BA-G 118-135 (Patreon)

118. I'm an Evader!"Huh? A trial? Don't underestimate me!"Neru was completely enraged. Dan Kuroto ignored the robot soldiers behind him that were still trying to break through his defenses and instead beckoned to Neru."If you can reduce my Rider Gauge by half, I won't interfere with Aris and Kei's affairs anymore. How about it?""Ha! You said it!"Neru's face blazed with arrogant fighting spirit."You like to underestimate others? I'll show you just how powerful Agent 00 really is later. Do you think we in C&C have dealt with countless enemies wreaking havoc using only heavy armor and powerful weapons?""Is that so?"Dan Kuroto slammed his sword into the ground, easily creating a localized earthquake."—Tales Saga Chronicle 2 is a classic retro RPG where companions work together to defeat the final boss. The most important feature and gameplay element of this type of game is teaming up with unique partners!""Why are you suddenly introducing a game so seriously?!""As the president of a gaming company, isn't it perfectly normal for me to put a game ad here?"Neru stomped her foot in annoyance. "Don't add game ads to my commission at a time like this! Isn't this super mood-ruining?""Let me make this clear: I'm extremely powerful!"Dan Kuroto's greatsword swung toward Neru even as he spoke."An ambush!"After dodging Dan Kuroto's sword with her agility, Neru turned around and realized that it was just a casual swing, yet it had cleaved a cracked crater into the ground. Cold sweat broke out on her brow."What kind of inhuman strength is that? It's completely unreasonable!"Neru, though verbally defiant, showed no sign of backing down; on the contrary, her fighting spirit only intensified.With dazzling footwork, she traversed the dilapidated plaza, easily dodging Dan Kuroto's chaotic sword swings with her petite frame and agility, completely different from what was expected."Speaking of which—what's this 'Rider Gauge' you were talking about earlier?"After dodging Dan Kuroto's attack, Neru deftly delivered a bullet-inflicted backstab.A barrage of hits landed, interspersed with over a dozen misses. Once Dan Kuroto focused on Neru's attacks, purple miss symbols appeared throughout her barrage."Are you kidding me? At this close range, how could a bullet miss?" Neru stared in astonishment at the numerous misses flashing before her eyes.At such close range, Neru was absolutely certain that every bullet she fired would hit Dan Kuroto's armor. But watching helplessly as her bullets struck Dan Kuroto's armor and then bounced off with large miss indicators left Neru completely bewildered."Haven't you ever played a video game, little dwarf?""Don't call me little dwarf!"Dan Kuroto aimed his Railgun Greatsword at Neru and fired. Still reeling from the shock, Neru rolled away, narrowly avoiding the Railgun round.Following this, a series of explosions erupted behind Neru. While Dan Kuroto's Railgun shot hadn't hit Neru, it had certainly caused damage to the combat robots behind her."Equipment stats, equipment stats." Dan Kuroto patted his armor. "In RPGs, evasion is part of the armor. You have to try it.""Ku... could it be a deflection shield?"Rio remembered the ancient deflection shield technology that her research club students were working on and was shocked. "That stuff's already being used in actual combat?""Seriously, don't talk science in a game."With that Railgun shot, Dan Kuroto transformed his a Railgun greatsword into its rapid fire mode, his Railgun greatsword firing shells relentlessly and pushing the boundaries of science to the extreme.Neru, leaping and dodging the shells, gritted her teeth. This intense firepower was hard to imagine coming from just one person.Just as Asuna had said before, Dan Kuroto might simply be playing a game."Got you!"Dan Kuroto's Railgun greatsword had been firing in bursts to corner the agile Neru on the battlefield. As Neru's path followed his predetermined trajectory amid the constant barrage of fire, Dan Kuroto had already calculated the optimal position for his next shot."What?!"Neru, propelled into the air by the previous shot, was in her most vulnerable position.Until landing, Neru couldn't change her orientation, which was exactly what Dan Kuroto needed—"Game over!—Limit Break Charge!"Just as every similar weapon possesses a strange function called "Limit Break," this Railgun strike naturally also featured the familiar Limit Break ability.The ability to fully charge in an instant is what maximizes the Railgun's firing power. Because the rapid charging causes the blade to glow red-hot, upon seeing this completely red blade, who wouldn't instinctively shout "Trans-Am" because it looks so familiar?"Is there really something like this? It's like a bug!""It's not a bug; it's a feature!"Using the Railgun to easily crush the drone army brought by Chairman Rio beforehand left everyone with the impression that every shot from the Railgun was incredibly powerful; even a low-powered burst was something no one would want to take head-on.Then, after demonstrating the short time required to charge the Railgun before finally revealing its unreasonable instant-charging ability, Dan Kuroto—what despicable information concealment!"A full-power Railgun... one hit and you'd be knocked out."Watching the blue muzzle flash, Neru's eyes widened, and time around her slowed down by half.Even so, Neru couldn't think of a good way to dodge the shot. She could only hold her submachine gun in front of her and wait for the Railgun to hit her...Bang—!A gunshot rang out from afar. Dan Kuroto's greatsword was deflected slightly, but that short distance was enough to divert the shot that would have hit Neru!The Railgun blast landed among the remaining autonomous robot troops in the distance, creating a rain of flying parts."Hit."---119. This Is Our Exhilarating Combo!Emerging from her focused sniping state, Karin reached for the bolt, ejecting the spent cartridge."Minister, have you forgotten about us again?""Exactly! We C&C members are one team, you know. Minister, you're having so much fun fighting all by yourself. Have you forgotten the rest of us are behind you?"Asuna slid in from behind, her rifle clanging as she aimed at Dan Kuroto. Akane, standing beside her, initiated support.However, Akane knew her pistol couldn't penetrate Dan Kuroto's armor. Therefore, instead of humiliating herself, she used various tactical gadgets to assist Asuna, Neru, and Karin in delivering a more powerful attack.Akane adjusted her glasses and smiled at Neru. "I'm a strategist by nature, so doing this just seems like returning to my original job.""Excellent, excellent! This is the stage I wanted to see!"Dan Kuroto laughed heartily. "Teamwork and teamwork to challenge the final boss—this is the most classic, quintessential RPG storyline!""I don't know why, but I suddenly feel all fired up."Neru reloaded her two submachine guns and looked up at Dan Kuroto. "You're a man with a rather unpleasant tongue, but you're not a bad guy at heart—at least, that's my intuition!"To truly connect with Neru, a fight might be the quickest way. You can glean a lot from a person's fighting style. This is a unique insight Neru has gained through years of combat."Oh? What makes you say that?" He wasn't in a hurry to attack; rather, he wanted to hear how this hot-tempered kid would evaluate him. "Your opinion of me is completely different from the student council president's.""You haven't used your full strength at all, have you?"Neru pointed to the Gamer Driver on his waist."Those weird, toy-like things aren't as simple as they seem. Until you conjured this armor from them just now, you hadn't used that thing on your belt since the start of the battle.""And I already heard what you said from the beginning. You were protecting that kid named Aris Tendou, right?"Neru scratched her head, seemingly wanting to preach, but then realizing it wasn't her style.After a moment's hesitation, she finally used the most direct approach:"Ugh! Seriously!—In short, I don't think you're a bad person!""—But this fight is still going to happen!"Akane threw two smoke grenades forward, enveloping Dan Kuroto in a haze. As Akane threw the smoke grenades, Asuna and Neru moved in perfect unison."A high-energy combo between comrades, huh? But that won't work on me!"Dan Kuroto swung his Railgun greatsword, creating a strong gust of wind to try to disperse the smoke. At the same time, the Rider armor's enhanced hearing, amplified dozens of times over, came in handy. Using sound to pinpoint their locations, the footsteps of the two on the field were almost like X-ray vision, forming a 3D map in his mind."A coordinated attack from both sides... so old-fashioned."Dan Kuroto raised his Gaschacon Aegis. Once the defensive field on the Aegis was activated, he could block attacks from all 360 degrees. And with the Aegis's defensive bonuses, the penetrating attack Neru had managed earlier would be impossible to achieve now.However, Dan Kuroto resolutely abandoned this foolproof method. He wanted to end the battle in a much cooler way. With this thought in mind, Dan Kuroto aimed his weapon at the chocolate blocks that had appeared on the ground due to the game's effects.Neru and Asuna had already deduced this from their experience with the combat suit's abilities.'That combat suit seems to greatly enhance various human abilities, not just reaction speed and physical strength—'Neru pondered a countermeasure while dodging several Railgun shots that seemed to emerge from the smoke. 'If we're only considering combat, hearing must also be among the enhanced abilities.'A blurry figure loomed in the smoke. Dan Kuroto stood arrogantly in the center of the arena, completely motionless. He seemed to be waiting for Neru and the others to attack.'Don't underestimate us, old man!'Now that they knew their presence would be exposed, and that their opponent's defenses were insanely strong, comparable to those of a main battle tank, there was only one way to break through Dan Kuroto's defenses and achieve their previous goal—"Use all your strength!"After all, Dan Kuroto had provided a clue at the beginning, but Neru and the others had only just remembered it."Tales Saga Chronicle 2 is a retro RPG where teammates work together to defeat the final boss!"The boss they needed to defeat was undoubtedly Dan Kuroto, and the key element of this challenge was self-evident: teamwork!"Ora ora ora!!"Seeing Dan Kuroto still standing there, Neru roared and charged forward with her dual pistols!Having switched to more penetrating ammunition, the moment she saw the purple Rider, she didn't hesitate to bring her pistols together and unleash a barrage of bullets!A series of misses appeared, but hits landed more often than not. The purple Rider seemed oblivious, letting Neru unleash a deluge of bullets upon him. Only then did he belatedly realize what was happening and swing his greatsword, trying to drive away the now-close Neru."Hey! That's a sticky bomb!"Asuna arrived from the other side, but unlike Neru, she didn't fire her gun. Instead, she threw pre-prepared sticky bombs at the purple Rider, while Akane was the one who pressed the detonation button.Boooooom!This high-powered sticky bomb, specifically designed for clearing operations, was a version that had undergone several generations of improvements. While maintaining its explosive power, it also allowed for precise control of the blast direction, ensuring that all recoil force was concentrated on the target.Frankly, if Dan Kuroto hadn't displayed such monstrous skill, Asuna and the others wouldn't have so casually thrown this kind of powerful bomb at someone's face."Tungsten core loaded—Hit!"----120. Your Belief Is Your Magic. (Nods)"Tungsten-core round loaded—Hit!"Karin's anti-materiel sniper rifle was, so far, the only weapon capable of dealing 100% damage to Dan Kuroto with normal attacks. Knowing the opponent's formidable strength, Karin loaded her most powerful round—a tungsten-core discarding-sabot armor-piercing incendiary round.Karin rarely used this round against ordinary enemies; it was only occasionally seen against armored vehicles.Under normal circumstances, its power was definitely excessive!To be honest, even Karin hesitated for a moment before using this round against Dan Kuroto—wouldn't he just get blown to bits?"Chairman, is the main battle tank in position?" Akane pressed her earpiece. Rio, who had received the request earlier, had already mobilized the Millennium Armored Tank."Target confirmed, fire!"Asuna and Neru quickly withdrew from the shelling range.Then, the shell whistled past them. With four deafening cannon shots, the purple Rider was completely engulfed in a towering inferno.“Is it resolved?” Rio muttered to herself."With that level of firepower, let alone armor, they could be torn to shreds even while hiding behind cover.”Rewind to what happened earlier.—Jump!—Invisibility!—Clone!No further explanation was needed. The moment he acquired the energy item, Dan Kuroto couldn't help but smile.“Sometimes, camaraderie can't compare to raw power.”Even though it was just one clone, it was enough. Dan Kuroto left the clone in place, while his invisible self used the enhanced jump to leap from the spot, soaring a hundred meters into the air.Then, Dan Kuroto reached out and inserted the Tales Saga 2 Gashat into the Gashacon Shield's slot."You kids beat me?! Don't I have any dignity?!"A flash of light, and the Gaschacon Aegis' Finishing Move, filled with the Gashat's power, brimmed with energy—'Kimewaza!''Densetsu Critical Finish!'Upon hearing that emphasized, dramatic line, Neru felt a chill run down her spine. By the time she looked up, it was too late.Dan Kuroto, who had somehow fallen from the sky, was like a giant fireball. His small shield, carrying the illusory image of himself at its front, vaguely formed the shape of a massive shield, covering everything in its path as it plummeted downward!'Meteor Strike!'A massive phantom shield crashed to the ground, its impact as devastating as a meteorite striking a stage set up in Yu-Gi-Oh! The Gashacon's Finishing Move is a powerful attack that transforms the shield's impact into a phantom, overwhelming the enemy with tremendous force. Simultaneously, the shield's defense is significantly enhanced during the Finishing Move's activation, its range expanding to the entire area of effect—effectively a group defensive skill.After the massive phantom shield descended like a divine palm strike, the shockwave easily destroyed all the robots, but the students were merely knocked to the ground by the immense force, rendered immobile and exhausted."Hmm... as expected of a weapon made by a Gashat left behind by that guy. It's showing mercy to the students, isn't it?"Standing up, Dan Kuroto retrieved the shield embedded in the ground. A Gashat born from the desire to protect students could never harm them.“But the last one—it probably doesn’t matter anymore, right?”Dan Kuroto glanced casually in Karin’s direction. Although Karin could actually fight again due to the distance, she had wisely put away her sniper rifle—even the robot army brought by Neru and Rio had been wiped out, and considering the earlier bet, Karin felt there was no need to continue fighting.“Ugh... How could this happen...”Rio lay on the ground, utterly humiliated. While Aegis’ Finishing Move prevented harm to the students, it left them exhausted and aching all over, especially Rio, who wasn’t very physically fit; she couldn’t even lift a finger."What kind of power is that... ancient technology?""It's just my talent."Gashu~Dan Kuroto drew his Gashat, deactivated his transformation, and walked unhurriedly to Rio's side, looking down at her."Aris and Kei will be under my care. Any objections? Even if you do, I'll ignore you.""...Can you withstand a crisis powerful enough to destroy the world?"Rio tried to calm her breathing, her gaze fixed on the cold, domineering adult before her.That expression was familiar; wasn't it the same expression she used to have when giving orders as student council president?Only this time, it was her turn to receive the forced command.“…This isn’t some petty squabble. Alice Tendou possesses the potential to destroy the world. Using your power to overcome everyone’s opposition, what if something goes wrong...”“I know, I know, the same old ‘what if’ argument.”Dan Kuroto pressed his fingers to his forehead. Rio before him reminded him of the high-ranking officials in the Department of Health. “I thought that in a different world, and with a younger person, at least their perspective, thoughts, and heart would be more open. Why is she still so bureaucratic?”“Because you’ve reached a high position, you prioritize stability and security above all else? Ignoring all possibilities and choosing the option with the least risk?”“Because Alice Tendou has the potential to become a world-destroying weapon, you’re taking advantage of this opportunity to persuade her to self-destruct, nipping the crisis in the bud with the highest success rate?”Dan Kuroto raised his head, closed his eyes, took a breath, exhaled, and then lowered his head again."In business, there are times when you have to make choices. Whether to choose a stable strategy to maintain your financial statements or to take the risk of opening up entirely new markets can sometimes be a difficult decision.""After all, the latter involves too much uncertainty."Dan Kuroto, hands in his pockets, looked at Rio lying on the ground, covered in dust and dirt."