri had said.
“Then, let’s take a ten minute break. However, you cannot leave this
casino.”
Hearing those words, Hibiki breathed out a sigh of relief. Suddenly,

she couldn’t even remember the last time she could breathe out so
casually.
Kurumi patted Hibiki’s shoulders.
“──Alright, the first barrier has been successfully traversed.”
“Yup.”
Kurumi and Hibiki had discussed dividing several tactics into parts.
First is observation, second is interception, and third is construction.
Page | 136
First, they needed to observe the enemy. Then, after setting up a
counter for an opponent examined as easy, they would build their
foundation while the other side was still confused.
The first thing they needed to avoid power showdown. Compete only
when a good hand arrives and fold otherwise during a bad hand.
After all, the level of funds was different on both sides.
Not to mention, their three opponents wouldn’t allow for it to be

quickly settled in another major reversal.
But the two of them have now achieved results. Having their funding
double meant they had effectively plundered away one person’s
share of chips. Seizing 58 million YP was the equivalent of closing the
gap by 118 million YP.
“But is it okay to give our opponents the chance to rest now?”
“No problem. As expected, Miyafuji Oka is their vanguard. Even

though she crashed then, if we continue to attack it will be our turn
to be killed next.”
Moreover, there was one more thing Kurumi was concerned about.
Staking it all in a huge match, having a flush meant Miyafuji Oka’s

odds was great. The probability of a flush in Texas Hold’em was
around 3%.
However, when looking at the five community cards, there was the
possibility of a large hand appearing.
Therefore, Oka appeared nervous before betting. But──
Her tension was eased. At that moment, she exchanged eye contact
with the other two. No doubt they were exchanging information.
Page | 137
That didn’t matter. The question is what made her feel relieved.
“Sagakure Yuri and Ariadne Foxlot. That means……one of them was

the true attacker. In the next round, one of them would definitely
take the initiative. “
“What will you do?”
“From here on out, it’ll be ad-lib improvisation. I’ll do as much as I

want.”
Kurumi grinned.
──On the other side, with the three Dominions.
“……Really, that was such a great opportunity to end Tokisaki

Kurumi.”
“I was in over my head……sorry.”
“At least it’s good we have Ariadne to undertake this task.”
“Does Yuri want to continue observing the situation? Well, anyway,

I’ll be seriously involved in the next round.”
“Oka-chan……well, it would be better if you calm down now.”
“I’m reflecting on it, really……because of Higoromo Hibiki I got it a

little too passionate.”
Page | 138
Miyafuji Oka gave a smooth apology. Despite her being the Dominion
of the Sixth Region Tiphereth and assuming leadership there, Ariadne
liked how she could properly apologize at times like this.
“……Likely from now onwards that child will only be providing

support. Because things are already heating up.”
“Kurumi will step in from here on out?”
“Yup.”
If so, Yuri also understood that the deciding factor for this match will
come soon. Shaking off the fears of losing, she decided to challenge
this game positively.
──This was to see clearly.
──To determine the future of the Neighboring World.
On the other hand, Miyafuji Oka was thinking deeper than the
bottomless sea. She could also clearly understand from that
experience with Higoromo Hibiki.
Because she couldn’t stand Higoromo Hibiki’s presence here, she

tried to consciously ignore her.
Obviously this was a huge gamble.
Treating her as if she wasn’t here, they took advantage of that

shortcoming and launched an attack.
Page | 139
“……Ariadne, can you?”
“Hmm……I can go. But I’ll have to concentrate on that. Won’t Yuri-
chan also have to do her best after this game?”
“Yeah……I will win.”
Seeing Yuri’s determined expression, Ariadne smiled.
“It’s rare to see you this motivated Yuri-chan. ……I thought you were
only interested in your little sister.”
“How mean, Ariadne. As a Dominion for the time being, I have a

responsibility to protect the Neighboring World.”
Ariadne wanted to confirm the truth of those words for a moment,

but then decided against it.
Right now she didn’t have the time to focus on exposing hidden
secrets.
The battle has yet to come.
Yukishiro Maya, who had taken the role of refereeing, carefully

observed both groups.
Just at the moment where the observations finished, Tokisaki Kurumi

boldly moved forward with Higoromo Hibiki trailing behind her. On
the other side, Miyafuji Oka, who had gotten too hot-headed, had
regained her calm temperament.
But from here on out it would likely be Ariadne’s turn. ……Maya did
know how they were going to cheat, but she knew that cheating
would occur.
Page | 140
Moreover, it was likely the sort of cheating where it would be
impossible to seize physical evidence.
Therefore, Maya took the initiative to take charge as the referee.
“……Break time is over. Now then, the game will continue.”
Hearing those words, Kurumi and Hibiki went back to their seats.
Kurumi took a deep breath while looking around.
Now, the second round had begun──!
Texas Hold’em had entered a feverish phase.
It was clear by now that the role of attacker had changed. Yuri and
Ariadne had begun to move.
Oka was basically folding and only moved when her hand was good.
Moreover, only when she was completely confident……with at least a
three of a kind or more is when she choose to attack.
Of course, the signs that Oka was aiming for a big hand was
transmitted to Kurumi.
Kurumi resolutely adopted a folding strategy. Hibiki occasionally won

or lost from going on the offensive.
Kurumi had a hunch that it was almost time.
Page | 141
This was both a premonition of a decisive victory and a certainty of
trap being set.
“……Raise. Add 1 million more.”
Ariadne chose a raise for the first time.
Kurumi’s hand contained a ♣9 of Clubs and ♠4 of Spades. This hand

was to weak and couldn’t form a role with the three community
cards on the table.
However, Kurumi specifically chose to bluff.
“Raise, add one more million.” “……Raise, one more million.”
The three of them chose to fold as it became a one on one duel

against Ariadne. The raises were gradually accumulating.
……The air was heating up. Kurumi’s gaze began paying attention to
Ariadne’s every move.
What habits or openings did she have? Kurumi endured her mind
boiling up as she attentively kept watching Ariadne.
In the end, this game turned into a huge round worth 10 million.
“……Showdown. Tokisaki Kurumi, no pair. ♣9 of Clubs is the highest.”
Well, this would certainly lead to a defeat. Kurumi was prepared for
that.
Page | 142
Rather, the issue was with Ariadne. What sort of hand did she play?
“Ariadne. ♣2 of Clubs and ♥2 of Hearts. One pair. Therefore, victory

goes to Ariadne.”
Kurumi was amazed. A pair of 2s was the weakest hand besides no

pair. At the same time, in Texas Hold’em with combinations formed
from 7 different cards, this hand had the highest possibility of
showing up.
At the very least, it wasn’t a hand someone would wager in a 1

million level round.
“Ah, terrific.”
While saying so, Ariadne narrowed her eyes and smiled at Kurumi.
“You really are capable.”
“……It’s just being whimsical.”
After Kurumi coughed a few times, they went straight into the next
round.
The next round was also a match pitting Ariadne against Kurumi.
Ariadne chose to raise without hesitation. Kurumi also kept raising
her wager.
After Ariadne raised for a third time, the amount of chips reached 8
million. Kurumi also intended to raise as she reached for her chips──
“……Ah!”
Page | 143
A piece of glass flew out from Hibiki’s hand, shattering and letting
out a flashy sound as it landed on the ground. In that instant, Kurumi
suddenly stopped.
“Sorry, please continue. I’ll pick it up.”
“……No. The Yuis will handle it, so pleasie leave it alone.”
One of the mass produced Yui models in the distance quickly took
out a broom to clean up the broken glass.
“Let’s continue the game. Tokisaki Kurumi, what are you going to
do?”
“……Fold.”
“No showdown. Ariadne wins.”
Kurumi quietly paid the 5 million YP while turning to look at Hibiki.

Hibiki nodded silently while tapping her finger lightly against her
chest. A signal indicating for── an abnormal situation.
Kurumi intended to adjust her breathing, but Yukishiro Maya

wouldn’t give her that opportunity as she started the next round.
In the next round, Kurumi’s hole cards ♥Jack of Hearts and ♣Queen
of Clubs. It was a good hand, but she quickly folded without even
looking at the community cards.
One the other hand, Hibiki’s hand wasn’t quite good, so decided to
call in order to stall for time.
Page | 144
Meanwhile, Kurumi thought to herself.
Something was done. Indeed, looking back, she had obviously lost
control. Just like when Miyafuji Oka made a mistake, she only
thought about raising her wager.
……That’s right. At that moment, she was.
A fickle feeling at that moment──a flow of heat circulated in her

heart.
Certainly, she realized that this enthusiasm for fighting happened to

anyone every now and then.
However, this passion for victory was clearly different.
After taking a deep breath, Kurumi began examining her entire body
carefully. This flame burning in her heart──it wasn’t heat attached to
victory. So what exactly was this? Love……no, this is different.
“……”
Kurumi further restrained herself while turning to look at Ariadne

Foxlot.
Was she simply sitting near the table acting on her on whims? Or was
she already within the range of her Unsigned Angel?
Regardless, she could understand.
She was right now being manipulated by a foreign enemy.
But this was certainly not as powerful as brainwashing. Just now,

Hibiki had noticed Kurumi’s strange behavior and purposely broke
that glass to snap her out of her fervor.
Page | 145
However, this sort of manipulation was difficult to discover.
So what could be done about this──
“Showdown. Higoromo Hibiki, one pair of 3s. Ariadne, three 9s.”
“……!”
The round had already ended by the time Kurumi had even noticed.
Ariadne had snatched 15 million YP from Hibiki.
“Ah……”
Stunned, Hibiki looked back at her hole cards several times.
“I’m sorry……”
Hibiki’s mood felt down into a dejected state.
“It’s too early to lament.”
Kurumi comforted her by patting her shoulders. Yes, it all happened

quite quickly. At this stage, there was only an ambiguous hypothesis.
But Kurumi could only believe in this and move forward.
However, for this, Kurumi still needed time to think calmly.
It took less than a second for Kurumi to reach a conclusion and begin
her implementation.
“……Ouch.”
Kurumi pressed her hand against the poker card.
Page | 146
“Tokisaki Kurumi?”
Yukishiro Maya asked out in surprise.
“Ah, sorry. I was cut by the card.”
“Is there any blood?”
“Yes, yes. I am very sorry. Can you replace this deck?”
The card that Maya had given Kurumi was indeed stained with blood.
“……I understand. I’ll replace the deck of cards.”
“Kurumi-san, do you need a Band-Aid?”
Hibiki took out a Band-Aid from nowhere, but Kurumi shook her
head.
“This little pain can prove to be a distraction. How troublesome,

<Zafkiel>.”
Suddenly, the surroundings caused a commotion as Kurumi took out

her classical pistol. It grew even more agitated as Kurumi placed the
pistol against her own head.
“The Fourth Bullet <Dalet>.”
The Fourth Bullet could rewind time to heal injuries. However, Hibiki
raised her eyebrows in confusion. Releasing the abilities of <Zafkiel>
came at a significant price. That was of course referring to time.
Page | 147
By regularly replenishing her time, she could launch a skill that
completely subverted the laws of the Neighboring World.
……But if it was only to the extent of a scratched finger, Kurumi

wouldn’t use the Fourth Bullet──
(Ah, so is it by earning time?)
Upon a closer look, even Yukishiro Maya suddenly stopped after

seeing Kurumi’s ability for the first time. Taking advantage of this
opportunity, Kurumi finished her analysis.
Kurumi then spoke with a devilish smile.
“Now then, let’s continue.”
Hearing those words, Maya hurried out to distribute the cards again.
Kurumi quietly looked at her face down cards while thinking it over.
Of course, her thought process was mostly based on a hypothesis.

However, in the absence of actual evidence, Kurumi could only but
her trust in this hypothesis.
Above all else, this was also a battle.
Only fighting when there is 100% for victory and giving up when
there is a 99% chance of defeat.
This was not the case for this fight.
For girls, for warriors, for us──
There are moments where they must absolutely fight.
Page | 148
The first matter was Ariadne’s ability. It had to be some sort of
physiological manipulation.
However, it didn’t belong to the camp of brainwashing and

hallucinations.
There was no doubt that there were cards in her hand and the
community cards were also indeed correct.
But what felt wrong was playing that round with a one pair hand.
What did she feel at that moment?
……Heat. A passion of not wanting to lose, it was a powerful desire

that outweighed her sense of reason.
The worst folly in gambling──getting too passionate and losing all

sense of reasoning. This was far more subtle than obvious cheat or
illusions. If it took too long to notice, a person would think that they
were simply just losing.
Even after understanding that her heart got too passionate, if it still
happened again she would still lose.
In other words, Ariadne’s ability was to heat up the heart of a target

at close range. That itself wasn’t too difficult to imagine. In the real
world, there are scenarios were a person’s brain would purposely
secrete simulants.
Anyway, if assuming her ability was like this, there was one more
thing about this ability that couldn’t be ignored.
Could Ariadne grasp also gauge Kurumi’s level of excitement?
Page | 149
In that case, Ariadne’s advantage was tremendous. For example, her
hole cards right now were a pair of ♥3 of Hearts and ♣3 of Clubs.
Depending on the community cards, a 3 of a kind could possibly be
made, which would inevitably heat up Kurumi’s heart.
But if she could reach 3 of a kind from the community cards, her
hand would be one of the weakest pairs. The heat would disappear.
If she could read this, she could determine how strong or weak her
hand was.
Just from this alone, the chances of victory would astronomically

increase a lot even when not adding the ability to control emotions.
……With this, she could cause her opponent’s cold heart to grow
excited from a poor hand and calm down the opponent’s passion
during a strong hand.
Of course, even that wouldn’t guarantee a 100% victory. However,

that reason only made this ability even more terrifying.
Ariadne herself realized her ability wouldn’t be able to 100% read

her opponent’s card values.
For example, if the fifth community card suddenly appeared shinning

on the table──the chips accumulated at that point would lead to a
great sacrifice even after choosing to fold at that point.
Page | 150
On the other hand, even if having a strong hand from the beginning,
there could be possibilities where a weak hand could cut through
latter on without hesitation.
In any case, Ariadne’s ability to increase her win rate was around
80%, but it was not perfect.
That was why Ariadne was still fighting vigilantly. And that was more
terrifying than anything else.
Based on the community cards, her hand may lead to a three of a

kind.
And when her mental state was too good, she would likely try to
interfere with her heart.
(This time──she needed to cool down.)
As expected, a chill struck her heart……the feeling of defeat filled her

entire body. Even with the chance of a three of a kind, it was only a
high probability rather than being absolute.
Still, her hands were shaking. As if there was nothing good in her
hand.
Nevertheless, she would try to go for a raise──but.
“Fold.”
The three of them on Yuri’s side immediately folded. Hibiki also

folded after waiting for the signal.
The chance of a three of a kind disappeared innocently with little to

no damage against Yuri’s side.
(……Yes. My heat……)
Page | 151
Feeling too weak would throw her off her game. However, if the
sense of chill or heat reached an extreme, it would also be
recognized as a high stakes risk.
A rock solid foundation……and on top of that a level of caution from

knowing that this ability wasn’t perfect.
How should she approach this?
……First, if thinking rationally, only wager when having a good hand

and folding when having a bad one.
However, that was also the equivalent on giving up on bluffing. In

Mahjong, this was a viable solution by keeping to the optimal hands.
However, this wouldn’t work in Texas Hold’em.
Moreover, the difference of funding against her opponent has

caused a self-evident overwhelming disadvantage.
Intellect, logic, reasoning, those sorts of things wouldn’t win in this

game of poker.
The opponent was a Dominion, among the strongest in the

Neighboring World.
Whether if it was fighting or gambling──she wouldn’t win without a

power that defied ordinary logic……!
──Ariadne Foxlot could manipulate the temperature of other people

as Kurumi had noticed. Of course, it wasn’t just limited to the mind.
Page | 152
She can also control the physical temperature of the body as well.
But since that part of her ability didn’t make sense for a poker game,
this aspect was skipped.
The emphasis on this game is on her ability to manipulate mental

temperature.
It wasn’t as simple as making one’s mood more positive or negative.

She could make her opponents more excited or nervous without
them even realizing it.
For an easy to understand example, it was possible for her to induce

a bad premonition or make her opponents feel even more capable of
themselves. A power exceeding rationality and could manipulate the
flow of the game against the other side’s will.
It wasn’t suitable for games like shogi or chess that only depended
on logic. But gambling where people value intuition and flow more
than anything else, there was no trickier ability.
And Ariadne had one more power that couldn’t be ignored.
“……Raise.”
Ariadne’s raise increased Kurumi’s level of excitement. Ariadne

noticed this and speculated on the rest of her hand. Among the three
out of five community cards face up, there was ♣3 of Clubs, ♥1 of
Hearts, and ♦1 of Diamonds.
Page | 153
Although none of the numbers there had the same suit, having ♣3 of
Clubs leads to the possibility of a flush.
……But Ariadne’s hole cards were actually different……no pair. On the

other hand, Kurumi’s hand may hold two or three pairs.
However, Kurumi was also intimated by the possibility of a flush. In

this situation, she would normally say raise without hesitation, but
now she was pressed by a frozen sensation.
Perhaps Kurumi had also understood the situation. The feeling of

something being manipulated, but even then her intuition wouldn’t
be able to function normally.
Additionally, Ariadne also had a perpetual poker face on. It was a

somewhat sleepy face with a gentle smile no matter how stiff the
atmosphere got.
It was impossible to read her hand from expression alone.
“……Fold.”
Kurumi’s heat cooled down as she sighed.
Perhaps Kurumi had even seen through Ariadne’s ability. She had
experienced countless battlefields that Ariadne couldn’t possibly
even imagine, so this couldn’t be taken for granted.
But that was it.
After all, there was no specific way of coping against this. There may
be countermeasures for abilities tampering with physical objects, but
she was manipulating emotions rather than the cards.
Sagakure Yuri was convinced that their victory was unshakable.
Page | 154
“…..I’ll have to do it.”
Kurumi sighed as she stretched.
Right now, Kurumi’s YP levels was much less than 50 million, sitting
around 35 million. On the other hand, both Sagakure Yuri and
Miyafuji Oka were sitting around 50 million. Ariadne now had 70
million, more than double what Kurumi had.
Since Hibiki also only had around 20 million left, there was no more
room for retreat.
“There’s only one way that I can fight to turn this around.”
“That’s right. Please do your best.”
While saying so, Ariadne activated her Unsigned Angel

<Taiintaiyounijuyonsetsuki>. An extraordinarily thin thread of
mercury used to measure temperature was her Unsigned Angel.
(Tokisaki Kurumi’s feelings are like the first day of

winter……extremely cold despite still wanting to win.)
In other words, she won’t win this game……likely.
This was only a guess. But perhaps Kurumi hadn’t even figured out
her ability.
Nevertheless, Texas Hold’em is a game where the scenario could

change drastically depending on how the hole and community cards
are used.
Page | 155
She needed to be careful of that, but──
Ariadne glanced at her hole cards. ♣Jack of Clubs and ♠Jack of

Spades, both already formed a pair. Depending on the community
cards, the possibilities were endless.
“……Tokisaki Kurumi?”
It was Maya who first recognized the abnormal situation. Tokisaki

