Chapter 16: Mystery x Trapped x Godotto.

One year, five months, three weeks and six days before Vaccine Man's attack...

The night was beginning and the comforting glow of the moons was increasing in the sky above X-City, the city whose brightness not only overshadowed the brightness of the other stars but could also be considered a constellation in itself.

As for the people who lived there, the day was coming to an end for some and just beginning for others. After all, the adult hour had already begun! And the casinos, as always, were already prepared; ready to welcome with open doors, until dawn, anyone willing to have fun, as long as they had enough money.

However, as the hedonists of the city prepared to try their luck, with the hope of getting rich and the fear of going broke simultaneously coexisting within them, two men above all others were having a rather quiet conversation by their standards.

The older and simpler of the two stood with his arms folded as he leaned his back against the water tank on the rooftop of the Kakegurui Casino-Hotel; the other, a whimsical liar, was sitting on the ground beside him. At first glance, they looked completely different, but the older one felt a hunch. Something inside him told him that they were both the same, two sides of the same coin.

And the proof of that, to his mind, was the substantial amount of time they had been conversing on subjects of high intellectual caliber...

"And what do you think, Kingu?" Daichi asked. "Do you think Flashy Flash uses hair conditioner or not?"

"I don't know," Kingu answered without much emotion. "I don't think so."

Yes, in short, subjects that deal with deep existential dilemmas of the highest order...

...

Or just garbage in general.

"Come on!" Daichi protested. "So how do you think he keeps that hair silky and shiny?"

"How do you know it's silky and shiny?" Kingu questioned, genuinely intrigued by the source of that information.

"Haven't you seen it yourself? Even in pictures it's dazzling, you can't deny it."

Kingu thought back and quickly agreed with Daichi. In fact, now that he thought about it, Flashy Flash's hair was as shiny as Darkshine's muscles and there was even a good chance that it was just as, if not better cared for than Tornado's.

Kingu sighed and Daichi couldn't help but see the obvious.

"Ha! You see? Am I not right?" said Daichi with a smile on his face. "The only way to maintain hair like that without spending every day at the spa, would be with the help of a divine power... Literally!"

Daichi started to laugh. Kingu didn't know why, but something inside him told him that he had just been told a reference he hadn't caught.

Maybe it was just his imagination?

"Maybe he makes a concoction to moisturize his hair," Kingu suggested, now a little more interested in the conversation and coming up with a logical answer to the question of the moment.

"Ah, just like Okata!" pointed out Daichi. "I can imagine: 'slug slime, wild blackberries, lined charcoal and carbonated water'."

Daichi laughed again while Kingu remained silent trying to recall. As far as he could remember, nowhere in the manga was there any mention of the ingredients of Okata's homemade shampoo. Was that information unique to the autobiographical novel? Perhaps it would be pertinent to read the original version in the future.

"All right, enough of the androgynous blonde," Daichi, again calm and with a smile, shook his head in Kingu's direction. "Which S-class hero do you want to talk about now?"

"I don't know, which ones are missing?"

"Metal Knight, Tornado of Terror and Blast. You choose."

Kingu began to think about it.

About Metal Knight there wasn't much to talk about for sure. Not for lack of interest, but rather for the simple fact that he knew nothing about him. Although there was no denying that his robots had style. Would drawing one of them in a manga count as copyright plagiarism?

As for Blast, well... What else is there to talk about Blast but popular folklore? After all, he's the first full-fledged superhero. The white knight of the skies. The savior of the world! Someone anonymous with no faults and no flaws...

And as for Tornado... There was plenty of material to talk about...

The discussions about her hair color...

The local stories about broken bones and twisted limbs...

The rumors about the 'Sinister Sentences'...

The speculation regarding the incident with the terrorist group Eleven...

Virtually everything about her was a sea of discussion, both offline and online, where, as it progressed, it only fell further and further into ridiculousness.

Sure, he enjoys a good conspiracy tale, but you have to inhale something pretty strong to imagine that everything related to Eleven was a false flag operation. In fact, the funniest thing was that the proponents of that theory couldn't even agree.

Some said that Tatsumaki was the external variable whose interference put a definitive end to some sort of grand operation, designed by the M-City elites, to justify the transfer of money from the confederation to Region M.

And others, that Tatsumaki was actually part of a counter-operation by the M-City elites, aimed at putting an end to a complex plan by the confederation to make Region M look like a failed region and thus authorize a multi-regional intervention that would only end with the territorial reduction of Region M.

Seriously, why do people insist so much on looking for the fifth leg of the cat? As a general rule, things tend to be much simpler than people imagine, and this should be no exception. What's more, there's a chance that the whole Eleven affair was really nothing more than another case of 'selfless vigilante justice'. And like most cases of vigilante justice, it was generally well regarded by everyone; enough to overlook the destruction caused by the battle between Tatsumaki and the group.

But how to blame people for turning a blind eye and accepting the bad with the good? After all, many people were victims, directly or indirectly, of Eleven's actions. Such was the thing that even being familiar with something related to them came to be considered part of the experience of living in M-City; almost like an event achievement available in a game for a limited time.

An achievement that, curiously and fortunately, Kingu was able to avoid and which, unlike the one about meeting Tornado, he no longer had to worry about.

"Hey, earth calling Kingu," Daichi said, snapping Kingu out of his brief musing with a couple of finger snaps of his face.

"Oh, uh, excuse me?" Kingu replied, after blinking a couple of times, shaking his head and glancing back at Daichi.

"Man, you were silent for like 15 seconds, I thought..."

Suddenly, Daichi's cell phone started ringing and after a brief glance, Daichi's mood went from relaxed to annoyed.