—However, under my godly power, nothing is impossible.""Having won this gamble, the weapon of destruction is power you can control. Why give up something so good?" Dan Kuroto lowered his head slightly."Besides, aren't you a student yourself? Why are you so lacking in energy? Learn from Neru over there. Act like a student, okay? You're so young, yet you insist on acting like an adult.""You—!"Rio tried to struggle to her feet to refute Dan Kuroto's sharp assessment, but ultimately lay back down, grimacing."It's not that simple... just believing like that?""That's why I said it all along, this is the time for 'love and peace,' and look, you've messed it up, haven't you?"Himari's voice rang out from the side.Rio looked up, and Dan Kuroto also looked at her. The familiar voice made Dan Kuroto realize."Oh, it's you, the one who's been hiding behind the camera."On the screen projected by the drone in mid-air was Otto, the wheelchair-bound Yamato Racer—no, it was Himari, the aloof beauty of Millennium Academy, the genius, sickly, and beautiful girl!"Why is your title longer than mine?""Don't worry about such trivial things, Mr. Dan Kuroto~"Himari waved her hand with a smile. "This is our first official meeting, isn't it? Since everything's resolved, I'm just showing my face... but this scene..."Himari glanced at the wreckage and the fallen maids, then fixed her gaze on the disheveled Rio. "Looks like a crushing defeat for us," she said.Rio's expression darkened. "Himari, are you making sarcastic remarks at a time like this?""Of course not," Himari chuckled. "I'm here to offer a suggestion. How about letting Mr. Dan Kuroto give it a try? Aris is such a cute junior; Rio really had the heart to make her cry. I wonder how many cakes it'll take to soothe her?""..."“Alright, stop biting your lip, little Rio.” Himari placed her hands flat on her lap. “Trust is a two-way street. Try to trust others sometimes, and maybe Aris will repay you with the answer of ‘a hero who saves the world.’ It’s possible.”---121. Himari: Are You Talking About Me?“I believe...”Rio lowered her eyes. “Because you possess the power to defeat me, right now, you seem to be the more convincing one.”Having regained some strength, Rio struggled to prop herself up, managing to sit up from the ground, at least to avoid looking too disheveled.“…But if that day really comes, how can you guarantee you'll have the power to control everything?”Did Rio do something wrong? Honestly, as the president of the Millennium Seminar, Rio simply made her own choice.She eliminated the uncertain future and chose an outcome that was destined to be correct. She ensured the safety of everyone at Millennium Academy to the greatest extent possible, at the cost of sacrificing only one student who already had abnormalities.Could she really say she did something wrong?“Worrying about this, worrying about that—it's a never-ending cycle of worry.”Dan Kuroto stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the lush greenery before him. “New troubles are always arising. Even if you stop one, there will be another. That world-destroying crisis you mentioned—isn't it right in my hands now?”Dan Kuroto twirled the Gashat containing Tales Saga Chronicle 2 a few times, as if playing with a regular game Gashat. “See, everything’s perfectly fine, isn’t it?”“Besides, if you're going to bring up some ‘what if’ scenario, it’s still just a possibility, no matter how much you talk about it. It hasn’t happened yet, so no matter how much you say, it’s still just a possibility.”Dan Kuroto scoffed, stuffing his card pouch into his pocket.“Even if a world-ending crisis really occurs, it definitely won’t stop me! I’m Kami!”Dan Kuroto’s confident voice echoed in Rio’s ears.The millennia-old Seminar Chairwoman looked at this confident adult, as if everything were under his control. Rio wanted to ask him why he could so confidently claim that everything was under his control.“Where does your confidence come from? Why are you so certain about this?”Rio couldn’t understand where Dan Kuroto and Himari’s confidence came from. Weren’t they afraid that everything would spiral out of control?"Can't do it? That's just self-consolation for mediocre people!" Dan Kuroto raised his hand and shouted. "Truly talented people would never say they can't do it! Because in the face of true talent, all difficulties are easily overcome!"Himari pointed to herself. "Are you talking about me?"Dan Kuroto pushed the wheelchair-bound girl aside. "Yes, It's me.""..."Could this seemingly capable but truly unreliable guy really handle it?Rio thought it over and over, realizing she didn't seem to have any right to refuse. She couldn't win a fight, and she couldn't win an argument.Plus, Himari appears to agree with Dan Kuroto managing Aris, so the outcome of this matter... seemed to be settled."Yo, President. Looks like there's no need to fight anymore, right?"Because of their daily training, Neru and the other maids recovered their mobility much faster than Rio. While Rio could only manage to sit up on the ground, looking somewhat less disheveled, the maids were already able to stand up and walk, barely supporting themselves."Haha~ What was that last move? So cool!"Asuna, though covered in dust and dirt, still maintained her cheerful expression. "Could you teach me next time? I want to use that Kimewaza thing too!""For a personal combat suit to be this strong, that's practically beyond reason."Pushing up her slightly damaged glasses, Akane sighed helplessly. "How can you possibly win against such an unreasonable opponent?""Armors... can they really do this much?"It had to be said, Neru truly lived up to her reputation as Millennium Academy's most elite special operative. Even when facing an enemy of this caliber, she recovered with lightning speed."Phew... I understand. Let's leave it at that."Finally, realizing she had no other choice, Rio softened her stance. Dan Kuroto had destroyed all the robot units she brought and utterly overwhelmed the entire C&C force, demonstrating enough power to make her reconsider the matter. Moreover, Dan Kuroto's posture as the victor was sufficient to convey his position.The powerful figure who could easily defeat all of Rio's combat units was now speaking to her politely. Even with Rio's initial tough stance, she now had to consider the consequences of going to war with Dan Kuroto or provoking him."Mr. Dan Kuroto, since you also hold the title of president of the Schale Federal Investigation Club, then we'll use that name to sign the contract with you. Is that alright?"Rio tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Having regained some strength, she finally had time to think things through."From today onward, Millennium Academy will retain Alice Tendou's enrollment. However, the president of Schale, that is, you, must unconditionally bear responsibility for Alice Tendou and all consequences arising from her existence, and have the obligation to prevent those consequences. Is this condition acceptable?"It sounded like she was shifting all the responsibility onto Dan Kuroto, but Rio knew she had no power to compel him to fulfill this obligation.Saying this was merely a concession. Dan Kuroto's position in the contract with Millennium Academy, if measured by power, was fundamentally unequal.Therefore, hoping that Dan Kuroto would fulfill his supervisory obligations was just that—hope. After all, Rio's side had no way to control Dan Kuroto."It would have been better if you'd said this sooner. That's settled then; no need to bother her anymore."Dan Kuroto nodded in satisfaction, and just as he was about to leave, he turned back and pulled a business card from his pocket. "Please visit Gemn Corp more often. Let's keep in touch if there's any opportunity for collaboration!"“Gemn Corp?”Rio picked up the business card Dan Kuroto had handed her. It bore Dan Kuroto's name in neat calligraphy, along with his title as president of Gemn Corp."Although it's still in its early stages, with my talent and vision, it's only a matter of time before Gemn Corp grows into a behemoth encompassing all of Kivotos! Hahahaha!"Dan Kuroto casually turned away. "The sooner we cooperate, the more we earn! We have a huge plan going forward, which requires contacting several school districts to operate. The school district that expresses its interest first will naturally receive the biggest share of the profits!"---122. Are You Looking for The Legend of Mizukage?“Hey, Dan Kuroto.”At that moment, Neru’s voice drifted over from the side. “You idiot, you can’t fight at all. You just brute-force your way through with that junk equipment, right?”Dan Kuroto, far from being ashamed, was actually proud. “Equipment is part of strength too, what? You disagree, little dwarf?”“Ku—! Damn it! Let’s fight again!”Neru’s face flushed red again at the “little dwarf” remark hitting her sore spot. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight Dan Kuroto. She couldn’t take it anymore!“Don’t go—”However, she had just been drained of her stamina by Dan Kuroto’s Finishing Move, and now she could barely stand. In her agitation, Neru felt her legs buckle, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.Asuna covered her mouth. “Ouch~”Neru’s face, already flushed with anger, turned even redder.“How dare you!!!”——————“Don’t worry, the president and the others will handle these problems. I heard the president has already mobilized a lot of robot troops, so everything will be fine.”Yuuka comforted the group in the game development department’s activity room, especially reassuring Aris, who was frustrated and confused by Kei’s appearance. Although her expression had improved considerably after their repeated reassurances, she still looked quite sad.Meanwhile, because the game Gashat had been stolen and disappeared, and a large hole had been blown in the activity room wall, many incomprehensible things had happened, causing Yuuka a great deal of distress. Now, poor Yuzu was huddled in a mango box, her eyes vacant, not knowing what to do.“Waiting here any longer doesn’t seem right! Let’s go get it back!”Momoi, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly stood up. She shouted with great force, startling the four people beside her.“Sister, what’s wrong with you now?” Midori clutched her head. “Dan Kuroto said to just let him chase after it, right? If we go, we’ll just be making things worse.”“But! This is our game, after all! We just finished it a second ago, and before we even had a chance to look at it, someone else stole it—I can’t stand it!”Momoi, standing on the sofa in socks, declared with great conviction, “Not only did they steal the Gashat we just created, but they also made Aris and Yuzu so angry. We can’t just let the culprit off so easily!”Raising a hand, Momoi loudly announced, “Now’s the time to gather the entire game development team! Let’s go help Dan Kuroto too!”“Help him with what?”The door to the game development department was suddenly flung open, and Dan Kuroto walked in, tossing himself onto the sofa and nudging Momoi with his bottom.“Move over a bit, make some room for me.”Momoi froze. “Dan Kuroto? You’re back! I was just thinking of helping you!”“Do I look like I need help?”Dan Kuroto casually pulled the Tales Saga Chronicles 2 Gashat out of his pocket and waved it in front of them.“Here it is, all taken care of. By the way, Aris, I’m your current supervisor.”“Supervisor?” Aris blinked, looking puzzled. “What’s that?”“Ah, simply put...” Dan Kuroto looked up and thought for a moment before answering, “To maintain the peace of Millennium Academy, to prevent Kivotos from being destroyed, and to prevent the sealed power within you from suddenly going berserk and turning into a world-destroying crisis, I’ll be supervising you from now on.”“I see...” Aris lowered her head somewhat dejectedly, but unlike Dan Kuroto’s expectations, she didn’t immediately change her mood after hearing this exhilarating explanation."So, Aris really does have a ‘Demon King’ sealed within her, right?”“Probably.” Dan Kuroto nodded, stroking his chin.“But you don’t need to start feeling sad so early, because if this power is used properly later, it might even save the world at a crucial moment. From being the Demon King to a Hero, isn’t that awesome?”“The ultimate power sealed within...” Momoi’s gaze lingered.“A powerful predecessor and educator...” Midori pondered.“Perhaps in the future, a user’s mysterious power will save the world...” Yuzu looked up. “Are you looking for The Legend of Mizukage?”Momoi’s face relaxed, reverting to her OWO expression. “It feels... the sad atmosphere has instantly dissipated.”“Sister, you’re such a big idiot! That’s because Mr. Dan Kuroto is so strong, so these troubles aren’t troubles for him at all.”Midori playfully tapped her idiotic sister on the back of the head. “Mr. Dan Kuroto can’t always help us, after all. It was just a coincidence that we ran into each other. When those things happened just now, weren’t you just as helpless as everyone else for a while?”“Well, what could I do? Suddenly encountering something like that! This is the first time I’ve ever experienced anything like it.”Momoi rubbed the back of her head and chuckled.“But it’s so good that it was resolved peacefully in the end! Yuuka made this all so tense; I thought something else was going to happen next.”“Mo—I was just worried about you guys!” Yuuka said, embarrassed. “Who knew things would turn out so quickly!”“That’s because this guy smoothed things over for you, so you can still sit here laughing.”A voice came from the direction of the doorway. It was Neru, the head of the Maid Club, who had just fought Dan Kuroto.“Yo, little dwarf, what brings you here?”Dan Kuroto naturally raised his hand to greet Neru, though the “little dwarf” nickname made her blush slightly—naturally, out of anger.Yuuka looked surprised. “How dare you call Neru a little dwarf...”“Don’t call me a little dwarf! Anyway, it’s because of President Rio’s orders.”Entering the game development department’s activity room, Neru stood in front of Aris, looking her up and down. The culprit, who was about her height, had caused all this commotion.“You’re the designated seal target Rio mentioned? You look no different from an ordinary person.”“Ah... who is this?” Momoi hadn’t reacted yet when Midori’s gaze lingered on Neru for a moment. “That special forces uniform, and the submachine gun with the chain... that’s! The legendary strongest maid in Millennium, Neru-senpai!”“Huh? It’s not quite that impressive. Everyone else is just exaggerating.” Neru waved her hand. “Anyway, following President Rio’s instructions, although it’s now confirmed that Dan Kuroto will be in charge of supervising Aris to prevent this little one from causing any more trouble, as the supervisor on Millennium’s side, our Maid Club will assign an extra person to take turns overseeing things with you when we’re not on missions.”Dan Kuroto laughed. “Don’t you trust me?”Neru shook her head. “Not really. After all, knowing your personality, you probably wouldn’t obediently keep records and write reports for the Millennium Seminar every day, would you?”“That’s true.”“So our job is to observe whether Aris is a suitable partner and whether the so-called monitoring plan is effective.”Neru closed her eyes, recalling the conclusions Himari and Rio had reached during their discussion.“As for what kind of person Aris really is, besides your monitoring and assurances, Dan Kuroto, the entire Maid Club will also use our own eyes to see and understand what kind of person Aris truly is.”“The first step in friendly communication is to begin with mutual understanding, isn’t it?”Himari put down her coffee cup, turned to the silent Rio beside her, and chuckled. “Making judgments without seeing things for yourself is a major taboo in both research and judging people, isn’t it?”“Himari, when did you become like this?”“Oh my~ I’ve always been such an understanding, genius, sickly, and beautiful girl, haven’t I?”---123. Classic Post-Match Heart-to-Heart TalkIn the game development department’s activity room, Momoi held up her recovered Gashat, examining it intently. She asked Dan Kuroto, who was sitting on the sofa and unreasonably occupying a large amount of space:“Dan Kuroto! Dan Kuroto! Where’s that person who ran out of the machine, the one who looks like Aris? Did you catch her?”“Yeah, she’s in here.”Dan Kuroto picked up the Tales Saga 2 Gashat. He hadn’t really looked at this newly released game Gashat properly yet.The Gashat was dark blue, with a cover image of the Demon King, and as a special Gashat, the top of the handle had a dragon-head relief. Although it sounded like the Gashat Dragon Hunter Z, the two were actually quite different.“Time to move her out. I’ll use my Bugvisor here...”Dan Kuroto inserted the Gashat into the purple machine he had taken out. This machine, resembling a GBA, was the Gashacon Bugvisor that Dan Kuroto always used. Unlike ordinary Gashacon weapons, the Bugvisor was multifunctional, combining weaponry and gadgets.With the “exp experience handle,” it became a Gashacon weapon; without the handle, it became the “Gashacon Bugvisor,” capable of storing, releasing, and cultivating Bugster viruses. Combined with a special “Bugster Buckle,” it became the new transformation item, the “Buggle Driver”—a three-in-one device that greatly enhanced its functionality.Gachan!With the Gashat inserted, Dan Kuroto pressed a button on it. A sound of data transfer followed, and Kei’s image, identical to Aris’s, appeared on the Gashacon Bugvisor’s screen.“Where am I...”Kei felt her surroundings brighten, and when she opened her eyes again, she could see the outside world instead of the pitch-black cyber prison she had been in before.But strangely, it felt like she was trapped in a small glass box, and her perspective... why did everything seem so vast?“Wow! Midori, look! Aris is on the screen!”“Sister, be quiet, I see her...”Momoi peered in amazement at the Gashacon Bugvisor in Dan Kuroto’s hand. She could see Kei, looking bewildered and curiously tapping the screen in front of her, much like a virtual pet. This wondrous scene deeply impressed Momoi.