Kurumi was remaining motionless since the very beginning.
Yes, she didn’t even use her eyes to confirm the hole cards in her
hand.
“I’ve already distributed the cards. You need to confirm it soon──”
“I don’t mind doing it like this.”
Everyone was shaken.
“K-Kurumi-san!?”
Hibiki stood up, but Kurumi still remained motionless.
“Sit down, Hibiki-san.”
“……Do you intend to abandon this game?”
In response to Yuri’s question, Kurumi shook her head.
“I don’t have any problems like this. Come, I’m choosing to raise.”
After saying that, Kurumi added in her chips.
“Hibiki-san, please raise as much as you can.”
Page | 156
This was──the signal to go all-in. Hibiki was almost about to faint in
fear.
Hibiki’s hand was bad enough for this to be out of the question. All-in
on the spot was tantamount to giving up. After giving the okay signal,
Kurumi lived up to her claims.
“……All-in.”
The scene fell into a riot. With all of Hibiki 19 million YP on the table,
three community cards were on the table.
Kurumi raised the bid to 25 million. If all of Yuri’s side folded, all of
this would go to Kurumi──but with the situation like this; no one was
able to confirm Kurumi’s hole cards.
“Fold.”
Sagakure Yuri folded. Meanwhile, Miyafuji Oka──
“All-in.”
She also responded with all-in. This was part of Ariadne’s

instructions. Hibiki’s hand was poor; right now it was even worse
than Oka’s single pair.
If she was bluffing, she would have to fold here. How irrational
would she need to be in order to let her hole cards be determined by
chance?
Page | 157
Ariadne restrained the slight anxiety building in her heart as she tried
to read her feelings.
Kurumi’s feelings were still in state of winter.
She was calm.
Just like this, she was behaving at an ice cold temperature.
“All-in.”
Yuri, Oka, and Maya all widened their eyes in shock. The trio
desperately controlled their desire to scream.
Even if her hand was good.
It was understandable that it should at least have a small possibility

of being a good hand.
But she didn’t even look at her hole cards.
(Bluff)
(Should be a bluff)
(It should be a bluff──)
Ariadne looked at her in order to peek into the situation──but a chill

suddenly traveled up her spine.
Page | 158
She had been exposed. Kurumi was already staring back at her. It
was on the level of being observed through a magnifying glass or
analyzed through microscope!
“I……”
Ariadne’s throat trembled with a small hint of fear.
Call, call, say call. Absolutely this was it──the perfect chance!
No, but just in case.
“──Fold.”
Who felt more relived now? Was it her or Kurumi?’
In any case, Oka would find out Kurumi’s hole cards after going all-in.
Oka’s hand was a pair of 9s. Hibiki, Kurumi, and Oka had all gone all-
in, so two more community cards were added. The cards that
appeared there were a Jack and King.
“……!”
If she didn’t fold, she would have had a three of a kind.
However, Oka’s hand had changed into a two pair with a King and 9.
It was no exaggeration to say that this hand was sufficient enough
for victory. Hibiki also gained a one pair, but that was of no concern.
And for Tokisaki Kurumi……
“……Please show your hand now.”
“Yes, sure.”
Page | 159
She gave her cards to Maya. Maya’s finger tips trembled. The first
hole card was a ♥10 of Hearts which formed a one pair with the
community cards.
As for the second card……
“────────!”
With a startled sound, the second hole card was revealed. It was a
♣King of Clubs. In other words, Kurumi’s hand had a two pair.
It was just by a little. But the value of one of the pairs marginally
surpassed Oka’s hand.
“……I am the winner. So both Miyafuji-san and Hibiki-san are

eliminated.”
“……Understood.”
Oka bit into her lips in regret.
On the other side, Hibiki handed her chips to Kurumi with a worried
look.
“I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Yes. I have been entrusted with everything.”
Kurumi calmly accepted the chips──and then finally revealed her

emotions. A feeling as warm as summer, it could be described as a
peace of mind.
Page | 160
Was this pure intuition?
Did she go all-in while only relying on intuition?
……No. That was impossible. She must have been certain that her
hand contained at least one pair. On the other hand, she had no idea
of knowing that Ariadne’s hand had a three of a kind.
This was completely bizarre and unreasonable.
She would have lost if Ariadne went in with her three of a kind, and
only she could tell when she would choose to fold──
At that moment, Ariadne held her breath.
That wasn’t it. Kurumi knew. Even without looking at her cards, even
without caring about her cards, she knew Ariadne would buckle
down under this pressure.
Ariadne had no choice but to get off the moment Oka had declared
herself going all-in.
It was because that was the safe option.
The eerie feeling of the temperature of emotions not fluctuating, the

fear of being observed, and finally the temptation of being able to
watch this game from a safe zone.
Those conditions had taken away all of her choices besides

folding……!
“……Would you like to take a second break soon?”
Page | 161
Before Ariadne could respond to Yuri’s suggestion, Kurumi struck the
table.
“I’m in the flow of the game now. In that case, I would like to
continue this game without a break. We originally had rules two and
three to prevent unfavorable conditions. Isn’t this sort of suggestion
agreeable?”
“But──”
Ariadne prevented Yuri from responding.
“I see. Okay. Un. Just as you say──let’s continue the match.”
“Yes, yes. Then let’s continue trying to kill each other. Ariadne
Foxlot.”
Kurumi called out her name while staring at her with her clock piece
marked eye.
With her sleepy eyes widened, Ariadne stroked up her hair.
“Okay. If that’s what you want, I’ll thoroughly accompany you.”
Laughter resounded.
Hibiki, after getting up and wandering aimlessly, sat down again and
shifted her position to be closer to Kurumi.
“I’ll watch over attentively!”
“Yes, yes, please do as you want.”
Hearing Hibiki’s words, Kurumi gave a faint smile before speaking. At

that moment, Kurumi’s vigilance on this game grew slightly lax. Or
that is what Ariadne thought.
Page | 162
While it was unknown what sort of cheating Kurumi had used──it
would be unlikely that it involved the little girl standing behind her.
Ariadne knew that this was the decisive battle. Tokisaki Kurumi’s
emotions went from the first day of summer to minor heat. In other
words, she was as high as the midsummer sun before the results
were determined.
Both Ariadne and Kurumi had almost the same amount of YP left in
their hands. At this point, YP was almost meaningless. Unless she
drew a bad hand, Ariadne didn’t intend on folding.
And, as a first-rate gambler, Ariadne had a hunch.
For the two of them, there wouldn’t be a terrible draw that ruins this
game. Without such luck, it would be impossible to survive long in
this Neighboring World.
So whether this comes up to huge victory or great defeat──would

depend solely on whoever will exhaust all of their luck first.
“……It’s getting interesting.”
Ariadne expressed a ferocious smile. In response to that smile,

Kurumi let out a Kihihihi laugh just like a Shinigami.
“Now then──let’s begin our war (date).”
Ariadne nodded to Kurumi’s loud declaration.
“Okay, baby. Come on, Maya-chan. Hurry up and deal me my cards!”
Page | 163
Maya dealt the cards to Ariadne, Kurumi, and Yuri.
“……”
Hibiki was trembling while watching Kurumi from behind. Kurumi

lovingly covered the face down card.
“……Are you planning on doing nothing again?”
“No, no, just a little magic spell. This time I will look into the cards as
well.”
Alright, Ariadne mentally leaped at the opportunity. It was

impossible not to see her cards when standing behind her. Even if
she couldn’t read Kurumi’s emotions, she could read Hibiki’s instead.
Kurumi slowly flipped the corner of the card up. She didn’t seem to
be on alert. Or perhaps she didn’t intend to show it all.
Under this tense atmosphere, Kurumi slowly flipped her hole cards.
Hibiki perhaps unconsciously flinched a little.
This act was nothing more than trying to look into a card that she
couldn’t see. Kurumi had already turned her cards face down. As a
precautionary measure, Ariadne read that Kurumi’s emotions had
already turned back to the first day of winter again.
Page | 164
Page | 165
Then, what about Hibiki?
Hibiki’s emotions were cold dew. This was a feeling of

disappointment. In other words, Hibiki was greatly discouraged from
looking at that hand.
However, it wasn’t complete disillusionment. After all, hole cards

were just two cards that couldn’t even form a full hand.
The problem was in the community cards. No matter how bad the
hole cards are, one could use those to turn back the tide.
Her cards are ♦Jack of Diamonds and ♠7 of Spades. The community

cards could drastically change the level of this hand. Following
Ariadne’s instructions, Yuri chose to fold without disclosing her hand.
“Check”
“Check”
Both Ariadne and Kurumi chose to check first. Hibiki’s emotions

lingered between restlessness and excitement.
“Now then, here are the community cards.”
Three community cards were presented to the venue.
♣7 of Clubs, ♥8 of Hearts, ♥9 of Hearts
Only one pair confirmed so far, but this hand certainly had its
advantages.
Page | 166
She began a confession abruptly with a gentle smile.
“……Well, I think it’s already been exposed. But it was I who

purposed Texas Hold’em to decide the outcome. Therefore, if I lose,
Yuri-chan will declare defeat.”
“Ara, ara. Was that really the case?”
Kurumi glanced at Yuri while Ariadne’s attention was focused on

Hibiki since she couldn’t fully read Kurumi’s emotions. But even then
she continued to smile happily.
Ariadne confessed this in order to keep Kurumi from easily giving up

in this game.
“Anyway, I’ll go for a raise first.”
“Then, I’ll call.”
Hibiki’s expression stiffened. Her emotional change was too obvious.

Ariadne stopped raising and began to closely examine Hibiki’s
emotions.
Her emotions were the awakening of insects……despite smoldering,

the flames of hope had not been completely extinguished. In that
case, she should wait and see. Kurumi was as calm as usual, but it
should be enough by reading Hibiki’s feelings.
The fourth community card was placed on the table.
Page | 167
♥7 of Hearts
Hibiki’s emotions suddenly changed. First day of summer──as warm

as summertime, bright emotions began to dominate Hibiki. Yes, with
this Kurumi’s hand was seen through. Three of a kind, same as her,
but Ariadne had a ♥7 of Spades. In this case, going by suits, it would
be Ariadne’s victory.
However, she had a hunch. If she added another card, this hand
would become even better. She was certain of this.
“Check.”
“……Check.”
In conformity with Kurumi’s check, Ariadne also chose the same

option. A fifth community card was submitted.
♠Jack of Spades
(It’s here……!)
Ariadne’s cards are ♦Jack of Diamonds, ♠7 of Spades, ♣7 of Clubs,

♥7 of Hearts, ♠Jack of Spades──that is to say a three of a kind and
one pair configuration……full house.
Hibiki’s emotions remained the same as the first day of summer. Of

course there was still slight anxiety from nothing being certain in this
game yet, but she wouldn’t lose even if her opponent had a three of
a kind.
She believed so.
Page | 168
But,
“Now──”
There was also the matter of keeping Kurumi from folding this round.
She must make her believe that a three of a kind is enough to win.
“……Now then, your wagers.”
“Raise.”
Ariadne pretended to be lost for a few seconds, feigning being

nervous as she timidly declared a call.
Not surprisingly, Kurumi declared a raise. Ariadne declared a call with

an astringent expression in response to Kurumi’s raise.
Then, when Kurumi’s wager exceeded a certain limit, Ariadne

displayed a fearless smile.
“All-in.”
Hibiki’s emotions suddenly froze. The warm feelings of the summer

solstice suddenly fell into the major cold in one single gulp.
“Huh……h-huh……!?”
“……”
Hibiki’s emotions were in chaos. Even Kurumi, who had kept smiling,
lost her expression.
“Now, what do you want to do, Tokisaki Kurumi-san? Do you want to

fold? Or do you want to go all-in like me?”
Page | 169
Ariadne had the slight advantage in chips. The fact that she went all-
in meant with certainty that she had a fairly high level hand.
……But.
Kurumi was no longer in a standing position to retreat. Continuously

raising the accumulating YP (chips) to more than half of her assets,
folding now would mean losing half of everything.
One could not bear that temptation.
Not to mention, she was Tokisaki Kurumi. According to the rumors

coming from the Ninth Region Yesod and the Eighth Region Hod, she
was a girl with a queen-like temperament that moved everything at
her own satisfaction.
In that case, her being fearful of loss would be extraordinary.
“Alright.”
Kurumi pushed in all of her chips while staying emotionless.
“All-in. I will accept your challenge.”
“K-Kurumi-san, are you okay with that, Kurumi-san!”
Hibiki was shaking at her anxiously. Kurumi sighed while pinching

Hibiki’s cheeks.
“It’s fine, so please sit back and don’t worry.”
Page | 170
“I-I understand. But sitting still can’t be done. I am a lightest weight
type.”
“Ufufu, who are you talking about for a comparison?”
“Of course it’s Kirari Rinemu-san.”
Ariadne couldn’t believe that Kurumi was chatting so leisurely. It was

almost as if she was convinced that she would win.
“──Full house, right?”
“……!”
“Judging from the community cards, it should be a full house of Jacks

and 7s.”
Ariadne handed her cards over to Maya while confused. Maya

nodded after confirming the cards.
“Indeed, Ariadne Foxlot has a full house of Jacks and 7s.”
Ariadne asked.
“……Did you predict this……?”
“Yes, well. Almost.”
“U-Um. Why──”
How could afford to be so lax. Behind her, Higoromo Hibiki’s face had
turned pale.
It was an expression as if convinced that they would lose.
Page | 171
“……Kurumi-san……Kurumi-san’s……card……”
Rather than just stroking Hibiki’s head, Kurumi stirred her head with
enough force to shake her.
“──Yes, yes. I’m very sorry, Hibiki-san.”
“……Huh?”
“Objectively, it was just a simple accident. You see, didn’t we change

decks because of my blood getting on those cards. At that time,
mysteriously a piece of that had stuck onto one of my hole cards.”
Kurumi handed her cards over to Maya.
Maya turned over the cards with trembling hands. As she had said,
there was ripped card piece being stuck on there.
When the ripped-off part was removed, the two seemingly mediocre
cards displayed explosive destructive power. Tokisaki Kurumi’s hand
did contain a ♥5 of Hearts, but rather than ♦7 of Diamonds……it was
a ♥6 of Hearts.
So Kurumi’s hand was──
♥5 of Hearts, ♥6 of Hearts, ♥7 of Hearts, ♥8 of Hearts, ♥9 of Hearts,

it was a straight flush.
The strongest hand that even a full house couldn’t bare it’s fangs
against.
“……!”
Page | 172
Even Ariadne had to stand up and look at the hole card as it was
revealed. The ♥6 of Hearts was slightly stained with blood. It was a
red victory. She had lost. By now, she had been completely crushed.
Nevertheless, Ariadne was being shaken by pleasant emotions.
──How terrific.
For the first time, Ariadne experienced the sensation of her heart
heating up despite being defeated.
“Please wait. This is……cheating! It should be our victory!”
Faced with Oka’s questioning, Maya gently shook her head.
“……If the card was turned face up and been a fake, it would be
considered cheating. But this is not a fake. It was just an accident as
Tokisaki Kurumi said earlier. Because so long as it is recognizable
immediately after it has been placed on the table.”
“But!”
“It’s fine, Oka-chan. ……I lost.”
“So then, all that remains is Sagakure Yuri-san.”
“Ah, no way. It was over when Ariadne couldn’t win. I surrender.

Alright, okay. It’s your win.
Sagakure Yuri crumbled her hair and threw away her cards.
“Hmm, but hey. There’s something that I don’t understand. Can you
please tell me Kurumi-san?”
Page | 173
“Ah, what is it?”
“Why couldn’t I read your emotions?”
Confronted by Ariadne’s straightforward inquiry, Kurumi laughed.
“Sure enough, you did read my emotions.”
“Hmm. Well, I think it’s already been exposed, so I’ll just say it. I can
explore and manipulate emotions. It’s possible to make a passionate
child calm enough to fall asleep and vice versa. So as a precondition,
reading emotions can also be done. But……”
Ariadne stared at Kurumi with jade-like eyes.
“For a moment, I couldn’t read your feelings. It was just like──”
“It’s almost like I was thinking about something else……right?”
Ariadne nodded as Kurumi finished what she was about to say.

Indeed, it was just like what Kurumi had said.
Hibiki also realized what she had been thinking. The feeling of being
too surprised caused her shoulders to shiver.
“I’ve been thinking of a certain male in my heart. So there was no

extra time that could be afforded in paying attention to the cards.”
“……Eh, really?”
“I am serious.”
Ariadne sighed, as if exhausted from the bottom of her heart, and

slumped against the table.
Then, she stomped her feet and shouted from the bottom of her
heart.
Page | 174
“Because of such a boring reason, I lost a 100 million YP game?
Unbelievable, I can’t believe it at all!”
“Of course, I devoted part of my thought process to the game. That

was how it could be accomplished.”
“Um, Kurumi-san, Kurumi-san. Did you also plan on deceiving me as

well?”
Hibiki asked Kurumi while pulling at her sleeves. To summarize the

situation so far, Kurumi had used Hibiki watching behind her as a
decoy to bait Ariadne.
Kurumi asserted herself with her entire face giving a smile that
would bewitch any person looking at it.
“Yes, yes. It was quite the good performance.”
“Demon──────! Everyone here is a demon────────!”
Hibiki screamed.
“But shouldn’t you already know about that now?”
“Indeed!”
“Are you angry at being used?”
“Yes, I am very angry!”
Page | 175
“You are not angry, Higoromo Hibiki. You might as well be thanking
her. Isn’t it such a joy to come in handy?”
Kurumi looked over in surprise, but Hibiki silently shifted her gaze
away. Her cheeks were swelling and red as if proof of her own
agitation.
But that also meant that everything was alright.
Truly she was an apologetic and simple woman that let others take
advantage of her, but she was also glad to be able to contribute to
Kurumi’s victory. That was Hibiki’s current thought process right
now.
Still she couldn’t keep looking away and glance back at Kurumi’s
direction.
Yes, of course. She must be smiling like a demon──
“Eh?”
It was impossible for Hibiki to not let out a dull sound of surprise.
“………………………………”
Silence and then a blush, for Tokisaki Kurumi it could be described as

an expression completely inconsistent with her.
Kurumi’s entire face was red as she looked at Hibiki with an

embarrassingly numb look.
Page | 176
After some time passed, Kurumi rigidly jerked to the side.
Was this her way of teasing Hibiki? Of course, she couldn’t afford to
back down now.
──Still, Hibiki saw a rare expression that couldn’t be seen even after
a lifetime of searching.
Hibiki desperately tried to control the surge of emotions overflowing.
“……Ahem. Anyway, with this the Seventh Region Netzach has been
cleared. At 100 million YP, the gates to the Sixth Region Tiphereth
will open. No issues to that I take it?”
“Leave it to me of course. I’ll open the gate responsibly as the

Dominion of the Seventh Region Netzach……but that’s not possible
right now. After all, inserting in all those coins takes a while”
“Eh, you don’t have a 100 million YP coin?”
“No, no. This is a rare opportunity──do you want to come by my

house? In terms of time, it’s one o’clock in the morning right now. Of
course, it is always night in the Seventh Region Netzach. But right
now it’s long past the time where other people are asleep in the
other regions.”
“……Ahh, I do feel a little sleepy when you say that.”
Kurumi let out a small yawn.
“Ariadne, Oka, Maya, you guys also come by my house. There are
many things I want to talk about.”
“Is this a region meeting?”
“No, no, more like a girls talk!”
Page | 177
Miyafuji Oka gave a reluctant look.
“……I’ve heard you only talk about your little sister.”
“I’ll talk about something else!”
Then, Yukishiro Maya raised her hand.
“I have talked with Sagakure Yuri a total of 21 times on topics other

than the regional conference.
20 times it was about the unique characteristics of her younger sister

Sagakure Yui. Appearance, status, and various other single topics
related to her.”
“Hey, what about that one other time?”
Maya said silently while pointing her finger over her shoulder.
“Sagakure Yuri, there’s a piece of string on your shoulder. Wow,

thank you. That’s all.”
“That one doesn’t count. So in short there are no topics that don’t
involve your little sister.”
Oka tightened her eyebrows as if trying to endure a headache.
“No, no, no! I’ll come up with a different topic this time!”
“Um──”
Page | 178
A figure was suddenly inserted between the Dominions.
“Yui, what’s wrong?”
Sagakure Yui was watching the Dominions with transparently clear

eyes.
“I’m sorry about what my sister says, but could you please listen to
her request? I hope you will enjoy it.”
After a brief silence, Ariadne, who looked tired, opened her mouth.
“……Okay. Your little sister has been taking care of me during my stay
here, so I’ll listen this time.”
“Hmm. If Ariadne agrees, I’ll do it too.”
Maya and Ariadne’s lines of sight turned towards Oka. Oka nodded
while still looking reluctant.
“Kurumi-san, what about you? Or do you hate coming over to my

house?”
“……Well, if it takes time, then it can’t be helped. If Hibiki-san doesn’t

have any problem with me. Yes, yes. Of course there is no problem.”
“──────”
At that moment, Hibiki’s body suddenly began to tremble. Right now,

it seemed like something had gone wrong. At that moment, the
scene appearing in front of her looked extremely distorted.
Later, Hibiki would realize that her intuition was spot on.
Page | 179
The scene in front of her eyes, everything looked twisted──Higoromo
Hibiki realized that.
Page | 180
○Uninvited Guests……
Guided to the mansion that Sagakure Yuri usually resided, Kurumi
and the others were taken aback by the sight.
“……Box?” (Ariadne Foxlot)
“……A box?” (Yukishiro Maya)
“……Yokan?” (Tokisaki Kurumi) (TL Note: Yokan can mean a sweet

jelly dessert or a western house)
“……Haah. Did someone just make a pun with Yokan just now?”
(After five seconds, it was Higoromo Hibiki who pinched her cheeks
to confirm this was the pre-arranged place) Anyway, Sagakure Yuri’s
mansion was box-shaped, so the appearance of a box did feel
suitable.
It had a dull, dark, and blue color that wasn’t very noticeable.
“It’s spacious and large inside. Rest assured. Come in♪”
As Yuri pushed their backs, the girls accepted her hospitality with
helpless smiles.
The door opened.
The interior appearance gave a different impression of a faded

inorganic material. Fading, but there were also other strange things
noticed in various other ways. For example, a chandelier was on the
ceiling, but it was surrounded by unpainted concrete walls. The red
carpet was luxurious, but it was underneath a transparent glass-like
material brightly illuminated by the lights.
Page | 181
Was this modern architecture, pretending to be classical, or simply
the whims of the Dominion Yuri? Regardless, the meaning behind
this design choice was quite unknown.
But compared to these strange decorations, Kurumi’s eyes were

focused on a particular girl.
“……W-Wel……come.”
Accompanied by an awkward voice, the girl──Sagakure Yui, lowered

her head.
“Ah.” “Oh dear.” “……” “Fumu.” “Mu.”
The reactions of all five people seeing her outfit were all completely
different. Sagakure Yui was not wearing her usual simple and elegant
sailor fuku dress <Izuna>, but rather a maid costume.
Moreover, it was in a maid café style rather than a classical style. A

miniskirt with a looming garterbelt.
An attractive (eye-catching) type of maid outfit.
Not only was it fairly straightforward, but it had a comprehensive

inclination towards a certain type of sex appeal. An outfit that was
both cute and erotic accompanying a beauty that could pull it off. It
was impossible for Yui to not be embarrassed wearing this.
“Well, well. Do you usually wear this?”
“No. But today is special, so. ……Even though I think my normal

clothes are better for me.”
Page | 182
“What are you saying; Yui is the cutest little sister in the world!”
Yuri proudly raised her chest. Hearing those words, Yui sunk her
head down even lower.
“The cutest girl in the world is seven year old Kurumi-san! No sorry,
Kurumi-san is always cute!”
“……Tokisaki Kurumi. Doesn’t it feel a bit excessive to always

threaten your partner with a gun?”
“This is my arbitrary decision.”
“Anyway, I hope everyone can get a good rest here today. This
extremely adorable maid Yui will satisfy whatever requirements you
need.”
“I’m in your care.”
Quickly, Yui bowed her head again.
“Hey. Yuri-chan, Yuri-chan……I want you to lift up her skirt with a

smile. Is that service possible?”
Page | 183
Page | 184
Hearing Ariadne’s request, Yui let out a small scream. After deeply
thinking it over for a while, Yuri answered slowly.
“Well……it’s possible……but I wonder if there’s no……”
“So it is possible……”
As Hibiki said while somewhat surprised, Yuri proudly straighten her

chest once again.
“Because my Yui is so cute!”
──Then, at this moment, Hibiki felt a strange feeling passing through

her head again.
(Huh?)
Just like a subtle contradiction, the feeling of something distorted.

However, even Kurumi, who was twice as sharp as a normal person,
didn’t notice this.
Only Hibiki was able to feel this deviation.
But──. Hibiki eventually decided to ignore this sense of contradiction.

