Chapter 13: Don't Interfere
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 13: Don't Interfere
Yggdrasil is a good place.
Actually, maybe it just feels that way because it’s the only place I can truly relax.
My house turned into nothing more than a warehouse for sleeping a long time ago, so I have neither the peace of mind nor the time to rest there.
I was massaging my arms, which were still tingling from the demon Frey’s Spartan training, when Yukina approached me.
"Did you go see your sister?"
When I looked up and gave her a beaming smile, Yukina’s expression crumpled into a scowl.
"Follow me."
I nodded and followed her out.
On the way, I locked eyes with Yukina’s red-haired friend, who narrowed her eyes and smirked.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s not what you think. I’m just going to get my ass kicked.
Yukina led me to the rooftop.
I followed her at a leisurely pace, admiring her thighs as she climbed the stairs ahead of me.
As we reached the roof, a cool breeze greeted us. Yukina scanned the area to make sure no one else was around before spinning around to face me.
Thud!
"Gah—"
The moment the door closed, she slammed me against the wall by my collar while tossing a sound-muffling item onto the floor. She leaned in close, her face twisted in a menacing expression.
Well, "menacing" by her standards, anyway. She was still just as pretty.
I really love that sharp gaze of hers.
And since our faces were so close, I could even feel her breath.
"What are you?"
"Didn't I tell you last time? I'm Seo—"
Slam!
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Yukina delivered a forceful "wall-slam," glaring at me as if she wanted to devour me whole.
"And if I'm not joking, what are you going to do?"
"..."
Yukina fell silent at my words.
She couldn't afford to stand out or cause trouble.
There are two conditions to unlocking Yukina’s route.
First, you have to get close to her younger sister, Haruna, rather than Yukina herself.
Second, you have to keep interfering with her plans even after finding out her true identity and being hated for it.
She becomes a cold-blooded killer when the Organization orders it, but without those orders, she’s actually kind and surprisingly fragile.
In the original story, Akito realizes her identity but doesn't report her to Yggdrasil. Instead, he constantly gets in her way and keeps trying to persuade her to walk a righteous path.
Because Yukina has a soft heart, she maintains a delicate relationship where she hates Akito for interfering but can't bring herself to kill him—at least until the Organization issues a direct order.
To be honest, it’s not the most convincing plot, but it’s one of those old-fashioned stories typical of Japanese works that forces a "good person" narrative.
But... why does it feel like she’s actually going to kill me?
The rising bloodlust made my neck prickle.
Still, I’d endured Frey’s killing intent, so I could handle this much.
"Did you hate me getting close to Haruna that much?"
"How much do you know?"
"I know Haruna is your sister."
"..."
Since it was vital that she didn't get caught, Yukina remained tight-lipped.
So, I spoke for her.
"And I know you belong to the Geukryu Society."
At those words, Yukina’s face turned ashen.
Watching her trembling pupils and hearing her ragged breathing from this close, I gave her a thin smile.
"I have no intention of telling Yggdrasil."
"...What do you want?"
"I don't want anything. I just have one thing to say: you can't steal the Source. Give up."
This was the truth.
No matter how much of a shithole Yggdrasil might be for letting someone like Akito in through a fraudulent admission, would they really let just anyone steal the Source, one of the government’s most vital resources?
Stealing it secretly was impossible. It would actually be easier to just wipe out everyone in Yggdrasil.
And there were people who actually tried that.
The Geukryu Society might be a somewhat successful criminal organization in the underworld, but did they think Yggdrasil—which housed the 12 Zodiacs—was a joke? If they fought head-on, Yukina’s organization would be annihilated in an instant.
But even if I told her to give up, there was no way Yukina would listen.
Whether she believed me or not, she had her orders, and failure was not an option.
Her trembling blue eyes gradually steadied as she looked straight at me.
"Who are you, really?"
"There’s nothing to 'who' I am. I'm just an ordinary Yggdrasil student. I don't belong to any faction."
I pulled a Truth Crystal—this world’s lie detector—out of my pocket as I spoke.
The crystal, which glows when a lie is told, remained perfectly transparent. Yukina, knowing what it was, stared at it blankly.
"An ordinary student carrying a Truth Crystal?"
"Whether you believe me or not, the crystal says I'm telling the truth."
This thing was incredibly expensive.