“With this Bugvisor, you can store the Bugsters from the Gashat inside the machine—you could call it imprisoning them.”Dan Kuroto nodded in satisfaction. He had been imprisoned in something like this himself, so he knew its purpose when it came to Bugsters."However, unfortunately, the Gashat was designed this way from the moment it was created. This special Gashat for Tales Saga Chronicles 2 is now her core.”“Special Gashat?” Yuzu asked, puzzled. “What... does that mean?”“No matter how many identical Gashats are produced, only one—the most unique one—can be used on the Gamer Driver. I call it the ‘Rider Gashat.’” Dan Kuroto shook the machine in his hand, causing Kei inside to feel a jolt. “And such a Gashat is naturally unique and cannot be copied.”“Hmm... so, Dan Kuroto, you mean...” Momoi blinked. “Our entry is gone?”“It’s just that the format has become a little special. Now that the game data is already finalized, making a regular version is enough to enter it into the Millennium Prize.” Dan Kuroto handed the Gashacon Bugvisor to Aris. “However, since Kei has become a Bugster, this Gashat is essentially her core. As long as the core isn’t destroyed, she can regenerate countless times using it as a core.”Aris stared at the machine in front of her, her eyes meeting Kei’s.“Princess...” Kei blinked, looking through the screen. Her princess was inexplicably enormous; her face alone took up most of the screen in front of her.“I told you, Aris isn’t a princess...”Aris was still unwilling to accept Kei’s way of addressing her, but it would be a lie to say she wasn’t curious about this Kei who had appeared inside her body and looked exactly like her.Having heard Dan Kuroto address Kei by her code name, Aris stammered out Kei’s code name. “Your name is Ke...i! Ah!”Not quite sure how to pronounce “Kei,” Aris bit her tongue while saying it, her face contorting in pain.“Ooh... I bit my tongue...”“Ah, Princess...”Kei reached out worriedly, but the screen in front of her prevented her from moving.To Kei, everyone else was insignificant; after all, she believed the world was destined to be destroyed by the Princess. However, besides everyone else, Kei cared most about her Princess—this concern for the Princess, for AL-1S, was genuine.But now, perhaps it should be changed to concern for 'Aris.'“Let me see~ Is this the person who stole the newly developed Gashat?” Midori curiously leaned closer, scrutinizing Kei, who was confined in the incubator. “She looks exactly like Aris-chan...”Not only was Midori peering at Kei, but Yuuka, Neru, and the others also squeezed in. Neru simply wanted to see what kind of being this person was—the one who should have been retrieved by them but had ended up in Dan Kuroto’s hands, the one President Rio called “a weapon capable of destroying Kivotos.”“That’s her? The one who can destroy Kivotos?”Neru frowned, looking at Kei, who was trapped in the Gashacon Bugvisor and couldn’t cause any trouble. “What does she call herself... Kei, right? I didn’t see her show any potential to destroy Kivotos just now. That dark-skinned adult over there looks much more dangerous.”“Hey, hey, hey, watch your mouth! What do you mean by ‘dark-skinned adult’? That’s formal attire!”Dan Kuroto was fiddling with the mysterious materials he had retrieved. After all, Kei had already claimed the core of the Tales Saga 2 Gashat. Even if he just wanted to copy a regular game Gashat, he would first need to make a stripped-down blank Gashat—a stripped-down version, of course, meaning one without the Rider transformation function. However, since regular game Gashats all have the “game area” function, the mysterious materials were indispensable in their creation.“In short, let’s leave it at that for now—let’s just do it for now!”Dan Kuroto inserted the blank Gashat he had prepared into the Genesis Mk. I.This thing also supports power-loss saving and save functions, and previously entered game data can be transferred with one click—super convenient!---124. Understanding Is Not Complete Analysis"Phew... There shouldn't be any more problems now, right?"Yuzu breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes shining as she waited for the Gashat to be loaded back into the game. The first Gashat she'd created for Tales Saga 2 had been snatched away the moment she saw it, scaring her half to death. She was determined to keep this one—she wanted to play it first!"This... this is my right as the creator!"Yuzu declared.Meanwhile, Kei, surrounded by onlookers, had nowhere to hide and could only endure the observation and stares from all sides. Aris looked at this similar-looking person with curiosity."Kei...""Kei? Ah... you can call me that if you want."Kei listened to Aris's imperfect pronunciation but didn't correct her. Aris could call her whatever she wanted, or even not call her anything at all. Pronouncing Key as "Kei" due to mispronunciation was a minor matter."Why does Kei want me to destroy the world?""Why..." Kei lowered her eyes slightly. "Isn't this the duty we were created for?""All the gods are enemies. Isn't it our duty to eliminate the enemy?""Enemies?" Aris paused, taken aback. "But everyone's been so kind to me!"Holding the device, Aris told Kei what she'd seen."Since coming here, Aris has had so many happy days.""Momoi, Midori, and Yuzu recommend lots of interesting RPGs to Aris. The seniors in the Engineering Department often create amazing gadgets, and everyone in the Truth Department always helps answer so many questions—"Placing her hand on her chest, Aris whispered to Kei on the screen. "Although Aris hasn't experienced any grand adventures here, hasn't drawn the Sword of the King, and hasn't rescued the princess, Aris feels that everyone is a very good person.""Therefore, Aris doesn't want the world we live in to be destroyed."This was Aris's heartfelt sentiment, guided by the kindness around her. Even without conflicts that harmed others, it was a "conclusion" accumulated from the small, everyday moments of life.I don't want this school, filled with everyone's laughter, and this game development club to disappear.Aris might not yet understand the world beyond this thousand-year-old school, but for Aris, this small activity room where she lived now, and the bonds built by everyone in the game development club, were her world. Kei's talk of destroying the world must include this little corner of her world, right?"Princess..." Kei looked up, realizing that even without her guidance, her princess seemed to have her own thoughts."So, Kei... can you promise Aris not to destroy this world?"Aris's sincere gaze pierced the screen, meeting Kei's eyes without hesitation."...I understand. Since it's Her Highness the Princess's request."After a long silence, Kei looked away. After acquiring this Bugster body, some of Kei's structures had been subtly altered; even Kei herself could feel the difference. No longer a simple piece of code, she now possessed a mind and body composed of 0s and 1s, though she couldn't fully comprehend the changes happening to her body.However, this rewritten body no longer needed to abide by the rules and restrictions left by the "Nameless Priests" when they created her. The Bugster's existence transcended biology and data, granting her this "freedom" in advance without requiring any price.Destroying the world was merely the one thing written on Kei's schedule."But... how should I continue to live like this?"Kei was lost.If leading the princess, a nameless sage, to destroy the gods was Kei's sole purpose and value, then by abandoning this goal because of the princess's words, what would be the purpose of Kei's existence, and for whom would Kei live?"In that case, Aris has many games she can recommend to Kei!"Aris laughed."As a newbie in the gaming world, Aris recommends Kei start with The Legend of Cerna: Dream Island!"Kei was confused."Cerna... what's that?""What is it? In the end, she's just a pathetic guy who's completely lost." Neru propped her cheek up with her hand, poking the screen with her finger. "If you're interested, how about we go out and pick a fight with some thugs next time?""You start with something like that?"Yuuka was shocked. "You could at least mention some hobbies that are more like a girl's, like shopping, eating cake, buying pretty clothes, etc. Who invites people to fight?!""In that case, let's aim to make the world's number one game!""Why not become a maid? A maid! Akane said it's time to find some new faces to wear maid outfits!"The group, who had suddenly started arguing about what Kei should do, quickly settled into their own opinions and began a heated debate. Kei, on the screen, had no chance to interject, silently watching the group's verbal battle as they struggled to find a new path for her future."Why... I was the one who wanted to destroy this peace before, so why are you all discussing my future so casually now?"Kei didn't understand, but a strange impulse filled her. She clutched her clothes tightly at her chest, unable to comprehend this feeling."You don't need to understand, because understanding is unnecessary."Dan Kuroto's hand had somehow taken the Gaschacon Bugvisor from Aris. He held it up so Kei could see everyone discussing whether she should wear a maid outfit."They'll never understand my thinking, nor can they become another me, but I get along quite well with the game club members.""I... don't understand."Dan Kuroto closed his eyes, choosing a simple phrase."Seek common ground, respect differences.""Huh?""No need for understanding, just acceptance." Dan Kuroto chuckled. "Questions without answers will never be answered. Instead of pondering why they treat you this way, relax, accept their kindness, and reciprocate with equal goodwill.""As for those questions I can't figure out, I don't think it's necessary to think about them."Dan Kuroto pressed a button on the Gaschacon Bugvisor and pulled out the Gashat.Gashu~Looking at the Gashat lying motionless in his hand, Dan Kuroto shook it."Still pretending to be asleep? Come out!"The Bugster virus spilled out of the Gashat, gradually taking on the shape of a girl. Kei's figure solidified, finally becoming a physical entity. She opened her eyes, nervously looking at the discussion group that had suddenly fallen silent because of her appearance."..."Kei hesitated, unsure how to speak, but the next second, everyone swarmed around her."That one! Perform it again! How did you suddenly appear?!""Kei, what do you like to eat? Would you like some snacks?""Come on, choose one of these three beginner games to embark on your adventure!""The texture of this hair... it really is just like Aris-chan's...""Now there's another Aris."The cacophony of voices momentarily overwhelmed Kei, making it difficult to withstand the onslaught. It felt more overwhelming than a hail of bullets. Kei looked at the people before her. Although they were saying completely different things, the emotions she sensed were all the same.'Ah... this is... something incomprehensible...'A hand just like hers grasped hers.Kei looked at the princess who had finally emerged from the crowd. The princess seemed quite unhappy that she hadn't spoken to Kei immediately.'Kei! I've got it! The first time should definitely start with exploring the school! In school-themed visual novels, you usually trigger bond events!''What is this...''Oh, oh, oh, you're so good, Aris-chan! Let's begin!''Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!''Wait, I'm going too...'---125. Millennium Prize Award Ceremony"Alright! This is the live broadcast of the Millennium Prize, simultaneously hosted by the Millennium Broadcasting Department! I'm your host, Lolo!"A beautiful girl with a healthy complexion raised the microphone, enthusiastically pointing it at the broadcast camera."Can you see it? Can you see it? This is the center of the venue! The intellectual achievements of various clubs from Millennium Academy will be showcased here! Welcome to come and watch!"The sky above the academy resounded with booming fireworks, their colorful bursts dazzling against the clear sky. Banners unfurled by balloons stretched along the academy's main road as numerous Millennium students, adorned with Halo badges, surged toward the exhibition venue."Aaaaaah... This day has finally come."Yuzu sat on the floor of the game development department, staring nervously at the television screen.Because of thorough preparation and a process even easier than before, Yuzu and her team had significantly accelerated the development of Tales Saga Chronicle 2, their Millennium Prize entry. Four days had passed since they submitted the materials and Gashat for judging."Thinking back, this game was actually finished six days ago, right?" Momoi, clutching her cushion, relaxed on the sofa. "But all we did outside of game development was encounter all sorts of unexpected things."Midori, also clutching a cushion, sat beside her sister, nodding in agreement."Solving side quests took up more than half the total main quest time—it must be Ubisoft's scheme!""Ubisoft?" Aris asked, puzzled. "What's that?"Momoi patted her shoulder earnestly."It's the first game studio to use an eco-server, and they love filling open worlds with question marks that drive perfectionists crazy.""I feel... a bit sorry."Standing by the sofa, Kei, who looked just like Aris, appeared a little uneasy."I've caused you a lot of trouble...""It's alright, it's alright! The best outcome is that no one got hurt in the end."Momoi proudly put her hands on her hips. "Although we were just watching the show in the end!"After the previous incident, Kei, who had gained her own body as a Bugster and become an independent being, ultimately became a member of the game development department under Dan Kuroto's supervision.To be honest, Rio, as the president of the Seminar, wasn't entirely at ease with Kei's presence. The reason she sent the maids to take turns guarding Dan Kuroto was precisely because of this.Even with Himari's persuasion and Dan Kuroto's confirmation, Rio maintained a basic level of wariness toward Kei, who now possessed a body, and the same went for Aris. While this surveillance wouldn't interfere with Aris's and Kei's daily lives, nor would it lead to anything too outrageous, it represented Rio's bottom line."The students' safety must be the top priority. As for you... I don't fully trust you yet."After that incident, Rio approached Dan Kuroto again, though she had no effective way to counter the power Dan Kuroto had displayed. However, having the ability was one thing, and how to express it was another."I see. Then you can do whatever you want with the surveillance. I don't mind. Just don't interfere with my activities."Dan Kuroto was indifferent to Rio's statement; whatever the Millennium student council president did was her business. Since she had temporarily acknowledged Aris as a Millennium student, and in the end only received a nominal surveillance role without doing anything outrageous, Dan Kuroto let Rio do what made her feel at ease."So what are you all worried about...?"Dan Kuroto, bored, picked up his mug and filled it to the brim with coffee. The automatic coffee machine, which no one but Dan Kuroto would ever use, was brazenly placed in the game development department's activity room.According to Dan Kuroto, he simply felt the place needed such a machine, so he bought it."With the technical prowess of my Genm Corp and my godlike talent as a backup, winning the campus technology innovation award is a piece of cake, right?"Midori looked at him."Hmm... that's true, but shouldn't the mystery be maintained before the awards ceremony?""Instead of that, why don't you guys go to the event?" Dan Kuroto pointed to the venue in the distance. "I finally got a free front-row seat, didn't I?""Because Yuzu isn't very good at handling crowds like this~" Momoi looked at Yuzu, who was squatting on the sofa beside her. Yuzu could only offer a shy smile."N-no, I get nervous around a lot of unfamiliar people... Attending club meetings is my limit...""In that case, I'll just drag you there!"Dan Kuroto suddenly reached out and lifted Yuzu off the sofa."Just like that, I'll take you straight to the Millennium Prize! And then you'll sit in the front row!""Awaaaaaah..."Yuzu imagined the scene, and her whole body twitched. She shook her head violently, exclaiming, "Eye-strained oyster! If the game development team sat in the front row, the whole school would laugh at us!""Dan Kuroto, just let Yuzu go. Forcing her into that kind of situation will only burn her to ashes," Momoi said knowingly, shaking her head."Yuzu's shyness is common knowledge; she even attends classes online.""Ah! Look, the judging results are about to be announced!"Aris suddenly shouted excitedly, drawing everyone's attention to the screen. With the host's excited shouts, Kotori, as an additional guest, appeared on the screen."Wow Thank you so much for inviting me to be a commentator and host for this year's Millennium Prize. I'm really honored This year's Millennium Prize received the most entries ever. I guess it's because of the policy changes made by Seminar, which mean that clubs must achieve 'results' to continue. That's why it's so popular!"The blonde, bespectacled girl seemed quite enthusiastic, chatting casually with the host and warming up the atmosphere.As the live stream continued, Kotori mentioned a few of the entries."Among our entries this time are 'a portable cheese bottle that looks like toothpaste but can squeeze out cheese,' 'a protective umbrella containing missiles,' and 'a portable refrigerator that fits perfectly under a can of cola,' etc..."Just as Kotori was about to lose her temper and begin explaining why Fusion was the noblest form of summoning, host Lolo quickly shifted the topic to the awards ceremony that was about to be announced.Host Lolo wiped the sweat from her brow and pointed the microphone at Kotori."This year's selection has seen some dark horses emerge, with some unexpected clubs producing inventions that have shocked everyone. Do you think there's anyone among them who particularly appeals to you?"

