Episode 11.5. To Another World (5)
Three days passed after that.
On the first day, Sephirah—who had seemed ready to barge right back in and cause a ruckus—didn't show up. There weren't even any traces of her slipping in at dawn. Aiden figured she wasn't coming no matter how long he waited, so he settled into his seat leisurely and had Claire tell him more details. Specifically, what the voice was saying and what kind of power it was granting.
"To sum it up, when you meet a player like yesterday, memories that weren't there before just pop up midway... right?"
"Yeah, though none of it was anything important."
"What was it like, then?"
"There was one where Sephirah was messing around on a chair and fell over by herself."
"Sounds like you two were really close......"
Claire slowly shook her head side to side, then leaned forward with a grin.
"Nothing about me came to mind?"
"...Pardon?"
"Like, did I seem familiar or anything?"
"I've never seen that in an ordinary person."
"Hmmm......"
Claire kept staring at Aiden without pulling back, her gaze gradually filling with suspicion. She'd taken a liking to teasing him lately, pushing the idea that he and Sephirah had some "special relationship." Or maybe she actually believed it and was probing now.
Aiden held out his open palm to Claire's forehead, then snapped his fingers together for a light flick.
"Ow."
"It's not like that."
Claire covered her forehead with one hand, squinting slightly. Her lips pursed like she was about to complain, but they relaxed soon enough.
"Eugh, you never know. In another world, you two might've been super close."
"Even so, it's got nothing to do with the current me."
"That's just it—since you said memories pop up... What if stuff you've never experienced gets planted in your head, and it changes how you see someone?"
"Hmm."
Aiden lowered his gaze, pondering. Claire had a point; it could happen. Even if he fully learned what kind of person the "Aiden Oliver" in Sephirah's memories was, even if all those randomly surfacing recollections awakened... could he really handle it without issue?
Honestly, though...
"No way someone you dislike suddenly becomes likable overnight, right?"
"Whaaat? People's feelings aren't that hard to change......"
"...I'll keep that in mind."
"Yeah, yeah."
Claire propped her chin on her hand, nodding with a smile. It was the first day the two of them had simply spent time together without doing anything special. Not exactly a day worth commemorating, but the conversation stuck in Aiden's memory all the same.
Realization: 7%
The next day, Sephirah still hadn't reached out in any form. It was starting to make Aiden anxious about what might happen later. No Sephirah, no issues despite the growing number of players, the Realization gauge ticking up, and the nagging sense that something was brewing out of sight.
Still, Aiden did nothing today either. He ate, read a book, visited a friend on personal business, mulled things over, and dealt with Claire. Somehow, dealing with Claire seemed to span the entire day.
"Claire."
"Yeees?"
"You're taking my story more seriously than I expected."
"Whaaat?"
Claire mumbled lazily, head resting on the table. She was so relaxed that Aiden wondered if she'd even heard his short question properly. But she'd probably caught it.
"Stories about players or Sephirah—aren't they hard to believe?"
"Mmm... I told you, I saw it myself, so I have to believe."
"I might've made up the finer details on purpose."
"No need to trick me; I've got nowhere else to go anyway. Oh, I can absolve your sins as someone who almost became a cleric. Confession accepted."
"Just kidding," Claire added in a small voice. Not that Aiden had ever lied to her.
Her book now lay on the table.
"Right, what you said is pretty out there. But I've got experience with that sort of thing already! A book that always appears in my hand when I want it—believable?"
"Isn't it right there?"
"That's what I thought earlier. When it's staring you in the face, what else can you say but yeah?"
Was her recent question proof of how undeniable it was? Since she felt that way, Aiden had nothing to add.
"And this... I might've mentioned it, but I don't even know why I have this book."
"...Isn't it yours?"
"Yeah. It's mine, but I don't know when I got it. Can't get rid of it anyway, so I just use it."
That was the meat of their conversation that day. Everything else stayed within Aiden's routine, leaving only memories of Claire kicking her feet under the table all day.
Nothing happened. He couldn't understand why he was unconsciously waiting for the players' "actions." Nothing came to mind for what to do without players around. No need to wait for them, and if he needed work, he could find people asking for help. So why was he doing nothing?
He could rest as long as he wanted—a week, not just two days. He knew that, yet the unease lingered.