It had nothing to do with her or Kurumi, and she personally had no
right to call it out.
If she was a good friend, Hibiki would have pointed out without
hesitation, but they were as close as strangers.
Well, this shouldn’t matter, as Hibiki whispered that to herself while

grabbing Kurumi’s wrist.
Page | 185
“Come, let’s go and see our room. Kurumi-san!”
“That’s right. Can you please show us the way, Yui-san?”
“As you command, please come here dear guests.”
Yui began leading everyone. While starting to climb the central

staircase, Hibiki unconsciously felt her body shrink back.
“There needs to be a degree of not being shameful.”
Kurumi sighed in surprise as she looked away from Hibiki.
“……?”
Yui turned her head around and understood the meaning quickly
from Hibiki’s posture. She then hurriedly pressed her hand against
her skirt.
“In a sense, it’s amazing that you are Kurumi-san’s partner.”
While letting out a sigh, Kurumi began shaking Hibiki’s head.
“I’ve been trying to toss her aside recently.”
“Sorry, but I’m about to vomit from this shaking, so please let go of
me……”
──So then,
The room they arrived at under Yui’s lead was just as chaotic as the
lobby room decorations.
Page | 186
The beds were as luxurious as any first-class hotel, but the walls were
transparent glass bricks.
Rather than be lit by a chandelier, the entire ceiling was glowing.
“If you say ‘Yui turn off, the AI will automatically activate to turn off
the lights in response.”
Yui’s words of course caused the lights to vanish and the entire room
to be submerged in total darkness.
“……Sorry. It seemed to have responded to my words just now.”
“If you don’t teach the words to turn back the lights as soon as
possible, Hibiki-san will transform into a pervert lurking in the dark.”
“Yui, lights up! Yui, lights up!!”
“Kurumi-san, isn’t your prejudice against me growing worse with

each passing day!? Yui-san is looking at me with incredulous eyes!”
Hibiki wanted to cry a little.
Sagakure Yuri lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling, suddenly
recalling when Yui was still alive.
She and her sister lived through fighting. Although Yui had dropped
out midway through, Yuri recreated her as a mechanical doll.
But the more she recreated her, the more she noticed.
She knew nothing about the girl named Sagakure Yui.
Page | 187
Their last conversation really was the worst.
──Sister, I have my own ■■■■■.
──So, I have to ■■■■■■■■■■ this house
──I’m ■■■■■■■■■■!
At the end of it all, they fought and parted ways.
And to this very day, this was Yuri’s regret. It was a lurking feeling of
separating and being left behind……even now.
However, regrets gradually disappear like letters drawn on the sandy

beach.
Even though her sister died, she continued fighting in the Seventh
Region Netzach and constantly met various people. The joy brought
by these various circumstances gradually diluted the sadness.
Yuri thought there must be a degree of ruthlessness.
──It’s hard to say that I love my sister.
While thinking about that, Yuri would sometimes ask this to her
mechanical dolls. But they would always reply like this.
“No, that’s not true, Yuri-sama.”
The answer was exactly as she wanted.
Sure enough, the contents of her mind were strange.
Page | 188
The sound of knocking came from the door.
“Come in.”
Yuri responded in a somewhat lazy manner.
As soon as Yui left, Hibiki rushed for the bed.
“I’m· so ·tired────────────!”
Hibiki screamed.
“As the chief, I’m the one who should be tired.”
Maintaining a constant poker face was also quite tiring. Although

they did win in the end, the possibility of defeat was always present.
Even the sweat trying to ooze out had to be controlled by her
willpower.
“By the way, what happened to Cistus-san and Carte-san?”
“Ah, Cistus was monitoring the casino’s cameras and Carte-san was
watching for any abnormalities around me. If anything went wrong,
they would have contacted me right away──that being said, nothing
seemed to have happened in the end.”
Of course, even though Carte took the task with confidence, she was
a little discouraged that nothing had occurred. Right now she was at
a bar being comforted by her four playing cards.
Page | 189
“Huh? Then where is Cistus-san right now?”
“With things having been successfully completed, shouldn’t she be

having fun in a casino right now?”
After hearing what Kurumi had said, the image of Cistus gracefully
playing card games and slots.
Honestly, it was a bit amusing. For other people watching, it would

probably be surprising seeing someone who was the splitting image
of Tokisaki Kurumi going around and doing that.
“Only, I’m a little worried.”
“What do you mean?”
Very unusually, Kurumi paused before speaking.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I can’t explain it too well. It just feels a little out of
sync. Probably it’s just my imagination.”
Inconsistent, although Hibiki also recognized that feeling, she didn’t

think it was due to the fatigue. Anyway, since good results have been
obtained, she didn’t think they should bother this too much.
“Finally, next up is the Sixth Region Tiphereth. This is the last region I
can teach about. From the Fifth Region and onward, it’ll be all
unknowns. What will happen now?”
“Oh, aren’t you intending to keep following?”
Page | 190
Hibiki laughed at Kurumi’s question.
“No way. I’ll follow closely whether if it is the Fifth Region, Fourth
Region, or beyond. ……But, before that, we must find a way to go to
the First Region Keter.”
“Yes, that’s why we’ll need to talk with the Dominions for that. At
the moment, it seems we have the most information.”
“Ah, I see……”
“The other side seems to want more information about the White
Queen. Although the information about around battle in the Third
Region Binah has been passed onto Jugasaki-san, the communication
between Dominions doesn’t seem to be perfect.”
Jugasaki Retsumi. Although she succeeded Banouin Kareha and

became Dominion of the Eighth Region Hod──but it seemed she was
too busy with work to exchange information to the other regions.
“……If you think about it, if Retsumi-san contacted us properly at the

casino, we wouldn’t have to suffer that sort of mental torture.”
“It would be the same regardless. They wouldn’t be able to trust a

new Dominion that easily. “
After all, they probably all wanted to know. The girl named Tokisaki
Kurumi, how would a true Spirit compare to them who are ‘Quasi”.
And at the same time, determine if she was also hostile against the
White Queen.
“In other words, you passed their test, right Kurumi-san?”
Page | 191
“I didn’t use violence. Although I made some threats, it was within
the acceptable range. And──”
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Hearing Kurumi say that, Ariadne, who had narrowed her eyes as
thin as thread, opened the door.
“Ah, so you’re still awake. Are you free?”
“I am.”
“In that case, why don’t we talk a little?”
“……Yes, yes. Of course, I also want to inquire about all sorts of

information.”
Kurumi stood up. Hibiki also naturally wanted to get out of bed, but
Ariadne stopped her.
“Sorry. Hibiki-chan is a little impossible.”
“Hey!”
“Oka-chan doesn’t like Hibiki-chan being present. I’m really sorry.”
Miyafuji Oka──the Dominion of the Sixth Region Tiphereth. It

seemed she couldn’t even stand being in the same room as Hibiki.
Page | 192
“It can’t be helped. I’ll go alone. ……Hibiki-san, wait here for a while.”
“Guu.”
Now that Kurumi had spoken, Hibiki could only shut up and accept
this.
Leading the way through the hallway, Ariadne asked Kurumi.
“What exactly is Hibiki-chan after all to Kurumi-chan?”
“Well, what about it? There isn’t enough time to explain it.”
“How long will it take?”
“Hmm……half a day?”
“That’s too pesky. Never mind then, can we trust her?”
“Of course. If she can’t be trusted, then there wouldn’t be anything

real in the Neighboring World.”
“……That’s a lot of trust. ……Well, let’s end that topic for now. Today,
the topic that’s been given priority over everything else is──”
“The White Queen, right?”
Ariadne nodded as she opened the door. Inside, Yukishiro Maya and
Miyafuji Oka were already waiting. Sagakure Yuri’s figure wasn’t
present.
“Ara. Where is the critical Dominion of the Seventh Region

Netzach?”
Miyafuji Oka nodded with a difficult look.
Page | 193
“Yeah. She said she was feeling a little sick.”
“……Can a Dominion even feel sick?”
“They can be. Although we Dominions can be compared to other

Quasi-Spirits in the Neighboring World……the intense strength of
being called that wouldn’t make it simple to get sick.”
“Even those disgusting Empties wouldn’t get sick.”
“Oka bluntly spoke out. Kurumi remembered about her in the Eight
Region Hod while staring sharply at Oka. Perhaps noticing Kurumi’s
feelings, Ariadne pulled on her sleeves.
“She’s not saying this maliciously.”
“Doesn’t that make it even more extreme then?”
“……A while ago, her region came under attack from the White
Queen. So her pride is a bit hurt.”
The reason why the White Queen could sneak into her region was
through manipulating the Empties.
Although the Sixth Region Tiphereth had purged the Empties and
temporarily restored stability, that loss still couldn’t be ignored.
“……I heard about Banouin-san. But she was a Dominion. That means
she couldn’t have been an Empty──”
Maya raised her hand in objection to Oka’s words.
“……I think Tokisaki Kurumi-san should know something about this

mystery.”
Page | 194
Maya stared at Kurumi with transparent pupils.
“Yes. ……Perhaps the person who knows that bet in the world is me.”
“Wait, before that, why are you a Spirit──”
“I’ll explain this in order. Of course, there are things I don’t want to
talk about. Is that fine?”
For example, things such as the nature of her own existence and
Hibiki’s painful wish.
Kurumi especially couldn’t say anything about Hibiki here. But for her
motivations of going to the other world, that could be said proudly
here.
Ariadne laid on the table while twirling her finger in a round loop.
“……No problem. We also don’t want to say too much here.”
“Now then──where to start. Let’s begin with Malkuth as the starting

point. ”
A lot had happened. Some parts were ridiculous and others were
sad.
And most importantly, there were the fights.
It was a rare long speech coming from Kurumi. However, most of it

wasn’t an emotional story, but rather information about the White
Queen’s specs.
For the Dominions, the White Queen was a complete enigma.

Page | 195
Defeating the Former Dominion Carte À Jouer in the Third Region
Binah and began invading the Spirits in other regions──no, Quasi-
Spirits.
“Inverted clone. ……I see. Although this phenomenon hasn’t been

seen in Quasi-Spirits, it makes sense that the White Queen is such an
existence.”
Certainly, Maya was nodding her head to that idea.
“However, the cause of inversion is still unknown. Could Tokisaki

Kurumi be the reason?”
“I may or may not be the reason. However, the one thing I can say is
my determination to kill her.
Although I am a traveler at best for this Neighboring World──as long

as she is an inverted clone, it must be settled between us.”
Maya and Oka both turned towards Ariadne at the same time.
“Hmm……probably true. There was some passion in your words just

now.”
“I’m a bit reluctant to accept my emotions being read……but can this

be used as proof of my veracity?”
“Can be. ……Is that all about the White Queen’s abilities?”
“There’s──”
Ariadne raised her head after sensing Kurumi’s slight hesitation.
Page | 196
“……Your ability really makes it awkward. Really, it’s just conjecture
right now rather than being confirmed. Under that premise, do you
still want to hear about it even though it may just be speculation?”
“Of course. Tokisaki Kurumi’s hypothesis would be useful no matter

how outrageous it is.”
After Maya said that, both Oka and Ariadne nodded in agreement.
“Alright then. It’s about how the White Queen is manipulating the
Empty. The answer is that she made them fall in love.”
There was a brief silence.
Finally, Maya asked a little hesitantly.
“……Fall in love?”
“Yes, that’s right. Yes, yes, of course even I admit it’s a ridiculous
notion, but the events in the Eighth Region Hod have made me come
to this conclusion.”
Kurumi described in detail about Banouin Kareha’s journey into

becoming an Empty until she eventually disappeared.
About how she fell in love.
Real love was taken away as she was implanted with a false love.
Under that pain and distress, Kareha chose to let herself disappear.
By the end of that story, all three of them had frozen expressions.
Among them, Oka’s expression turned so ghastly pale that she
looked like she was about to faint.
Page | 197
“……There’s something called a parasite over in the other world.
Some parasitic insects can even change their hosts’ original goals for
survival and force them to commit suicide. That’s exactly what she’s
doing.”
Ariadne looked down sadly.
“……To have been taken away. That’s……really sad.”
“In other words……isn’t it meaningless to just expel the Empty?”
Maya answered rather than Kurumi.
“No, that wasn’t for vain. Assuming what she says is true, I’ll make
further assumptions. There are different stages a Quasi-Spirit must
go through before becoming a slave of the White Queen.
Planting the feeling of love in the Quasi-Spirit and waiting for it grow
until they become an Empty and then finally her subordinate. As long
as the first and second stages are noticed, it may be possible to
suppress this change.”
“……Well, that is something you Dominions have to consider. Now

then, please give me the information about how to get to the First
Region Keter.”
“……”
The first person to speak was Oka.
“There are no clues in the Sixth Region Tiphereth. However, my

region is the central hub of the Neighboring World. If there is
Page | 198
information, it should come to me first. If there isn’t anything, that
means──”
“There are no clues, right?”
“……I don’t have any information in my Second Region Chokmah.

Well, in the first place my region has almost nothing but a library
tower.”
Hearing what Maya had said, Kurumi slanted her head.
“Library tower?”
“It’s the only building in my region. It’s where all the books in the
Neighboring World are collected.”
“……Is there any information about the First Region Keter written
there?”
“No, I’ve already read everything. So when I say no, I mean no.”
Kurumi sighed after hearing what Maya had said.
“No clues.”
“……I have a clue.”
As Ariadne raised her hand, everyone immediately became nervous.

Then, she spoke with a smile as if intending to destroy the current
atmosphere.
“The White Queen. Isn’t she also looking for the First Region Keter? If
so, if you find her, there’s bound to be some clues.”
“Ara, ara. Are those words intended for me to crush the White
Queen, Ariadne-san?”
Page | 199
“Completely correct.”
As if there was no malice, the girl smiled innocently.
“……As I said earlier, we’ll have to settle the score eventually. But to
be honest, there’s not much I can do right now. In any case, the
other side has countless troops. So, do you want to assist me? Of
course, I don’t think you have the right to refuse.”
“Of course.”
Oka nodded.
“……It can’t be avoided. But relatively speaking, I won’t be of much

use. After all, I’m not a Quasi-Spirit suitable for battle. If you want to
appeal to such violent means, those two are recommended.”
“What kind of Quasi-Spirits are you two?”
Hearing her question, both of them remained silent. Despite being

friendlier, she didn’t have their complete trust.
“Alright, then I’ll change the question. When I talked about the
White Queen earlier, didn’t I mention the three chess pieces
following her? Rook is the only one I have fought against──can you
openly assert that you can defeat her based only on my description?”
“I can win” (Oka) “Probably” (Ariadne) “It’ll be 50-50” (Maya)
Page | 200
“That’s fine enough. For me, the last thing I want to see is being
suppressed by numbers when fighting against the White Queen. If it
is just Empties, I can handle alone. But having three opponents on
the level of Rook would be……”
Even Rook alone was enough to make her struggle a bit.

Furthermore, the White Queen was the one who stood at the apex.
Even when discounting for any possible betrayal or switching sides, it
would be difficult to make them succumb.
Even the ever reliable Hibiki was no match against Rook. Cistus and
Carte À Jouer would be enough for one piece each, but that still
wasn’t enough.
Without at least one Dominion-class Quasi-Spirit joining the battle,

this unfavorable situation couldn’t be broken.
Oka raised her chest and spoke.
“Leave it to me, or rather to all of us. Every Dominion will spare no

effort ensuring the White Queen’s downfall.”
“Is that so? Wouldn’t it be difficult for the Ninth Region Yesod since
there is several non-combat type Quasi-Spirits there? The Eight
Region Hod is still a mess. The Seventh Region Netzach is also the
same. Yui-chan has already said that Yuri-chan isn’t good at
fighting……”
“Tsuan and Kagarike Haraka. There’s the two of them.”
Page | 201
“Tsuan-chan is in the Fifth Region Gevurah fighting against the
invading Empty from the Third Region Binah. Haraka-chan is
participating in the killing game in the Tenth Region Malkuth to find a
replacement Dominion as soon as possible.”
“Ara. The person called Kagarike Haraka is in the Tenth Region

Malkuth?”
“If that region is left in chaos, it’ll also have a negative effect on our
regions. All of the Quasi-Spirits in the Tenth Region Malkuth are bad
guys. When those who enrich their lives through killing each other
enter other regions, our security will become threatened.
Furthermore, it would be problematic if the White Queen took
advantage of the chaos to take control of the region.”
Maya summarized the situation calmly.
“That being said, what the three of us must do

together……if……that……actually works……”
Ariadne’s words gradually became choppier. It seemed her

drowsiness had reached its limit.
“So then it’s almost over. Ah, that’s right. Tokisaki Kurumi-san.”
Oka stood up and stretched out her hand.
“Thank you for the advice. Let’s fight together.”
After a little hesitation, Kurumi shook her hand.
Oka quietly left after gracefully bowing.
“──I’ll say good-bye as well. Ariadne Foxlot. Are you heading back
tomorrow as well?”
Page | 202
“Yes. Shall we accompany each other along the way?”
“……So be it.”
Maya also left the room. Only Ariadne and Kurumi were left. Those
two had just engaged in fierce battle not long ago.
“That went surprisingly smoothly.”
“That’s not true. I can feel that everyone is hiding something.”
“Ah, are you the same, Ariadne-san?”
Ariadne smiled slightly but didn’t answer Kurumi.
──Nevertheless, the friendly discussion between the Dominions and

Kurumi had concluded.
Starting from tomorrow, the siege against the White Queen was
about to commence.
Yukishiro Maya, Ariadne Foxlot, Miyafuji Oka──
If they moved in unison with Kurumi, even the White Queen would
have a difficult time.
But on the next day.
“Who……who did this!?”
An incident suddenly came that caused all of their plans to go away.
Page | 203
Sagakure Yuri was killed.
Page | 204
○What was Cut Down?
●──Tokisaki Kurumi’s Testimony
Let me see. After meeting with the Dominions, I returned to my

room. In addition to Hibiki-san, there was also Yui-san who saw my
face and greeted me before leaving the room. I was so tired that I
immediately went to sleep without talking to Hibiki-san.
Dreams……I didn’t have any.
A while after opening my closed eyelids, it was morning the next

time I noticed. No, even though it was morning, it was still night time
in the Seventh Region Netzach.
Then, after being shaken up by Hibiki-san, I used a triangle sleeper

hold. No, I got up gracefully.
After saying good-bye to Yuri-san, we were planning on leaving the

Seventh Region Netzach. So we asked Yui-san to take us to Yuri-san’s
room.
And then●──the corpse was found. That’s about it.
●──Higoromo Hibiki’s Testimony
Well, Kurumi-san went out to the meeting. I had nothing to do, so I

went to go talk to Yui-san.
Um, Yui-san was trying to cover her legs by pulling on her skirt. But I
told her that gesture would be more stimulating eroticism instead.
……Ahem, anyway. While we were talking like this, Kurumi-san

returned and Yui-san also left at around the same time.
Page | 205
Kurumi-san looked tired, so I went to bed right away. Then, because I
woke up earlier, I tried waking up Kurumi-san. But after shaking her,
she used a triangle sleeper hold on me. Don’t you think that was too
much?
Well anyway, somehow Kurumi-san was able to wake up and we

went to go drink some coffee.
Then, I decided to go greet Yuri-san with Kurumi-san, so we called

upon Yui-san. Yes, of course it was the same special model Yui-san
that I had spent all of yesterday chatting with.
Yui-san knocked on Yuri-san’s door, but there was no reply.
Yui-san twisted her neck and called out into Yuri-san’s room, but
there was still no reply.
For a moment, Yui-san stared into the open space and opened her
mouth. She whispered out
“strange” as she opened the door to the room.
Lock? Lock……there wasn’t a lock. Or at the very least, Yui-san

opened the door effortlessly.
After opening, Yuri-san……was found dead.
●──Sagakure Yui’s Testimony
……Yes. I did chat with Hibiki-san. The conversation with Hibiki-san

was mainly just gossiping.
Page | 206
I remember there were lots of topics related to Tokisaki-san.
Although she asked a few questions about my older sister……about
Yuri-sama, it was a question that I couldn’t answer.
It was very late when Kurumi-san returned, and I left the room
around the same time. Kurumi looked very tired and decided to
hurry up and go to bed.
Afterwards, just in case, I went to Yuri-sama’s room. After knocking,

there was a response telling me to enter standby mode and return
back to my room.
Shortly before the scheduled wake-up time, I was called upon by

Hibiki-san. I accepted her request to give her greetings to Yuri-sama.
I went to Yuri-sama’s room and knocked on the door as usual.
There was no response or feeling of a presence inside. Considering

the night before, I was about to take a break, but then I asked about
Yuri-sama from every mass produced Yui model present in the
mansion.
Since yesterday, there were no records of Yuri-sama leaving her

room. I had a bad feeling as I opened the door.
……Yes, although I had forgotten at the time, the door was supposed
to have been locked. But even if it was locked, I can pry the door
open, so the results wouldn’t have differed.
Sagakure Yuri……I found my sister’s corpse.
Although the body was lying on bed as if still asleep, the room was
covered in blood. So at the time, it was already possible to judge that
this was death rather than a serious injury.
Page | 207
Kurumi-san immediately fired her gun at the ceiling of the hallway.
Presumably, this was to alert the other Dominions of this anomaly.
Unsurprisingly, Oka-san and Maya-san rushed over immediately.