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126. Shut Up and Take My Money!Facing the camera, Kotori laughed heartily."Haha~ I was really shocked when I saw it! I really want to know what the person who invented this thing was thinking at the moment they made it; it's truly unimaginable!"On the other end of the TV, Dan Kuroto, hearing this, straightened his chest and smugly hummed."Of course! I'm a genius! With me involved, the Millennium Prize is a piece of cake!""Oh, oh, oh~" Momoi clapped her hands. "Cool, bro.""So, Mr. Dan Kuroto, you expect our game to be number one?" Midori glanced at the smug Dan Kuroto beside her, who replied without hesitation."Of course! This Tales Saga 2 Gashat, whether it's the game itself or the Gashat containing the game, is good enough to take first and second place! It's an underutilization of our talent to compete here in the school competition!""If it's really that good... I'm starting to feel a little uneasy..." Yuzu said hesitantly. "This year's number one will definitely be Shiraishi-senpai and the others from the Engineering Department, right?"Momoi nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, I understand, I understand. After all, in terms of both functionality and style, the things the Engineering Department makes are the most in line with the Millennium Prize theme."Dan Kuroto tapped each of the three on the head. "How can you ruin your own prestige right from the start? Do you even want to sell your product?""But we're not selling games right now!"Momoi winced, clutching her forehead, and turned to the side with teary eyes. Someone who hadn't spoken for a long time had been sitting on a cushion nearby."Akane-senpai... you're just staring at people without saying anything. It's kind of scary..."Akane, dressed in a maid outfit, adjusted her glasses and smiled. "Really? At least I don't think so."Today's "special supervisor" was Akane, rotating from the C&C Club. Compared to the overly lively Asuna yesterday, Akane was more like a meticulous and silent observer.She proactively helped Momoi and the others, and also helped tidy up the messy areas of the Game Development Department, making her seem more like a maid than the others.However, when she wasn't busy, her eyes were always fixed on Aris and Kei, and even though it was only for one day, Aris found it unbearable."Stop talking. They're about to announce the rankings, big sister."Midori gave her older sister a light tap on the head, turning her attention to the television. The broadcast was now announcing the top seven winners of the Millennium Prize!"Speaking of which, last year's first-place winner was Ms. Noa's Meter of Memories. Although the final result deviated somewhat from her original intention... its overly metaphysical vocabulary and expressions—in other words, incomprehensible writing—were ultimately hailed as the best sleep aid of the millennium!"Dan Kuroto chuckled. "Pfft, hahahaha!!! To turn a collection of poems into a lullaby, I'd love to see that, hahaha~""Alright! The final moment has finally arrived!"Kotori on the television pointed to the camera, and also to everyone watching on the screen. "Next up is the seventh-place winner of the Millennium Prize—""So nervous!" Momoi gripped the cushion in her hand tightly, while Dan Kuroto had already expertly torn open a bag of cheese-and-seaweed-flavored potato chips, stuffing them into his mouth and chewing noisily."Hmm, I'm also quite curious about what the top nine items are.""The seventh place in the Millennium Prize is... Ms. Utahara's invention from the Millennium Engineering Department, the 'Optical Camouflage Mini Bikini-Style Underwear Set'! The strange thing about this creation is... even while wearing this daring set, which only has a few strings to begin with, it's as if you're not wearing anything at all... but besides allowing exhibitionists to legally enjoy life, it seems to have received a lot of praise for another purpose... I'm curious who did the judging, but this is seventh place!"The people in the activity room stared at each other wide-eyed."So, what kind of equipment is this?" Aris asked, confused. "Optical camouflage... underwear?"Dan Kuroto dropped the potato chips in his hand, unconsciously loosening his grip. Immediately, Dan Kuroto spoke seriously."Millennium is truly full of talented people.""Please don't use the inventor of this thing as a representation of Millennium's school spirit... it puts us in a difficult position." Akane sighed, embarrassedly ordering one from the Engineering Department on her phone.While Dan Kuroto was pondering the purpose of this garment, and Momoi and the others were praying, Kotori on the screen continued announcing the next awards:"Then next up is sixth place... the project proposal from the Ancient Antiquities Research Club for 'The Excavation of Ancient Supercomputing Machines'!""Next up is fifth place... 'High-Speed Donut Assembly Machine'!""Fourth place...""Third place..."As the rankings drew closer and the number of prizes decreased, Momoi and Yuzu became incredibly nervous.Momoi had already tossed her pillow aside and hugged it back several times, and not only Momoi, but even Aris next to her was extremely tense."Waaaah... Can you please finish already?!" Midori was squeezing the cushion in her hands until it was practically bursting. "This waiting is torture!""This is the first time I've ever felt watching TV could be so agonizing..." Momoi said, holding her breath. "If she dares to interrupt with a commercial break when she announces first place, I'll blow up the TV and the awards ceremony!""I understand how you feel, but absolutely not..."Amid the anxious anticipation of everyone except Dan Kuroto, the first-place winner was announced.Kotori's voice was filled with surprise. "That's right! The one that defied everyone's expectations, bringing us unexpected astonishment and shock, is undoubtedly—the Game Development Team's creation, the 'Tales Saga Chronicle 2' game-cartridge, a Gashat!""Made with technology that amazed everyone in the Engineering Department, the 'game-transformation Gashat' provided an unparalleled experience for all the testers... To be honest, we spent a day and a half of the three days of judging immersed in the game, hahaha..."Kotori blushed slightly as she revealed a little secret.After all, almost everyone involved in the judging process was completely captivated by this Gashat, which had taken up a significant portion of the already tight judging schedule."It's truly a frighteningly magical technology~""How exactly is such a completely realistic game-world technology condensed into this seemingly ordinary little cartridge? It truly astonished everyone..."Off-screen, Momoi fell silent for a moment. "Hmm... it feels like everyone's talking about the Gashat's technology...""Has no one paid attention to the game itself?" Yuzu asked sadly. "That's hurtful...""Isn't this a case of 'buying the box and returning the pearl'?" Midori rested her chin on a cushion. "But can our game really be called the 'pearl'?""Aris thinks so!"Aris stood up and encouraged the three somewhat dejected players. "Yuzu, Momoi, Midori, Aris has seen all your hard work! The effort and passion you've poured into this game will definitely be felt!"As if on cue, during the subsequent review of the first-place entry, a robot judge also offered their evaluation."The Millennium Prize has always aimed to allow everyone to unleash their talents and abilities to achieve a better future. Therefore, the evaluation of winning entries focuses on the practicality of the product...""However, this year's entries include one that allows us to experience 'practicality' from a new perspective. There's a game that not only evokes memories of the past but also inspires our beautiful visions for the future..."Momoi's eyes widened in surprise. "Look! It's an evaluation of the game itself!""A design concept that transcends conventional retro style, an imaginative and unconventional plot development, and a strange worldview that seems out of place at first glance... While it might be quite confusing at first, the journey through a new world, the encounters with different companions, and the eventual defeat of the Demon King—though the process is quite erratic—make it a genuine retro RPG.""Furthermore, the technology used in the Gashat truly immerses players in the game world, almost unequivocally evoking that initial thrill and fascination we felt when we first encountered a game."Kotori finished the statement. "So! I only have one question for the Game Development Team!""Gashat! Can it be mass-produced?!"On the television, the awards for the top seven entries were announced, while on this side of the screen, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.Finally, Momoi was the first to shout, "Yay!!""Yay! We did it!!""We're the champions!""Although it's thanks to Mr. Dan Kuroto..." Yuzu breathed a sigh of relief, her face flushing slightly. "But this result is really great~""Now we won't be disbanded, right!"Momoi happily pounced on Midori, the two cats rolling around in celebration, while Aris hugged Kei beside her."What a good ending! Kei—!""Your Highness..."Kei was clearly not quite used to such close interaction, but thinking that it was her princess's embrace, she no longer cared what Aris was so happy about. As long as Aris was happy, that was enough for her."Yosh! With that, Genm Corp's business plan has taken its second step!"Dan Kuroto raised his fist, clenching it tightly, proud of the miracle his talent had created:"Truly, Kami's talent is always right!"---127: The Crisis of Abolishing the Department Has Passed, and the Business War Chapter Begins (Part 2)"Still no response."Genm Corp, President's Office.Dan Kuroto held a heavy, purple Gashat in one hand, the culmination of his divine talent—God Maximum X, the strongest power capable of overturning the entire world. But now, this Game Gashat was merely a fleeting, illusory image in Dan Kuroto's hand."But compared to the initial state where I couldn't summon a Gashat at all, it's much better now."Dan Kuroto reflected on his past experiences. Each time he encountered an event related to the Kivotos students, he felt his connection with God Maximum strengthen."Back when I was fighting those girls in the After-School Sweets Club for the limited-edition cake, the Gashat was just a blurry shadow. Now..."Dan Kuroto recalled the confectionery war he and Yoshimi and the others from the After-school Sweets Club had sparked over a piece of limited-edition cake he had bought. However, the aftermath of that incident was that Dan Kuroto discovered the possibility of his Gashats being summoned again. So, in a good mood, he shared a portion of the cake as a divine favor with everyone who had worked so hard for it.After that incident, Dan Kuroto felt he had vaguely grasped the key to reviving the power of God Maximum."So... my bond level has increased?"Dan Kuroto pondered whether his accumulated bonds had advanced from "zero" to "one"—a dramatic leap.But ultimately, Dan Kuroto's understanding of the intangible concept of "bonds" was perhaps less profound than that of the junior doctors at the CR Emergency Center.For Kami, bonds were unnecessary. After becoming a god through his own power, bonds became even more dispensable."Well... if this is related to whether the Power of God Maximum can be fully unleashed, then perhaps a detailed investigation is indeed necessary."After reluctantly toying with God Maximum one last time, Dan Kuroto released his grip, dispersing the phantom of the God Maximum Gashat from his hand. The God Maximum Gashat was still just a phantom he could see but not touch. While he could barely feel the Gashat's tactile sensation in his hand, proving that its power was indeed recovering, he couldn't do much more."So, does this mean... I should try to establish as many connections as possible with the world of Kivotos?"As Dan Kuroto closed his eyes in contemplation, a knock came at the door, followed by a voice from outside."President, this is the market research data collected from various locations, as per your instructions. It's been compiled into documents. Please take a look."The robots that entered the office were the company's operations staff. President Dan Kuroto, as the decision-maker, issued orders to them, and these robots faithfully carried out his instructions.In reality, most of the robot citizens operating within Kivotos were quite different from the robots of Kaiser Corporation.Like a vast game of make-believe, the robots in Kivotos could be broadly divided into two distinct categories: those engaged in normal social production and those engaged in abnormal social activities.The vast majority of Kivotos's inhabitants are intelligent robot citizens performing various jobs. Like normal laborers, they maintain Kivotos's overall operation in their respective roles.From convenience store clerks to corporate employees, it can be said that most jobs within Kivotos are operated and maintained by these robot workers.However, there are exceptions: some very strange animal citizens.Even Dan Kuroto, who has watched many series many times, cannot clearly distinguish between these animal citizens and robot citizens. Nevertheless, these robot citizens and animal citizens, combined, undeniably maintain all of Kivotos's production.Besides the students who don't participate in production, another force in Kivotos consists of intelligent robots engaged in various illegal activities. The most well-known is undoubtedly Kaiser Corporation, and the most prominent examples are Kaiser Credit and Kaiser PMC's acquisition of the Abydos School District.However, even Kaiser Corporation's ideas were actually quite limited. The mastermind behind the entire Abydos acquisition was actually Gematria. It was Black Suit, acting as an ally of Kaiser Corporation, who guided them through many business tactics from outside this world. This allowed Kaiser Corporation to employ these unconventional methods, ultimately causing the Abydos School District to plummet from its former status as the largest to its current state, reduced to a mere six students."That's why I say this was practically a giant game of make-believe."Flipping through the data on student preferences from various regions, Dan Kuroto ignored the robot employee before him, muttering to himself, "Such a clear-cut black-and-white divide. Black is definitely black, and white is definitely white. It's like the inevitable clash between good and evil in a classic drama. Because evil must exist, someone will inevitably have to play the role of its target.""Perhaps my understanding is still too superficial."Dan Kuroto had already memorized all the data in the document.After a moment's thought, he placed his hand on the keyboard in front of him. Within about a minute, a large block of text appeared on the screen, neatly formatted as a document. Then, the printer beeped, printing out the document Dan Kuroto had just created and handing it to the robot employee."How's the renovation of the flagship stores at Trinity, Gehenna, and the Millennium School District coming along? And are our advertising plans ready?""Everything's ready. Now all that's left is to deliver the goods to the designated stores."Dan Kuroto meticulously carried out his preparations. While returning to Millennium Academy to help Momoi and the others prepare their final entry for the Millennium Prize, he was also simultaneously managing the company remotely.Meanwhile, a few days earlier, Dan Kuroto had completed the setup of the company's servers and a dedicated Game Gashat production line. Because all the machines on this Game Gashat production line had to meet Dan Kuroto's stringent requirements, every component had to be custom-tuned.After all, this world had never produced such a device before, so there was no ready-made assembly line.And here, we must mention the world's first Rider Game Gashat, which Momoi created initially."Neko King, Neko king. While it hasn't been of much help in battle, I'm only now realizing how useful this Gashat is—especially since I can't directly utilize the Power of God Maximum. Momoi, you truly are a hero."Before Dan Kuroto, a group of bipedal cats wearing helmets were rapidly constructing a Gashat production line according to his specifications."...Because I helped initially, does this Gashat also contain a trace of God Maximum?"Logically speaking, a Level 2 Gashat shouldn't possess such world-altering power. While the game's genre—a sandbox simulation building game—might also play a role, how could a mere Level 2 Game Gashat possibly influence reality and create non-existent structures and machines?"Perhaps it's a small miracle born from the interaction and fusion of the gamer's soul within Momoi and my God Maximum."As the first Rider Gashat ever created in this world, its initial significance might have been meaningless in previous worlds, but in the mysterious world of Kivotos, the word "first" had perhaps unconsciously acquired a conceptual meaning.Initially, Dan Kuroto simply called upon the cat construction team from Neko King on a whim, but soon, something astonishing happened.These cats seemed to genuinely begin researching the construction of Dan Kuroto's proposed Game Gashat assembly line, as a progress bar indicating "Blueprints Under Study" appeared above their heads."Four hours?"Dan Kuroto stared at the progress bar, astonished by the four-hour estimate. Not because it was too long, but quite the opposite.To develop a production line for manufacturing Game Gashats in just four hours—was the potential of this cat engineering team perhaps even greater than Dan Kuroto had imagined?"Just four hours to develop a production line for Game Gashats that don't even exist in this world?"Dan Kuroto silently waited in his office for four hours before returning to the construction site.This time, the cats didn't immediately start working or ignore the materials. Instead, they remained in place, and above them, the progress bar had transformed into a detailed blueprint marked with various precautions and dimensions in cat language. Dan Kuroto couldn't understand cat language, but he could understand the material list floating on the blueprint; the game's graphical language clearly labeled all the required materials."This is different from when we built the greenhouse and dungeon in Abydos," Dan Kuroto said, looking at the floating list of materials. "Is it because we're building structures of different difficulty levels this time?"This time, the cat construction team unusually submitted a list of materials they needed, and it seemed that before these materials were available, the cats had already started slacking off. They took off their hard hats, chased each other around the company's workshop, rolled around, took naps, and even took out fish-shaped pillows to pet."Fish."'You can pet it. Time flies when you're petting the fish.'"What kind of fragmented item description is this?"Dan Kuroto slapped away the automatically popping-up dialogue box containing the fish in the cat's hand with a strange expression. The things the cats requested weren't hard to find, and the quantities weren't too large, but they were mostly Kivotos's special mysterious Ooparts materials.As a cartridge manufacturing line for achieving mystery and performing miracles, it was normal for them to need such things.And coincidentally, Dan Kuroto had ordered a considerable amount of mysterious materials to create a blank Rider Gashat. After opening several boxes of materials, the cat construction team, having met the starting conditions, began their work."Meow meow meow~""Meow meow!"The cats once again visually represented a progress bar. After replenishing the missing mysterious materials, the cat construction team automatically completed the remaining ordinary materials. Then came the long wait until the progress bar reached the end, marking the completion of the entire production line for manufacturing ordinary Game Gashats."Perhaps it's time to prepare some more compensation for Momoi."Dan Kuroto nodded with satisfaction, watching the brand-new production line begin its trial run."Preparing compensation for capable people is exactly what a qualified president should do."The production line was completed a few days earlier, and over the past few days, Dan Kuroto borrowed credit points from the General Student Council to purchase a large quantity of Ooparts, the material used for Gashats. He had been operating at full capacity, filling Game Gashats.Aside from the ten Gashat data copies he'd previously used for reviving old games, he only began official production today.This was to wait for the Millennium Prize to end so that Tales Saga Chronicle 2, the remake of the original Tales Saga Chronicle, and Tales Saga 2: The Sandalwood Edition could be released simultaneously.Eh? Someone's asking why he didn't do this before? Didn't he already have the data?"This is obviously a gimmick to use the Millennium Prize as free publicity."Sitting in his office, Dan Kuroto wore a knowing, calculating expression. "Being directly asked by the host at the Millennium Prize about mass production has clearly garnered immense attention. Plus, Yuzu has already made the free trial version available for download online, building up the hype..."Dan Kuroto waved his hand. "Now's the time to unleash this momentum and launch a full-blown attack!"A surge of excitement coursed through Dan Kuroto as he rediscovered the feeling of conquering everything, of dominating the battlefield, that he had experienced in the early days of his entrepreneurial journey.These moments of overcoming difficulties had faded after Dan Kuroto spread his dreams across the world, but now it seemed his youthful energy had returned!—"This is the moment of ultimate achievement! Wow!"

