Episode 8. We Are Player. (6)
“Quest...?”
The closest person, Claire, voiced her confusion.
Quest. It was a word she'd never heard in her everyday life—something she'd only encountered in books about knights, at best. In other words, he was saying he wanted an expedition.
“...Sephirah.”
“Uh...”
“Think we can talk to him?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Sephirah nodded. The way she looked at the old man had noticeably changed. Just moments ago, she'd been recoiling as if she'd locked eyes with a ghost lurking under the bed, but now she seemed a bit more relaxed. Peeking out from behind Aiden with just her head, Sephirah addressed the 'player' she was still eyeing warily.
“Hey, hey...”
“...”
“Tell me your name and age?”
There was no response. The old man glanced around in surprise but didn't open his mouth to speak. And on top of that, he was looking at Sephirah like she was pathetic—Aiden couldn't even fathom why.
“No answer, huh.”
“No, from his reaction, he can't answer. Look at him. He's panicking in a way that doesn't match his face. He wants to talk, but the words won't come out.”
It was spot on. The old man nodded lightly as if to confirm it. He could speak but couldn't. The words wouldn't form. Pointing to his own mouth was surely meant to convey exactly that.
“Mister, should we let him go then?”
“...No, keep holding him so he can't move.”
“Got it.”
Claire tightened her grip on the old man even more, her hands aimed at his throat. It was clearly impossible with raw strength alone, but with the old man showing no will to resist and Claire channeling her abilities, it was feasible.
Finally, the situation allowed everyone to relax and converse safely.
“Aiden-mister!”
“...Don't joke, Sephirah.”
“Can I ask first? He can communicate intent without words, after all.”
Aiden nodded. Sephirah turned to the old man.
“Hey, old timer.”
“...”
“You understand me fine?”
Nod.
“I’ve got a ton of questions, but... let’s take it slow. You can only answer my questions, right?”
The old man nodded again.
“Good. Now this is just my guess, but... you can’t question me because you can’t make ‘choices’?”
“...!”
This reaction was more intense. He didn't just nod—he set his sword down entirely and made a thumbs-up sign with his hand. Emphasizing the word choice was a signal only players would catch.
“Okay, okay. You answered Aiden earlier, so... I think I get the principle. Hey, Aiden?”
“Figured something out?”
“Yeah. It’s complicated to explain, but you ask the questions. Then he can answer. Simple, right?”
“...Let’s test it.”
With a snap of his fingers, a small spark ignited in the air, illuminating everything around them. Once the old man’s full body and Claire behind him were clearly visible, Aiden asked:
“Your name?”
“Hasselhoff.”
“Pfft.”
“...”
“Ah, sorry. That name just reminded me of something from the old days...”
Aiden shot Sephirah a glare as she suddenly burst out laughing, then continued.
“How’d you end up here? Did you cross over from the other side?”
“No, I’ve been trapped here. Since yesterday.”
“That tracks. He didn’t say it, but this isn’t a withered forest we wandered into—it’s us who got instantly teleported into a withered one.”
Whether Sephirah’s words were true or not didn’t help. Players weren’t allies; they were threats to watch. No matter what they said, Aiden couldn’t take it at face value. Willingly tagging along for fun didn’t make them ‘comrades’ or ‘friends.’
Here, the only person he could trust was one.
...No need to get involved.
Reaffirming that relentlessly, Aiden made his decision.
“That’s enough, Claire. Let him go.”
“What’re you planning?”
“We just leave. He’s got no connection to us anyway, and he didn’t attack first.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that, grandpa.”
Claire, who’d been frowning slightly, released the old man and apologized. He hadn’t really done anything wrong beyond acting a bit suspicious—and even that hardly qualified as a ‘crime.’ Threatening such a person at swordpoint felt embarrassing in retrospect. The old man just smiled as if it was fine, waving Claire off wordlessly.
“This place is a bust. Let’s head back.”
“Where to? It’s a bit far, but there are other spots...”
“No, we get out of here fast.”
“Aw, but taking him along could be fun—”
Aiden roughly grabbed Sephirah’s hand and pulled her. Her bright muttering cut off, and all she got from Aiden was a cold glare and a gesture to climb the ladder.
The player felt deep intrigue at this novel situation, but Aiden felt none. She couldn’t object even if she had opinions. Right now, control lay with Aiden, not the player.
Sephirah sensed something was off again.
“No need for two.”
Once the underground held just one player again, the old man followed their footsteps.
* * *
“Guide us to a way out. Now.”
“R-right now?”
“I said now.”
His attitude had changed. That’s what Sephirah felt. Suddenly shoved outside the cabin, the NPC who’d been somewhat compliant was now threatening her.
“Ah, what’s with you since earlier? That grandpa didn’t seem bad. Taking him along could’ve helped...”
“Player.”
Sephirah flinched at being called player. Fine, he wasn’t using her name anymore, but wasn’t he supposed to avoid that word in front of other NPCs?
“Y-you can’t call me that...”
But Aiden just glanced at Claire and ignored her protest.
“Doesn’t matter. After hearing so much from you, she’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“Oh, that’s your plan? Fair enough then.”
