What Gong meant by "hasn't fully melted" was—
It hadn't budged at all.
I watched several Pyro Vision users slowly, painstakingly trying to melt my ice, their progress even slower than if I simply placed my hand on it to withdraw the elemental energy.
Even the principle of elemental counters seemed ineffective. I touched the Vision tucked against my chest, feeling puzzled.
I picked up Kettle, worried she might step on the ice and get hurt.
Going on a rampage was satisfying in the moment; cleaning up was a nightmare.
"So, Miss Miya, how did you even do this?!" Paimon floated around nervously, not daring to touch the ice. Earlier, a passerby had touched the freezing chunks and gotten frostbite.
"Since it's so dangerous, shouldn't you be more careful?"
I offered a weak explanation. "...I really didn't know the range would be this large. It was my first time using it, and it was too dark and rainy to see clearly."
The blond boy's eyes followed Paimon as she flitted about. "Be careful. Getting frostbite would be bad."
Aether walked to a tree encased in a thin layer of ice and tried striking it with Electro. Some fragments broke off, but they didn't melt. Then I watched as he channeled Anemo energy from his fingertips onto the ice, and when that didn't work, he tried Geo—
So he could use three elements.
Without even needing to switch.
He noticed me staring and looked at me questioningly. "Miss Miya, can this Cryo only be removed by reclaiming the energy?"
"For now, it seems so—"
I also found it strange that I could both release and reclaim my elemental energy, and that anything I intentionally froze was so difficult to melt.
Paimon sneezed. "It's really cold around here."
Speaking of which, how was that Mark Resonance supposed to work?
Lost in thought, I walked to the center of Kujou Village, still covered in frost. The bodies of those killed by internal ice spikes remained, looking somewhat pitiful.
"How do I use the new reward?"
［Mark Resonance: You can place unlimited marks using your own elemental energy. Trigger a resonance by touching them again with the same element］
"I need to think about this carefully—"
I turned and met Paimon's curious face.
"I wanted to ask earlier—" Paimon's starry eyes studied me. "Miss Miya, is it true what they say? Do you really have a spirit that whispers to you?"
"Paimon, that's rude," Aether chided, tugging her little cape.
I stared at Paimon for a moment, finding her too close. I raised an eyebrow and lifted Kettle.
"Wah!"
I pulled Kettle back into my arms. "Familiar or not, don't get so close to me. I'm very territorial. Get too close, and you might end up like those bandits."
I pointed at the frozen figures, successfully scaring Paimon into hiding behind Aether.
The blond Traveler shook his head with a smile. "Don't scare Paimon like that, Miss Miya."
I returned to my earlier train of thought.
If it was unlimited—
"Traveler, if you're not afraid of dogs, could you hold Kettle for me? She's very well-behaved."
"Miss Miya, what are you planning?" Aether took the dog.
"I want to see if I can clear all of this at once."
He glanced around. "Don't push yourself too hard."
Ah, this guy. During gameplay, his lack of specific dialogue made it hard to tell, but hearing this now made my heart tremble. So the Traveler really was this kind and considerate.
Placing the marks literally meant touching everything with my hand.
I patted several ice chunks that had shattered buildings, then channeled elemental energy through my other hand and touched each one. The massive ice blocks began vibrating before exploding into snow dust and vanishing into the air—
Wow.
I felt a new idea forming.
——
One, two, three… Twelve bodies in total were lined up and sent to the Tenryou Commission for identification before being buried together.
I was, technically, the murderer.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aether comforting Paimon nearby. He showed a hint of pity for the bodies—especially the unlucky ones I'd "interrogated," who probably didn't look very presentable.
Paimon seemed thoroughly frightened.
Actually, it wasn't just Paimon. Many Adventurers' Guild members nearby were visibly uncomfortable with the bodies, some even looking at me with strange expressions. Their stares made my hair stand on end and my mood worsen.
What if I hadn't killed bandits and ronin?
What if they were civilians? I'd probably be thrown in jail and executed by now.
I met their gazes one by one. Some looked away; others avoided eye contact entirely, whispering among themselves—
"Really, why does it have to feel so real here?"
［—Maintaining realism is necessary for the simulation］
"Including your uselessness?"
The System fell silent this time.
My displeasure was probably written all over my face. I'd become too immersed in this so-called simulation; now, even the stares of NPCs could affect my mood.
I quickly walked past the scattered ruins, climbing up a steep slope and leaving through the most rugged path. I didn't want to see or speak to anyone right now. It reminded me of when I first arrived in this simulation, leveling up while exploring the terrain—Kettle stumbled after me, twisting her paw on a small slope.
She let out a soft whimper.
A short, pitiful sound.
I stopped climbing and looked down from above.
Her golden eyes met mine before she stood up and limped after me.
I clenched my fist, waiting for her to reach me. I checked her paw—a longer nail had split, a small bead of blood welling up.
Kettle nudged my face with her wet nose. I picked her up and continued walking.
—Tears fell.
This wasn't my home.
I hated the System. I hated this simulation that had stolen my life.
My family needed me. The elderly had no one to care for them. I had my own parents. I didn't want to be Miya Ryuguu. The younger generation in my family hadn't grown up yet—who would look after them?
"I hate you," I told the System, knowing it could hear me. "I know I can never go back, you bastard."