"Agh, great!" Daichi exclaimed with annoyance, separating from where he was lying and walking away with his cell phone in hand. "Just… give me a minute, okay?"

While Daichi whispered into his cell phone as he walked in circles, Kingu remained seated on the floor watching Daichi. Something about him seemed strange, and surprisingly it had nothing to do with his dramatic and spectacular way of arriving, but with a strange feeling he got from him. He didn't know how to put it into words, but it was something he had never felt before...

For the first time, to be spending time in person with someone else didn't feel... So bad. Is this what friendship feels like?

Wait a minute, whatever this is, it can't be friendship. Friendship in real life requires a lot more things, right? It can't be like in anime where it arises by spontaneous generation between people, can it?

Kingu couldn't delve further into his thoughts when Daichi's voice inevitably brought him back to reality.

"Can you believe this shit, Kingu? Because of that loli lover bastard, I'm getting things crossed up in my schedule now," Daichi said in annoyance as he put away his cell phone and approached Kingu. "where the hell is he?!"

"Maybe he forgot and won't come," Kingu commented, doing his best to hide the return of his nervousness.

"I don't think so, Kingu, I know that bastard quite well, believe me..."

«Oh yeah, Daichi, you know him very well…»

"... I don't know why, but I feel that he's closer than we can imagine, I feel it in my liver..."

«If only you knew...»

"... Surely he's somewhere around here, hiding while he watches and rejoices to see me waiting like a fool..."

«Or maybe just feeling pity next to you...?»

"... And all while he masturbates to images of lolis on his cell phone like the depraved man he is! I'm sure of it..."

«Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey! What's with the misplaced slander?!»

"... Oh, but he won't get away with it this time. My knuckles and I are hungry for a fight and if he doesn't come soon, then I'll go after him... Wherever he is..."

«Well, good luck trying to find me...»

And with that last, as Daichi looked at his knuckles as if he wanted to kiss them, Kingu changed his mind about his feelings on the whole situation; if this is one side of friendship, then it sucks. Damn Ecchi Tail and his false messages about friendship!

Although, technically it would be his fault for believing that an anime reflects real life.

With nothing more to weigh on the matter, he decided to settle this whole thing and leave for good.

"Well, I wish you luck finding LolitaBrattLover," Kingu said, standing up and starting to leave. "I have things to do."

"Ah? Oh!" Daichi replied, turning his attention away from his hands and focusing on his new acquaintance. "All right, Kingu, good luck to you too!"

Kingu didn't react in the slightest to the jovial farewell and continued to concentrate on continuing to walk away. Every step he took made him feel better; freer and closer to being able to turn the page on this strange chapter of his life.

Just a few more steps and...

"Hey, Kingu, wait a minute!"

«Shit... Don't stop. No matter what he says, don't stop... Just… Don't stop...»

"How do you know his name is LolitaBrattLover?"

Suddenly, Kingu stopped; as if he was paralyzed. His brain began to rewind and it only took half a second for him to realize the serious slip he had just made.

Immediately, his body began to shake and break out in a cold sweat; making a constipated face, mixed with a shaky smile and wide eyes. All while cursing even the most microscopic part of himself in such a way that there were no words to describe it.

Kingu knew he had screwed up like never before and the only thing left was to get the hell out of here.

"Stop right there!"

Unfortunately for him, Daichi acted first.

"You know, I don't remember ever mentioning that son of a bitch's name," Daichi said, appearing next behind Kingu and gripping his shoulder tightly before launching into his question. "How...?"

Suddenly, the words in Daichi's mouth were cut off... Something was beginning to take shape in his brain.

"Wait a minute..."

Daichi released his grip on Kingu and slid his hand down Kingu's back to his other shoulder as he slowly walked to the other side of Kingu.

"You know about him... And you were here... Waiting before I... Arrived..."

And that's when Daichi gave a big epiphanous sigh.

Kingu felt screwed and like the worst piece of shit in the world. But then, against all expectations, Daichi started laughing out loud, without taking his hand off Kingu's shoulder.

"What's up, Kingu, or should I say Mr. LolitaBrattLover, why so serious?" said Daichi mockingly, while grabbing his belly with his free hand. "Laugh with me!"

Daichi let go of Kingu and walked away, behind Kingu's back to continue laughing...

And laughing...

AND LAUGHING...!

Now Kingu was truly out of place and lost, in more ways than one. This was supposed to be the most humiliating, embarrassing and shameful moment of his life, but for some strange reason it didn't feel that way.

Eventually, Daichi finished laughing and seemed to regain his composure. Everything seemed to indicate that this was the time to end this whole affair, perhaps in a good way.

"Daichi, I..."

But the moment he turned to look at Daichi, all Kingu could see was a fleeting blur.

And from one moment to another...

Without warning...

...

HE RECEIVED A BIG PUNCH IN THE FACE!

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

The blow sent Kingu into a quick full spin, before he fell back disoriented, staggering and stumbling, but without falling. Luckily, thanks to the quick instinctive channeling of aura by his body at the point of impact, he was unharmed.

"You slippery loli lover bastard," Daichi declared as he took off his black coat. "Do you think you could make me look like a fool forever?"

Daichi finished taking off his jacket, threw it in the air and it flew away.

"Let's see if your cheats work here."

Quantum Force: Warp Punch.

Daichi made his first move and threw a punch to the ground. But it wasn't just a common fist, that one wass surrounded by his distorted aura.

A bubble appeared from the point of impact, it traveled like lightning until it positioned itself under Kingu and a fist came out of it; all almost at the speed of light.

The blow hit Kingu's jaw and sent him flying vertically...

Quantum Force: Window Open.