Sephirah nodded. If he wasn’t hiding it anymore, that made sense. Yeah, that could be fun too. The NPCs from the world she knew, realizing their old ‘friend’ the player existed—
“And if you’ve got something to say, say it to me. Leave Claire and the other players alone.”
“Aw, why? That makes it less fun...”
Sephirah’s casual bluffing cut short. Aiden’s expression was bad. Deadly serious. He was staring at her with a face she’d never seen in all her gaming time—not angry, not threatening, just endlessly cold.
It was the kind of expression Sephirah had never triggered, since she’d never deliberately tanked an NPC’s affinity before.
“Whatever your true feelings, you’re treating me like someone you know well.”
“...”
“I’m not your friend or anything like that.”
“...Ah.”
Sephirah had no retort.
“We can’t stay trapped here forever, and we’ve got things to discuss once we’re out. That’s it.”
“...”
“Got it?”
It had been a chase from the start, and now she was caught and tagging along. Her affinity probably hadn’t shown yet, but it was near zero. But had Aiden seemed welcoming when he realized players existed? Sephirah had been taking it lightly ever since her failed escape. She was intrigued by this NPC who saw players as something grand, liked the novel Claire, and enjoyed being at the center.
...Yeah, right.
It was a delusion. Only Sephirah had thought the mood was light. Only the player assumed things would unfold ‘like a game,’ even when speaking freely instead of picking options.
Looking back, Aiden’s reactions had always been cold, like an NPC with low affinity.
“...Got it.”
Sephirah bit her nail. Even leading quietly ahead, her anxious habits didn’t stop.
Sephirah had gone quiet. She moved a short distance ahead to guide them to the spot that would restore the forest, with Aiden and Claire simply following.
The day, which had felt endlessly long for some reason, was finally nearing its end.
“You two aren’t actually close, huh, mister.”
Claire sidled up closer and spoke. It was about her and Sephirah’s relationship, which she’d vaguely brushed off earlier. At least it was true they weren’t close on this side, so Aiden nodded.
“She seemed to know you really well, though.”
“...We’ll have to ask her directly how.”
“The player, right?”
“...Yes.”
Aiden didn’t deny it. He’d said it didn’t matter if she overheard, so no helping it.
“What was all that about anyway? Participants? Like, some organization name?”
“Not an organization. They’re... something that hides among people.”
“Oh, like vampires!”
“Closer example than I expected.”
“Or a polymorphed dragon?”
“That’s...”
Aiden paused, about to say no. Beings with incomprehensible power, striking appearances, and dangerous worldviews that could never blend with normal folk. Maybe not so different after all.
“Not as strong as those fantasy beasts, but not entirely wrong.”
“It was weird you were hunting someone who didn’t need seeking out, but you’re after something big, huh.”
“I’ll make sure you’re compensated for your help.”
“Never worried about that. Just... glad, I guess.”
“Glad?”
“Didn’t wanna get stuck between a guy and a girl. I suck at that stuff.”
What had she even imagined? One word had sparked a bigger leap than expected.
“Didn’t I say it wasn’t like that?”
“Yeah. Turns out it really wasn’t, surprisingly.”
“Surprisingly...?”
“But even so... it’s a bit different from what I expected.”
Night had fallen on the withered forest. Even in summer, the air was chillier than thought, and under the twinkling stars, there was someone to walk with. That was one of Claire’s romances, but it fell short of expectations.
“Ah, not that it’s boring or anything! I love seeing new stuff. That’s why being with you is fun. But, like...”
Claire couldn’t find the right words. Some were too honest, others wouldn’t convey intent properly. She glanced at Sephirah leading ahead, then gazed intently at the mister beside her.
This was filling her head with ‘regret,’ but Claire ultimately didn’t voice it. Who feels regret toward someone they just met? Better not say something crazy from the start.
“...Just, everywhere’s so bleak this time. Kinda disappointing.”
She settled on a safe excuse.
“Honestly, it’s dark. Even before sunset.”
“Hmm.”
“...What.”
Aiden and Claire’s eyes met. Sure, eye contact was natural in conversation, but staring intently side-by-side while walking felt off. Especially without speaking.
“What...!”
Like a staring contest, they kept it up. Aiden stared fixedly at Claire for some reason, and Claire, anxious about how long, stared back. Had he noticed her changing subjects mid-sentence? Fair enough—he probably had. She’d just blurted something that popped up while looking around.
If he’d caught on, just say something already.
“Claire.”
And Aiden actually spoke. Why. What for.
“Yeess...!”
“Nothing else to say?”
“Me? What would I have to say...”
“Then let’s move.”
“...Huh?”
Following Aiden’s gesture, her eyes landed on Sephirah waiting at a cave entrance. He’d asked her to guide to an exit, so probably the ‘way out of the forest’ was inside. But surely that wasn’t all he wanted to say?
“...Mister?”
“Yes.”
“Um... you said you had something to...”
Aiden turned back, and Claire fidgeted, clenching and unclenching her fist. Wasn’t that stare because of something? Like he had words, or had seen through her thoughts. She’d assumed that, so why say nothing?
“It’s nothing...”
Not on purpose, even.