Ariadne-san looked quite sleepy as she was the last one to arrive. But
the time arrived was almost the same for all three of them. The time
difference was at most five minutes.
……Soon afterwards, the body disappeared.
●──Miyafuji Oka’s Testimony
My testimony or whatever. We went to sleep after the exchange

with Tokisaki Kurumi. I heard the sound of a gun and jumped out of
my bed to confirm what happened and hurried to the source of the
noise. Yukishiro Maya was trailing behind me while Ariadne was
following behind at a slower pace.
The tragedy of the room was of course seen with my own eyes. I also
confirmed the corpse.
It disappeared afterwards……
Tokisaki Kurumi really made a fine play. Thanks to her, I was able to
see Sagakure Yuri’s disappearance with my own eyes.
The other thing to talk about……no, never mind.
●──Yukishiro Maya’s Testimony
I’m basically the same as Miyafuji Oka.
Page | 208
……In response, let me make my own observations. Sagakure Yuri
disappeared at 7:32 pm.
There is a time lag of about ten seconds to ten minutes from data so
far of when a Quasi-Spirit is killed before annihilation.
Conversely, with ten minutes at most, everyone only has the alibi of
being ‘asleep’. So everyone is a suspect.
So, when confronted with the question of “who killed Sagakure

Yuri?”, everyone would have the same response.
The answer said would be──I don’t know.
Something doesn’t feel……right. The crime scene looks a little too

terrible. In that case, the sounds of a battle would have woken us
up……
I think we should first check if the rooms are soundproof.
●──Ariadne Foxlot’s Testimony
I don’t have anything particular to say.
Only, is it a possible suicide? Although the motivation is unknown,

was it because she was so depressed that she wanted to die?
Also──why she didn’t participate in the discussion about the White

Queen yesterday is also a mystery. Even physical discomfort isn’t
enough of a reason not to participate.
There are many mysteries.
Page | 209
What exactly happened?
The expressions of Kurumi and everyone else gathered in the

reception hall were all rigid.
Regardless, she was dead. The corpse disappeared and at the same
time the traces of blood were also wiped away, but no matter how
one phrased it, Sagakure Yuri was dead.
Moreover, there wasn’t any doubt this was definitely murder.
“So, staying just here is pointless. What are you all going to do?”
Kurumi opened her mouth to speak. Looking back at this attitude,

Oka’s gave a complication expression while staring back at her.
“……Of course, I’m not just going to stay here. It’s necessary to find
the culprit.”
“Yui-san, are you okay now?”
Yui, who remained frozen after being overwhelmed, straightened her

back slightly and nodded after her name was called out by Kurumi.
“Yes.”
“What sort of security does this building provide against intruders?”
“……Including my mass produced models, I regularly patrol and use

equipment like motion sensors. Additionally, the floor that measures
the weight of each Quasi-Spirit has confirmed that there were no
changes. From last night to this morning, there were no intruders
inside this building.”
Page | 210
As if to confirm this, Yui projected the data into the air.
Evidence of intruders──none.
Unknown errors or noise in sensors──none.
Yui sharply glanced at Kurumi, Hibiki, and the other Dominions.
“In other words, one of you killed Sagakure Yuri.”
Not surprisingly, a commotion was incited amongst everyone.
The first person to object that statement was Miyafuji Oka.
“Please wait. That may not necessarily be the case. Did one of the
Yuis break down and kill your master in an accident?”
“……We cannot go against Sagakure Yuri. Since the creation of the

mechanical doll, our sister has taken meticulous care managing
that.”
“But──”
“Miyafuji Oka. Don’t say any more. If it was an accident, they would
have reported it. We can only assume that the criminal did so with
malicious intent.”
Yukishiro Maya interjected.
“So then, who is the culprit?”
Page | 211
“This has to be investigated. There are quite the foreign elements in
the mansion today.”
Maya stared at Kurumi. Feeling the intent behind that gaze, Kurumi
lightly smiled back.
“Ara, ara. You’re talking as if I am the criminal.”
“You, or you guys.”
“Eh, me!?”
Hibiki jumped and pointed at herself.
“……I agree. If you had used your <King Killing> to replace a Sagakure
Yui, wouldn’t it have been not be suspicious to enter that room?”
Hearing what Oka had said, Hibiki furiously shook her head.
“Impossible, it’s completely impossible for me to have done it! My

<King Killing> needs a face to steal from! I would need to take it from
someone else!”
“──Um. May I say something?”
Sagakure Yui glared at Hibiki.
“Wh-what is it?”
“I have just confirmed one thing. One of my mass-produced units is

currently missing. I am currently searching now.”
“Eh……”
Page | 212
Everyone turned to Hibiki with a surprised look. Kurumi’s smile
disappeared while looking at the entrance.
“Ehhhh, so it means something like this? Hibiki-chan stole the face of

a mass-produced Yui-chan and went to Yuri-chan’s room looking for
an opportunity to kill her……”
“Impossible, that’s impossible! Don’t look at me like that; I’m just a

poor, fragile little girl!
Fighting against a Dominion is impossible for me!”
“……Um. Actually, Yuri-sama’s fighting ability is no different from an

ordinary non-combative Quasi-Spirit. There’s basically no defense if
she lifted her Astral Dress before going to asleep.”
Hearing Yui’s words, Hibiki, who had a twitching smile, soon realized
the seriousness of the matter. Everyone here didn’t have an alibi and
the one with the greatest chance of committing the crime was
herself.
“W-Wait a minute……”
“Stand right there and don’t move, Higoromo Hibiki.”
Maya took a step forward.
“Hibiki-san, over here.”
Kurumi called to her. Ariadne didn’t move, but Oka and Maya were
standing together. The atmosphere grew tense. Both sides had faces
that looked irreconcilable to each other.
At this point, Ariadne stepped in.
Page | 213
“Well, well. It’s still too early to draw conclusions now. If just talking
about possibilities, both I and Maya-chan won’t be exempt. Oka-
chan……hmm, if she has the ability to conceal herself.
Moreover──”
Ariadne glanced as if trying to provoke Kurumi.
“Isn’t ten minutes sufficient enough for Kurumi-chan as well?”
“I was planning on leaving the Seventh Region Netzach right away.

Shouldn’t I lack a motive to kill Yuri-san?”
“That’s it.”
Ariadne pointed at Kurumi as if identifying the culprit.
“For example, if Yuri-chan went back on the promise this morning,

wouldn’t you have a motive for killing her?”
“That’s a pointless guess. I won’t accept this speculation.”
Hibiki noticed.
Already, everyone was at the brink. Soon there will be no choice but
to fight and kill each other.
But, Hibiki pointed out the one thing that everyone had forgotten.
“Um, I think there is a bigger suspect.”
Page | 214
Those words were destructive enough to deter everyone from
fighting. Everyone’s gazes concentrated on Hibiki.
“That Queen, the White Queen. Can’t that person infiltrate

everywhere? Wouldn’t that Queen be the only person who could kill
a Dominion without any signs of presence?”
“……But, in this situation she has no reason to kill Sagakure Yuri. We

also don’t have a reason──”
“There is one. Because I am here. Hmm, considering her thought

process, she must be trying to stir internal strife. Once that happens,
I won’t be able to retreat, and wouldn’t at least two people on your
side be killed?”
“That’s on the premise that you’ll win. You don’t even know my
ability──”
“I don’t know, but I will still win.”
Kurumi replied while straightening out her chest. Oka couldn’t help
but remain silent. But in any case, everyone’s thoughts were diverted
from immediate conflict at least for the time being.
“Certainly, if we all fall here, there’s no doubt that the White Queen
would be the happiest one.
However, it isn’t necessarily her who has done this.”
“……She has the power to lure people into a false love, remember? If
that’s the case, there’s the high possibility that someone under that
power is the murder.”
Page | 215
“Ah──”
Hibiki covered her mouth.
Certainly, as Maya had said, this would be the safer option for the
White Queen.
“Also……if everyone is convinced with my guess, I have one

proposal.”
“Proposal?”
“Let Tokisaki Kurumi do the investigation. Let her investigate who

killed Sagakure Yuri.”
After hearing Maya’s proposal, both Oka and Ariadne blinked

unexpectedly.
“……Can you trust me?”
“It is you who told us what the White Queen is capable of. Logically,
if you were on the Queen’s side, there’s no point in revealing her
abilities. Moreover, you have given the most reasonable
understanding of the White Queen’s actions so far.”
“Hmm……no way to refute that.”
Ariadne muttered to herself.
“Please hold on. I have no intention of pretending to be a

detective……”
Page | 216
At the very moment she saw where this conversation was heading,
Kurumi wanted to refuse.
“I agree with that opinion.”
No one was present, but a familiar voice was echoing from the
ceiling.
“That voice just now was……!?”
“I am the emergency deputy Dominion of the Seventh Region

Netzach, AI = Yuri. A system in this building that automatically
activates after the death of Sagakure Yuri.”
“Yuri……sama……?”
“Hearing the conversation of everyone after the death. Judging that

the emergency is ongoing, this mansion will be closed off.
Transferring authority of mass produced type Yui models to Yuri.
To solve this situation, Tokisaki Kurumi is appointed as first-class

system administrator. Please solve the mystery of Sagakure Yuri’s
death.”
“……Yui-san?”
Yui shook her head in surprise.
“I-I didn’t know……about this, Yuri-sama never told this……to me……

Authority of the massed produced types……transferred……?”
As Hibiki turned her head around, several murmurs were heard.
Page | 217
The mass produced Yui models all gathered at the entrance door.
Countless inorganic eyes were watching them.
“Yuri-san, I want to ask a question. What happens if I intend to reject

the detective role and try to forcefully breakthrough?”
“The only energy source for the mass-produced models is a Nitro

Dress. 103 mass produced Yui models are currently active. If
exploded simultaneously, regardless of what happens to Tokisaki
Kurumi, there is a 99% chance of at least Higoromo Hibiki dying in
the process.”
“Gya! Being blown away in the crossfire would be awful!”
“……”
“──I cannot tell lies like a Quasi-Spirit. If Tokisaki Kurumi intends to

flee, I will detonate them all.”
“Looks like you’re serious, this AI……”
Then, Kurumi considered it for a while. She didn’t feel getting

involved in the matter of Sagakure Yuri was too good. But just like
Yukishiro Maya had said, the possibility of the White Queen
intervening likely meant that this wouldn’t go off without a hitch.
“Yes, yes. I understand. I will solve this case.”
“Thank you. Then, I hope that everyone will stay in this mansion and
not leave. Of course, that won’t restrict everyone’s freedom in here.”
With that said, Yuri’s voice suddenly disappeared.
“Um, I don’t want to say this. But your older sister seems to have had
a strange thought process.”
Page | 218
Hearing what Hibiki had said, Yui wondered what facial expression
would be good in response.
“Well, everyone. There should be no complaints, right? I will solve

this case. Let me investigate, interrogate, identify the culprit, and
hang her up indiscriminately.”
“……Are we also suspects?”
“I’m not satisfied, but it can’t be helped.”
“──Stop it, both of you. Yuri is right. Here is where we need to have
Kurumi-san search for the culprit.”
All three of them had a different response. Hibiki nervously observed

the three Dominion facing Kurumi.
Yukishiro Maya──she had an unconvinced, but understandable look.

Although she hated being treated as a suspect, she wasn’t hostile.
Ariadne Foxlot──she made no secret of her discomfort. But on the

other hand, she gave a sort of sarcastic smile that felt ambiguous for
both allies and enemies.
Miyafuji Oka──she still looked a bit uncomfortable even though she

expressed her understanding.
On the other side, the special model Sagakure Yui had a look that
combined both confusion and sorrow.
Sadness……that was something Hibiki could be easily understood.

Sagakure Yuri dying was something that even a doll could feel
Page | 219
sorrowful about. Perhaps the confusion was due to not being able to
keep up with the turbulence of this situation.
Well, it was difficult even for herself to keep following these

circumstances.
What sort of development would lead to an AI Yuri threatening to

bomb them if they didn’t solve the mystery?
“……Maybe it’s better to take it one step at a time……”
Hibiki quietly whispered to herself.
“It really feels a bit shameful to say this. But if the White Queen is
involved in this incident, we cannot turn back. Now then──first of all,
Yui-san.”
“Y-Yes!”
“I want to investigate the room. After investigating, I want to check

up on the video feed from the surveillance cameras. Now then,
Yukishiro-san.”
“?”
“? What? Ah, before you used an Unsigned Angel to prevent

cheating. Please use that.”
“……What do you mean?”
Page | 220
“Monitor us for wrongdoing. And above else, make us pledge we
have not committed any crime.
Is that okay?”
After briefly considering it over, Maya nodded her head.
“Break the seal──The Fourth Book <Light Law Apostles>. I declare

that I will not take any action to disrupt the Sagakure Yuri murder
case. If I break this vow, my cheeks will be cut by a blade.”
A pair of chains from the golden scales bound Maya to the vow.
“──Oath accepted. Cheek will be torn if you take an action to impede

the investigation.”
“……Now, I’d like to start the investigation……but there’s one more

thing I want to say before that.”
Maya looked surprised as she pointed at Kurumi.
“What’s with that look?”
Kurumi’s Astral Dress had changed form. What she was wearing
today wasn’t her usual black and Elegant <Elohim> or even the
bunny girl outfit. It was a deerstalker cap and a brown trench coat.
That’s right; it was a cosplay of the world’s greatest detective,
Sherlock Holmes.
“It’s all about the proper mindset, the mindset.”
“I also want to change my clothes, but what should I wear for a Mr.
Watson cosplay? I wonder if Mrs. Hudson would be better instead.”
Page | 221
“Hibiki-san, please do that, along with the speckled band.”
“That wouldn’t be even human anymore!?”
“……Is it really going to be okay……”
Anyway, the investigation had begun.
“Then let’s make a quick search of the room……but isn’t that right?”
“There’s nothing here.”
There was nothing in Sagakure Yuri’s room besides a bed and a table
(accompanied by a single chair). Both of them were stunned at the
simplicity of the room compared to where they had spent the night.
Of course, all of the bloodstains had disappeared and there was no
evidence of her being here.
“Yuri-sama……just went back to sleep here.”
“But it’s true that she died here. Unless that was an illusion.
……Hibiki-san, do you remember the scene at that time?”
“Ah, yes. Of course, I remember. I remember that it was here……she

was sleeping just like this.”
Hibiki said while lying on the bed.
“There was blood everywhere. Was she killed here, or was she killed
elsewhere and it was deliberately sprinkled here? Hmm, it’s a
mystery.”
Page | 222
“If she died elsewhere, wouldn’t the blood have disappeared on the
spot?”
“There’s the possibility of immediately transferring into this room

after killing. Well, then the question becomes why it was necessary
to do that, and──”
Kurumi picked up the pillow on the bed.
“Now then. The Tenth Bullet <Yud>.”
A shadowy bullet passed through the pillow and Kurumi’s head. Sure
enough, even though it was the second time seeing this, Maya
watched attentively without changing expression.
The memories of the pillow were being reproduced right before

Kurumi’s eyes. The memories burned into Kurumi’s mind just like a
roll of analog film.
Of course, most of the memories were useless and therefore

skipped. Just as Yui had said, this was always a place used for
sleeping. At the very least, she needed to focus on the memories of
last night.
However──
A sudden chill, a silhouette was looking at the pillow. A huge eyeball,

there was an object moving at a tremendous speed. Like something
out of a horror movie, a monster gave a deadly stare.
“────! The Fourth Bullet <Dalet>.”
Page | 223
Immediately, Kurumi fired another shadowy bullet at herself. Hibiki,
who was laying down, and Maya hurriedly rushed over to Kurumi.
“Kurumi-san!?”
“……Invaded and contaminated (cracks), to make a fool out of me.”
“What happened?”
Kurumi looked at the pillow with some dread.
“The criminal predicted that I would try to read the memory of the
pillow and prepared a trap for me. It seems to have been intended to
destroy my mind.”
“……That means.”
“This culprit knows about my ability quite well.”
Out of all of <Zafkiel>’s abilities, the Tenth Bullet <Yud> was the most
suitable for searching for the murderer. If the murderer’s weapon
was left at the scene of the crime, she just needed to shot at it to
read its memory. No, just shooting the remnants of the crime scene
ought to be enough.
“……Can the Tenth Bullet <Yud> still be used?”
After hesitating for a bit, Kurumi shook her head.
“It can’t be used anymore. It was truly a moment of life or death just
a moment ago and I may not be so fortunate next time. We’ll need
to use another method to find the culprit.”
“By the way, what did you see?”
Page | 224
“Something beyond description. The problems of having movement
take precedence over form.
If Hibiki-san saw it, she would have died after vomiting out all of her
bodily fluids.”
“That’ll be a horrible way to go out……”
“──So then, what’s next?”
“Of course, it must be through interviews. Hibiki-san, everyone

including us must give their testimonies. Only though──”
Kurumi sighed while staring at the vacant room.
“I hope that this culprit can be defeated logically. Well, that sounds
unlikely.”
──And so, everyone gave their testimony.
Hibiki looked at everyone’s recorded testimony while scratching her

head.
“Hmm……this is impossible to have been done without using an

Unsigned Angel.”
“That’s right.”
Looking at the memo from behind Hibiki, Kurumi also agreed.

Generally speaking, the time it takes for a Quasi-Spirit to die and
then disappear is very brief. The shortest time meant immediately
Page | 225
after death while the longest was around 10 minutes. Moreover, it
was confirmed that she was at least alive seven hours ago last night.
The main issue came from the surveillance camera.
“No one has entered her room since seven hours ago. It was me and
Kurumi-san who entered the room last──”
“Ten minutes ago someone killed her using an Unsigned Angel and
then secretly left the room……”
“That’s very reasonable as speculation. It is indeed possible to say

that if it can be done. But even so.”
“Yes, yes. It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense at all. Why
did this person choose to kill her in this situation? Even if it was to
stir internal conflict, the risks are too great.”
“While we certainly were about to fight against each other, wasn’t it

also possible that the situation would go the complete opposite
direction? Um.”
Going by the flow of the conversation, at that moment there was no

chance of fighting against each other when they were finally thinking
about taking down the White Queen.
“Maya-san, I have a question. At the time of the conversation, did

you feel any intentions guiding it?”
Hearing Kurumi’s question, Maya went to immediately reject the

notion.
“Absolutely not, please look at this.”
Page | 226
In order to let Kurumi see it clearly, Maya projected the conversation
of when Sagakure Yuri was killed into the air.
“You, Ariadne, I, and Oka, almost all of us were speaking under the
drive of emotion and reason.
There was only one point of unnatural guidance. That was what
Higoromo Hibiki said at the end.
But her goal was to calm us down, so that point can be ignored.”
Phrasing it like that, Kurumi could also understand. Speech

exchanged during communication was not the same as speech
intended for guidance. During a natural conversation, deliberate
guidance always leads to artificial emotions and expressions.
Kurumi had carefully observed everyone’s face at that moment.

There was nothing artificial, everything felt natural.
“……Hmm, indeed……”
“That means sure enough it must be the ability of an Unsigned Angel.

Isn’t that within the realm of possibilities with Maya-san’s Unsigned
Angel?”
“Even if there was──oops, that’s no good. In order to not hinder the

investigation, I suppose I have to tell you. ……I have ten books in
total. Each number corresponds to the foundation and underlying
Spirit genus of each region.”
Page | 227
“So something like the Ninth Book can manipulate sound, is that
right?”
Maya nodded just like a drinking bird toy.
“Hmm. That’s about right. Able to use all of the Quasi-Spirit powers
in a well-balanced manner, that is me.”
“Isn’t that the same as being jack-of-all trades and master of none?”
“…………Can be used in a balanced manner…………”
“Hey, Maya-san’s mood is plummeting! Kurumi-san! That’s the sort

of truth you shouldn’t say in front of a person!”
“Way to twist the knife further, Hibiki-san.”
For a period of time after that, Maya kept muttering, “I am well-

balanced……” to herself.
“So Oka-san, what is the ability of your Unsigned Angel?”
“Hate me all you like for not speaking, but I’m using my right to
remain silent!”
Miyafuji Oka said that while trying to sound intimidating. While that
may have been her intention, Kurumi felt it was a little cute.
“Well, that’s excusable.”
Hibiki shrugged while saying that.
Page | 228
“So then, let me change the question. Is it possible for you to kill
Sagakure Yuri without our knowledge?”
Oka hesitated on answering. Kurumi quickly picked up on that from

her awkward expression.
“So it is possible then?”
“……It depends on the method. But if it were me……the corpse would

have become something different altogether……”
“Something different?”
Faced with Kurumi’s question, Oka waved her hand.
“The main thing is that……it would have been more grotesque than
what you saw.”
“Hmm, so it was done, then the shape of the corpse would have
been different. Thank you for you answer, Miyafuji-san.”
“Do you believe me?”
“Yes, of course I believe you.”
Kurumi had already discovered that Miyafuji Oka was not the best at
lying. She couldn’t say for sure, but it may have been a little too
difficult to consider her to be the criminal.
“Ariadne-san, you──”
“Hmm……isn’t it impossible?”
Page | 229
Before Kurumi could finish, Ariadne had already given the answer. It
could be even said that she was the most suspicious candidate.
“……Can you do it?”
“If it is just killing. After all, I can control body temperature even
through the wall.”
“Hmm. Generally speaking, humans will die if their body

temperature exceeds 50 degrees. There should be no difference
between Quasi-Spirits and humans on that point. Of course, it’s
another matter if an Astral Dress is equipped, but the limits of the
human body shouldn’t change.”
Even if there is an Astral Dress that could withstand thousands of

degrees, if not worn then the person would still die on the spot once
body temperature exceeded 50 degrees.
“Yes. Basically people would already lose consciousness at around 43

degrees, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“In other words, you think Ariadne-san is the culprit?”
“Hmm……what do you think, Kurumi-chan?”
“Whether you can’t or won’t do it are two completely separate

concepts. And there is one more problem remaining. Regardless of
suffering from a surprise attack, it’s impossible to not run into some
level of resistance. Not to mention with both sides being Dominions,
shouldn’t you have a certain understanding of each other’s
abilities?”
Page | 230
“Well. Even if I were to try and kill Yuri-chan with my abilities, I
would run into resistance first.
The Yuri-chan’s Astral Dress is so durable that it would take around

five seconds (if worn), and that would give her enough time to plan
countermeasures.”
Ariadne said that in one second for becoming aware of the attack, in
two seconds for recognizing the attacker, in three seconds to think
up of a countermeasure, and the remaining two seconds are enough
to put a fight.
“But if it’s through the wall, the precision won’t be particularly

accurate. So it’s difficult to say.”
“Oka-san said something similar. While theoretically possible, there