Since it was a government-controlled item, it was hard to get your hands on; you had to pay a massive premium on the black market.
I've shown you my truth, so now it's your turn.
I pressed the expensive object into Yukina’s hand, which was still gripping my collar.
"I won't expose your identity, and I won't get in your way. Now it's your turn to speak. Do you have any intention of giving up?"
"..."
"You're not going to kill me, right?"
"..."
"Haruna is precious to you, isn't she?"
The best way to deal with a Truth Crystal is to simply not answer any questions.
Did the Organization teach her that in case she got captured?
"You want to escape the Organization, don't you?"
Even without the Truth Crystal, I could read her expression to some extent.
At the last question, Yukina’s eyes wavered slightly. That was enough.
Since I already knew the story, I just needed to confirm that her heart hadn't changed.
"Hold the crystal."
"Do you still have things to ask?"
"Just hold it."
At my forceful tone, I shrugged and did as she said.
"Why... are you doing this? What do you have to gain?"
"By 'this'... do you mean sticking my nose in your business?"
"Yes. If you know what I'm looking for, you must know exactly what kind of place the Geukryu Society is."
I knew it well. It was a Level 20-ish beginner hunting ground.
Now that this was reality, there might be some incredibly strong people there, but ever since I realized Akito was on his second playthrough, I’d already gauged the strength of those who would become enemies.
A trash-tier organization where Yukina, who had just entered Yggdrasil, was considered a top-tier member.
Of course, I wasn't exactly in a position to talk, considering I didn't have a single decent offensive skill.
"Just... because you looked like you were having fun."
"Having fun?"
"Yeah. Isn't life at Yggdrasil enjoyable?"
The girl who dreamed of a normal life lowered her gaze, avoiding my eyes.
Soon, she looked back up, her eyes reflecting me as she forced herself to act tough.
"What does that have to do with you?"
"I told you, I'm just being nosy. I want a cute girl to be happy."
Ugh. It was a classic Akito-style line that made me want to gag, but in an eroge, this kind of dialogue works wonders.
It’s a total cliché—you tell a girl who clearly knows she’s pretty that she’s "cute" or "beautiful," and she reacts as if she’s hearing it for the first time, her face turning bright red.
But why do you look so disgusted?
I felt like puking saying it, but it’s embarrassing when you look like you’re about to puke hearing it.
Seriously, why only with me? When Akito says disgusting lines, everyone giggles and swoons.
I’m starting to feel a bit hurt here.
Yukina, who had been looking at me like I was a bug, glanced at the crystal—which remained dark—and let out an exasperated sigh before stepping away from me.
"If you don't want to die, don't come anywhere near the Organization. It's not a place for someone living in a flower garden like you to take lightly."
"Are you worried about me?"
Disgusted once again, Yukina grabbed the sound-muffling item and marched off the roof.
Haruna cleared, and a 'delicate relationship' established.
Now that I’d cast the line, I just had to wait leisurely for Yukina to fail.
...Or so I thought.
Seriously, why is she so proactive? Perhaps she’d grown impatient, because Yukina had left a trail.
This event wasn't supposed to happen this early.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, you're here? It looks like someone broke into the school last night."
When I asked while feigning ignorance, Rio answered earnestly.
A crowd of students had gathered to watch as a teacher I’d seen during the placement test inspected the hallway.
Was his name Derek?
Seeing that agents had also arrived to investigate, it seemed the government was taking this seriously.
A broken window and a magical tool embedded at the end of the hallway were the extent of the crime scene, so they were struggling to find more evidence.
They were diligently searching for mana traces, but it was all a waste of time.
Yukina had two types of mana, and she only used her unregistered mana for jobs like this.
"What happened?"
Akito’s group also arrived at school and began observing the crime scene.
True to his nature as the original meddler, Akito showed interest in the case, and Derek, who was conducting the investigation, asked for his opinion.
Seeing it from the side, it really was bizarre. A teacher asking a student for his opinion when a crime like this had occurred.
I guess it just showed how much trust Akito had earned.
"Seo Yeon-woo."
"Yes?"
"Investigate the scene."
Me? Why?
Derek suddenly called my name and told me to investigate.
Why me all of a sudden? I could understand calling Akito because he trusted him, but I had nothing to do with this.
Akito, who had been looking around the scene, gave me a bright smile.