But the attack did not end there.

Quantum Force: Window Shut.

Kingu felt a fleeting shudder as, suddenly and anticlimactically, a pair of hands grabbed his head and began to squeeze it like a ball; it was Daichi. Wait a minute, did Daichi catch him in mid-air? At what point?

But then, Kingu's feet were able to brace themselves against the ground. Impossible, how?! At no point was there any sensation of stopping ascending and starting to fall, other than that strange shiver. How can one go from ascending to being on the ground in an instant!

«What the fuck is going on!»

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

Unfortunately, Kingu could not continue shouting in his mind when Daichi's voice stole all his attention.

"What's wrong?" Daichi asked rhetorically as he continued to squeeze Kingu's head and force him to his knees. "Can't you stand the Uni-A Campus style?"

Kingu had no time to respond when Daichi withdrew one of his hands, keeping his grip on Kingu's head with the other, and delivered another big punch to Kingu's face.

This time, the blow knocked Kingu down.

Quantum Force: Window Open.

But instead of falling to the ground as he was supposed to, he felt that strange shiver again, fell for much longer and ended up being caught by Daichi, who was now suspending him in the air with a strong grip on his hoodie.

Quantum Force: Window Shut.

With a bit of dizziness, and not knowing how to process the whole situation, Kingu looked at Daichi while grabbing the arm with which he was holding him in the air, not for the purpose of freeing himself but to avoid damaging his sweatshirt; priorities are priorities. And then, a new question came to his mind, how did he end up falling on Daichi, if he was supposed to be inches away from falling on the ground? How the fuck can one go from falling from a lower place to a higher one?!

"Come on, LolitaBrattLover, weren't you a pro?" Daichi exclaimed smugly. "Forget that you're a hero and think of this for what it really is, an alley fight!"

Daichi then forcefully threw Kingu into the water tank in the distance, tearing his hoodie and causing something to fall out of it in the process.

Quantum Force: Window Open.

Again, Kingu felt the same shudder again and then felt his face collide with Daichi's arm, before falling to the ground for good.

Quantum Force: Window Shut.

Kingu was considerably dizzy, though unharmed, but still he couldn't help but try to futilely make sense of what was happening. If Daichi threw him, how could he have ended up returning to the starting point to take that hit?

Unfortunately, Kingu couldn't finish his thought when a kick slammed him to the ground and sent him, perpetually pinking the ground, crashing into the water tank; this time for real. What the hell is going on?

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

Kingu looked up and saw Daichi slowly approaching while holding one of his arms as if in pain. And even though his senses were becoming increasingly disoriented, he could see that the distance between them wasn't as much as he had felt he had traveled in so few moments. In fact, for Daichi to have been able to receive him with that blow just a moment ago, he must have been waiting for him... As if it were... Daichi throwing something at Daichi?

...

«But that doesn't make any sense!»

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

Kingu tried to stand up but found it impossible. In fact, he felt considerably dizzy and nauseous. As for Daichi, he stopped some distance away from him and, for a brief moment, rubbed his knuckles and one of his arms, as if in pain, before moving forward again with heavy steps and an even angrier face than before.

Quantum Force: Gravity Knuckle.

"Don't get so comfortable on the ground, loli lover," Daichi declared, surrounding his fist with a bubble of aura that looked like a plasma lamp and preparing to attack. "BECAUSE THIS HAS JUST BEGUN!"

But then, with his next unsuspecting step, Daichi stepped on something…

Something that wasn't a brick...

...

Nor a piece of debris...

...

Or anything else...

...

GameGuy: Guest Player.

Without warning and suddenly, an overwhelming aura came out of the GameGuy, completely enveloped Daichi, and then began to suck him in as if it were the forbidden spawn of a vacuum cleaner and a whirlpool.

"WH-WHAT?!" Daichi shouted at the sudden occurrence.

Quantum Force: Warp Body.

Quickly, Daichi tried to activate his powers to escape, but it was completely useless; no one could escape the GameGuy's pull, not even someone like him.

The process ended and Daichi disappeared. The only thing left in place was the inert game console and a very, very, stupefied Kingu.


Several minutes later...

"So, has he been like this since you put him there?" Kingu asked as he watched, through a two-way mirror, Daichi displaying all sorts of extravagant powers in an endless empty, white room.

"Yes, Maker," replied Himiko at Kingu's side.

Quantum Force: Black Hole Bombs.

More explosions and lights occurred in the empty room; they looked like special effects out of those video editing programs that require entire lockers full of graphics cards.

"Do you think he's going to get tired?" Kingu asked.

Daichi landed briefly on the floor and gasped, almost hyperventilating.

"I doubt it, Maker," replied Himiko.

Quantum Force: Warp Body.

Daichi made an angry face and quickly transformed into a black lightning bolt that moved at high speed all over the place, mostly in circles, trying to create some kind of singularity, dimensional space fissure or other kind of physical phenomenon; but it was useless.

Kingu was seeing everything that was going on but he wasn't paying a bit of attention. All his concentration was focused on taking advantage of the relative calm of the moment to organize his thoughts, before the next unforeseen event of the night appeared.

And among said thoughts, was having to accept, once and for all, that the big fluke that happened a moment ago, happened without a doubt; something easier said and thought, than done. After all, what was the likelihood that a simple, accidental misstep could have this kind of consequence? None, of course, and yet it happened and he witnessed it.

Wait a minute, if that happened to Daichi, does that mean anyone could end up trapped here too?

Quantum Force: Laser Eyes.

Daichi stopped again in the center of the room, took off his glasses abruptly and started shooting black laser beams from his eyes in all directions.