---

128. The Beginning of Everyday Life

"Yuzu! Did you see that?! It's all over the internet!"

Early in the morning, the door to the Game Development Department's activity room slammed shut. Momoi, rushing from the dormitory, excitedly ran to the locker where Yuzu was hiding and opened the metal door.

"Ah...! Momoi?"

Yuzu instinctively covered her face with her hands. Because she had stayed up all night tackling a difficult level, Yuzu was still half asleep and was startled by Momoi's sudden action, momentarily panicking until she confirmed that the person opening the locker was indeed Momoi.

"Seriously... don't scare me... what happened today?"

Yuzu breathed a sigh of relief. After winning first place in the Millennium Prize, the previously unknown Game Development Department had certainly gained some attention.

It wasn't just students curious about their previously unknown club's sudden surge in popularity; businesspeople from all over Kivotos, drawn by the news of Game Gashat's commercialization, had also flocked to the club. Whether legitimate businesses or those involved in the black market, their messages, both overt and covert, had flooded Momoi's MomoTalk.

However, what excited Momoi so much today wasn't any of that. She held up her phone, showing the video to Yuzu.

"Yuzu, look! It's our game!"

Momoi held up her phone; the screen showed a long line of shops, their signs clearly reading "Genm Games," and the promotional banners outside featured the cover art for their game, Tales Saga Chronicle 2!

"Dan Kuroto said he'd help publish our game, and now it's come true!"

"Yes, it's true..." Yuzu held her phone in both hands, stunned. "My game... will it really be officially released?"

"I heard they're also selling a high-definition remaster of the first game, Tales Saga, at the event." Midori walked over and smiled at Yuzu. "Didn't Mr. Dan Kuroto ask you for the game data from the first game and have you sign a usage contract? It seems he's been waiting to start commercial activities after the Millennium Prize."

"Ah... so that contract from back then..."

Yuzu remembered something and pulled out the contract from her hidden cabinet. It was the contract Dan Kuroto had come to her to sign a couple of days ago, after the Millennium Prize. It included the exclusive right to use the game data of Tales Saga 1 and Tales Saga 2, as well as the right to modify and remaster the games. Yuzu, as the original author who relinquished these rights, would receive 30% of the final revenue.

"Dan Kuroto brought me this contract, saying it would be beneficial to sign it, and insisted I sign it,"

Yuzu said somewhat nervously, holding the contract in front of her. "Actually, without Mr. Dan Kuroto, this game would never have achieved this level, let alone won the Millennium Prize... so I suggested that we just give him full authorization."

"But Yuzu still signed the contract," Midori said, looking at the contract in her hand. "A revenue-sharing agreement... that's great. If the sales are phenomenal, Yuzu will get a lot of money."

Remembering Dan Kuroto's attitude that day, Yuzu felt a little embarrassed.

"Mr. Dan Kuroto said, 'Game developers need to protect their own rights,' while shoving the contract into my hand, and I signed it. After that, I copied all the game data for Mr. Dan Kuroto."

"It's only been a few days, and they've already released a remake..." Momoi spoke seriously. "Oh no, what am I going to do if I suddenly become interested in the remake of the first game?"

"If you like it, just buy it! Now is not the time to hesitate!"

"Hoo-hoo... ha~"

Standing up from the sofa behind her, Aris seemed to have just ended her standby mode. Kei woke up at the same time. Following the advice of her senior, Himari, to "live like a normal person," Kei, who didn't need sleep or food, had now learned to sleep and eat.

However, Kei was now practicing the same standby sleep as Aris—sitting on the sofa with her eyes closed. The two identical girls sitting upright on the sofa looked like they were filming the twin sisters from The Shining if the lights weren't on.

"Momoi, Midori? You're here early today..."

Aris rubbed her eyes, and the Halo behind her head lit up as if it had been turned on. Aris, still sleepy, spoke in a languid voice, completely unlike a homunculus. "What good thing happened?"

Compared to Aris, Kei's awakening was a bit more startling. As if time hadn't loaded at all, the moment she needed to wake up, the Halo above her instantly activated, and her eyes snapped open, revealing the only difference between her and Aris—her pair of magenta eyes.

"Princess, good morning."

Kei's voice, compared to Aris's languid tone, had a cooler edge. She then turned to the three people beside her, greeting them with a serious demeanor.

"Momoi-kun, good morning. Midori-kun, good morning. Kaichou Yuzu, good morning."

"Uh... actually, there's no need for such a formal greeting, and no need for honorifics!"

Momoi, with an "OwO" expression, said, "We're all friends; there's no need to be so formal!"

"Let's go! Want to check it out in person?" Midori held up her phone, pointing to the Genm Games flagship store. "Let's go buy some games!"

"Are you all going out?"

Asuna suddenly darted out from the doorway, startling Momoi and the others with her unexpected appearance.

"Ugh! It's Asuna-senpai? If you're always this scary, it'll really give me a heart attack..."

Momoi patted her chest, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Walking without making a sound is really frightening!"

"Ahaha Sorry, sorry I'll make noise next time~"

Asuna laughed, but the topic quickly returned to their upcoming outing.

"I heard you're going out? You're going to that shop Mr. Dan Kuroto owns? Take me with you!"

"Eh? Sure, sure... Asuna-senpai, you didn't need to tell us you were going, did you?"

These past few days, the C&C squad had been taking turns observing Aris and Kei every day. Actually, Dan Kuroto was also within their surveillance range, but unfortunately, he had a very legitimate reason to refuse their company—Dan Kuroto was the president of Gemn Corp, and with the day of entering the Kivotos market drawing closer, Dan Kuroto...