also some sort of shortcoming. Incidentally, it’s impossible for me.
Even passages created from the shadows can’t be used to pass
through walls.”
Kurumi had innocently lied. Actually she could pass through walls by
manipulating the shadows.
But she wasn’t stupid enough to say that on the occasion where she
was still under suspicion.
Although Hibiki looked like she wanted to say something, Kurumi

winked at her to keep quiet.
“That means everyone is equally suspicious, with everyone having

some means that can be played, which can then lead to being
implicated. Ah, but I am the exception.”
“Wouldn’t you have the power to do so if you used <King Killing>?”
Page | 231
“Ah, Kurumi-san is being too ill-tempered. Didn’t I say it before? I
won’t be myself anymore if I completely steal someone else’s power.
I’ll become the person that I plundered.”
“You can’t revert back?”
“I don’t think a miracle will happen for a second time.”
Once, there was a miracle in the Tenth Region Malkuth. But they had
mutual consent then. One person abandoned what was seized and
returned it. The other no longer despaired and accepted what was
returned.
After all, what was needed is mutual understanding.
Without this, Higoromo Hibiki was just a weak and helpless Quasi-
Spirit.
“Hibiki-san is not weak at all. She has to be very strong. For

example──”
“Don’t say gorilla!”
“……Actually, I wanted to say orangutan.”
“You wanted to say gorilla, but switched it at the last moment after I
caught on!”
“No, no. There’s absolutely no such thing.”
Seeing Kurumi doing as she pleased and Hibiki flying into a rage,
Ariadne looked on at both of them with keen interest.
Page | 232
Likely noticing her gentle gaze, Kurumi coughed a few times.
“Anyway, thank you Ariadne-san. That only leaves three more

people.”
“Three? One of them is Sagakure Yui-chan, right? Who are the other
two?”
“The mass produced Yui-san models and──Yuri-san. Those two are

obviously important as well.”
The special model Yui blinked her eyes.
──Sagakure Yui was a mechanical doll made by Sagakure Yuri.
And the special models even surprisingly had emotions. But on the
contrary, she didn’t even have any taboo code. Like a Quasi-Spirit
that couldn’t disobey, she had to follow her master’s orders.
“Live freely. That’s enough.”
That’s what Yuri first said to her after she opened her eyes.
But for a mechanical doll, living freely was an incomprehensible

concept. So at the time, she probably questioned the other special
model Yui──and got this answer.
Their role was just this.
Seeing it like that, Yui understood.
Page | 233
In general, they were important assets and weapons for the Seventh
Region Netzach.
In order for the Seventh Region Netzach to survive, they had to

undertake the task of information gathering.
There was not distaste, fatigue, or exhaustion.
There was only the slight fear when death arrived. And even this fear
gradually faded through constant synchronization.
Yuri said that she loved Yui.
She loved both the mass produced and first class models.
The surrounding Quasi-Spirits considered her to be a little broken

and strange siscon, but Yui didn’t think so.
It wasn’t just a little, but she was completely broken.
It would just take one example for a person to understand. She had
missed her little sister so much, that I reappeared in this world as a
mechanical doll.
While that certainly wasn’t ethnically correct, it was still logically

sounded. She was trying to fill up the feeling of sadness in her heart
with comfort.
However, she mass produced Sagakure Yui.
Separating them in first class and mass produced types, she let them
play out their missions. And let that consume them. That sort of
thing──in any case was already a complete logical failure.
Despite having already lost her little sister, she let even the one
filling the roles of that sister continually die.
Page | 234
Dozens of special class models have been produced and most of
them have died in their missions.
Some of them were killed by the White Queen’s minions, while

others never returned back from the killing games in Malkuth.
In the case of the mass produced models, they often died without
any trouble. Breaking apart, sometimes that happened when
intervening between conflicts of different Quasi-Spirits. In other
times, they died simply because of accidents.
Death, death, death──as her little sister, Sagakure Yuri died over and
over again.
That’s why Sagakure Yui felt it was strange. However, she seemed to
be the only one to recognize this. The other Sagakure Yui, regardless
of type, naturally believed that a “so-called little sister should be like
this”.
──Is there something wrong with me?
Even when she saw the corpse, she was shocked rather than sad.
Was that because she was a mechanical doll?
She wanted to cry.
She thought that she would cry. But the tears wouldn’t spill and
there was no stagnation in her testimony. Even wanting to catch the
culprit came only from a sense of duty.
Page | 235
──I am a shallow existence that wouldn’t be sad even if my sister
dies.
That was what Sagakure Yui vaguely thought. Even the mass
produced Yui models that couldn’t feel sad wouldn’t have a reason
to feel sad anymore.
Rather, it was as if she felt a sense of relief.
Bishop found it to be a little difficult.
Cause discord or assassinate. Certainly, there had been such a plan.
However, as long as Tokisaki Kurumi was here, there was a need to

concentrate on the investigation. There was a desire to uncover both
her strengths and weaknesses.
……With the White Queen’s “replacement” for the first time in a

while, they had changed their strategical approach. Instead of
actively promoting an invasion, the concept was now focused on
infiltration.
Originally, she had come to the Seventh Region Netzach to discuss

information about the White Queen.
Because when it comes to Tokisaki Kurumi, it must be in the Seventh

Region Netzach.
Unsurprisingly, she came to the casino……but as expected, she was

very alert.
Page | 236
Lurking in the shadows, another person (Cistus) was prepared for any
attack.
In the first place, it was impossible to bring their army into the
Therefore, this contact should have at least been done in a robust

manner.
Obviously, that should have been the case.
“What happened……?”
Someone has killed Sagakure Yuri.
This led to a conflict between the Dominions and Tokisaki Kurumi,

which then led to a situation where she would investigate all of them
as a detective.
Although she wasn’t the culprit, she was also a servant of the White
Queen.
If examined, this may become revealed. This disguise may be seen

through.
The envoy of the White Queen, the noblest out of the three
messengers──Bishop.
Tokisaki Kurumi was an existence that even the White Queen

couldn’t kill.
She was by herself and it was certain that the other Dominions
would also be participating in this conflict.
They weren’t opponents that she could beat.
Page | 237
That being said, it was impossible to just run away now. Not only
would she be mistaken as Sagakure Yuri’s killer, but her identity as
Bishop may also be exposed during the escape.
Right now, the White Queen’s army was scattered everywhere. The
Dominions were being led by the nose. Even half of the Fifth Region
Gevurah was already under the control of the White Queen.
This was all thanks to the information she’s provided as well as the
passageways she’s created.
She wasn’t afraid to die.
If she was afraid of death, she wouldn’t be the White Queen’s

subordinate. It was the same for Rook or Knight.
Death was not scary. There were countless alternatives for herself.
However──Bishop understood as one of the three executives. Some

of these replacements were hopeless and useless.
And she wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything.
Fighting and then losing, a meaningless death with what meager

resistance she could offer.
……That thought alone was terrifying.
The White Queen only remembered useful pieces. But if she wasn’t
useful──it was impossible for the White Queen to remember a piece
that couldn’t do anything. It should be like this. Why would you
remember someone who did nothing?
Page | 238
I have to be useful.
I must be useful.
But──what should be done for that──
Ah, her head was confused. She couldn’t even concentrate thinking
at all. Even the memory of joyfully serving the Queen was becoming
murky. What should I do, what should I do……
“──You are the Queen’s subordinate.”
There was a voice coming from the ceiling.
“……!”
Holding a weapon──gazing at the ceiling.
“Please calm down. The Queen’s subordinate, I am not an enemy.”
──Just now, what did this person say?
“If I am really against you, I would have informed Tokisaki Kurumi by

now. However, she is still focused on the investigation. If you still
have doubts, go out and see for yourself.”
Not an enemy?
Bishop was left bewildered. Of course, the White Queen often did
things without telling them.
But, but──
Page | 239
“I have inherited Sagakure Yuri’s last wish as an AI. As such, I have
concluded that it is best to work with you for this.”
Sagakure Yuri’s last wish? Bishop frowned while holding her

suspicion.
“In order to fulfill that last wish, there is one thing that must be
done. I hope you can make Tokisaki Kurumi──”
I want you to get rid of her. She had asked.
Bishop froze. What was she saying? Kill Tokisaki Kurumi in this
situation?
“Of course, I will cooperate. I am in charge of the control system for

this entire mansion. So make a plan, and you and I will be
accomplices from here on out.”
Those words were certainly persuasive. Of course, there must be an

ulterior motive for this. But attacking Tokisaki Kurumi was also an
irresistible temptation.
And most importantly, Bishop had no choice.
She had already been threatened. If she was starting to doubt her
own identity, Tokisaki Kurumi and the other Dominions would no
doubt come to the same conclusion after investigating. If exposed as
Bishop, everything would end regardless if she wasn’t the culprit.
And something useless wouldn’t be remembered……!
I accept.
Bishop made that declaration in humiliation.
Page | 240
Sagakure Yuri was killed. A simple fact, but it was one that created
complexity in countless ways. She was a Dominion and the mansion
was under her close surveillance with many other Dominions
present. And most importantly──
“I’m here, what’s the matter.”
“……Has our existences here also help contribute to this complexity?”
“Yes, yes. Now then──”
Kurumi suddenly closed her mouth, grabbing Hibiki’s arm and

throwing her into the shadows without any questions.
“Fugya!?”
Besides that wailing noise, Kurumi gracefully fell into the bottom of
the shadow.
“One more thing, that AI Yuri is suspicious.”
“……Did you enter the shadows just to avoid that AI?”
“Yes. If her voice can be heard from the ceiling, doesn’t that mean
she can hear every voice within the mansion? Considering the
number of surveillance cameras, it’s natural to assume being spied
on in the rooms.”
“But isn’t it more suspicious to hide in the shadows……”
“It’s better than being eavesdropped on. Well, first of all, this is
strange.”
Page | 241
“Do you mean all three of them are suspicious?”
“If it is suspicion, we are both the same. Rather, why doesn’t this AI
point out the culprit in the first place?”
It was because of starting up after her death.
“Isn’t the story of starting up after death strange? What is that AI for
anyway?’
“Eh. No, now that you mention it!”
“……The three Dominions are indeed suspicious. But the most

suspicious person is undoubtedly Sagakure Yuri. I even wonder if
she’s really dead.”
“A camouflaged suicide……?”
Certainly, Hibiki also agreed to this. That was the most questionable
thing.
“Yuri-san chose a sham death in order to achieve some sort of goal.

That’s why we became witnesses. ……Early in the morning, I wanted
to say good-bye and found the corpse. Even in the Neighboring
World, that sort of thing seems too unreasonable to be a mere
accident.”
“Maybe. If it wasn’t an accident, was it intended for us to see?”
“I think so.”
Page | 242
Hearing Kurumi’s words caused them to reevaluate the situation
again. ……Kurumi and Hibiki wanted to say good-bye before leaving
the Seventh Region Netzach. That sort of thing was completely
predictable. But what wasn’t clear was when they would do so.
They may have said their good-byes over breakfast (or dinner in the
case of the Seventh Region Netzach) or perhaps they would have
waited out in the hallway rather than going directly to her room.
Nevertheless, she died at the very moment where Kurumi and Hibiki
could testify that she died.
The timing was too good.
“……If that’s the case, then Yuri-san became Yuri through a fake
suicide?
“But that also leaves us the question of why she made us the
detectives.”
“Indeed, it is a contradiction to lock up the mansion and appoint us

to solve the murder.”
Was she convinced that Kurumi and Hibiki would never reach the
truth?
No, then she won’t have pushed the detective role onto them
otherwise.
“……Ah, I’m thinking up an endless loop. What should we do Kurumi-

san?”
Page | 243
The moment they reached a truth, there was an opposing fact about
that truth.
Who was the culprit and the truth of how the walls in the room were
overcome.
Even if that person wasn’t the culprit, it was still a fact that she made
Kurumi and Hibiki act as detectives.
“Then there’s only one thing to do. Delve into the facts. To do
that──”
Kurumi glanced at Hibiki.
Hibiki tightly gripped her fist to showcase her motivation……but this

time she couldn’t be helpful.
After being identified as an assistant, she could escape playing the

part of the clueless helper. In any case, there was one more person
now added. Even if she (Yuri) might be standing opposite to them
now……
“Whether or not we can trust her……alright, we’ll need to talk to

her.”
Sitting across from the table, Sagakure Yui felt a burning sensation
travel up her face. Was she had maybe considered an alert look──or
perhaps it was viewed as a hostile one.
“……Um……uh…...”
Page | 244
Yui felt her words grow more incoherent as her eyes tried to glance
away.
“I’m sorry to ask this of you so suddenly, Yui-san. Can you assist me
in my investigation?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Yui-san is a mechanical doll, correct?”
“……Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m a little puzzled, but what is the difference between you and an
ordinary Quasi-Spirit.”
“I’m not the same. My blood is artificial and I have no sense of pain.
And above all else we can synchronize with the mass produced and
first class types.”
“Synchronize?”
“That is to say, the experiences and memories obtained by each

model can be shared with each other.”
“Ah, I see. So that’s why you’re so rich in emotions.”
“……Yes.”
Was she really rich in emotions? That was something that even she
didn’t fully understand about herself. But even though it felt a little
out of place, Tokisaki Kurumi had asked if she was “rich in emotions”.
“Then let me ask you right now. Do you have a method or motive for
killing your older sister Sagakure Yuri?”
Page | 245
“No. My Unsigned Angel <Shichihōgiyōjiya> can only temporarily seal
the senses of the target.
It is impossible for me to kill Yuri-sama in an instant.”
“Is that also the same for the mass produced Yui models?”
“No. Their weapons don’t have the abilities of my Unsigned Angel.”
“They…… Do you feel yourself different from the mass produced

Yuis?”
It felt as if time had stopped.
That question was a burden that Yui had always carried.
“I……”
“Well. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. You feel
distressed about their affairs.
Understanding that is enough.”
“What are you──”
Kurumi ignored Yui’s question. She stared at Yui──while Yui looked

back at her eyes.
Yui felt as if she heard a ticking sound coming from the clock on her
pupil.
“……So this is my last question. Do you want to know the truth?”
Page | 246
“……I want to know. No matter how cruel it is.”
Kurumi suddenly laughed and snapped her fingers.
“?”
It was the feeling of being swallowed as something grabbed her

ankle. There wasn’t even enough time to scream or swing her
weapon as she was helplessly pulled into the shadows.
“Who!”
“Wait, wait! Yui-san, it’s me Higoromo Hibiki!”
As Yui was preparing for pain, Hibiki lifted up her arms and shouted.
“Hibiki-san……?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry to have scared you. Usually I’m on the opposite end
as well, so even I wanted to do it once to someone else……”
“That’s a frightening reason to scare such an adorable girl. By the

way, Hibiki-san isn’t cute, so there are no problems there.”
“That’s saying too much! …...So, Yui-san, are you okay now?”
“I have a request.”
“A request?”
“Actually. ──────────”
Page | 247
As Yui was still confused, Kurumi softly whispered into her ear. Yui’s
eyes widened upon hearing the request.
“That would be────”
Wouldn’t that be a betrayal of her older sister?
“Do you think so?”
“……Yes.”
Although hesitant, Yui still replied. Regardless of her personal

distrust, Yuri was very responsible as the Dominion of the Seventh
Region Netzach. She couldn’t imagine a betrayal.
On the other hand, Kurumi’s findings were also very convincing.

Indeed, the theory that the other Dominions were the culprit felt like
something was wrong. And she did feel that Yuri was hiding
something.
“This is not betrayal. To believe in her, you must confirm it for

yourself.”
Those words broke her psychological defense.
Sagakure Yui wanted to believe in Sagakure Yuri as well as the AI

Yuri. So this was not betrayal.
She had already convinced herself of that.
“──I understand. I’ll go fetch those two now.”
As Yui disappeared, Hibiki asked Kurumi.
“Is Yui-san going to be okay?”
Page | 248
“That person, while a mechanical doll, is rich in emotions. So I do
think she will easily accept this status quo…….yes, yes. That’s more
than I expected.”
“Tokisaki Kurumi (me) has a single goal. In order to achieve that, we

are not afraid of death.
However, for them──that is to say for Sagakure Yui’s mass produced

models, they don’t even have a sense of purpose. ……There is a robot
with the same face as herself. If that were the case for Hibiki-san,
how would you feel?”
“Hmm……uhh……to be honest, I would feel a little sick.”
A clone was fine enough. For example, with Cistus, she had her own
thoughts and personality despite having the same face as Kurumi-
san. She could even talk about Kurumi’s charms all night with a
different Hibiki. However, it would be a different story if that clone
was a mass produced robot.
Hibiki felt that would be──terrible.
“The mass produced Yui-san has been treated quite roughly. How
could she do that to something with the same face as her sister?
That is my question. And during our discussion, I learned that the
first class Yui-san also had the same question.”
Page | 249
“Ah, I see. So that’s why you think it is fine.”
“Of course, it is also a gamble. But doesn’t that somehow feel

suitable for the Seventh Region Netzach?”
Ufufu, Kurumi softly laughed.
Hibiki held her breath as her body felt a little chilly.
This has always been the case since arriving at this mansion.
Page | 250
○Thus the Mansion Collapses
Chance, she was waiting for that opportunity.
As Yuri had said so, Bishop began to wait for that opportunity.
Tokisaki Kurumi rarely had any openings. But rarely didn’t mean
never.
There are inevitably blanks that occur unconsciously, which then

leads to careless mistakes.
After that, she would strike first.
She would use all of the power of her Unsigned Angel to kill her
relentlessly.
──But when exactly would this opportunity appear?
Yuri remained silent. Bishop followed behind Kurumi while

suppressing her anxiety.
“Kurumi-san, what are you going to do now?”
In response to Higoromo Hibiki’s question, Kurumi shrugged and

whispered.
“……Well, since the opponent is likely a subordinate of the White

Queen, it is better to take the initiative than wait……”
Kurumi and Hibiki were having a conversation. She didn’t pay any
attention to that. She understood Hibiki’s ability. She knew most of
Kurumi’s powers. No problem, Bishop breathed a sigh of relief from
her chest.
The two of them continued to talk.
Page | 251
“By the way, how do you usually investigate a murder in the
Neighboring World?”
“Hmm. There wouldn’t be any investigation in the Tenth Region

Malkuth. In the Ninth Region Yesod and Eighth Region Hod, the
investigation would be carried out by Banouin-san’s private soldiers.”
“……So you’re saying that the Neighboring World does a good job in
maintaining order.”
“How can I to describe it? It’s said that a person traveling from the
Tenth Region Malkuth to the Sixth Region Tiphereth can be rest
assured. However, it does feel like walking through a thin tightrope
at times.”
Just like a fleeting dream, her head felt mysteriously cold.
Ah, I want to kill. Make it happen as quickly, violently, and cruelly as

possible. If she was killed, there wouldn’t be any need for anything
else.
It doesn’t matter even if she was also killed afterwards.
Kurumi turned her head suddenly──her eyes turned to Bishop. There

was no awareness at all.
Although her face had a fearless smile, there was no hint of hostility.
Bishop didn’t take any action while looking naturally at her.
“Do you think so as well? Miyafuji-san?”
Miyafuji Oka (Bishop) nodded gracefully.
Page | 252
“Of course. Let’s settle this in one fell swoop.”
“Hibiki-san, please go along with Yui-san and Ariadne-san. I will act

with Miyafuji-san.”
“Eh, we’re going separately!? If I am alone, Ariadne-san would kill me

instantly!?”
“It’s okay. I’ll deal with the enemy.”
Higoromo Hibiki didn’t even try to conceal her reluctance. It seemed

that Kurumi regarded Ariadne as the major suspect and intended to
use Hibiki as bait.
“So, Miyafuji-san, is that alright with you?”
She didn’t notice this fatal mistake. Oka nodded with a smile.
“Yes, of course.”
──It was now when Bishop made her decision.
Being alone with Tokisaki Kurumi meant that she had lowered her
guard. Allowing someone to walk behind her with her back
defenseless was proof of that.
“Tokisaki Kurumi, this is Yuri. When scanning the entire mansion,

there was a response from a suspicious Sephira Crystal fragment. A
suspected intruder has appeared.”
Yuri must have reached the same conclusion. She was trying to guide
them to an unoccupied room. This was going as planned. Separate
Tokisaki Kurumi from Hibiki and the other Dominions and move her
to a room where a surprise attack can easily be done.
Page | 253
Immediately after entering the room, Yuri would replace the door
with a wall.
The Sephira fragments were dummies planted by Yuri. The trap will
be set off the moment she approaches it.
Dazzle her eyes with a flash of dizziness, the moment her thoughts
are distracted──she would be killed mercilessly in a single blow.
“Is this the room? Is this……a warehouse?”
“Yes. Apparently, she was hiding in the debris in the warehouse.