Kingu briefly saw that and, after being thankful that he didn't have to deal with that sort of thing during their fight, went back to concentrating on his own thoughts, which continued to revolve around the GameGuy and, to a lesser extent, Daichi.

Said thoughts were quickly accumulating until they reached a critical mass and transformed into a storm of questions that began to generate a headache for Kingu, though he sought not to voice it.

Still, his discomfort didn't go unnoticed...

"Are you all right, Maker?" Himiko asked, approaching Kingu and gently tugging at what was left of his sweatshirt to get his attention.

"Eh, yeah, of course," replied Kingu, feigning normalcy.

However, Himiko wasn't satisfied with that answer. She made a quick move, positioned herself right in front of Kingu, looked him in the face and, not content with that, gathered her bangs so that she could make eye contact.

"Maker, if there's something weighing you down, I'm here to help you," Himiko declared solemnly.

"Himiko..."

Kingu tried but couldn't formulate an excuse or even say another word. Himiko's beautiful green and blue colored, heterochromatic eyes were too radiant and strong to deny them anything. But the problem at hand was not that he didn't want Himiko's help, but how could Himiko even help him understand things about GameGuy that he himself, the creator, didn't even know? What could Himiko know?

Still, Himiko deserved to know whether or not she could be of help on her own.

"All right, I'll ask you a few questions and if you feel you can't answer one, let me know. Got it?"

"Yes, Maker!" Himiko replied with a smile.

"And please cover your eyes again."

"Yes."

Himiko obeyed and, after hiding her eyes behind her bangs again, began to answer Kingu's questions, as far as her memory and artificial intelligence would allow.

The conversation dragged on and, to Kingu's surprise, it turned out that Himiko, despite knowing nothing about Daichi, knew a lot more about the GameGuy than he would have imagined. Which made him feel proud of her, while at the same time disappointed in himself for his own ignorance.

Eventually the talk came to an end and after receiving answers to most of his questions, Kingu felt he was clear on a few essential things:

#1. The GameGuy is a pocket dimension... More or less.

#2. Absolutely everything in the GameGuy arises and functions from the strange steam that comes out of the body; the 'Life Force', so to speak.

#3. The GameGuy doesn't charge an infinite space, let alone everything in sight, but only what is being interacted with immediately to allow for optimal performance and balanced consumption.

#4. The GameGuy uses the strength of each player to counteract anything that might jeopardize the proper functioning of everything.

#5. No one can die or be truly injured while inside the GameGuy; the only harm players can suffer is from themselves.

#6. Anyone who touches the 'Enter' button can enter the GameGuy, but only he, or those with the proper permissions, can re-exit and/or act freely within it.

#7. No one can do number one, number two or number three while inside the GameGuy.

And #8. Himiko learned all this after long hours of testing the functions and limits of the GameGuy on his orders.

Still, what surprised him most wasn't the extent of his power to create all this, but the conviction with which Himiko assured him that there were still functions, features and limits of the GameGuy to be discovered. What else could be hidden in this box of surprises?

Quantum Force: Warp Body.

Suddenly, a black lightning bolt shot past at high speed right in front of the two-sided mirror, cutting Kingu's thoughts about the GameGuy's still hidden secrets short and reminding him that there was still one more issue to be resolved...

What to do about Daichi?

Kingu thought for several minutes, which felt like forever, until he finally came to a decision. What he would do with Daichi is...

Nothing.

...

The truth is that Kingu didn't know what to do with Daichi; he had no desire to release him but also no desire to take revenge, for what happened a moment ago, as surprising as it sounded. Therefore, it would be best to leave Daichi here while waiting for the right circumstances and encouragement to make a decision on what to do with him.

All in all, a perfect plan; no cracks, no gaps.

Feeling satisfied with himself, Kingu proceeded to leave the GameGuy, but not before checking a couple of things and giving orders to Himiko to just 'observe, do not intervene and warn if something serious happens'.

Kingu reappeared on the rooftop of the casino, picked up the GameGuy, held it in his hand and began to inspect it, looking for any damage or scratches; but it was undamaged. It seemed that Daichi's accidental footfall hadn't done the slightest damage to it, which was good if a little intriguing at the same time.

Could it be that the GameGuy is as tough on the outside as it is on the inside?

Most likely yes...

Kingu made the GameGuy disappear and set off on the journey home; a journey during which, fortunately and despite all the stares he attracted along the way, no one managed to recognize him as an S-class hero...

Yet...

Eventually, Kingu ended up arriving at M-City and, as expected, at his apartment; his always cozy and lonely apartment.

Once there, he took off his clothes, proceeded to take a nice bath and, after spending a few minutes checking the association's cell phone to make sure there was nothing there, he went straight to sleep with the same ease and tranquility as a baby free of worries and regrets.


Three days later...

The day was beginning in M-City. It was a damp but cool morning. Kingu had returned from his morning walk, one of his best in fact, and after taking a nice shower, he set out to eat his breakfast.

He went to the kitchen of his apartment and grabbed a pear and a small carton of flavored milk, but instead of going to sit on his couch, he headed out to the balcony to take another big, deep breath of the fresh morning air that characterized M-City.

«Bless Tome Kurata for founding the city right here!»

Kingu re-entered his apartment, sat down on the couch and began to savor his breakfast while reveling in the symphony of silence and tranquility.

This had definitely been a perfect start to the day...

But it could be even better!

GameGuy: Immersive Experience.

The console appeared in Kingu's hand and he quickly set about playing one of the games he had yet to try from the GameGuy.

'Prototype Madness Revengeance: Ultimate Lifeform.'