Naturally, he had become increasingly busy, and he hadn't even shown up in the Game Development Department these past two days.

---

129. A Premonition of a Gunfight (Large)

"We're just going along the way~ I'm also really interested in the 'Game Gashat' that's been all the rage lately."

Asuna grinned and pulled out her phone, which displayed discussions on a once-popular Gashat topic on a forum. The most discussed topic among these tech-savvy students was how such a small Gashat could generate a "game realm" that ignored spatial limitations.

"Is it some kind of teleportation technology that directly transports players to another game world?"

"No, no, no, that's too much of an exaggeration! It must be some kind of advanced virtual reality technology!"

"Could it be direct stimulation of brainwaves, making the brain directly imagine the game scenes?!"

"Maybe it's some kind of technological hypnosis..."

"Hard to say. Have you ever heard of mushrooms that make people see little people?"

Such comments sparked heated discussion on the forum, but most people weren't just discussing the technical sophistication of the Gashat itself; the adventure in the game world presented in Tales Saga 2 was also a hot topic. For a time, everyone in the Game Development Department became temporary celebrities, but this high level of attention made Yuzu even less inclined to go out.

"So, this Gashat looks like it's going to be trendy. I want to get one too!"

Asuna didn't hesitate to reveal her thoughts.

"Because I also want to play the music games on these flyers! They say it's good exercise too, right?"

The flyer Asuna held up featured a yellow Game Gashat, "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Me-Beat," which was very much to her liking. Pointing to the Game Gashat on it, Asuna smiled.

"It's supposed to be a game where you move your body and dance to the beat. With this, I can dance and play with Karin and the others. I really want to see the captain dance!"

"Captain..." Momoi and Midori exchanged a glance.

"That Neru-senpai dances..."

---

Half an hour later, Millennium School District, Genm Games Flagship Store.

A long line of students had already formed at the entrance, and Momoi and her friends, arriving at this late hour, were unsurprisingly at the very end.

Looking at the queue that wound its way around two corners, Momoi shielded her eyes with her hand.

"Ugh... it really is a long, long line..."

"Sister, please don't use lines that could easily unleash golden energy at a time like this, okay?"

Midori expertly mocked her sister's line, while Yuzu, standing beside her, was starting to feel intimidated by the large crowd.

"Ugh... I want to crawl into a cardboard box..."

Aris, looking at the long line ahead, couldn't help but feel a little downcast.

"Are there really lines this long...? How long will Aris have to wait to buy 'Gekitotsu Robots'?"

"An android playing robot games? What kind of ridiculous joke is that..." Kei looked up at the sky.

"I'm the Bugster of Tales Saga Chronicle 2, so why am I buying a Gashat?"

"Because the version you're going to play is definitely different," Momoi spoke, turning to Kei.

"According to Dan Kuroto, Kei-chan is a lich now, right? That Gashat is Kei-chan's phylactery. Something so precious can't just be played with casually, right?"

Just as some people buy three copies of a game disc—one for safekeeping, one for display, and one for playing—the same principle applies to Kei's Gashat.

After all, it's related to Kei's life or death. After becoming a Bugster, it's like an energy core, so it definitely needs to be carefully protected.

"Could you please not use such a strange analogy..." Kei sighed. "Why did you have to use a lich as a comparison?"

Momoi scratched her head.

"Eh? Because the image really does resemble a lich from an RPG game, and using a game example makes it more intuitive."

Just as Momoi and the others had taken out their Gemegirl game consoles, ready for an outdoor dragon race, Yuzu's phone rang.

After a flurry of fumbling to answer it, Dan Kuroto's voice came through.

"Yuzu, when did you arrive?"

"Uh... Mr. Dan Kuroto, we just arrived too." Yuzu looked around. "Where... are you?"

"Just come in through the staff entrance. I've already spoken to the staff."

Dan Kuroto's voice sounded perfectly natural, and he immediately arranged for them to be let in through the back door.

Yuzu waved her hands repeatedly.

"No, no, no, isn't that inappropriate? Everyone's queuing..."

"You're the game's lead creator and a company employee. This isn't about using the back door."

Dan Kuroto's voice on the other end of the phone left no room for argument.

"Just come in through the small door on the left side of the store. Honestly, do my own employees have to queue to buy a game?"

Putting down her phone, Yuzu awkwardly waved to the curious girls beside her.

"No, don't make a sound... Come this way with me..."

The group followed Yuzu to the side of the shop, where they indeed saw the robot clerk waiting at the side entrance. Seeing Yuzu approach, it asked.

"Excuse me, are you Yuzu? The president instructed me to wait here for you and your friends, right?"

Feeling like she'd been given special treatment, Yuzu's face flushed slightly. This shy girl just wanted to get inside quickly, so she hurriedly nodded.

"Yes, yes, let us in?"

"Okay, this way, please!"

The shop assistant enthusiastically led Yuzu and the others into the store. Although it was a side entrance, it was still spotted by several female thugs in line.

Seeing that there was another way in, these impatient female thugs' eyes lit up.

"Hey ladies, there seems to be a shortcut over there! Let's go that way!"

"Is it really a shortcut?" One of the female thugs, wearing a mask, seemed a little suspicious. "Can we even get in there?"

"I just saw a whole bunch of people go in!" The female thug carrying a machine gun was the first to leave the line. "Why can they go that way, but we can't?!"

"Wait... sigh, whatever, I'll go too."

Once inside, Yuzu and the others were immediately drawn to the abundance of Game Gashat posters and advertisements. The store itself seemed very spacious, but due to limited merchandise, the back half of the rented space had been temporarily converted into a Game Gashat experience area with partitions.

After all, although they had heard some rumors about Game Gashats at the Millennium Prize, trying out this brand-new technological product was a must.

To allow customers to experience the charm of turning games into Gashats immediately, the shelf area that was currently unfilled had been converted into a demo area, allowing students and citizens to experience different Game Gashats.

Under Yuzu and Aris's watchful eyes, quite a few gamers were already there, shouting and yelling within their own virtual game worlds, completely immersed in the experience.

"Look! So many completely different Game Gashats!"

Momoi excitedly shook Yuzu's and Aris's arms. The shelves in front of them displayed a large number of different types of Game Gashats. The simultaneous release of over a dozen completely different original products was a bombshell for Kivotos's gaming market.

Because Dan Kuroto already possessed the game data, replicating his previous ten basic Gashats was not a problem.

Including the Tales Saga Chronicle series, which gained popularity in the Millennium School District due to the Millennium Prize, there were now a total of 13 different Game Gashats. After mass production, the shelves were piled high with them. The Gashats of different colors lined up in a row looked quite spectacular.

"Aris can't wait!"

Seeing so many Game Gashats before her, the ever-lively Aris couldn't contain her joy and pounced forward, while Kei hurriedly followed behind her princess.

"Princess, please be careful!"

Since someone had already taken the first step, Momoi raised her arm to the rest of the group.

"Then, let's start shopping too!"

"Okay!!!"

---

130. Playing the Theme Song Is a Classic Activity

"Seeing my game officially sold as a product still fills me with excitement."

Yuzu looked at the two-part Tales Saga series on the shelf, her heart pounding with emotion. As a game developer, the highest praise she could receive was overwhelmingly positive player reviews, and the second highest was the commercial recognition of her game.

Beside Yuzu, Midori, though her expression was calm, couldn't hide the eagerness in her eyes. Especially when she saw someone pick up a Tales Saga Gashat, her eyes lit up.

"The Game Development Department has really taken a big step forward!"

"Hey~ Look at this! A robot with a huge mechanical fist!"

Aris held up her red Gashat, which prominently featured a robot wielding a giant mechanical fist. She had fallen in love with the "riding a giant robot in exhilarating combat" concept from Dan Kuroto's online ad. She wondered if it was because she herself was an android that she liked large robots so much.

"Hehehe~ Looks like you have good taste! You even like giant robots!"

"Who is it?"

Aris, holding her copy of Gekitotsu Robotst, turned around in confusion. There stood a student with a mask covering her face, striking a rather chuunibyou (delusional) pose.

As Aris turned around, the student raised a hand and loudly announced her name:

"The Five Stars Shining in the Sky!"

Then... there was an awkward silence.

Realizing that no one seemed to be calling her name—because she appeared to be the only one out buying Gashats during her break—the short-haired girl in bright red awkwardly covered her mask.

"Uh-huh! Uh... um, right! You're a giant robot fan too, right?"

Kei, standing nearby, couldn't help but sweat. "Princess, this person doesn't seem like someone decent..."

"Aris thinks giant robots are pretty cool!"

Aris clenched her fists, her eyes serious. "I heard the mechs in Gekitotsu Robots can have their parts and colors customized, and Aris wants to use a beam saber!"

"Eh... live-ammunition weapons are definitely more romantic..."

The short-haired girl in red and Aris began a heated discussion about what weapons a giant robot should be equipped with, and after their argument failed to reach a conclusion, they both headed to the demo area, intending to convince each other in the game.

"Then let's duel! I'll prove that combining a fusion mecha with a physical weapon is the true romance of a giant mecha!"

"Hmm! In that case, Aris will have to make a super-sized sword of light!"

Seemingly unable to convince each other, the initially harmonious discussion between the two shattered instantly, and they both started loudly proclaiming their intention to settle things through a game.

Seeing the two seemingly about to fight, Kei anxiously reached out her hand.

"Princess..."

"It's alright, Kei. Everyone's like this." Momoi patted Kei's shoulder knowingly. "Fighting because of your own preferences—I don't think there's anything wrong with that, right? It's not just games; everyone in the doujinshi community has an unyielding bottom line. Kei-chan has probably never seen a fight break out just because of different character fandoms."

"Ah... huh? Is that so...? Human nature is so complicated..."

An unknown Kaitenger Red member and Aris engaged in battle in the game world. Yuzu also went all out, buying up all the Gashats—when it came to buying games, Yuzu never felt bad about spending credits.

It's all military spending! Can't skimp!

"I heard most of the games here have multiplayer modes, so players with the same Gashat can connect on a LAN and challenge levels together," Midori remarked, picking up a copy of the Mighty Action X Gashat.

"It brings back so many memories. It reminds me of that giant Yuzu from back then, the one bigger than a train cannon!"

"How can you still remember that...? Forget about it!"

Asuna ran off alone after entering the shop. For this girl, who would get involved in all sorts of events because they were "interesting," every Game Gashat on display made her eyes light up.

"It's been so long since I've seen so many new toys at once!" Asuna picked up the DoReMiFa Beat Gashat she wanted to buy, turning it over and over in her hands and admiring the novel toy. "It's completely different from the Gashats I've seen in stores that require a game console. Is it because it has this 'Game Area' function?"

Finding the start button on the Gashat, Asuna couldn't contain her curiosity and pressed it.

"DoReMiFa Beat!"

The game cover unfolded behind Asuna, and the pale yellow Game Area automatically isolated her from the outside world. This Game Area deployment was incredibly intelligent, perfectly excluding everyone else and quickly changing the surrounding scenery, leaving Asuna alone in an unfamiliar park.

"Hmph~ Is this the 'Game Area'? I've really arrived at a magical place."

Asuna swung her arms slightly. She remembered there were shelves right next to her, but now she felt no resistance as she swung her arms forcefully.

Instead, a game menu appeared beside her, along with a yellow DJ robot that explained the game's controls in a simple and straightforward way.

"Just move your body to the rhythm and touch the notes, and you can enjoy the fun of a rhythm game!" Asuna looked up at the menu in front of her and pressed the "Stage Select" button.

Instantly, her surroundings transformed into an arcade, with a dance mat appearing beneath her feet and a familiar large screen appearing before her—a sight familiar to anyone who enjoys dancing on arcade machines.

"When the scene changes, even the game visuals seamlessly integrate into the environment?"

Ssuna reached out and pressed a button on the machine. The first song in the music library was one she hadn't heard before.

"This song is called... 'EXCITE'?"

Asuna pressed the button, intending to try out this song she had never heard before. As the notes fell from above, the cheerful music blended seamlessly with Asuna's growing enjoyment.

"Quite~

EXCITE EXCITE 高明る~

EXCITE EXCITE 心が~"

As the last note fell, Asuna naturally reached out, and as the note landed in front of her, she gracefully struck a finishing pose, completing the full combo.

"Full Combo!"

---

131. I Heard That the Prototype of the Pomelo Is Yuzu

"Phew~ That was pretty tiring. Is there a dynamic difficulty adjustment feature?"

Asuna wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. "The falling speed and number of notes noticeably increased in the second half of the game, right?"

"That's because I secretly adjusted it."

An adult's voice suddenly sounded from behind Asuna. She quickly turned around, and standing behind her was indeed Dan Kuroto, who hadn't been seen for days.

"Eh? How did you get in?" Asuna pointed around. "I thought this Game Area was supposed to be isolated from everyone?"

"Because I'm the Game Master, I can freely enter and exit my own game. Is there a problem with that?"

Dan Kuroto, who hadn't appeared for several days, was now wearing a sharp black suit, his hair styled with gel and combed back. His sudden appearance in Asuna's Game Area was purely coincidental.

"Hmm~ It's not a problem." Asuna held up her Gashat. "How do I exit this Game Area?"

"It will exit automatically when you want to."

Before Dan Kuroto could finish speaking, the surrounding scenery flashed with pixelated light and gradually faded, revealing the original appearance of the shop.

"Huh? Dan Kuroto? When did he get here?"

Momoi, standing to the side, looked startled. Dan Kuroto's appearance alongside Asuna's Game Area was indeed quite abrupt, but remembering that Dan Kuroto often appeared and disappeared like this, Momoi gradually recovered. The members of the Game Development Department, who hadn't seen Dan Kuroto for several days, belatedly gathered around.

"Dan Kuroto-san, have you been busy these past few days? You haven't shown up in the activity room for several days."

Yuzu was a little shy, but she mustered her courage and didn't shrink behind Midori. Dan Kuroto's relationship with Yuzu was rather unique.

He was a fellow game developer, the benefactor who helped keep the Game Development Department from shutting down, and the one who gave her game distribution channels.

With these overlapping favors, Yuzu felt that, even just to repay these debts, she had to try her best to face Dan Kuroto in a respectable way.