Being so camouflaged, it was difficult to discover her.”
“I don’t think we’ll need to be careful, but Miyafuji-san.”
“Yes. Leave your back to me.”
“Ah, how reassuring. Thank you.”
Kurumi opened the door. She wasn’t even holding out her pistol. Oka
sneered at her carelessness.
She already summoned her Unsigned Angel. Of course, Kurumi

believed that this was to protect her from behind.
With her back turned, she approached the Sephira Crystal fragment.
“……Speaking of which.”
Kurumi said while turning her head. Oka, with her weapon out, froze.
But Kurumi wasn’t emitting any killing intent.
Page | 254
“I want to ask you. Miyafuji-san and the other Dominions have
already met the White Queen already, correct?”
“Y-Yes……I’ve encountered her……”
She issued a declaration of war during the region meeting. If anyone

asked for the reason, she did it for Bishop.
The action showcased her solid foundation and also cleared her of
any suspicions.
In order for the current infiltration strategy to proceed smoothly,

Miyafuji Oka needed to continue being a Dominion.
But.
This was great opportunity. A huge chance to crush the White

Queen’s only unrivaled enemy, Tokisaki Kurumi──
She would remain forever in the White Queen’s memories.
Bishop succumbed to the temptation of obtaining the Queen’s love.
“I heard Miyafuji-san didn’t succumb to her pressure and drove her

away with intimidating words.”
“Y-You’re exaggerating too much. I didn’t do anything

extraordinary.”
Her thoughts grew anxious.
Page | 255
That was an act. The White Queen couldn’t be scared away by a
Quasi-Spirit like herself. It was just an act; she was playing around,
just──
She needed to shake off these thoughts.
“What’s wrong, Miyafuji-san?”
Kurumi stared at Oka as if a little lost. Suddenly, her back was

overcome with a chill.
Did she know?
Had she been exposed?
If that was the case, a surprise attack couldn’t be done here.
No……that wasn’t it. If she already knew, she wouldn’t have led
herself into this situation.
She was defenseless. She didn’t even have her weapon out.
In other words, was she getting suspicious? ……In that case, there
would be no chance for a second opportunity.
“What’s the matter, Miyafuji-san?”
It was Yuri’s voice──Oka regained her calm composure.
“No, it’s nothing. I was just a little surprise by how much you look like
the White Queen.”
Kurumi described the phenomenon as being an inverted clone. Oka

thought this must be a lie.
In any case, there was unmistakable proof that Tokisaki Kurumi was
similar to the White Queen.
Page | 256
That was a fact she was absolutely reluctant to accept as Bishop, one
of the three executives.
That was all it was.
But then Kurumi frowned sadly as she spoke with incredible

incredulity.
“Yes, yes. I’m sorry this is all because of my failure. I let that sham
survive. Doesn’t it feel just like leaving spoiled leftovers on the table?
Isn’t that embarrassing enough to lose face over?”
For a moment, Oka’s brain refused to accept what Kurumi had just
said. But the moment she was able to understand the meaning of
those words, her entire body was trembling from anger.
“You──”
Kurumi turned around and left her back open to Oka.
“Say, let’s focus on the investigation for now. Solving the mystery is
the first priority right now.”
“……………I agree.”
Ah, that’s right. But even if she was right.
She couldn’t forgive, how could she forgive, she absolutely couldn’t
approve of those words.
She wanted to deny and reject all of her existence. To that end, she
must kill her right here.
Page | 257
“As you say──”
Exercising the full might of her Unsigned Angel, raising the

rapier──<Cold Cruel>. Bishop’s joker, it was able to double both the
mental and physical gravity of anything it struck.
The moment she struck, her body would be crushed by the gravity of
500 G.
Although it was too cheap to kill her instantly, her frustration

disappeared at the chance of offering joy to the Queen.
That’s right.
Right here and now, die────────────die!
At that moment, Oka lifted her Unsigned Angel above her head. A
second later, Tokisaki Kurumi would undoubtedly be ushered with a
miserable death.
Page | 258
Page | 259
“Ah, how fortunate. Landing such a huge jackpot so early on, it must
be a reward for all of my good deeds.”
The girl who had her back facing the attacker didn’t even bother to
turn around.
Oka suddenly noticed the muzzle exposed from her armpit.
“Wha……”
Then Miyafuji Oka──Bishop suddenly let out a cry from the bottom
of her heart.
──This person wasn’t even looking back.
“The Second Bullet <Bet>.”
Tokisaki Kurumi was the opposite of the White Queen.
But that didn’t mean she was the White Queen’s opposite by being
sweet and gentle like an angel.
“Uh, gu……!?”
Rather it should be said that she was as crafty and cunning as a

demon.
“Originally, I would have stopped your time with the Seventh Bullet
<Zayin> and killed you without asking any questions. Ah, but──”
Kurumi faintly smiled, gently stroking Miyafuji Oka’s face as she was
lifting up her rapier.
Slowly, slowly, time flowed just like the movements of a jellyfish.
Page | 260
Her fear felt like a cotton rope slowly tightening around her neck.
“I have already decided to never forgive the White Queen’s

subordinates, no matter what the circumstances.”
With that said, she mercilessly shot her right knee.
“Ah, ku……!?”
Kurumi reached out for the pistol under her arm. Oka crudely
collapsed. Then, the moment she tried to get up, she felt a muzzle
being pressed against her head.
“……Thank you Yuri-san. The timing was perfect.”
“Wha……”
Slowly, Oka looked up.
“Betrayal……I was betrayed……?”
“No, that’s not it. I have been set up as Sagakure Yuri’s AI to solve
this case. According to Tokisaki Kurumi’s request, I was to identify all
three Dominion suspects as the White Queen’s subordinate and
request for cooperation. In the end, only Miyafuji Oka agreed to the
proposal.”
“……So……simple……”
A sense of shame scorched her body. If everyone was a suspect, then

all they needed to do was test everyone. That was the sort of logic
Page | 261
that an AI would use over a human being. From the very moment she
had confessed, her death had been guaranteed.
“It doesn’t look like you’re the type to excel in sneak attacks. Rather
than thinking about those useless things, it was even more
dangerous for you come out and directly attack me. So then, who are
you?”
“……”
Silence, there was no obligation to answer. Rather than waiting for a

chance to strike back, her thoughts were preoccupied with thinking
of anything that could be done for the White Queen.
“Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t answer. Anyway, you’re just a

messenger at best. You’re a poor supporting character that was
implanted with false love for the White Queen while you were an
Empty. I would pity you if my anger wasn’t seething so much.”
“Don’t……screw with……me……! I am……I am one of the three proud

executives of the Queen. Bishop……remember, remember my
name……!”
A clanking sound resounded. Kurumi was sitting in a chair with her

legs crossed, staring at her with contempt while speaking
indifferently.
“I won’t. You are my enemy. You are my enemy’s subordinate. I

regarded you as strong, so I caught you in trap. But that’s not enough
for me to remember. Anyway, your ability isn’t much……but still,
thank you being a Dominion and hiding your true nature up until
now.”
In a somewhat disgusted manner, Kurumi let out a sigh.
Page | 262
But there were openings in every regard. The effects of her bullet
were starting to weaken. For another five seconds, as long as the
opening was still there, she still had a chance to win with her
Unsigned Angel……!
Four seconds, three seconds, two seconds, one second──
“I,”
Without a word, Oka swung her Unsigned Angel. Kurumi’s eyebrows

slightly twitched to the side as she evaded the expected blow.
However.
Kurumi’s boots were slightly grazed by Oka’s <Cold Cruel>.
──It worked!
“……!?”
“<Briller Acier>!” (Kanji reads as weight metamorphosis) Relentlessly,

gravity was set to 500 G. Her feet should be as flat as paper. After
that, one more blow from her rapier would end it all.
Oka overwhelmed the other Dominions not only in leadership, but

also in individual combat since her Unsigned Angel <Cold Cruel> had
an irreplaceable role there.
She could manipulate the gravity of an opponent that was cut and
crush them with it.
Page | 263
However.
“──────Huh?”
But.
Even a weapon capable of victory in a single hit was meaningless if

the blow couldn’t land.
“Ara, ara. What’s wrong, Miyafuji-san? Did you see in a dream of

your Unsigned Angel hitting me?”
“This power is……!”
Oka turned around with a startled look. Ariadne looked at Oka with a
rare look of extreme disappointment.
Not just her, Yukishiro Maya and Higoromo Hibiki were there as well.
Maya, who usually had a poker face, was frowning sadly. But for Oka,
this scene seemed strangely familiar.
“──So it was Ariadne-san.”
“……That’s right.”
Ariadne sadly jabbed Oka with her fingertips.
“What I can manipulate is actually more than just emotions. It’s also
possible to operate lower and upper settings for all five senses.”
“A secret technique?”
Page | 264
Ariadne nodded. Her abilities can even tamper with sight.
“Because I won’t be trusted for having an ability like this, so I really

didn’t want to use it.”
Oka also thought that would be the case. If the necessary organs for
obtaining outside information were being manipulated, the
difference between dreams and reality would become completely
ambiguous.
She can’t even tell who was in front of her.
Who would ever trust a Quasi-Spirit that could accomplish such a

thing?
“But I can’t let you kill Kurumi-chan. ──And above all else, you were
the one who deceived us first. Oka-chan……no, or rather it should be
Bishop.”
Ah, Oka figured it out.
The fact that she moved to attack with <Cold Cruel> was part of
reality.
However, her sense of visual distance had been tampered with.
“……How uncouth of me ……”
“Yes, yes. That’s right. You’re completely right. But your unsightliness
is nothing new. You have been hopeless the moment you as a
Dominion succumbed to the White Queen.”
“Fu, fufu, fufufufufu! The hopeless ones are you all! This Neighboring
World is a hysterically twisted and inevitably corrupt place! I just
need to ask you all!”
Page | 265
A terrible smile, she asked while preparing for death.
“This Neighboring World is wrong. It shouldn’t exist. Moreover we

will never die──whatever we do is meaningless.”
“……What do you mean……?”
Bishop sneered at Hibiki’s question.
“Because all of us──are dead. We died in reality and came to this

Neighboring World. We are only souls that can live in this prison
forever. What’s the difference between this and hell?”
“……!”
“Yes, we are just shallow insects crawling forever. I’ve had enough of
this foolish life. In that case, I would rather work for that person.
Fighting for that person’s love is──”
It was a much more exciting life.
As she said that, everyone went silent. The thoughts accumulating in

the abyss gradually came crawling out from inside Kurumi and the
others’ minds.
What is this Neighboring World?
Is this world even real?
We’ve died long ago and are only seeing our dreams here.
There’s no future or past here.
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There’s only cruel reality facing in front of them──
“No, that’s not it.”
A resolute voice came to challenge that notion.
“Anyway, we are living in this world. Because we died in the other

world, we have to also die here as well…… I don’t think such a fallacy
should exist.”
Hibiki made her declaration to wake everyone up.
“……In the first place. What you’ve said is something that everyone
has considered once or twice. After all, isn’t there anything that can
be done about it? This dream-like world cannot exist at all. The more
you understand the other world, the more you will think so.”
Both Ariadne and Maya said nothing after hearing those words.
The thing they feared as Dominions was the false reality of this
world.
“So it is understandable to think about that sort of thing. But

someone once told me this. Since this is a world of dreams, then it’s
good to live like you’re in a dream.”
──Kurumi softly sighed.
This wasn’t Kurumi’s idea. Although she recognized that this place
was different than reality, she still believed that she was alive. It was
for this reason that she was aiming for the other world right now.
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So perhaps those words came from someone Higoromo Hibiki once
loved from the bottom of her heart.
That name was certainly──
“Hiriyu Yue-san, right?”
As Kurumi whispered to herself, Hibiki’s face brightly lit up.
“Ah, you remembered! That’s right, those were her words. Thanks to
her, I can live a healthy life now!”
Between good or bad, it was good. From boring or interesting, it was

quite boring. But regardless, the atmosphere of this place had been
successfully changed on the spot.
It went from a serious to a relaxed mood.
Needless to say, Bishop──Miyafuji Oka was carefully invested in

taking advantage of this opportunity to launch a counterattack.
However, even she was at a loss for a moment after having her
theory strongly refuted.
Confronted by what the former Empty Higoromo Hibiki had

said──she couldn’t say a single rebuttal.
“Miyafuji Oka.”
Yukishiro Maya approached Oka without any fear. She was staring
coldly at the traitor and summoned her Unsigned Angel without any
hesitation.
“When did you betray us?”
“……”
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“Was it when you became a Dominion? Or did you replace the real
Miyafuji Oka along the way?
Which is it?”
Behind her, a huge bookshelf emerged.
“Break the seal──the Fifth Book <Firehouse Mystery>.”
Maya opened a long, slightly worn out 17 x 11 cm paperback book. It

was just like a mystery novel one might find in a bookstore.
Suddenly, a box-shaped flame appeared from the pages of the book.
“……Let me first explain first. This flame will not only burn you, but
also the oxygen around you until you suffocate to death. Because it is
a flame, trying to crush it with gravity wouldn’t change the end
result.”
“Well, even if you tried to crush it with gravity……couldn’t my

Unsigned Angel reverse your concept of up and down?”
As Ariadne added that point, Kurumi shrugged and stepped back to

watch the Dominions’
performance.
She also had something else to consider.
“……”
“If you don’t confess, we’ll torture you until you die.”
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Oka laughed a little after hearing what Maya had said.
“Either way, I will disappear from this World.”
“In that case──”
“But, forget it. Forget it. If there’s nothing that can be done, I’ll tell
you. I, Miyafuji Oka, became Bishop. Since……um, when did it begin?
It must have been a long time ago, so far away.
Yeah……it should be.”
“Impossible. You were on the front line more than anyone else.
When your risked your life taking hits for others, you were already
Bishop? Do you think we’ll believe something as stupid as that?”
The flame began to flicker as if to match Maya’s passion.
Kurumi thought it felt more like sadness than anger. Yes, probably
Ariadne also felt the same, a feeling of sadness over her being
Bishop. And also a hidden desire of wanting this to be wrong.
However, she had already confessed to being Bishop.
However, the confession just now was──
Miyafuji Oka laughed. Despite the serious warning just now, the
corners of her mouth were just like crescent moon. Her hand──was
still holding onto her rapier.
“……This is my last warning.”

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As Maya said that, Oka remained silent.
But at the very next moment──
“Gah……!”
A bitter cry, Oka’s Sephira fragment had been gouged out.
“This is──”
As Maya was at a loss for words, Yuri’s voice echoed.
“I’m very sorry. Hesitating in this situation could be critical, so I took

the initiative to annihilate Miyafuji Oka.”
A girl was standing alone at the corner of the room. Hibiki, Ariadne,
Maya, and even Kurumi didn’t notice her.
“Mass produced……Yui?”
“Yes. It was an emergency.”
Miyafuji Oka stared blankly at the hole in her chest.
“Huh……this……? Yukishiro-san, Ariadne-san. Hey……”
Without even giving her a chance to say her last words, the mass
produced Yui model delivered the finishing blow. With a painful
groan, Miyafuji Oka’s body completely disappeared.
All that remained was her Sephira fragment. However, the fragment
that should have been shinning blue had been bleached white.
“……Oka……why……”
Maya sadly lowered her head as Ariadne also looked displeased as

she turned her face to the side.
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Meanwhile, Kurumi was looking up at the ceiling.
“──Now. It’s become clear that Miyafuji Oka-san was Bishop. Then is
it okay to assume that Miyafuji-san was the one that killed Sagakure
Yuri-san?”
Hearing those words, Maya glared at Kurumi with an unpleasant

look. Ariadne frowned and slanted her head.
“……I……suppose……?”
“──No.”
Kurumi had rejected that notion.
“It couldn’t have ended like that. If asked why, it was impossible for
Miyafuji-san to kill Sagakure Yuri-san. Even though Miyafuji-san was
Bishop, she was not the culprit.”
“Huh……?”
“W-What do you mean, Kurumi-san!?”
Kurumi raised up two fingers.
“Everyone is mistaken. Miyafuji-san was Bishop. That is fine enough.

I don’t know if it was innate or acquired──but she has already
confessed. However, even if she was Bishop, she still had no
opportunity or reason to kill Sagakure Yuri.”
Maya and Ariadne were staring fixated on Kurumi. A sense of

disbelief mixed with being struck by admiration.
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“So what does that mean? Who is the one here that killed Sagakure
Yuri? No, no. That’s the wrong way to think. This series of incidents
were all to pin the crime of killing Sagakure Yuri onto Miyafuji Oka.
Don’t you think that makes sense?”
Maya took a step forward to refute Kurumi.
“……Hold on. She did admit to being Bishop and she wanted to kill
you. In that case, she can only be considered the culprit. Above all
else……”
“If you view yourself as not the culprit, then only Ariadne-san would
be left. Wouldn’t it be even more painful to be further betrayed by
your allies?”
“……”
Maya lowered her head.
Ariadne had a rare look of confusion as she spoke.
“Wait, so you think I’m not the culprit?”
“Yes, please rest assured Yukishiro-san. Whether if it is it is Ariadne-

san or Maya-san, Hibiki-san, Yui-san, and Oka-san, none of them are
the culprit.”
Everyone’s eyes widened at Kurumi’s words.
“Yuri-san. Is it okay for me to ask a question?”
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“Yes. Please ask away.”
“The blow that killed Oka-san was truly wonderful. Even I was caught
off guard.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“I have nothing to say about the first attack, but I do find the second
attack unacceptable. She was already at the point where her life
would soon fade, but you didn’t even leave her the chance to say her
last words.”
“I was concerned about hostile action.”
“For an excuse, I didn’t expect a lame one like that. Were you afraid
that, Miyafuji Oka, after having her Sephira fragment hollowed out,
would speak the truth?”
“I don’t understand what you are trying to say. She was trying to
fight back──”
“Look, look! Doesn’t this AI have any bluffing ability whatsoever?”
“Wait, Kurumi-san, Kurumi-san. Please hold on! We haven’t caught

up with this story at all!”
“Hibiki-san (Watson), thank you for your question. I have said it

before. The White Queen creates faithful servants by letting Quasi-
Spirits experience a false love.”
“……Ah……”
Maya and Ariadne reacted at almost the same time. They looked at
Kurumi in astonishment──and then towards the ceiling.
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“I can’t say there is no possibility of that trait being inherited by her
subordinates, correct?”
“Of course, this power is certainly much inferior to the Queen

herself. But──”
“But. For example, what about this sort of ability? Parasite. Like say
being able to transfer your memories onto someone else?”
“Yuri doesn’t know what you’re talking about……?”
“……Well, there are various puzzling things. But what puzzled me the
most was the reason Sagakure Yuri asked me, Hibiki-san, and even
the other Dominions to stay the night here.”
Yes, that was the most suspicious point from the very beginning.
“Playing cards aren’t enough for me and Ariadne-san to suddenly

become close friends, right?”
“Of course. And losing felt so uncomfortable.”
The two of them fought in a struggle against each and shook hands
after it concluded. It wasn’t a scenario where the victor gained all of
the spoils, nor were they going to break out and try killing each other
immediately. However, there was an ambiguous competitive spirit
boiling of wanting to be victorious next time on both sides.
“Yuri-san must have felt that atmosphere. But she still begged us to
come over and stay in her mansion. This point is already strange.
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Yuri-san made that request as soon as we made our intentions of
quickly leaving the Seventh Region Netzach. At that time──”
“……We had to talk about Tokisaki Kurumi and the Queen. But it’s
ridiculous to get everyone to stay in one place just for that. We were
all frankly nervous of having Tokisaki Kurumi nearby.
She can stop time and manipulate shadows. ……It was impossible to
rule of thoughts of a potential assassination. After all, Tokisaki
Kurumi has already killed Doll Master in the Tenth Region Malkuth.”
Kurumi shrugged.
“That act was justified. Well, I’ll leave that aside for now. Anyway,
the next strange thing is Yuri-san starting up after Sagakure Yuri’s
death.”
“──Is there anything wrong with me?”
“Everywhere is full of strange points. Why make me the detective?