This was definitely the right day to dive into a game of this caliber. Kingu rushed to open the game but instead of starting immediately, he went to the section that had made this game famous enough to be in the GameGuy: The Achievements.

The list appeared on the screen; it was long, varied and rich. There were 120 achievements organized in various categories depending on their difficulty.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
| D | - Very easy. _ _ |
| C | - Easy. _ _ _ _ _|
| B | - Intermediate._|
| A | - Difficult. _ _ _ |
| S | - Very difficult._ |
| X | - Brutal. _ _ _ _ |

As expected from a hardcore gamer, and perhaps a masochist, like Kingu, he ignored all the categories and turned all his attention to the hardest achievements of all, those of the 'Brutal' level. He opened the list and these appeared.

| Well-earned allies. |
Get Pariah, Jebus and Minuano to voluntarily join your cause.

| I'M FUCKING INVINCIBLE! |
Defeat the fusion of Trickyu and Mao Zundowneru, without taking any damage.

| Not so supreme... |
Defeat the Supreme Hunter after he has consumed Elizabeth and Alex.

| The craziest and most elegant eavesdropper of them all. |
Witness the entire private dinner between Congressman Stevenu Legstrong and the Auditor without being discovered.

| It only takes one bullet... Or maybe two. |
As Hank, destroy Alex and Jacku simultaneously.

| Maximum Improbability. |
Find a way to break through the barriers that separate the metaphysical world from the hyperphysical world.

Kingu whistled and immediately knew that, with achievements like these, weeks of fun were guaranteed. Without delay, he exited the achievement section, started 'Story Mode' and three main character options appeared on screen.

Jacku Raiden, the cyborg.

Alex Merceru, the monster.

Hank Wimbletonu, the mercenary.

Each of the options had its pros and cons, but one had to be chosen. Unfortunately, Kingu couldn't make up his mind. He was completely blocked; just like that rainy afternoon, several years ago, when he couldn't make up his mind about which movie to watch?

One with Reona Houjou...

Or one with Nene Sonono...

Or maybe one with Mizuki Yukikaze...

And then, as he couldn't decide, fate decided for him; sending an electric shock that fried his old computer completely, without being able to save a single file.

But today, things will be different. This time, he has the blessing of the goddess of fun and a pair of balls ready to jump into the void without fear. And that's why the right character for this first impression is...

"Maker!" Himiko shouted, appearing out of nowhere on the screen.

"Himiko!" exclaimed Kingu after being taken by surprise by the sudden fright. "Is something wrong?"

"It's an emergency, Maker. Your guest is in agony."

"Guest? But..."

And then, Kingu remembered...

«Daichi! Damn it, I forgot about Daichi!»

Immediately, Kingu pressed the 'Enter' button and appeared in the same observation room where Himiko was. They both looked at each other's faces and she just silently pointed at the two-sided mirror through which Daichi could be seen, lying on the floor of the empty white room and wriggling like a worm while clutching his stomach and crotch.

Indeed, Daichi seemed to be in pain, one might even say in agony. But still, Kingu couldn't understand the cause of such behavior. What could be ailing him enough to make him writhe in pain? He had practically been here, isolated uninterrupted, from the moment he...

...

And then, Kingu began to realize what was going on...

Daichi had been in the GameGuy... For more than two days! More than two days without water, without food and, above all, without being able to do the...

...

Uh...

...

Realizing what his procrastination and complete lack of interest had caused, Kingu covered his mouth with his hand, then rubbed it over his face as he looked in different directions and finally, used it to cover his eyes, while throwing his head back, for a few moments.

«What have I done?»

Kingu threw his head forward again and, without removing his hand from his face, refocused his eyes on Daichi. As he did so, he got the feeling that Daichi seemed to be saying something.

Perhaps it was just things of his imagination. But still, it would be best to corroborate the suspicions.

"Himiko," Kingu said as he grasped his chin and kept his eyes on Daichi.

"Yes, Maker?" replied the little bot.

"By any chance, is Daichi saying something?"

"Yes, Maker. Would you like to hear it?"

Kingu closed his eyes and sighed. He turned his head to look at Himiko and, without saying anything, nodded to give her the 'go-ahead'.

Himiko just opened her mouth and instantly, Daichi's voice rang out.

"GODOTTO!"

Kingu was startled at the sudden shout. Luckily, Himiko closed her mouth and returned to her normal voice.

"He's been screaming for hours, saying that and other strange words," Himiko clarified.

"What other words?" Kingu asked, with a bad feeling.

Himiko was silent briefly before proceeding to say 16 vulgarities, 7 insults, 4 curses and one strange word. At times like this, Kingu was thankful that Himiko was a Bot and not a normal girl, otherwise he would have to explain to her the meaning of most of those words and deal with all the awkwardness that entailed...

One more reason not to think about having children... Although...

"What does it mean, master?" Himiko asked, breaking Kingu's absorbed state.

"Huh?" Kingu answered, ignorant of the context of the question. "What thing?"

"Godotto."

"Godotto?"

"Yes, your guest has been repeating it hundreds of times."

Kingu tried to recall, but nothing popped into his head. Still, a hunch inside him told him that the word wasn't as mysterious as it might seem.

However, Kingu played it down and focused on more important things. He looked away from Himiko and focused on Daichi, watching through the two-way mirror as he writhed like a worm while clutching his stomach and crotch.

A sight too macabre for his liking...

Kingu unfolded the holographic command console, pressed a couple of things and instantly disappeared.

"Maker?" Himiko asked with real intrigue about her creator's motivations, no longer sensing his presence inside the GameGuy.

It wasn't long before Kingu reappeared again, this time in the white room where Daichi was and at some distance from him.