"Exactly, don't push yourself too hard!"

Momoi's voice was cheerful. Helping to keep the Game Development Department from going under was a huge credit to him. At least now, Momoi subconsciously felt that Dan Kuroto was part of their game development team.

"Is running a company this busy?"

"It's certainly been quite busy." Dan Kuroto crossed his arms and nodded. "But the early stages of a startup are a bit tricky, since Kivotos' market is completely different from what I've experienced before. Not only the scale, but also the customer base has required adjustments to the company's operating strategy, so these past few days have been very busy."

"That sounds like a kind of hardship we don't understand."

Even though Midori was usually very bright, she was completely clueless about this kind of business stuff that only adults could comprehend.

"Sorry, we can't be of much help in that area."

"Ha, I don't need any help. Don't treat me like an ordinary club president!" Dan Kuroto proudly puffed out his chest. "Besides, don't you all know me? My body can work without eating or drinking!"

(It's just that continuous work mode might overload and kill him. Nods.)

However, with the General Student Council giving Dan Kuroto's Gemn Corps the green light in various matters, he had already been spared most of the trouble. Because of the mutual coordination with the General Student Council, and also to fulfill his promise to Sensei, Dan Kuroto's Gemn Corps had actually helped the General Student Council, especially in the area of "business," which these students were generally not good at. Dan Kuroto's presence directly filled this gap.

Students were students, after all. While they couldn't be said to be completely inexperienced in this area, they had only scratched the surface.

Although there was a finance department, its members were overwhelmed with their own affairs and were constantly losing ground to Kivotos's major corporations, especially Kaiser Corporation, which dominated the market.

Previously, with the General Student Council President in charge, that superwoman single-handedly resolved everything, maintaining a stable situation until her disappearance.

Only after her disappearance did Kaiser seize a large portion of Kivotos's economy. Even so, they managed to preserve some of their foundation thanks to the safeguards left by that president. Calling her Kivotos's superwoman was truly an understatement.

"Not eating or drinking... that won't do!"

Midori looked at Dan Kuroto seriously. "Even with your constitution, mental fatigue isn't so easily eliminated! You still need to maintain a normal routine!"

"Ah, that stuff. I recover completely after dying once."

Dan Kuroto didn't care at all; he had plenty of lives. It didn't matter!

"Hmm... So, Mr. Dan Kuroto, instead of being so busy at the D.U. District headquarters, you can still stroll around the various branches?" Asuna tilted her head curiously. "You don't seem that busy."

"Things at the company are mostly arranged. Now it's just a matter of normal operations. Since that's the case, I can leave it to the employees to maintain. What would I be doing sitting in the office?"

Dan Kuroto reached out and ruffled Yuzu's hair, finding it very pleasant to touch.

"Besides, these are some of my chosen outstanding employees, so of course I'll give them extra attention!"

"Employees?" Momoi blinked. "Us?"

"To have even a fraction of my ability is something you should be proud of."

Dan Kuroto let out a "humph" laugh. "The Tales Saga Chronicle series has the potential to be developed into a franchise IP. I see your potential as game developers in it. Is there anything wrong with recruiting my preferred employees in advance?"

"Wow... that's such high praise..." Yuzu felt her body tremble with excitement, and her face flushed slightly.

The more criticism she had received when she developed the first generation of Tales Saga, the happier she was now.

Yuzu raised her hand and wiped her eyes, feeling a slight dampness. "Is this... what it feels like to be recognized? I'm so happy..."

"Oh, and you too, Momoi."

Dan Kuroto turned to Momoi.

"Your 'Neko King' Gashat was a huge help. Having that Gashat saved me a lot of trouble. I think I should give you something you want."

"Is there anything you want?"

Momoi pointed to herself, her expression more surprised than those of the others around her.

"Me?"

----

132. "The Meaning Is Unclear!"

"You're going to give me a reward? Well, I'll have to think about it carefully..."

Since Dan Kuroto said he'd give Momoi a reward, he definitely would. Even if Momoi refused, he'd still give it to her.

However, Momoi didn't seem inclined to be polite; instead, she seriously began to consider what she should ask Dan Kuroto for.

"Sister? You can't really be that shameless, can you?"

Watching her older sister not even bother with polite refusals before starting to ponder what to ask the adult in front of her, Midori slapped her forehead.

"Sister, at least be a little polite... After all, you didn't even ask what favor you did for Mr. Dan Kuroto, did you?"

"Hmm, that seems to be the case?"

Momoi, who was debating whether to ask for the latest game console or clear her Momo Shopping cart, looked up at Midori's question.

"Right, Dan Kuroto, wasn't Neko King the Game Gashat I made with that Genesis Mk1? What did you do with that?"

“By utilizing the special function of that Gashat, we created an entire production line within the company to manufacture Game Gashats. Otherwise, I would have had to manually craft them one by one. It definitely saved a lot of trouble.” Dan Kuroto nodded. “I underestimated this Neko King Gashat before. I never imagined it would be so useful beyond combat.”

Not only was his company's production line running at full capacity, but the vegetable greenhouse and dungeon in Abydos were also made possible by this Gashat. As the number one contributor, Momoi, the foreman of the cats, deserved a reward from Dan Kuroto.

“In that case—I remember Midori, Yuzu, and Aris don’t have their own Game Gashats, right?”

Momoi thought for a moment, counting on her fingers. “Mine is Neko King. Yuzu’s Tales Saga 2 was taken by Kei-chan. I think it’s not enough for me to be the only one with my own Gashat; everyone else should get one too!”

“Do you hope everyone has their own exclusive Gashat?” Dan Kuroto thought for a moment. “That depends on everyone’s own thoughts.”

“Their own thoughts?” Momoi tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Just like how your Neko King was created because it’s a game that resonates with you. The compatibility between a Rider using a Gashat and the Gashat itself is also very important.”

Although these children didn't yet need to transform into Kamen Riders, and even Momoi, the only one who created the Gashat for Neko King, always had her Gashat held by Dan Kuroto, compatibility was still a crucial factor.

The more compatible the Gashat, the more its abilities could be maximized, even exceeding their limits.

Just as Kamen Rider Chronicles can create a Rider Player in the hands of an ordinary person, the transformation of a special Rider doesn't actually require a complete Gamer Driver. With Dan Kuroto's talent, creating a low-end version of the Buggle Driver—one that triggers transformation with a single Gashat—wouldn't be difficult for these students.

However, there was no need for that yet.

“My own Gashat...” Yuzu was a little confused. “But isn’t my original Tales Saga remake already ‘my’ Gashat?”

“Or is it...?”

Yuzu remembered the strange belt Dan Kuroto pulled out during the chase of Kei in Tales Saga 2 when the Gashat creation went wrong, and how the Gashat transformed into a hero after being inserted.

At the time, she was too scared to think much of it, but now that Dan Kuroto brought it up, Yuzu remembered the difference Dan Kuroto had explained between “Rider turning into a Gashat” and “Game turning into a Gashat.”

“Ah! Could it be! The kind that Mr. Dan Kuroto used back then?” Yuzu suddenly became interested. “You mean that special Gashat where only one can exist at a time, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Dan Kuroto nodded. “Or rather, you’re only just realizing it? Momoi’s Gashat has been around for so long, though she hasn’t used it much.”

“I see... Then, is it okay if it’s not Tales Saga?”

Yuzu was a little excited. While transforming heroes wasn’t her favorite thing, the thought of using a Game Gashat to transform made her feel excited.

“I... I want to think about what kind of game I should make for my special Gashat!”

“Aris...” Midori turned her head and saw Aris squatting down and mocking the fallen, bright red-clad female student. Seeing this, Midori almost spat out her drink.

"Aris! That’s not allowed!”

“Huh?”

Aris turned around in confusion. “Doesn’t the etiquette Aris learned in the online game seem appropriate?”

“That’s not etiquette, it’s mockery!”

Having been stabbed into the cockpit by a super-realistic giant robot with a beam saber and experienced the exhilarating sensation of being roasted by high-energy lasers, the bright red-clad female student was still lying on the ground when she logged out of the game, only managing a trembling thumbs-up.

“Well done... my formidable rival... when it comes to the love of giant robots, you don't give me a second's... (tilts head)”

“Red-san?!”

Aris panicked and tried to help her up. “Are you alright?”

“Princess, she seems to have fainted due to the emotional turmoil.” Kei shook her head helplessly. “I think if we just take her to rest for a while, she’ll wake up on her own.”

With the help of the robot clerk, the bright red-clad female student was led to a bench to rest. There were quite a few students there experiencing a fully simulated gaming environment for the first time, especially those playing Taddle Quest and Bakusou Bike.

However, they didn’t give it a bad review because of this; instead, after their dizziness subsided, they immediately bought the games they were playing.

“Aris’s Game Gashat can wait until last.” Dan Kuroto gestured toward Kei. “That little guy’s Gashat is compatible with Aris’s.”

Momoi looked smug. “Why?”

“Kei is a Bugster individual separated from Aris, so she’s actually part of Aris.”

Dan Kuroto recalled the time he was brutally beaten, his expression turning somewhat strained.

Then he remembered the famous scene of himself running in placf and couldn’t help but grin happily.

“I’ve seen this kind of thing—one person splitting into two, with the other being a Bugster transformed from their own personality—many times.”

“Meaning☆Unclear!”

---

133. True Hero Aris Mode!

"Hey! Why can't we go in this way?!"

The thug raised her heavy machine gun, her face contorted with rage, like molten lava about to erupt.

"Are you discriminating against us, you bastard?!"

"Uh, ma'am, please calm down..." the robot clerk spoke hesitantly. "This is the employee entrance. The people who just came in are all employees of Gemn Corp, so they can use the special entrance. Please understand..."

"Huh? How is that possible?" The thug with the ponytail looked incredulous. "What kind of students work here? Are they sales clerks?"

"No, these are all game designers," the clerk explained cautiously. "The president has approved their use of the side employee entrance..."

"This nagging is so annoying! I'm not waiting in line anymore!"

The female thug wielding the heavy machine gun raised it amid the clerk's terrified emoticon. "I'll blast you all away!!!"

Rat-a-tat-tat...

"Ahhh, she really couldn't resist after all." The thug girl holding the submachine gun had a knowing expression on her face. "But isn't this more like her?"

"Since we've started, let's go all the way!" The thug girl raising her rifle gave a cheerful "Oh!" and called to her companions behind her.

"Everyone, charge in!"

Boom—!

Grenades rattled the bulletproof glass, and machine-gun bullets rained down on the closed side door like a storm. Although Dan Kuroto's renovation team had purchased the best bulletproof glass, even it couldn't withstand such brutal fire from these delinquent girls.

After a stalemate of about ten seconds, the side door shattered with a deafening roar, riddling the store's security drone with bullets.

"Huh? What was that sound?"

Dan Kuroto twitched his ears.

He was discussing with Midori what style their Game Gashats should have when a loud bang from behind made him turn around in annoyance.

Just then, a panicked robot store clerk scrambled over, shouting.

"President, it's terrible! A bunch of delinquents are attacking from the side door!"

"Trying to wreck my place?" Dan Kuroto's expression turned puzzled. "I remember approving a security budget, didn't I?"

"I'm so sorry, President Dan Kuroto! I thought we wouldn't be attacked within the school district..."

The robot store manager was terrified. It seemed to have been overconfident in the Millennium School District's security, thinking it could embezzle the security budget by purchasing only a few security drones.

Now, it had encountered a situation where delinquent girls, unwilling to wait in line, were attacking the store.

"...Okay, very good."

Dan Kuroto squinted at the uneasy robot in front of him and the group of thugs who had already broken down the store door and rushed in behind him

"After today, go write your resignation letter."

Midori poked her head out. "Delinquents? Need our help?"

"No, we wouldn't normally."

Dan Kuroto held back his transformation, but since Midori volunteered, he went along with it. "Since you're all here, do me a favor and take these delinquents down."

"No, we wouldn't normally... you're right."

Midori picked up her rifle. "When you were chasing Kei-chan, Mr. Dan Kuroto, you showed enough strength that you could handle this situation by yourself."

"However, even just to repay your kindness in helping us with the Millennium Prize, we can't just ignore this situation."

Facing the delinquent girls who stormed into the store, Midori fired the first shot, hitting the first one wielding a heavy machine gun who was about to grab the nearest Game Gashat.

"Take this! I can't let you get it for free!"

Now that they'd drawn their weapons, the last shred of rationality these delinquent girls had initially maintained vanished. Getting what they wanted by force was far more satisfying than spending money!

Of course, these delinquent girls had also tasted defeat—failing to grab the items and getting beaten up. Some of the more skilled students, especially those from Gehenna, were particularly keen on hunting down delinquent girls and stealing money from their pockets—

Damn it! That's all our hard-earned money from robbing people!

"Y-yes! To protect these innocent games!"

Yuzu Cannon, fire!

Yuzu held up her highly personalized custom grenade launcher, Nyan's Dash, adorned with pixelated cat stickers she designed herself and featuring a continuously playing cute cat video on the side.

Holding it felt like holding a giant game console—no matter where they were, the Game Development Department was always showcasing its game-loving side.

"Watch this! Hey!"

Yuzu's launcher didn't fire ordinary bullets, but precision-guided projectiles. Instead of tracing a parabolic trajectory to hit the enemy, they paused briefly at their highest point, locked onto the enemy, and then plunged into the enemy ranks, taking down a large group in one go!

"She's clearly the shyest one in the Game Development Department, yet her daily firepower is the strongest."

Dan Kuroto, standing behind her, watched Yuzu's decoy flare blast away a large group of enemies and seemed to have a sudden realization.

"Do all red-head characters like being bombs?"

Yuzu tilted her head slightly, trying to retort. "R-really, Mr. Dan Kuroto, there's no place to type 2887 on my Nyan's Dash!"

"Besides, speaking of that, isn't Aris the strongest firepower member in the Game Development Department?"

Momoi raised her rifle from a nearby shelf and swept down several enemies with a powerful hip-fire burst.