The Chika bitch, his sister, and the Samurai all looked disgusted, so why are you smiling? Usually, with my face, it should be the other way around. And don't smile at me with those loving eyes. It’s creepy when a guy does that.
I shuddered as I remembered how, before entering the academy, some guys had approached me because of my good looks.
For now... should I just pretend to do something?
I struck a classic detective pose—hand on chin, leaning against the wall—and pretended to be deep in thought.
"Why is that guy posing like that?"
"Because that's all he has. He's a man not worth wasting time on, so let's just continue the investigation. He probably doesn't have a single thought in his head."
I almost broke character because Chika and Shiori’s words stung, but I maintained the pose to kill time.
Looking at the crowd, I saw Yukina as well.
Whatever, Akito will solve it anyway.
"I'm sorry. I don't have any opinions to add to the facts that have already come out."
Oh, right. If you don't go down Yukina’s route, this event usually just ends with everyone watching, doesn't it?
Derek nodded at Akito’s response and then looked at me.
What should I do? Should I answer? If I do, won't Yukina be more on guard and careful?
She probably thinks she’ll never get caught because of the mana traces.
As I was debating whether to say the lines from the script instead of Akito, the Chika bitch scoffed.
"How could that guy find something even Akito couldn't?"
"First of all, it's an inside job."
Ah, I lost my cool again.
Is she some kind of trigger button for me?
Since the only people inside were students and teachers, everyone was shocked.
"What's your basis for that?"
"The magical tool embedded in the wall is meant to be loaded into a gun and fired. It's commonly used for infiltrations."
The magical tool was enchanted with short-range teleportation magic.
A tool used to move to a location by firing or throwing it.
That was it. It was exactly the same as the technique used by that golden-haired whatever, the diamond-spoon ninja father.
"It's often used for stealthy infiltrations or forced entries, but breaking a window is something you do during a forced entry."
"..."
"The security team responded to the sound of the window breaking, but they found nothing. Did the intruder fail to enter because security arrived earlier than expected? Why would they bother shooting at the window in the first place?"
"I see."
Derek looked at the magical tool, which was perfectly aligned with the window, as if he understood.
"If it were a stealthy infiltration, they wouldn't have shot the window. Breaking the window implies a forced entry. But nothing happened. It wasn't fired from the outside to begin with."
"Can't you tell by the glass shards? It was fired from the outside in."
"Like this?"
In response to Chika’s challenge, I punched a perfectly intact window.
However, the broken shards hovered in the air before falling inward as I pulled them toward me.
"Are you really an Yggdrasil student? You can learn magic like this just by watching NewTube."
"..."
I know, I know. The average IQ drops in these stories just to make the protagonist look good. You're not usually like this, right?
If you were always like this, you must have paid your way into Yggdrasil.
I walked past the silenced Chika and approached the wall where the magical tool was embedded, pulling it out.
Someone tried to stop me to preserve the scene, but what’s the point of preserving it if you aren't even inspecting it properly?
"If you look inside, it's not as deep as you'd think. It's too shallow for something fired from a gun on the first floor, where you wouldn't even have the right angle. If they really intended to infiltrate, they would have been on a higher floor, not the first. The opponent would have had to fire from a tall building to get a wider field of vision and approach from a distance."
"So it was thrown from right in front of the wall."
"Yes. And the fact that there was no reaction despite being inside means it was an insider."
Even though it gets bypassed all the time, Yggdrasil is still a place filled with the latest security.
If an unregistered person enters, the security team is alerted immediately.
"Is that enough? I'd like to get to class—though the person who actually needs to attend class and study hard is someone else."
As I spoke while looking at her, Chika gnashed her teeth and glared at me.
Did you really pay your way in?
"That was helpful. Go to class for now, and we'll talk more later. Everyone else, disperse."
As Derek ordered everyone to leave, the crowd of students scattered.
And in the midst of the students, I locked eyes with Yukina, who was staring at me.
Well... I guess I'm going to be hated again.
"Oh, and."
Derek called out to me as I was heading back to the classroom.
"I'll bill you for the window later."
"...I broke it to explain."
"You could have explained without breaking it. I'll take that into account when I send the bill. I won't forget your help; I'll see to it you get other benefits."
Man, he's strict.
I really don't think I get along with that teacher.