If he hadn't encountered a player, if he'd met this quiet day without incident—what would Aiden have done?
Scenario Denial: 17%
...Strangely, nothing came to mind.
—Hey! Can you hear me? Hellooo!!
And so, they reached today. As Aiden wandered outside just after waking, a voice echoed in his mind.
"...Who is this?"
—That pitiful girl was a player and adventurer.
It wasn't the usual neutral voice. This one sounded unmistakably human—and in a bad way. Loud, energetic, and overly friendly woman's voice. She seemed aware it was an odd line, holding back laughs midway.
"Sephirah?"
—Yep, that's me!
It had been three days since he'd last heard Sephirah's voice.
"What was that weird greeting?"
—Just imitating some old guy from back in the day... Doesn't matter!
"Mister, what's with the sudden mumbling?"
"...One moment."
Claire, hearing Aiden's mutter, looked up from beside him.
"It's a message from Sephirah."
"Oh... Magic that only you can hear, right?"
—Ooh, she's still with you, huh.
Aiden nodded, ignoring the voice in his head. Claire teased in a whiny tone, book in hand.
"Guess I can't hear it then... I'll wait."
"It's not anything major anyway."
"Yeah, yeah."
"This isn't because we're especially close."
"Yeees."
Claire giggled silently at Aiden, who was clearly aware of her obvious teasing. All she wanted was a reaction, so ignoring her on purpose would just amuse her more.
Aiden brushed aside the playfulness and got to the point.
"I've been waiting."
—Be friendlier next time, okay?
"Fine. I waited, Sephirah."
—How'd you make it through without any trouble?
"What big disaster could happen in just three days?"
—Huh? Three days is short?
A moment later, Sephirah's laughter rang out.
—Heh heh, three days is plenty. 72 hours—you could hit the ending twice... Nah. Just been busy.
"Too busy to visit until now?"
—Yeah. Got a kid to look after, scouting around, digging into players...
"...Ah."
Aiden focused on the voice, recalling three days ago. Until that morning, Sephirah had been the only player in this world. Then the player count jumped to 30, so even she probably didn't know what was going on.
That thought brought the elderly player to mind.
"Sephirah, what about the player we met last time?"
—Who? Oh, Hasselhoff? He's... still with me.
"Did you ask him?"
—Not yet. Trying to get him talking properly like me first. Almost done, so I can ask soon.
The old player hadn't turned on her, it seemed. It was frustrating only getting info secondhand through Sephirah. Glancing aside, Aiden saw Claire wearing the same puzzled expression. Was she just mimicking him?
—Anyway. Can't rely on what he says, right? He probably doesn't know much, and syncing up to make him talk takes time. Heh heh.
Her words continued with a small laugh, like from slightly parted lips.
—So I checked something out myself... Might be bad news for you.
"I can tell that's why you're calling."
—Spot on.
"Then spit it out."
—Some players are stirring things up here and there. What we feared is finally happening.
"Where."
—Kinda far. I found out myself while wandering at dawn today.
"So, where."
Aiden pressed. Players were dangerous unknowns, but with similar powers, he could catch them off guard once. For now, he set aside suspicions that Sephirah was just another player. If she'd wanted, she could've endangered everyone easily. Right now, he just wanted to prevent player-caused accidents.
—Got it. Wait a few minutes. Can't fast travel to unvisited spots directly, so I'll swing by quick and take you.
"How long?"
—Really soon, just wait!! Disconnecting!
Click.
The link with Sephirah cut off abruptly. Aiden stood.
No telling if players kept promises, but it wasn't too early to prepare.
"Should I get ready too, mister?"
Right then, Claire stood almost in sync, reacting first. Her book was still in hand.
"......Did you hear that?"
"Picked up a few eavesdropping lines."
"Saved me the explanation."
"Ears hear, eyes see too. If you want me to eavesdrop, just say so."
Aiden ignored her and prepared to head out. He doubted he'd need to eavesdrop much anyway. Claire, losing interest without a reaction, followed quietly. She'd changed back to the white nun's habit from the snowfield. He'd forgotten, and it didn't seem to fit her usual vibe, but she was technically a cleric. And...
—Aiden, you there? Got something to say.
Three quiet minutes passed.