As the conflict suddenly erupted, the shop's customers screamed. The animal citizens in the demo area trembled, clutching their heads, while the robot shop assistants lay sprawled on the floor, and some fearless student customers automatically picked up their guns and fought back against the delinquent girls.

“Aris is here to help too—”

Seeing everyone helping to fight back against the delinquent girls, Aris naturally looked serious.

"As a hero, it’s time for Aris to fight against the evil enemy!... But Aris doesn’t seem to have brought the Sword of Light...”

That huge Sword of Light, the Railgun, although fitted with a shoulder strap for Aris, meaning she could easily carry it like a regular weapon, wasn’t being carried today because they were out buying a Game Gashat.

At everyone’s urging, Aris hadn’t brought this overly heavy weapon, only a pistol that could be used for Bluetooth payments. She was currently holding her small pistol with a troubled expression.

"Aris can’tfight in this too?”

“Princess, if possible, leave the battle to me.”

Seeing her princess troubled by this, the doting and loyal Kei, of course, wanted to help her.

“My Bugster virus can conjure weapons just like your Railgun anytime, anywhere—”

“Then I’ll lend you this.”

Dan Kuroto, who had somehow appeared beside Aris, pulled out the Gashacon Holy Sword and Aegis from his Game Area.

"I don’t have the Sword of Light right now, so how about the Ice and Fire Sword?”

134. The Value of Neko King Is Still Rising

"Bang! Bang! Aris got the Holy Sword and Aegis!"

Aris raised her weapons, her face beaming with joy. They were the exact same weapons she'd seen in RPG games—the Holy Sword and Aegis, the standard equipment of a hero, perfectly suited to this self-proclaimed heroine!

"Princess, please be careful..."

Kei called out worriedly, but Aris had already excitedly charged off with the Holy Sword and Aegis. Seeing Kei's worried expression, Kuroto couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you so worried? Do you doubt my Gashacon Aegis' ability to withstand these things?"

"Pulling out melee weapons in this world is already quite out of character," Kei turned to Dan Kuroto beside her.

"Besides, is the Princess really good at using those things?"

"The Gashacon weapon's 'Exp Grip Knuckle' can efficiently adapt to the user's level, unleashing combat power commensurate with it. It's a weapon that grows alongside its user."

Dan Kuroto stood proudly, watching Aris charge into the fray with Aegis in hand. The automatic protection function activated, and a 360-degree protective field rose around Aegis, engulfing all incoming bullets.

"Besides, your Princess is far more robust than the average student."

"The Gashacon weapon was designed specifically for you Kamen Riders, wasn't it? The Princess doesn't have that Bugster antibody; she can't unleash the weapon's full power."

After becoming a Bugster, Kei naturally acquired some basic knowledge about Bugsters, including the Kamen Rider system developed by Dan Kuroto.

The ability of data lifeforms to absorb electronic information is no joke; the latest GPT can flip through hundreds of pages of a book in less than a second and record them in its database. Bugsters are far more advanced than that GPT AI model, right?

"Who says? Weren't you separated from her body?"

Dan Kuroto looked at his shop, which had instantly become a disaster zone, but showed no sadness.

"When you were separated as a Bugster, Aris already possessed some Bugster abilities—her original form was an android, so the Bugster virus had minimal impact on her."

"But ultimately, couldn't you have merged back into your Princess's body?" Dan Kuroto said. "What's incompatible between data and androids?"

The next second, Kei beside Dan Kuroto transformed into a Bugster virus and re-entered Aris's body.

Aris felt a jolt, and a crimson light flashed in her eyes—a symbol of Kei's return.

"Your Highness, I've come to assist you in this battle," Kei's voice resounded directly in Aris's mind. "You need a Rider Gashat to fully unleash the power of these Gashacon weapons."

"Like an ancient ruin in an RPG that requires four gems to activate?"

Aris immediately thought of items or dungeons in games that required specific conditions to activate.

"Yes, exactly."

A flash of light emanated from Aris's chest, and the Tales Saga Chronicle 2 Gashat, Kei's current core, flew out and was grasped in Aris's hand.

"Shift gears, Princess."

"Okay!"

Although she didn't understand where Kei had heard the phrase "shift gears," Aris still gave a confident reply.

"Okay."

Then Aris's eyes lit up with a crimson glow. Kei took over Aris's body, inserted the Gashat into the Gashacon Holy Sword, and pressed the Finishing Move button.

'Kimewaza!'

Kei's eyes flashed red, and the Holy Sword, now flipped to its ice-sword side, plunged into the ground.

"Frozen!"

'Densetsu Critical Finish!

The frozen marks immediately spread across the shop floor, rapidly freezing the legs of the delinquents who had rushed into the shop.

Witnessing this strange and illogical attack method for the first time, the group of delinquent girls panicked.

"My legs! My legs are frozen!"

Delinquent A frantically tried to pull at her frozen legs, but the ice would not break so easily.

"What is this? A liquid nitrogen attack?"

"Hiss—it's so cold!!"

Delinquent B felt her stocking-covered calves about to freeze.

"Where did this ice come from?"

"Amazing, it restrained the enemies all at once!" Momoi exclaimed in surprise. "It's a Finishing Move! And it's a highly pure Finishing Move!"

"First, use the power of ice to restrict the opponent's movements over a wide area; moreover, ice-attribute attacks won't have a significant impact on the surrounding environment..."

Kei swiftly drew the Gashat from the Holy Sword and inserted it into Aegis. Aegis's Finishing Move attribute had already been mentioned in the database Dan Kuroto shared with the Bugsters.

Because it originated from the Gashat, Star Guide, its initial purpose was to protect students; even delinquent girls were still students in Sensei's heart. If the goal was to prevent students from suffering too much harm, then using Gashacon Aegis's Finishing Move was perfect.

"Princess, shift gears and drive now."

Kei returned control to Aris.

"The Finishing Move is yours, Princess."

"Aris!"

The rose-red color in her eyes returned to Aris's cyan blue. Gripping Aegis, Aris shouted excitedly:

"Hero's Critical Strike—Hah!"

'Densetsu Critical Finish!

Aegis's ultimate attack transformed into a massive, wall-like force that pierced through the bodies of the delinquent girls, instantly draining their strength.

As they collapsed and their power drained away, the ice binding them dissipated.

'Guardian Strike!'

Once activated, if the target was a student, it would inevitably result in a Finishing Move in this manner.

A severe yet gentle punishment, simply draining the student's strength according to her crimes and rendering her incapable of resistance—this was Gashacon Aegis's signature Finishing Move.

"Bang bang bang! Aris, the enemy is defeated! Experience points should increase!"

Standing atop the collapsed containers and scattered Gashat debris, Aris raised her Holy Sword. Bathed in the overhead light, she resembled a small hero.

"Wow, Aris is amazing!"

Momoi ran up and hugged Aris.

"So cool!"

The Bugster virus that had been emanating from Aris reformed into Kei's body. Kei visibly relaxed, and seeing her Princess's and friend's happy expressions, a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"As long as the Princess is happy and unharmed, that's good."

"Hmm... that sword is amazing."

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Yuzu let out a long sigh, but her gaze lingered more on the sword and shield in Aris's hands.

"Mr. Dan Kuroto always manages to surprise us."

"But look at this mess..."

Midori said somewhat dejectedly.

"We didn't protect anything!"

"It's alright!"

Momoi beside her gave a thumbs-up.

"As long as there's light!"

"Where does that confidence come from?!"

Midori apologized sheepishly to Dan Kuroto, who remained standing tall like a Nioh.

"...Sorry, the place seems a bit chaotic."

"Don't worry. This is where the true value of Neko King shines through."

Dan Kuroto waved his hand dismissively, then pulled out a Gashat that Momoi recognized. The sharp-eyed Momoi pointed at the pink Gashat in Dan Kuroto's hand and exclaimed.

"Ah! It's the long-awaited Neko King!"

As Dan Kuroto pressed a button, the activated Neko King Game Area covered the ruined shop, and a familiar cat construction crew crawled out.

At Dan Kuroto's command, they immediately began tidying and repairing the shop with remarkable efficiency.

"Next, we just need to wait for this half-hour progress bar to finish."

Dan Kuroto patted Momoi on the shoulder.

"So I told you, Momoi, your Gashat is quite useful."

Watching the cats begin their work, the students who remained stared at each other in disbelief. One student seemed unable to resist the urge to pet the adorable cats.

Finally, one student boldly asked:

"Um... can I pet these cats?"

After receiving permission, the children in the shop rushed toward the cat construction team, repeatedly petting the adorable creatures. Even Yuzu seemed to have joined the cat-petting frenzy.

"Hmm, has it inadvertently become their trademark?"

Dan Kuroto nodded as he observed the unprecedented cat-petting craze.

"The value of Neko King is still rising!"

---

135. An Interlude at the Gehenna Branch

Genm Corp's Game Gashats have undoubtedly created a sensation in Kivotos. Whether it is the completely revolutionary Game Area technology or the hype surrounding the Millennium Prize, the fully realistic Game Gashats are highly sought-after items among students who love novelties.

"Sold this many on the first day alone..."

Aru—or rather, the current manager of the Genm Game specialty store in the Gehenna school district, Rikuhachima Aru—adjusted her glasses, her face filled with shock as she held the sales statistics in her hand.

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands..."

"Stop counting. We've already broken through ten million in sales, and this is just the first day's revenue."

Kayoko wiped the sweat from her face with a towel. Just serving customers had kept them incredibly busy all day. Even with the help of robot clerks, the store was still overflowing with students and citizens. Two hours after sales began, Kayoko decisively sent a request to headquarters for a restock—the inventory was visibly decreasing.

"Ha... I never thought even regular security work could be this tiring..." Haruka sat in a chair, clutching her shotgun, with fine beads of sweat making strands of hair cling to her forehead.

Today, Haruka and Mutsuki had participated in the branch store's opening security operations together.

Of course, Aru diligently carried out Dan Kuroto's orders, using the security budget to purchase the latest security robots and sentry machine-gun emplacements, while also hiring several Gehenna students as security personnel.

Just as every school district has its own group of delinquent girls, the delinquent girls of Gehenna are on an entirely different level from those of Millennium. Besides these delinquents, Gehenna Academy students are known for their "pure and simple" spirit.

First, there was the Hot Spring Development Club's large-scale bombing. Then came the Gourmet Research Society blowing up a shady restaurant. The impulsive students of Gehenna are willing to use any means necessary to get what they want.

Thinking of this, Aru recalled the commotion that morning when a robot clerk announced:

"Sorry, student, there's only one 'Jet Combat' Gashat left."

The announcement immediately sparked a frenzy of Gashat snatching. Hot-tempered students and delinquents drew their weapons and started fighting. It was only thanks to Mutsuki and Haruka's superior firepower, and Kayoko's efforts to lure the fight outside the store, that the damage was minimized.

"Haha~ After all, everyone's going all out to fight for what they like, right?"

Mutsuki cupped her cheeks with both hands as she sat on a high stool at the bar. A robot waiter handed her the fruit cocktail she had ordered—probably with an alcohol content comparable to Rio's drinks.

"That's true... but isn't everyone's enthusiasm a bit excessive?"

Aru put down the sales report in her hand, which had nearly made her head spin. This single day's revenue was already half of what Handyman 68 earned during its best year.

"Luckily, Kayoko called headquarters in advance and had another batch of goods sent over..."

Haruka's expression finally softened. Kayoko promptly handed her a towel and a glass of water.

"Fortunately, everyone got what they wanted before they started throwing grenades around. Otherwise..."

Apparently imagining the branch entrusted to them reduced to ruins, Haruka's insecurity triggered her worst-case scenario.

"Then... then I'd have to atone with my death... uh... uh..."

"Ara ara~ I never get tired of seeing Haruka's self-pitying face."

The little devil Mutsuki chuckled and brought her drink to her lips. Amusing herself with her companions' reactions was one of Mutsuki's favorite ways to pass the time.

"Come to think of it, we've practically sold ourselves to that guy for quite a while now, haven't we?"

Mutsuki suddenly changed the subject, causing Aru to become flustered.

"W-What do you mean by 'sold ourselves'?! That's not an accurate description at all!"

"After all, our main business, Handyman 68, hasn't been operating for quite a long time."

Mutsuki rested her elbow on the bar counter. This was not an outside bar but the employee bar within Genm Corp headquarters in the D.U. District. However, the robot employees did not use it, and there were no other students in the company.

As a result, Handyman 68, who were both students and unofficial Genm Corp employees, naturally became regular patrons of this exquisitely decorated company bar.

Decorated according to Dan Kuroto's standards, even as an employee welfare facility, the company's bar rivaled commercial establishments outside in sophistication. It even reminded people of the Schale Café, which was also under renovation under Dan Kuroto's direction within the Schale sanctuary.

As things became busier, Dan Kuroto spent less time in Millennium's game development department. Instead, he mainly traveled between the Schale Federal Investigation Club office and the president's office in the Genm Corp building. Genm Corp was still in its early stages, and there was a great deal of work to handle—not because of Dan Kuroto's efficiency, which was already at its peak, but because many tasks simply required time.

"Has Aru already forgotten about Handyman 68?"

Mutsuki asked the question purely to stir things up and see Aru's embarrassed reaction. Teasing Aru had always been one of Mutsuki's favorite pastimes, and this occasion was no exception.

"Forgotten what?! No way!"

Aru looked genuinely flustered, seemingly afraid that her actions would be interpreted by her comrades as forgetting her time with Handyman 68.

"Those outlaw days? I've absolutely not forgotten them! Those times with Handyman 68 are precious memories for me and everyone. I'll never forget them!"

"Waaah..."

Mutsuki's expression remained unchanged, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled upward.

"Aru can say sentimental things too~ Really, it's so touching."

"Waaah, even I'm included in Aru-sama's precious memories..."

Haruka cried tears of emotion.

"I-I'll follow Aru-sama for life!"

"Really, you don't need to emphasize it so much."

Although Kayoko could tell that Mutsuki was deliberately provoking Aru, this kind of teasing often caused Aru to reveal her true feelings.

After hearing Aru's heartfelt words, Kayoko surprisingly chose not to criticize Mutsuki.