"Godotto..." Daichi sobbed in a voice completely exhausted from screaming for who knows how many hours, but still loud enough for Kingu to hear from where he was. "Please, stop it!"

Kingu watched Daichi for a couple of seconds, sighed and then began to slowly approach him. Completely determined to put an end to all this craziness that got out of hand before something happened that he might come to regret...

Or even worse... Not coming to regret at all.

...

Kingu continued to move forward until he finally reached Daichi. Now that he had them at his feet, he could clearly hear his moans and even see his tears on the floor. And so, he proceeded to crouch down to get his attention.

"Daichi..."

Unfortunately, Kingu's timid, soft call was completely ignored. Time to be more assertive.

"Daichi."

The call again fell on deaf ears. Daichi was still completely absorbed in his own misery. Kingu was beginning to lose patience and decided to put much more force into his call.

"Daichi!"

Another attempt, another failure... And Kingu, as rarely in his life, had had enough.

"DAICHI!"

This time, shouting worked. Daichi stopped making strange noises and raised his face, making eye contact with Kingu.

"LolitaBrattLover..."

After a brief pause, Daichi started laughing madly for a while before finally saying something again.

"Really, Godotto?!" Daichi exclaimed in anger, lowering his gaze and extending his arm to point at Kingu. "Of all the possible options, you chose to show up as the damn loli lover?!"

Daichi picked up his outstretched arm and struck the ground with great fury, generating a small shockwave to which Kingu didn't flinch.

"At least give him a pair of tits so I don't have to concentrate on his baboon face!"

...

Kingu began to question whether it would really be so bad to leave Daichi trapped here and wait for nature to take its course. But he quickly dismissed that dark thought in favor of doing the right thing.

That and, having a corpse rotting and stinking up the entire interior of the GameGuy, along with a possible ghost in grief, wasn't an appetizing scenario at all.

Kingu sighed.

"I'm not a hallucination, I came here to..."

"Shut up, Godotto!" interrupted Daichi, raising his head again to look at Kingu. "I have nothing to talk to..."

Kingu bent down and proceeded to slap Daichi across the face to knock some sense into him, causing him to become dumbfounded and dumbstruck.

"... Okay," Daichi conceded. "You're the real LolitaBrattLover."

As Daichi began to shake his head and wipe his face with his hand in an attempt to 'wake up' himself, Kingu averted his gaze and rolled his eyes.

"Wait a minute, if you are you, then what are you doing here?" Daichi questioned before pausing for a fleeting moment and involuntarily thinking of the worst case scenario of all. "Damn it, please tell me you didn't touch some sort of strange metallic black cube!"

"Huh? No, of course not," Kingu replied, unable to make sense of anything Daichi was babbling. "Actually..."

"What a relief!" Daichi sighed, looking down briefly as he felt he no longer had to worry about a new heavy weight on his shoulders. "I almost thought that twisted, spaghetti-faced, trypophilic bastard had you fooled."

"Eh..." Kingu replied, completely convinced that Daichi had gone insane.

"But if Godotto didn't bring you here… Then what are you doing here? How did you even...?"

Suddenly, Kingu covered Daichi's mouth.

"I came to get you out of here, the rest doesn't matter," Kingu declared, determined to hear no more and force an end to this whole affair.

"Don't give me false hope, LolitaBrattLover..." Daichi replied with difficulty due to the hand in his mouth, which he no longer had the strength to resist. "What can you...?"

Kingu clamped his hand over Daichi's mouth and cut off his words.

"Shut up and watch."

Kingu then released Daichi's mouth and proceeded to cover his eyes, causing Daichi to close them. All in order to prepare him for the eventual glare that, from his own experience, he knows happens after spending too much time inside the GameGuy and having the misfortune of coming out just when there is sunlight.

GameGuy: Player Ejected.

In the blink of an eye, Daichi felt Kingu's hand disappear from his face and then when he tried to open his eyes, they began to hurt. He quickly tried to look for his dark glasses on the floor near him, where he remembered leaving it, but stopped as he began to feel all kinds of overwhelming sensations with his five senses.

And there, he understood what had happened...

He was no longer in that emptiness of a moment ago...

«I'm free!»

That means...

Quantum Force: Window Open.

Daichi waved his hand, a portal appeared right below him and he fell through it.

Quantum Force: Window Shut.

Daichi landed roughly on the floor of his darkened apartment, where his eyes could see a little better, and quickly closed the portal. Daichi hurriedly looked from side to side, and when he saw that it was indeed his apartment, he began to relax...

A great mistake!

The adrenaline in his blood plummeted and the pain in his gut, about to fail because he had overstepped his limits, returned like a chainsaw stab in the stomach.

The message from his body was clear... One second more, and the whole room would turn into a latrine!

Quantum Force: Warp Body.

Daichi transformed into a black lightning bolt and went straight for the bathroom, breaking the door in the process and leaving all his clothes in the room, as if they were a change of skin.

He immediately sat down on the toilet and then...

THE SUPERNOVA EXPLODED!


Back to Kingu...

A couple of seconds passed and Kingu, convinced that enough time had passed for Daichi to have left using his weird powers, finally decided to leave the GameGuy.

Immense was his surprise when, instead of appearing on the rooftop he had chosen to leave the GameGuy and avoid having to deal with Daichi in his apartment, he ended up appearing in a strange apartment, quite spacious, and completely in darkness saved by the glow of the sun passing through the gaps in the curtains.

«Where the fuck am I?»

Then, out of nowhere, a nauseating odor, which had nothing to envy that of a skunk bathed in diarrhea, began to burn Kingu's nose.

«Damn it!» Kingu thought, holding his nose. «I must get out of here!»