I knew it was immature, childish. I was angry because of my own wishful thinking. During those days and nights of fighting, I never asked for this—I was forced into it. I missed home. I wasn't Miya Ryuguu. This world wore the skin of reality, unless my over twenty years of memories were fabricated—
"Don't tell me it was because of some phrase from a text-based game. That game was popular. Don't tell me I was the only one who said something like that."
The System remained silent.
I kept walking. How naive of me to seek answers from something like this. How could I expect the System to give me an explanation?
Static crackled abruptly, making me slow my pace.
［—］
［I do not understand your anger］
"Ha, of course you don't. You're a machine."
［As your support system, clarification is necessary—］
"What are you going to say?" I frowned.
［Once the simulation began, your social roles were reassigned to corresponding characters. Responsibilities like supporting elders and maintaining your family are also handled by them］
The System was explaining itself. The realization hit me. "Why tell me this? It's meaningless—unless it's to make me more willing to play along with this damned simulation."
The System fell silent again.
I scoffed.
——
"Traveler, long time no see."
Thoma arrived at Kujou Village on behalf of the Yashiro Commission. The pervasive ice and snow had vanished, along with the sharp spikes.
Paimon waved listlessly. "Hi, Thoma."
Thoma scanned the area but didn't see Miya Ryuguu. Noticing Paimon's state and the tense atmosphere, he turned to Aether. "What happened?"
"I heard Miya was here too. She's my cousin. Why isn't she here either?"
"—Miss Miya is Thoma's cousin?!" Paimon whispered to Aether in disbelief, though her volume wasn't exactly subtle. Thoma heard every word.
"Miya is quite different from me, but she's not hard to get along with. Did something happen?"
Aether shook his head. He wasn't oblivious, but Miya Ryuguu had left so quietly no one noticed. It seemed she'd left right after clearing the ice. "Paimon got a little scared."
"—Miss Miya left, probably a few minutes ago," Aether recalled. He added, "She seemed angry."
"Angry?"
Thoma looked puzzled, but Aether didn't know more. "While identifying the bandits' bodies, Miss Miya looked around and became very angry."
Aether and Thoma searched around, even asking a few who hadn't left yet.
"Oh, Miya Ryuguu—" one said, his expression turning fearful at her name. Aether frowned. Earlier, these same people had spoken of her with admiration. Why—
"Miss Miya Ryuguu is very powerful, yes, but also frightening. Especially those bodies… Even if they were bandits, the torture they endured was horrific."
"Limbs, or missing heads—how could Miss Miya… I mean, why didn't she just kill them directly?"
"It's terrifying. If she could do that to them, she might also—"
Aether and Thoma's expressions turned serious. Thoma even looked briefly angry, though he quickly suppressed it. Paimon lowered her head, thinking hard, her expression conflicted.
Seeming to reach a conclusion, she shook her head.
"Even though we only spent a short time together, I don't think Miss Miya would do that."
Even if Miya Ryuguu didn't seem easy to approach, she wouldn't harm others without reason. Paimon thought firmly, exchanging a look with Aether—the tacit understanding of travel companions.
Thoma knew why Miya Ryuguu had killed them.
Sayu's intelligence had been timely.
That was also why he felt angry hearing those comments. The bandits in Kujou Village hadn't only harmed Tamura Yuri and deceived the young Tamura Kaito—there were more victims. Miya Ryuguu had simply encountered Tamura Kaito—
He needed to find Miya Ryuguu, Thoma decided.
"I need to find her."
——
Tamura Kaito wasn't asleep.
He sat in a chair, watching the flickering lamp flame. His wounds only ached slightly if he didn't move.
He had a feeling he wouldn't see Miya Ryuguu again.
The premonition was ominous, intense—like a sudden, bizarre nightmare shattering the beautiful, unreal promise Miya Ryuguu had given him. He gripped the arms of the chair tightly.
Even as night deepened, he remained seated.
The boy began to panic.
Miya Ryuguu hadn't returned. Had something happened? Was she injured and delayed? Or was it something else—a mission? Or—
She wasn't coming back.
The thought made Tamura Kaito sigh in relief.
Someone who suddenly offered a thief shelter might not return because they didn't want to see him. Passersby he'd stolen from would avoid him or never take that route again. Maybe Miya Ryuguu was the same, too polite to say it outright.
"...What a joke."
He jumped off the chair, supporting himself against the wall as he headed for the door. "What a joke. She promised. No matter what, I have to make her come back."
As he reached for the doorknob—
"You're injured. You can't go out."
The voice from behind made him jump. Tamura Kaito lost his balance and fell, his back wound threatening to reopen. He quickly turned to look.
A girl stood there, dressed like a tanuki, her eyes half-lidded as if sleepy, staring at him expressionlessly.
"You can't go out. It's too late—" Sayu yawned, her voice trembling. "Wouldn't sleeping be better?"
"Who are you?!"
Tamura Kaito's hair stood on end. His eyes lingered on the hat on her head, and understanding dawned. "—You're a tanuki spirit!"
Sayu paused.
Her sleepy expression instantly turned angry. "Not a tanuki! I'm a mujina! A mujina!"
"...Whatever spirit you are, just leave! Whether I sleep or not is none of your business!"
Sayu simply chopped the back of his neck. Scowling, she tossed the boy onto the bed. As someone who could wield a claymore, handling a child was no burden.
She sat down cross-legged, fuming.
"Who looks like a tanuki?!"
*****
This is it, for now. Update schedule is random maybe 3-5 chapter a week., will keep this going as long as im not bored and no unexpected thing happen.