Generally speaking, shouldn’t you have chosen Yukishiro-san? No,
rather it would have been better to find an external person to solve
this case. The only times where an outsider comes in is when the
subject is a talented person from an official agency like Sherlock
Holmes, who has been recognized as a perfect third party. In that
sense, it is hard to be a detective for this case. It’s because everyone
here has a stake in this case matter.”
Hibiki also vaguely recognized this truth.
Everyone knew what Tokisaki Kurumi wanted to say next. At the

same time, it was guaranteed to be quite the dangerous act. That
was why the atmosphere in the room grew much tenser.
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“On the contrary, Yuri. I wanted to know what your goal was. But I
finally understand after Miyafuji-san’s death. She was a scapegoat,
just a victim. She probably just became Bishop recently. Or maybe it
was just around last night?”
“I don’t understand what Tokisaki-sama is trying to say.”
“In the Eighth Region Hod, I saw a Quasi-Spirit turn into an Empty
and then even fall under the control of the White Queen. And she
served as the Dominion there. In that case, Miyafuji Oka is probably
no exception. She was……the one chosen to be the culprit and die
here.”
The Dominion of the Sixth Region, Miyafuji Oka.
If she was Bishop and providing information to the Queen, the other
Dominions would both understand and despair at the same time.
“Since the Sixth Region Tiphereth is the hub region, did you intend to
divide each region?
Yukishiro-san, you said that Miyafuji-san was the leader of the

Dominion conference, right? …….So what do you think will happen if
its revealed that she’s been under the control of the White Queen
since before becoming a Dominion?”
Maya briefly thought for a while before shaking her head as if

wanting to forget the bad delusion that came to mind.
“In this Neighboring World, it may cause the greatest chaos since the
establishment of the Dominion system. Suspicion would take over
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and Quasi-Spirits wouldn’t be able to tell enemies and allies apart
from each other.”
“Then, what if Miyafuji Oka accidentally died while fighting Bishop?”
After thinking over Kurumi’s question, Maya thought for a while

before answering.
“……There will be damage. There still will be damage……but I also

think it’ll be possible to recover.”
If former members like Carte À Jouer are included, there were eight
people who could still be called Dominions. They are all
extraordinary people worshipped and admired by Quasi-Spirits for
their pure power.
Even for the White Queen, a great sacrifice would be needed to

confront them.
No perhaps, she still looked down on the Dominions. However, it was

a different story for the three pieces under her control.
Because they lived in this world to fight, kill, and sacrifice for the
Queen.
So they came up with a plan.
It was a plan to target the Dominions’ weakness and destroy them

from the inside out.
In order to achieve that goal, it wasn’t just enough for Miyafuji Oka
to die. They had to let her, as a Dominion, commit an act of betrayal.
Page | 278
And everyone had to witness it.
That was the motivation and the method of crime was simple. After
all, Oka had already come into contact with the White Queen. She
was afraid of a power that easily invaded her region.
And from that fear, the White Queen created love.
The three chess pieces led by the White Queen are Rook, Knight, and
Bishop. The three executives in fact will not die for as long as the
White Queen is alive.
“So Bishop. Just use this bullet to hit her and she will become you.”
Bishop, receiving a light-red bullet (although it more resembled an

insect) from the Queen, gently hugged herself.
“Thank you, my Queen.”
No matter how many times Rook and Knight are destroyed, they can
be resurrected by shooting the Scorpio Bullet <Akrab> into an Empty.
In addition to the Scorpio Bullet <Akrab>, Bishop can create a second
or third Bishop by parasitizing others.
The difference from Rook or Knight is that she can be anyone. Even if
it isn’t an Empty, Quasi-Spirit with a life goal can be insidiously
eroded by the seed called Bishop. So, unlike Rook or Knight, Bishop’s
personality can vary.
“But even so. Although there are many Empties that have gladly died
for me, you are a little special. Wouldn’t you feel reluctant?”
“──No, not at all.”
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Bishop calmly replied.
For her who made and abandoned her little sister, it wasn’t a big
deal betraying, killing, or convicting a friend.
Miyafuji Oka would transform into Bishop and be condemned to

death.
Of course, it was possible to use Miyafuji Oka as a powerful Quasi-

Spirit. However, that choice also contained many flaws. It was likely
to be seen through by Yukishiro Maya, Ariadne Foxlot, Kagarike
Haraka, and Kirari Rinemu──these intuitive people would likely
develop countermeasures for this.
The method of dealing the most damage to the Dominions would be

having Miyafuji Oka die immediately after attacking her allies in the
name of Bishop.
Even if meant another Bishop dying, that was fine for Bishop.
Originally, the premise worked alongside her own destruction as

well.
Two Dominions and two Bishops would die to spiral the Neighboring
World into chaos.
Bishop’s plans were crude but unavoidable.
“I have another question.”
“……What is it?”
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With an innocent and childish look (something completely
unimaginable from the earlier White Queen), she asked her.
“Why are you still sane? Don’t you love me just like my dear Empty-
chans?”
Her breathing and heartbeat came to a halt at the same time.
──Answering that question would no doubt cause her to die, so how

should she reply?
Only this, Bishop couldn’t remember much.
Kurumi looked up at the ceiling with a faint smile.
“This isn’t what you wanted to happen. Such a development is

outside your expectations. That’s why you tried guiding us while also
hiding your own existence. Isn’t that right, Sagakure Yuri-san?”
──The moment of silence was surprisingly short.
“Yes. So have you solved all of the mystery?”
Hearing her indifferent response, Maya and Ariadne grew angrier.
“So, then……Yuri-san committed suicide……?”
Hearing what Hibiki had asked, Kurumi nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. Sagakure Yuri-san……no, Bishop. Are you still alive
and pretending to be dead in front of us? Or is it something
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different? Regardless, your goal was for us to believe your deception,
the lie that Miyafuji Oka is the culprit.”
“So the corpse……was a fake?”
“For example, she might have disguised a mass produced Yui as the
corpse. In any case, if you search the mansion inside out, you should
be able to snuff her out. Or──”
There was a sudden earthquake.
“Sorry, wrong guess. I am no longer Sagakure Yuri. I am Yuri, the one

that has full control of the AI running this mansion. That part wasn’t
a lie.”
“Or you’ve transformed yourself into something else……I see, so it’s

like this.”
The mass produced Yui models, which had remained motionless

since the very beginning, turned their heads to stare at Kurumi.
Everyone saw the robots begin to assume different battle positions.
As she opened her mouth, Yuri’s voice leaked out from outside.
“I wasn’t intending to kill you here. I was planning on hiding if

possible. However, the possibility of the situation escalating to this
point was within expectations.”
“Oh, so that’s it. From here on, it’s easy to understand. Actually, it’s
very easy to guess.”
“……! Kurumi-san!”
The mass produced Yui models leaped to attack with speed far
surpassing humanity.
Page | 282
Kurumi raised her antique pistol and roared loudly.
“──────<Zafkiel>!”
The sound of loud gunfire. After a brief silence, there were the
sounds of parts being broken.
“Everyone, kill them.”
“Kill them.”
As the countless mass produced Yui models rushed in one after the
other, Kurumi’s night had begun.
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○Eternal Bond
Before Sagakure Yuri became Bishop, she hadn’t reached the
position of Dominion yet.
At that time, she was just an ordinary Quasi-Spirit living humbly in

the Seventh Region Netzach.
Nevertheless, she still had a life goal.
Make her little sister Yui happy.
There were no memories of the other world besides seeing the

irresistibly sad and beautiful sunset while pushing her little sister on
the swings.
It was always night time in the Seventh Region Netzach, so it was a

shame of not being able to see the sunset.
Life in the Neighboring World was difficult, hard, and ordinary. There
was no sense of time, with yesterday being the same as tomorrow.
──One day, her little sister Yui died.
In this Neighboring World, no purpose for living can be entrusted to

the dead.
“I’ve lived only for her (Yui).”
In that case, being absent also meant her own value for existence
was lost.
A girl dressed in a pure white Astral Dress spoke softly and slowly to
her.
At such a moment, at such a moment.
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“Ara, ara, ara. If it goes on like this, you will disappear.”
Just like that would be fine, Yuri replied back to her indifferently.
However, this girl didn’t listen and reached out her hand.
“Come with me.”
“……With you? Why?”
“Because I fancy your talents. Your cruelty is simply of too great

value to wastefully disappear.
Isn’t that right? Because of your selfishness, you even killed your
little sister in order to prevent her from leaving you. That greed is
truly praiseworthy.”
She glanced at Yuri and revealed the truth.
──Sister. I have my own life.
──I want to fight. I want to prove myself through battle.
──So I can’t stay in this home forever.
──I’m not my sister’s doll!
“You weren’t satisfied with just breaking the wings of a bird that was
about to fly away──”
Her entire life had been taken away.
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If this wasn’t greed, then what was? Facing Yuri who had everything
seen through, the Queen offered her hand.
“Take this hand. Then, offer it.”
“Offer what?”
“All of it. Including your very life. Everything.”
Arrogant words with arrogant gestures, but──
“Does everything also include this entire world?”
Yuri spoke while holding her hand back. The Queen affirmed so
without being upset.
“Yes. I will destroy this world sooner or later. Before the arrival of
the King, I must wipe out all of these pests.”
Who is King?
Overwhelming information and Reiryoku was poured into her by

grasping that hand.
And so, she saw.
The identity of the King. What sort of existence he was. What his life
was like and how he had spent it.
──So dazzling.
That was the first impression. A sense of purity to cleanse her own
shallow and greedy self.
“The King is that man. But don’t you think there’s too much riffraff in
this Neighboring World?”
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It eroded away.
All the desires she had for her little sister had gone to him.
Ah, that’s right. There was something like this? I had given up doing
nothing with my life, but this was──
“So let’s destroy this Neighboring World. Destroy all of the Quasi-
Spirits and clean up here.”
“I understand. My Queen. You are the only one worthy to stand

beside the King.”
“Thank you. Starting from today, you will be my Bishop. Serve me

until the moment you die.”
“It is my honor.”
There was only one thing Sagakure Yuri had lied to Queen.
──Sagakure Yuri’s mansion had become a fierce battlefield.
The mass produced Sagakure Yui models constantly sprung out.

Although they were also not afraid of death just like Empties in the
White Queen’s army, they didn’t charge in chaotically and recklessly.
Rather, they acted extremely efficiently while aiming to kill Kurumi
and the others.
Page | 287
A single unit was a small-fry with decent individual fighting power, so
they were attacking together in the form of a ten-fold army.
Nevertheless, their numbers were deadly.
“How many of them are there!?”
It was no wonder that Hibiki screamed. Currently, nearing 100

Sagakure Yui models were rushing towards Kurumi. Tokisaki Kurumi,
Higoromo Hibiki, Yukishiro Maya, and Ariadne Foxlot, these four
people were facing a countless and innumerable amount of Sagakure
Yui.
“…… <Zafkiel>. ──The Second Bullet <Bet>!”
With the power of <Zafkiel>, the movements of the approaching

Sagakure Yuis became sluggish as Kurumi shot the down with the
long rifle. However, even then they couldn’t be fully suppressed.
“More are coming!”
The mass produced Yui models approaching Ariadne kept attacking

in the wrong direction numerous times. Ariadne kept avoided their
attacks by disrupting their vision. But being a hair breadth so close to
the attackers, even a single blow could prove fatal.
Maya opened her Fifth Book again──flames scattered around as she

tried to provide cover. But of course, the most critical situation was
for Higoromo Hibiki.
“Kya! I’m going to die!”
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“……Hibiki-san!”
Kurumi kicked Hibiki away, allowing her to avoid the attack, while
she also continuously fired to scatter the attacking Sagakure Yui.
“Cover here for a while!”
“O-Okay!”
Kurumi smacked her lips. She thought something like this would
happen, but didn’t expect it to be at this extent. Likely every
Sagakure Yui in the Seventh Region Netzach had gathered here.
The quality and quantity were completely different from the dolls
that she fought against in the Tenth Region Malkuth.
In any case, the number of Sagakure Yui defeated by those four had
already exceeded 100.
In other words, the 100 Sagakure Yui initially in the mansion had
already been killed. However, the situation hadn’t changed at all. Not
only that, Kurumi caught a glance of something that unconsciously
made her tremble.
Sagakure Yui models were appearing from the walls of the mansion.
That meant that Sagakure Yui could be supplied in an unlimited
quality.
“Should we just devour them all?”
Ariadne whispered while holding Yui’s Sephira fragment in her hand.

In fact, there are people who kill Quasi-Spirits to devour their Sephira
fragments after being victorious. This was especially commonplace in
the Tenth Region Malkuth. But for Dominions, they had a degree of
Page | 289
disgust for this and refrained from preying on other people’s Sephira
fragments.
However, just a moment ago, the mansion had swallowed Sephira

fragments to create a new Sagakure Yui. In that case, they needed to
devour them to──”
Maya expressed opposition to Ariadne’s proposal.
“I think it is best not to do that. I feel like there could be a negative

effect from devouring these Sephira fragments.”
“I agree with Yukishiro-san. Their color has been bleached white to

indicate they have been specially treated. If you eat them, you may
end up being the one devoured in turn.”
“……I see, I suppose that’s true.”
Ariadne sighed while further accelerating her Unsigned Angel. Her

Unsigned Angel was a flexible thread of mercury. There was no
handle for grasping, but each end was connected to her fingertips.
Thin strands of mercury were connected to each finger, reaching up

to a total of ten. Through these threads, she could manipulate the
emotions of others and cause the physical body to go rampant.
And of course, by bundling the threads to form a whip, it becomes a

vicious physical attack.
“One, two, three.”
Page | 290
Accompanied by a small beeping sound, numerous Sagakure Yui
were sliced apart by the mercury threads.
However, one of the Sagakure Yui bit through the threads with her
teeth, which gave the chance for another one to jump forward.
“……!”
Just barely, the interception from the threads on her opposite hand
came just in time.
──However, another Sagakure Yui attacked while both hands were

now occupied.
16 kunai flew towards Ariadne.
“The First Bullet <Aleph>……”
Kurumi shot Ariadne without looking back.
“Ooh!”
Ariadne’s arm speed suddenly doubled. Rather than defend against

the 16 kunai, she entangled 5
of them with her mercury wires and flicked back the remaining 11,
instantly killing five Sagakure Yui in the process.
“Amazing, that was really amazing just now! Do that again!”
“I refuse. Excessive use of time is detrimental to your health!”
Page | 291
For a deeper reason, Kurumi was also worried about the gaze
watching them from the very beginning. There were inorganic eyes,
eyes, eyes, fixed on them everywhere. But within those stares
now──there was a hint of passion in those pupils.
Obviously, this was Bishop.
So of course she couldn’t keep revealing her trump cards.
“Ah!”
Hibiki fell into a crisis once again──Kurumi immediately kicked her up

to the ceiling.
“Too cruel!?”
“Sorry Hibiki-san, but please stay on the ceiling for the time being.”
“I have a suggestion, Tokisaki Kurumi. There is no point in this

situation. For such a large number of enemies, there is only one
effective way to strike.”
Hearing what Maya had said, Kurumi nodded in agreement.
“Destroy the main body, or that is to say, crush the main force
behind all of these troops. Either way, without defeating Bishop, our
enemies can be described as endless.”
“Ariadne and I will create an opportunity for you. So I want you to be

the one──who kills her.
When everything is over, I want to be able to trust you!”
Ariadne’s eyes rounded after she heard those rare passionate words
coming out from Maya.
Page | 292
“……With that being said, it’s unclear where the main body is hiding.”
Kurumi replied while still shooting. Maya closed the book she was
using and pulled out another book (a bulky mass market paperback
edition) from the bookshelf behind her.
“Break the seal──the Ninth Book <Soul Stalker>.”
Maya tore off a page from the book without hesitation. Then, she
folded it into a butterfly shape before handing it to Ariadne.
“Just one finger is enough.” “No problem.”
The mercury thread connected to Ariadne’s pinky tangled around the

page, causing it to begin flying like a real butterfly.
“This page can track Sephira fragments. I’ve set it to track Sagakure
Yuri. Follow that thread!”
“Got it.”
Kurumi lightly laughed before shouting towards the ceiling.
“Hibiki-san, get ready!”
“Aye, aye, sir!”
Hibiki released her hands clinging onto the chandelier and landed
right behind Kurumi.
“The goal is that butterfly. Keep your attention focused on it. You
must not lose sight of it. And I’ll intercept the Yui-san coming after
you.”
Page | 293
As the two of them start running, Ariadne watched her leave while
whispering to herself.
“Ah, isn’t that a so-called unbreakable combo?”
“I don’t quite understand, but we can only place our hopes onto
them. Otherwise, it’ll just be a matter of time before we lose.”
Numerous Sagakure Yui chased behind after Kurumi and Hibiki.
“Anyway, let’s create an opening for them first. ──Ariadne.”
“Okay. Unsigned Angel <Taiintaiyounijuyonsetsuki>──<Hitotachi

Setsukaseisō> Let’s go!”
Ariadne joined her hands together, entangling her mercury threads

into the form of a whip which she vigorously swung.
Breaking through the sound barrier, a sonic shockwave passed over

Kurumi and Hibiki. All of the mass produced Yui models standing
near them were shattered and disappeared.
“My ears hurt……”
“I’ll remember this later……!”
Kurumi and Hibiki yelled at Ariadne as the passed through the

corridor.
“Remember, huh. ……Well, maybe if we can survive this.”
“In any case, if we are defeated, I hope you can at least allow me to
survive.”
“Are the words ‘at least you’ something that should be said right
now?”
Page | 294
“I have a duty that I have been entrusted with. So I can’t die until I
have fulfilled it. So if I end up stumbling, I’ll use you as shield to
facilitate my escape.”
Ariadne, who knew that Maya wasn’t the type to joke around,
grinned.
“Okay. Then I guess I’ll need to work harder to survive. Here comes a
big move. <Hiō Yōei Kamikizuki>!”
Cold clear threads of mercury.
The threads penetrated the bodies of the Sagakure Yui, connecting

onto the Sephira fragments they were using as a power source.
“One, two, three……!”
The Sagakure Yui suddenly turned their heads to the opposite

direction, launching an attack against a companion who she had just
been cooperating with.
“I didn’t expect this. You can do such a thing?”
“I didn’t want to show it off since it’s such a great technique.”
Five fingers x2, a total of ten Sagakure Yuri turned friendly. They
attacked the enemy with machine-like precision.
Page | 295
As Maya looked to the side, she noticed Ariadne was swiping away
sweat. Since it was such a big move, it wasn’t uncommon for it to
waste Reiryoku and require great concentration.
…………Gently, Maya let out a sigh.
Certainly, she thought now was not the time to hold back. Now was
no longer the time where Dominions should hide their trump cards
from each other.
“Break the seal──The First Book <Novum Testamentum>.”
For a moment, the dazzling light caused Ariadne to lose her

concentration.
The shape was a huge broadsword. However, it was a sword formed

by stacking countless sheets of paper.
“Three valuable books disappeared from the Neighboring World. Ah,

what a waste, what a waste.”
While complaining, Maya casually swung the sword. Just like that,
several of the surrounding Sagakure Yui had disappeared.
“Amazing.”
“There’s no use other than attacking, so it’s inferior to the other

books in that regard. However, I think I can compete for a while with
this. According to my calculations, it should last for around 30
minutes.”
Page | 296
“More or less, my operating limit is around the same amount of
time.”
However, Maya and Ariadne, after revealing their trump cards to

each other, grinned.
“Alright, let’s do this. Continue fighting and leave the rest to Tokisaki
Kurumi……!
Chasing after the flying butterfly, Kurumi and Hibiki rushed forward
like mad. Standing in front of them where the mass production Yui
models whose numbers had swelled to over 200.
Kurumi’s brain quickly made the judgement that there was no way to
overcome this. The mass-production types surpassed ordinary Quasi-
Spirits in quality and were overwhelming in their numbers.
She could survive, but that would mean abandoning Hibiki.
Kurumi unconsciously ruled out this option.
There was one problem. Gradually, the Yuis were learning that
Kurumi was trying to protect Hibiki.
“Kurumi-san! I’m fine!”
Of course, Hibiki also noticed this. She was obviously holding her
back. But it was too late. The moment Kurumi left Hibiki’s side, the
Yuis would annihilate her.
Finally, Sagakure Yuri also noticed.
“You are protecting her, Kurumi-san.”
Page | 297
Kurumi answered that question with silence and gunshots. She
couldn’t afford to talk. She fired as many bullets as possible from
<Zafkiel>.
Shooting the Yui who kept rushing forward, repelling the kunai they
threw, and earnestly marching forward despite the injuries acquired.
However, as the attacks concentrated on Hibiki, Kurumi couldn’t

proceed any further.
“This……!”
Close combat was already inevitable. Surrounded by the Sagakure

Yuis, it was almost impossible to move. Regardless if it was jumping
or dodging, everything became quite difficult.
No matter how made shots were made, there was no fear nor did
they flinch from seeing their allies being killed.
They waged a battle that mechanically ignored individual life for the
sake of efficiency. Kurumi tried to push Hibiki into the shadows──but
that was also prevented.
Their commander Sagakure Yuri was familiar with Kurumi’s abilities.
There was a fundamental difference when compared to the battle

against Doll Master in the Tenth Region Malkuth. No longer was
Tokisaki Kurumi the most vigilant in the Neighboring World.
“……The First Bullet <Aleph>!”
Page | 298
Striking their shoulders, the mass produced Yui flew up. Then, she
took the chance to shoot them down with <Zafkiel>. She kicked away
the Yuis before they blew up.
This was a waste of time in both senses of the meaning. If she chose
to use the <City of Devouring Time>, she would come under attack
the moment she tried to concentrate. Also, Hibiki could also get
caught in by being nearby.
And there was already no more chance to step back. Ariadne and
Maya had likely also switched from defense to offense.
“……”
A kunai stabbed into Kurumi’s wrist. She held back the pain and
didn’t make a sound.
“You seem to be in a jam.”
“……Shut up.”
Kurumi fretfully interjected──although it wasn’t sure if she could

sense her agitation, Yuri smiled happily.
“Don’t give up, Tokisaki-san. Anyway, you can’t beat the White
Queen. The White Queen can easily turn this situation around, but it
seems that you can’t. It’s because you are impure. How sweet, do
you intend to beat me while also protecting Higoromo Hibiki?”
“Please shut up.”
Her vision was blurred by sweat. The accuracy of her shooting also
began to decline because of her irritation.
Page | 299
Although the kunai were not worth mentioning in front of her Astral
Dress <Elohim>, harm couldn’t be avoided if the damage kept
accumulating.
One point of damage was stacking up to one thousand points of

damage. The attacks that Kurumi were receiving were like this now.
“Alright. One hundred bodies added. Is it over now?’’
“That’s……”
Hibiki muttered to herself in shock. It was hopeless. New Sagakure

Yuis gushed out one after the other from both the ceilings and walls.
They were both inside a barrier and Sagakure Yuri’s stomach. Even
Tokisaki Kurumi was just waiting to be digested.
──Grit her teeth.
──Never back down, she insisted on moving forward.
──And it was necessary to protect Higoromo Hibiki.
Her breathing grew ragged. Her vision seemed blurry as if drunk.