Kingu went to the nearest window, opened it and took a big breath of air to purify his lungs from the toxic gas in that apartment. Right immediately after that, he couldn't help but notice the tremendous sight in front of his eyes.

An absolute sea of clouds under an endless clear sky!

The view was spectacular, Kingu couldn't help but focus his gaze on the few skyscrapers that barely managed to protrude from the sea of clouds. A wonderful sight that, unfortunately, Kingu couldn't finish contemplating when his ears were pierced by a horrible sound. A twisted scream of agony, long and sustained, took over the entire apartment; a scream that Kingu quickly identified as coming from Daichi. Something seemed to be happening to him...

... Something that wasn't his problem.

Determined not to get further involved with anything to do with Daichi, Kingu hurried away from the window, picked up his GameGuy from the floor, regained his momentum and hurried to the window. Once there, he stepped fully out, grabbed hold of the base of the window frame and let go, starting to fall but not quite separating himself from the building, so that he could control his descent if necessary.

Kingu fell and, in a matter of seconds, ended up landing on a small rooftop where there were only pipes and air conditioners but which overlooked everything below the sea of clouds.

Taking advantage of where he was now, he approached the edge of the rooftop to get a glimpse of the world below and immediately, when he spotted a blue suspension bridge over a river winding its way through the city, he knew where he was...

N-City.

Unfortunately, Kingu was unable to revel in the panoramic aerial view of the city as new questions popped into his mind, now that he was out of danger...

«How on earth did I end up in N-City?»

«Whose apartment was that?»

«What was that strange smell?»

And all the questions flowed into the same answer...

Daichi...

...

All the roads...

All the questions...

All the answers...

...

For some strange reason...

...

All has to do with Daichi!

Kingu frowned, touched the bridge of his eyes, took a big breath and decided not to dwell on the matter anymore. The important thing now was that Daichi was finally out of his GameGuy and out of his life... Forever!

And with that clear, he set out to continue enjoying the day. He sat on the edge of the desolate rooftop and began to placidly interact with his GameGuy, without a care in the world.


Much later...

After a long day on the street, Kingu finally returned to his apartment. He closed the sliding door to his balcony, pulled back the curtains, took off his shoes, washed his hands, and went to sit on his couch. However, instead of relaxing and relaxing or playing, he sat with a slouched posture, his hands clasped together, and his eyes pointed to the floor.

All his efforts to relax and have a good day had been in vain. The whole experience with Daichi had left a bad taste in his mouth that he had been unable to shake off. But what could this feeling be due to?

Was it a sign that he was feeling remorse or some kind of guilt about what had happened?

No.

If that wasn't the case, does that mean he felt satisfaction or pleasure?!

Neither.

Then what the fuck did he feel?!

Well...

...

Nothing at all...

...

And that was quite disconcerting. How was it possible to feel nothing in a situation for which one is responsible...?

...

Well, technically, he's not to blame for this.

In fact, in retrospect, the situation came to such extremes more by inertia and omission than by his action. As if it were a snowball growing as it rolls down a hill with no one being able to stop it... With the difference that here, he could have done something to change the course of things but simply didn't, out of sheer lack of interest...

'Lack of interest...'

The words began to resonate in Kingu's mind and, suddenly, they condensed into one; into the word he had been searching for, almost bordering on insanity...

'Indifference.'

That was what he had been feeling... And something inside him told him that that wasn't what he should have been feeling, despite having felt it so naturally, but there was nothing he could do to change things, or himself; what was done was done, and time travel or reconfiguring reality weren't options on the table.

Kingu touched the bridge of his eyes, frowned, rubbed his hand over his face, and once he was done, he let out a sigh and stood up again.

The truth is unpleasant, but inescapable...

And that truth was that his day had been ruined solely and exclusively by his own fault; for not having put a stop to things in time and for not having finished accepting in his mind what a terrible person he, perhaps, is and has always been...

...

Although, on the other hand, isn't that a good sign? Isn't it good to worry about not being a good person? Of course, ever since he came back from the wild, he and his body practically act as one, acting and letting themselves go when they feel like it.

If that's the way things are, why do the dilemmas and inner questioning keep coming up? Are they indications that harmony is lost, or joint messages from his whole being urging him to better himself and be better...?

...

Or maybe they're more than that... Maybe they're signs that the harmony isn't complete yet; that the body and the spirit haven't yet finished merging... That, perhaps, something else is needed...

To enter into harmony with something else...

But with what else?

Kingu looked at the palm of his right hand briefly, closed it tightly while closing his eyes, and took a deep breath.

«It seems that this harmony thing is a hell of a lot more complicated than expected...»

Kingu loosened his hand and began to slowly let out all the air inside his lungs. But then, a strange sound caught his attention; a melody he hadn't been able to hear all day but finally appeared...

The symphony of silence and tranquility.

And that could only mean one thing... His mind was at ease! Finally, after an overwhelming storm of thoughts, his mind was clear.

Time to celebrate!

Kingu wasted no time and started making all the preparations for a good time on the internet. Once everything was ready, he rubbed his hands together intensely and got ready to get down to work... Or that was the intention because, just as his hand was about to touch the touchpad of his laptop, his whole body froze.

The reason? An unknown word that reappeared in his mind, as if it were a solitary candle in the middle of the darkness, and before which Kingu's curiosity couldn't resist. Luckily, on this occasion, the internet was here to clear the darkness.

Kingu's hand moved again and typed the word into the browser's search bar...

'Godotto.'

Kingu clicked the 'search' button and a list of over 442,000 results appeared on the screen, the first being an article from Amasiapedia. Upon entering this, a rather extensive and well-written page appeared, along with a gallery of images, in the form of a collage, in which all kinds of pictures appeared: from stone idols, to iconography carved on murals. And in all of them, there was a strange humanoid figure with a... Spaghetti face?

— o —

Godotto.
Deity venerated by the Ancient Rainbow Peoples, under the nickname of 'Celestial God of Hope'. He was attributed protective powers over all mankind, and, according to the Epic of Zoro, the ability to grant the deepest desires of those anointed by his essence. He was part of the Divine Rainbow Duality together with Pluto, 'Telluric God of Death', and together they represented the primordial, but complementary, opposing forces of the anthropocentric-idealistic worldview of the Ancient Rainbow Peoples. (...)

— o —

Even though the information was nothing new in general, Kingu couldn't help but feel like a kid discovering the lore of his new favorite franchise; a small consequence of drawing Mamonos during high school history classes instead of paying attention.

And if you add to that a newfound artistic interest in the aesthetics of the Rainbow Peoples and their mythology...

It results in uncontrollable curiosity!

Driven by the desire to satisfy his hunger for artistic inspiration, Kingu hovered over one of the hyperlinks, came to another article and began to read. There was no longer any doubt, the descent down the rabbit hole had begun...

— o —

Pluto.
Also known under the nickname of 'Telluric God of Death' or 'Guardian-Swine God of the Underworld', he was an ancient deity venerated by the Ancient Rainbow Peoples. He was seen as the final shepherd of the spirits and the guide of the souls of all the deceased on their way to reincarnation. He was part of the Divine Rainbow Duality along with Godotto, 'Celestial God of Hope', and was interpreted in some media as the lord of the Messengers of Armageddon: Malice, Fatigue, Madness and Torment. (...)

— o —

Immediately, seeing that this article also had its own photo gallery, Kingu couldn't help but take a look. Quickly, he saw a large number of images, just as interesting as those in the gallery in Godotto's article, but among them all, there was one that caught his attention above the rest.

That picture was of a stone mural showing the figure of a strange humanoid being, plump and with a pig's head, along with four strange beings that looked like heads without eyes and that instead of a body had tentacles. And not being enough with that, the description of the image read: 'Pluto and the Messengers of Armageddon'.

Kingu didn't know why, but the four figures looked familiar; as if he had seen them before at some point. But how could that be possible? This is the first time he's had contact with any of this folklore?

Or is it?

Without giving any more thought to a situation that might simply be an episode of bad memory, Kingu jumped to another article and continued reading.

Once he was done with that one, he jumped to another...

And then another...

And another...

And another!

Until he finally came to one that caught his attention more than usual...

— o —

Zankoku-Ryu.
Also called 'Yokai of the End of Time'. He was a recurrent figure in the different artistic and literary expressions of the Ancient Rainbow Peoples, in spite of the non-existence of rites or mentions associated with him in the Rainbow Codices. It appears in the Epic of Zoro, as the main antagonistic force, and is mentioned in the Apocryphal Songs, as the 'driving force' behind Armageddon, the cataclysmic event where heaven and hell would be devoured and the descendants of the 'Archers' will be 'wiped from the face of the earth'. (...)

— o —

This time, to Kingu's surprise, the article's image gallery was filled with photos of quite detailed paintings loaded with an aesthetic that combined the apocalyptic and the nefarious. And in each and every one of them, a strange scaly monster appeared, full of spines, with a dragon's head, six arms, six wings, a bulging underside, no legs and a long tail.

Kingu continued browsing the gallery and only stopped when he came across an oil painting by Rukia Kuchiki, where the Zankoku-Ryu appeared opening his mouth upwards and launching a kind of fire from his tongue towards a sphere inside which Amasiat appeared. This sphere was melting and the drops were falling right into the monster's mouth in torrents. All this while the Yokai was dismembering Godotto and Pluto with his arms.

But the striking thing about the painting didn't end there, there was something strange in the scales of the Zankoku-Ryu; something apparently imperceptible to the eyes of those who didn't know how to appreciate art. Kingu magnified the image and brought his eyes closer to the screen for a closer look.

Apparently, there was nothing unusual about the scales, other than several repeating spots that appeared to be simply visual effects of the texture of the paint. But then, just as Kingu tilted his head to the side, to try to see things from another angle, he got a startle that made him recoil.

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

Completely bewildered and frightened, Kingu thought he saw not only a countless number of agonized faces but also heard their screams...

Kingu calmed down a bit, looked at the clock on his wall and realized that several hours had gone by just reading articles on the internet and contemplating pictures.

"I think... I've had enough of the internet for tonight," Kingu declared, convinced that the scare a moment ago was a wake-up call to finally stop.

Kingu closed the browser, shut down his computer, took a good shower and went straight to sleep, praying with all his might that the last things he saw, and/or thought he heard, wouldn't give him night terrors.

Hopefully, this night would pass quickly and give way to a new day, with new problems and, who knows, perhaps some unexpected exhilaration.


Author's note:

This chapter took too long and there is no excuse for the delay. Despite trying to move full speed ahead on all battle fronts, many of the results were not as expected. But looking on the bright side, I think I learned a lot of things along the way and now I have a better strategy to tackle all the pending, urgent and future fights.

Without more to say, thank you very much for all the patience, I hope you like the chapter. Feel free to comment.

P.s. I clarify from this moment on that, no matter what is changed, clarified and/or rewritten in the manga, I have decided to keep to what is already written and planned here, as far as I see fit, in order to avoid unnecessary and counterproductive rewriting for the quality I aspire to achieve and maintain here. Thank you for your understanding.

Edition log:
Last edit (23/May/2023)