There was a tinge of pain coming from the kunai stabbing her wrist.
However, Kurumi still displayed a contemptuous smile.
“It’s coming.”
With that said, she turned the muzzle towards herself.
“The First Bullet <Aleph>.”
Accelerating herself──with flock of Yuis hot on her heels. Kunai

poured from the sky like rain for Kurumi.
Page | 300
“The Second Bullet <Bet>.”
Kurumi shot the deaccelerating bullet at the kunai.
Acceleration and deceleration of time, by combining both Kurumi

gained even more speed.
But she still couldn’t make the best of it. She was still using 30% of
her power to protect Hibiki.
For Kurumi, that was a natural response.
“Um, Kurumi-san! I’ll think up something on my own……!”
Hibiki purposed with a painful expression, but Kurumi merely

continued silently chasing after the butterfly. With each step, blood
was dripping on the ground. The remaining five minutes probably
couldn’t be maintained. It was difficult to even continue holding out
any longer for five minutes.
But.
“Kurumi-san!”
However, she could still move. She could continue fighting for a
while longer. An opportunity would emerge soon.
Endure for five minutes, keep on enduring. Blood and wounds were
everywhere, but Hibiki was still almost unharmed. Kurumi kept
blocking attacks that could kill Hibiki a hundred times over.
Hibiki knew she was holding her back.
Page | 301
Please abandon me, she cried and begged──Kurumi kept rejecting
that firmly. But because of that rejection, the attacks made by the
Sagakure Yuis grew even more intense.
The attacks from the Sagakure Yuis were incredible, relentless,

cunning, and cruel.
Kurumi’s heart creaked and twisted. If she collapsed or retreated

now, she would lose.
But at the next moment, that finally came.
A black pillar emerged passing through the first and second floors.
“……Compile……!?”
This was a memory from the other world left by the Spirits. For a
moment, Sagakure Yuri, confused by the unknown substance that
just appeared, suddenly stopped her own movements.
“Kurumi-san!”
Hibiki pushed her back without hesitation.
“Wha…don’t, don’t, don’t!!”
Sagakure Yuri screamed. In terms of common sense, it wasn’t wise to

do this during a battle.
Touching this black pillar may cause her to stagnate or tremble.
But.
If the memory of the other world in this prism was related to him──
Page | 302
No matter what the situation, Kurumi had no choice but to touch it.
It seemed like this memory had been bugged.
Kurumi thought about that while looking at the mosaic-filled

landscape. In some places, the texture was peeled away like a thin
cloth and connection between scenes was fragmented.
Both the characters and events were diverse. But Kurumi understood
immediately.
“Spirit──”
There are Spirits other than Kurumi. The first Spirit, the second Spirit,
the Fourth Spirit, the Fifth Spirit, the Sixth Spirit, the Seventh Spirit,
the Eighth Spirit, the Ninth Spirit, the Tenth Spirit.
They gathered together in a scene and had various conversations.
Or it was a scene of summoning determination and courage during a

battle.
They risked their lives fighting. They risked their lives trying to save
someone. Perhaps, it was for someone she didn’t know, perhaps it
was for a friend of the Spirits, or perhaps it──was for him.
The colorful memories continued, but there was no Tokisaki Kurumi

there.
It was as if they were mocking her, saying that they could still enjoy
this happy life without her.
Page | 303
“……That’s not wrong at all.”
A single sigh, she let out all of the feelings boiling inside her.
She had realized for a while now.
Time came to a stop. The Spirits disappeared, the landscape

disappeared, and in the end only one person remained.
“■■-san──────”
She muttered his name, a name that she still couldn’t completely
recognize There were all sorts of memories, but she couldn’t record
these thoughts for long.
In her brain, there was a void-shaped cube. And this sense of

nothingness seemed to have taken something important from her.
And the void was increasing with each passing day.
And finally she will become an Empty.
So be sure to burn this in her head.
Don’t spill even a single drop of water from both hands.
Run through.
Go back to the beginning.
Don’t think about others.
“But──”
Page | 304
No, that’s not it.
It’s strange for her to want to protect. The gears had gotten out of
order. Don’t lose track of her goal.
Tokisaki Kurumi was selfish, with her motto being unparalleled in

cruelty and arrogance.
If that’s the case, Higoromo Hibiki wasn’t an existence that should be

protected──
“Ah. I really forgot something important.”
While saying that, Kurumi smiled──it was a smile Hibiki was familiar
with, but also one that gave her an ominous premonition.
“……Um. I have a bad hunch.”
“The First Bullet <Aleph>.”
With no questions asked, the accelerating bullet struck Hibiki’s head.
“I won’t protect you anymore, so shall we fight together?”
“R-Really───────────────!”
Hibiki shouted loudly while shaking <King Killing>. This acceleration

felt like cheating. Her body felt abnormally light and fast.
But Hibiki was also convinced.
Page | 305
──Tomorrow, there’s definitely going to be so much muscle
pain────────!
Then, with a vicious claw as her weapon, Hibiki began tearing apart
one mass produced Yui after the other. Kurumi smile seeing this
scene before moving on.
“Hibiki-san, follow me!”
Hearing Kurumi’s commands, Hibiki nodded with joy as she ran side-
by-side with Kurumi.
The Yuis rushing to pursue them could no longer stop Kurumi, who
was no longer protecting Hibiki, or Hibiki who had just been
empowered by Kurumi.
“More reinforcements……!”
Hearing Yuri’s words, Kurumi let out a wicked kihihihihi laugh.
“Regretfully for you, this world is truly wonderful. As long as enough

time is stalled, the reward for that time spent will come from
others.”
“──What?”
They had finally arrived.
Kurumi turned to the direction of the entrance. Then, she gave a

slightly helpless shrug.
“……Really, you are too slow.”
Slam, the door to the entrance had been violently opened.
Page | 306
“Hahahahaha! March to the battlefield! Good morning, ladies and
gentlemen! You’re looking at Tokisaki Kurumi’s number one servant,
Carte À Jouer!”
“Wha……!”
“Ara, ara. Why are you covered in blood, me?”
Elegantly appearing behind Carte was another Tokisaki Kurumi. A

part of her past that had been extracted, her name was Cistus.
And.
Sagakure Yuri saw something that was not possible.
She was standing in an impossible position.
“──Yuri-sama.”
“Yui-chan, what are you doing?”
“Because I was worried that this situation would grow out of control,
I invited these two who might be able to help. The former Dominion
of the Third Region Binah Carte À Jouer-sama and another Tokisaki-
sama, Cistus-sama.”
“Why did you do this……!?”
“That’s exactly my question. Yuri-sama, why are you trying to kill the
Dominions?”
With a cold expression, Sagakure Yui had asked Yuri.
Page | 307
“Ah, that’s──that’s because, Yui-chan.”
“No, there was no need to ask anymore. For me, I only see this
current reality. I can no longer stand by your side.”
Silence, all of the mass produced Yui models looked at the first class
Sagakure Yui at the same time.
“……So, you are a failure.”
“Yes, I am a failure.”
This was still painful nonetheless. Yui thought it was as if being

rejected by the parent that gave birth to her.
However, that wasn’t all. As her creator, it was even more important
to correct her mistakes.
There were countless victims because she was looking away from
this.
No matter how she tried to justify it──she needed to be killed.
Taking a deep breath, she swallowed all of the uncomfortable and

out of place emotions she has had until now──
She took out her kunai.
“There’s a decisive difference between the mass produced model

and me. Their weapons are just ordinary kunai. Mine has the
different function that you’ve assigned to me. You should know as
the person who gave this to me, but even so.”
Page | 308
Five kunai were being held between her fingers. Sagakure Yui took in
a deep breath. Her momentum delayed Yuri’s response for a few
seconds.
“Sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, the five senses inherent
within a person. My kunai will sever all five. Thus is the authority of
hell.”
“Wait……”
“──I won’t wait. <Shichihōgiyōjiya>!”
Yui’s kunai pierced the wall of the house. However, the moment the
kunai smashed the lighting, the entire mansion began to shake.
“──! Gu, ku……aaaaaaaaaaah!”
Immediately, the mass produced Yuis stopped their attack. They

started frantically looking around. It seemed they couldn’t focus on a
target now that Yuri’s senses have been sealed.
“I’ve cut off Sagakure Yuri’s senses! Now!”
“Got it!”
“……Auto mode! Kill everyone that you see in front of you!”
Once again, the mass production type Yui began to move. However,
their movements now were somewhat dull and automatic.
It was impossible to not take this chance. She pulled Hibiki’s arm and
ran against the wall.
“Cistus, Carte-san. I’ll leave them to you!”
Page | 309
“Leave it to me! Look here, come on out! Ace of Spades, Nine of
Diamonds, Queen of Hearts, and Four of Clover!”
“Leave it to us!” “Aye aye ma’am!” “Look at us!” “Hold back the
applause; we are the four playing cards!”
“I don’t think we’ll be able to hold on with these numbers? So hurry

up and clean up quickly!”
Carte, with her team of four playing cards, and Cistus began their
fierce attack.
Kill everyone in front of you. Because of those orders, the larger

those two’s actions served as bait, the more attention they grabbed
from the mass production types──so they flashily moved without any
reservations.
The situation had completely reversed. Moreover, Yuri had no way to

retreat.
Carte À Jouer and her playing card subordinates brilliantly defeated

the mass produced Yui models, Cistus was steadily shooting them
down, Ariadne Foxlot was slicing or manipulating them with her
mercury threads, and Yukishiro Maya was using all of her books to
form a solid castle wall.
They were defeating the mass produced Yui models without remorse
or mercy. By the time Yuri recovered from her senses being robbed
by <Shichihōgiyōjiya>, it was already too late.
Maya muttered to herself.
Page | 310
“After all, they are just the mass-production type. It is incomparable
to the Sagakure Yui on our side. The same can be said when the
Sagakure Yuri is not operating these mechanical dolls. Even infinite
bullets can’t defeat a single round of a silver bullet.”
Ariadne also earnestly spoke.
“Yuri-chan’s abilities and wisdom is excellent. But our region isn’t

above a little bullying.”
Carte À Jouer said while resolutely holding her arm against her chest.
“I suppose Tokisaki Kurumi-sama is invincible! That’s right!”
“I’m happy with this recklessness.” “Don’t underestimate the

toughness that survived in the Third Region Binah!” “Please don’t
think you’ll have a second chance!” “Die proud with how much
trouble you have already caused!”
Cistus shrugged her shoulders while speaking.
“Well, even if we haven’t arrived, me would have found a way to

deal with you. But would that have made my work a little easier?”
And finally, Sagakure Yui sighed.
“Let’s end this. Yuri-sama──no, sister. It’s over. Let’s finish this.
You’ve deceived everyone too much.”
The butterfly created by Maya was fluttering as arrived exactly

where Sagakure Yuri was.
“……………………Don’t……”
A faint voice, Kurumi listened carefully but didn’t stop.
Page | 311
“……………………Don’t……”
Hibiki also kept running. However, she understood what Yuri was
trying to say.
“……Please. Don’t…...”
──Ah, what compelling words. A wish that was full of deception.
“………………Please, stop………………!”
“I refuse……!”
The butterfly rushed into a room. At the same time, Kurumi and
Hibiki had also arrived there. It was an empty, inorganic room.
“This is……Yuri-san’s room……?”
The butterfly kept going until it violently crashed into the wall, falling
down as if completely exhausted. But even so, its role had been
completely fulfilled.
“She hasn’t taken a single step from the very beginning──so it turned
out to be like this. Really, I should have just done this in the
beginning.”
Kurumi pointed at the wall with <Zafkiel>.
She pulled the trigger.
The wall shattered and a secret room was exposed.
Page | 312
“To hell with all these tricks, really.”
“Here is……”
The structure was made to resemble a huge cave.
In the dark space, there was a table just like a science lab with a
semi-finished Sagakure Yui mounted on it.
They entered the darken interior.
It was more spacious than expected. Aah, aah, they advanced

forward to a lamenting voice.
And so, Kurumi and Hibiki were reunited with Sagakure Yuri.
Her back was connected to cable extending from the wall. She
looked like some kind of prisoner.
But she was still alive and an enemy.
Her appearance was unchanged. However, her glimmering eyes

exuded a strange feeling. She was heavily breathing. With a calm
look, Kurumi pointed her pistol at Yuri’s head.
“……Why, my, sister, suddenly, betrayed……me……”
“……I won’t spare your life. And I won’t conduct a foolish

interrogation by asking you of what you know. There’s just one point
though. Were you planning on dying from the very beginning?”
“……Maybe.”
Page | 313
“Why?”
Sagakure Yuri smiled disdainfully. It looked like she held disdain for
everything. Then, she quietly opened her mouth.
“──Because, even that person isn’t here. ■■-san is missing here.”
Noise. She had said someone’s name, but she couldn’t recognize that
name.
“……I love him. I am in love with him. But as a Dominion, as a Bishop

serving the White Queen, I will never be able to meet him. So I
wanted to destroy this Neighboring World in order to see him.”
She told them as if dreaming.
No, this was different. This was not as sweet as a dream. She shed
tears while realizing her wrong choice.
For a brief moment, neither Kurumi nor Hibiki could say anything.
Noise. As expected, the name couldn’t be comprehended.
“Love, this feeling is definitely love.”
Kurumi somehow finally understood Sagakure Yuri’s feelings.
The Dominion of the Seventh Region Netzach, the traitor, one of the
White Queen’s three executives Bishop, a girl in love had chosen to
throw all of that away.
“……Do you think I can see him after I die?”
“I don’t know. However, I think there is a chance.”
Page | 314
A single chance. If she died in the Neighboring World, maybe she’ll
be able to return back to the other world. Waking up from this
dreamland and return back to reality──
She knew it was just a pipe dream. She knew that she just trampled
on everything for this.
“I’ve treated Yui horribly. I did something horrible to Oka. For the
other Dominions and Quasi-Spirits, I’ve brought endless trouble just
gambling on a possibility──”
But, but, but even so.
“──■■, I want to see him.”
Sure enough, that name couldn’t reach Kurumi’s ears.
But as she whispered, she felt their feelings intersect.
“……I pray that you can see him.”
The trigger wrapped around her fingers felt heavy, but Kurumi still
pulled it.
The sound of gunfire echoed.
Did Sagakure Yuri return to the other world? Or did her soul
extinguish and fade into nothingness? Either way, it meant a world
that was unknown to Kurumi.
Sagakure Yuri died and the title of Bishop would probably transfer to
someone else.
Page | 315
Only Kurumi and Hibiki knew about her love.
Page | 316
“……Isn’t it better to keep this secret from Yui-san?”
“Either way is fine, but──no matter how cruel, I think it’s something
she needs to know.”
Hibiki gave a feeble smile upon hearing what Kurumi had said.
Suddenly, there was a feeling of silence. Looking back, a special

model Yui-san was standing there.
“……Yuri-sama was slain?”
“Yes, yes. You can say that she went peacefully.”
Yui gently touched Sagakure Yuri’s crumbling cheeks. She seemed to

understand everything.
“She was a terrible person.”
“……Certainly.”
“Traitor, I don’t have anything to fondly recall. You were

domineering and selfish. Even if I died, you wouldn’t spill a tear and
say there will just be a next one.”
She mass-produced her own little sister. That was an inhuman act for
sure. She abandoned Yui and continued to make one replacement
after the other. So don’t be sad. In fact, Yuri has never cried for Yui
up until now.
“But. That person fell in love. And it wasn’t fulfilled. That──makes me

feel very sad.”
Sagakure Yui didn’t believe in that. She felt that everything will end
once she dies in the Neighboring World. All that can be inherited are
the memories of those that disappeared in the Neighboring World.
Page | 317
So she thought her sister had died without any meaning.
Because of that, she also felt sad. Being a loving sister, status,
reputation, loyalty, she discarded them all and ended up with
nothing.
“……But. Even then she would have no regrets.”
She lived for love, cried for love, and dissipated for love.
“I should hate you, but this is too pitiful──”
Yuri disappeared under Yui’s watch.
“Yui-san, are you going to be okay?”
Yui nodded at Kurumi’s question.
“Yes. Originally, I can do everything, including maintenance, on my

own as a first-class model.
For the mass-production types, they won’t be so lucky.”
In response to that, Hibiki left the secret room and peeped at the
corridor.
“Wow.”
All the mass production types were motionless. It was a space where
time had stopped. The four people who were still fighting took
advantage of this to run to their side.
Page | 318
“……Is it over?”
Hibiki nodded at Ariadne’s question. The mass production Yui models

had already ceased all activities. But the sacrifice was great.
Miyafuji Oka was killed and Sagakure Yuri had betrayed them. On the
other hand, the White Queen’s strength remained the same. A new
replacement Bishop would soon be made. And the next Bishop won’t
betray the Queen.
There was the feeling of being gradually oppressed──as if being

crushed by a falling ceiling.
“……Tokisaki Kurumi. No, everyone here, I have something to tell

you.”
Maya spoke with a decisive look on her face.
“The White Queen’s goal is to open the door to the other world in
the First Region Keter. And she believes the Neighboring World must
be destroyed for this purpose. And──”
The words that Maya said shocked everyone that was present.
“……That seems to be true.”
“Please, Tokisaki Kurumi. If the White Queen knows that, it’s all over
for the Neighboring World. The entrance must be blocked. One is in
the Second Region Chokmah. And the other is in the Fifth Region
Gevurah.”
“Fifth Region Gevurah, if that’s true. Right now it’s being invaded──”
Page | 319
“Yes, Kagarike Haraka’s beloved disciple Tsuan is organizing a
resistance there. However, recent reports have shown that the
White Queen’s attacks have increased in intensity lately. So I want
you to head to the Fifth Region Gevurah rather than the Sixth Region
Tiphereth. She will be responsible for showing you the way.”
With that said, Maya pointed at Ariadne.
Ariadne replied with, “Eh, I haven’t heard about that”. But still she
reluctantly nodded. After all, this was a veritable──world crisis.
Page | 320
○Epilogue
“So it turned out to be like this.”
The White Queen examined Bishop’s records and giggled a little.
“That girl was thinking those sorts of sentiments. I feel like my own
child has betrayed me.”
Meanwhile, the White Queen began to forget that Sagakure Yuri was
Bishop. It was information that was no longer needed and trying to
understand her would only place unnecessary pressure on her brain.
Therefore, she didn’t hesitate to forget about this.
Compared to that, there were also several pieces of important

information. First of all──
“You.”
She spoke to a nearby Empty. The White Queen pointed her gun at
the nervous girl who approached her.
“Become Bishop from now on. The Scorpio Bullet <Akrab>.”
The sound of gunfire──the venom from the scorpion flowed into the
Empty’s body, transforming her.
“……Please accept my sincere service.”
The other Empties looked on in envy at the girl who became Bishop.
Becoming one of the Three Executives was the ultimate promotion

for the Empties that served the White Queen. To be able to offer
advice to the Queen, listen to the Queen’s orders, and send orders
down to them.
Page | 321
“That’ll be the end of the infiltration operation. I understand Tokisaki
Kurumi’s weakness now, so let’s clean up that rebellious element in
the Fifth Region Gevurah.”
“You mean──”
“Yes.”
The White Queen smiled as she spoke.
“Let’s proceed to the Fifth Region Gevurah. The decisive battle will
be on that barren land. Upon arrival, my personality will switch to
the real one.”
Page | 322
Page | 323
And Spring Arrives
I am Higashide Yūichirō, the wandering gambler (self-professed).
The fourth volume of Date A Bullet was released in the summer of

2018. But that date passed by in the blink of an eye as this volume.
By the time this volume is placed in bookshelves, the third season of
the Date A Live anime will usher in the climax.
As you grow older, people often say that time moves quicker. But
when this is studied as an actual sensation, several hypotheses have
been taken.
One of my favorite hypotheses is that “children experiences are fresh

and novel” and “adults experience countless things over and over
again”.
Entertainment, study, work, discovery, every experience is fresh for

young children──so in order to be able to engrave it in the memory,
the sense of time has slowed down.
Now, based on the above, Date A Bullet has finally reached five
volumes. In each volume, I’m working hard to make the attitude of a
girl named Tokisaki Kurumi feel refreshing.
This time was a bunny girl & detective. And the genre is gambling &
mystery.
Also, my love of Mahjong is stronger than playing cards. So I wanted

to make use of the rare opportunity of girls playing Mahjong in the
future. But because that would feel abnormal in this volume, I
abandoned the idea in favor of playing cards.
Page | 324
I really wanted Kurumi to say, “How rude.” “Your back is stained.”…..
(Famous line said to the protagonist of むこうぶち)
As always, I would like to thank everyone involved. Editor-sama,

thank you for your continued patronage. Tachibana Kōshi-sensei,
thank you for always checking that Kurumi remains consistent with
the flow of the original story. NOCO-sensei, thank you for always
drawing a variety of sexy & stylish outfits for Kurumi and the others.
Also, the new volume of Date A Live is also being released on the
same day!
But well, if you’re already reading the postscript for this book, I
suppose you must have already bought it as well!
Next volume, the Sixth Region Tiphereth is skipped in favor of the

barren land of fire and lava.
In addition, it should be noted that in regards to the Fifth Region

Gevurah being a barren wasteland and the chest size of the cute little
sister that appears in the main story of Date A Live, there is no causal
connection whatsoever!
Higashide Yūichirō
Page | 325
Credits
Translation Group: Date A Live’s LN Translation
PDF is done by JLN
Page | 326
Download all your fav Light Novels at
Just Light Novels
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Page | 1

○Casino Battle Royale

○What was Cut Down?

○Thus the Mansion Collapses

Just Light Novels

One of them would be regarded as a beauty by everyone that saw

“Kurumi-san, this is too boring. Let’s play Shiritori.”

Hibiki vigorously approached Kurumi after having enough of the long

──Kurumi thought about the White Queen.

Then what was that love for?

There was too little information to be used in a conjecture.

Not only that, even now she still──

──Couldn’t remember that person’s name.

Pushu, a noisy cry echoed across the air.

Kurumi clutched her stomach as she laughed. Hibiki adjusted her

“So, what were you thinking about?”

“I don’t want to say it.”

“Aah, so it’s about that person as usual.”

Having been suddenly exposed, Kurumi turned her head around

Hibiki grinned, giving a look as if seeing through it all.

Kurumi grabbed Hibiki’s cheeks and swayed it up and down. To be

“Speak up, why do you know what I am thinking?”

Hearing those words, Kurumi reflexively buried her face.

“……S-So, what kind of expression is it?”

It felt embarrassing. When thinking about him, sometimes it was

“That’s not to say it is wonderful. However, as a Kurumi enthusiast,

“Eh, it’ll probably be a picture frame scale of 1000/1.”

“You listen well, absolutely, absolutely──never allowed.”

Despite that carefree reply, Kurumi’s vigilance increased in a single

“……Speaking of which, has Hibiki-san also not visited the Seventh

“Yes. But Ace of Spades-san wrote out an outline of Seventh Region

Kurumi peeked into the letter that Hibiki opened.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Isn’t that a greeting?”

──Ah──he─llo──he─llo, always in your debt, Ace of Spades.

“It seems to be like a frank business greeting.”

“So is the beginning also like this?”

“It’s a representation of how one needs to make the best effort in

“Carte-san, she does have a face that looks easily deceived……”

“Who could that be?”

“Or maybe a love card?”

──It’s a Quasi-Spirit lawyer.

──Ah, also the Dominion Sagakure Yuri-dono is mad siscon scientist

“That’s quite fanatical.”

──Farwell, until next time.

“Ace of Spades-san, she feels like a Quasi-Spirit that would

“I don’t get why Hibiki-san is using such metaphorical expression.”

Touching this door would immediately open it.

“Then, let’s proceed.”

“Hmm……I consider myself average. But I am confident in having a

“Then I feel relieved. I will never be deceived.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can just use <Zafkiel>.”

“……Threatening with a gun, isn’t that a tactic of a criminal

In spite of this, Kurumi was capable of crossing over numerous

It would be impossible for her to be swindled through. After all, they

That was to be expected.

“Yes, yes. There’s no need to be afraid.”

It was because she was Tokisaki Kurumi.