Volume 10 - Chapter 4 – Part 1 (2/2)
As Milt had said, if he was using ite distances, it could be possible to observe locations even from outside detection fields
Milt’s theory was not too bizarre after all; it could not be discarded as improbable
“What’s your plan, then?”
“Forspecial co all close and personal—”
“He’ll coo shi+n stopped hunting PKs to flirt with some broad Vlad wouldn’t stand for that, I’m positive”
Milt’s plan was to use Vlad’s obsession against him, to lure him out in the open
“Won’t he be more alert if you’re involved?”
Unlike Marino, Milt could fight If that was the case, Vladfor flirting
“I was good friends with Mari, actually We never really talked about it, so it’s not strange for you not to know”
“You…and Marino?”
shi+n furrowed his brow at Milt’s words He had never heard anything of the sort from Marino
“Yes, it happened by chance, because our situations in real life are pretty si openly…but we talked a lot just between the two of us Mari was sick, wasn’t she? In real life, I’m actually stuck on a hospital bed too…but the only other one who knows about this is Lucky Cat’s Catnip”
“Is that so…”
Catnip knew about Marino too The “Milmeow” she had mentioned before was Milt, then
“Vlad had researched Mari thoroughly I don’t kno he found out, but he knew about the connection between us He asked me about her himself, so there’s no mistake about that”
Milt knew so much about Vlad because she had used the PK’s inforers’ The PKs ary of her though, so she could only obtain lie to the network
“He shouldn’t find it too weird for me to take Mari’s place then It could provoke hi in public, so there’s that too”
Saying this, Milt tried wrapping her arm around shi+n’s, but the latter stepped back to avoid her approach and thought about what to do
Avidya’s hounds hadn’t found any useful inforinally difficult to retrieve inforanization He could have asked Calerous situation, she couldn’t protect herself
“If ithim down, I can do this”
shi+n concluded that it orth trying even if the plan would turn unsuccessful and agreed to Milt’s proposal
“OK, I don’t mean to ask for this in return, but I have a request too May I?”
“What’s that?”
“After Vlad is taken care of, I want you to fight me To the death”
shi+n peered at Milt with surprise and suspicion in his eyes
Milt said “to the death”, but as long as she didn’t pull off a series of incredible feats, she had no hope of winning A duel to the death would have been suicide for her
“If you just want to die, do it somewhere else”
“I want you to be o back to reality”
“…let’s go to Tsuki no Hokora first, then talk ht place”
“Okay”
shi+n temporarily formed a party with Milt and returned to Kalkia via teleportation, then chain teleported to Tsuki no Hokora
“Welcome back”
Schnee welcomed shi+n home, but shi+n walked passed her without a word, had Milt sit down in the living roo tea
“…what?”
“Ah, er, you look quite used to it, I was just thinking”
Milt was slightly surprised to see shi+n prepare tea for them both
“Anyone can make tea Rather than that, let’s pick up where we left off”
shi+n took a sip of tea, then urged Milt to continue
“As I said before, I’m stuck in a bed in real life I can’t live if I’s won’t move like I want them to I had to come to this world to finally understand how freely a body can move But no e No…maybe because I had a taste of freedom here, reality beca aliveto pay expensive medical fees
She could live on, thanks to her parents’ hard work, but looking at her parents growing thinner and rew up, her heart couldn’t stand it any the hospital fees to keep e burden on the, but that made it all even rowing thinner and weaker over time”
Modern medicine couldn’t cure Milt’s disease Either her parents would reach their limit first, or Milt would
“I have a little brother too, but it looks like he’s unhappy withabout o to his all around”
“In a documentary on TV, I saw parents say that they’re happy just to see their child alive Fro kept alive, it’s not like that?”
“I don’t mean to say that everyone sees it like I do, nor do I think so My head’s the only thing working perfectly, sothem sad would be painful, of course, but…”
Milt was asking to be killed, but there was no sadness in her view
“If you think so, then wouldn’t suicide be an option? It ht be impossible in real life, but in this world you could end your life yourself”
“I thought about it at first, but…but thinking of killing ht about having someone do it for me”
Milt wished to die, but death was still terrifying Milt herself adet about that fear in battle I want to die while feeling truly alive”
That was one reason why she had continued seeking duels to the death
“…you won’t regret it?”
shi+n released a wave of pure killing intent, which blew through Milt’s hair like a gust of wind
“Yup I couldn’t do anything myself…but this, only this, I’ve decided it onintent unleashed upon Milt was enough to e player turn pale and shake violently, but she did not even bat an eyelash
Even PKs, used to end others’ lives, saw fear rear its ugly head when death approached Milt hadscared of death, but to shi+n, it seemed that she had completely accepted it
The ereat tranquility Somehow, she reminded him of Marino
“Got it Once we’re done with Vlad, I’ll be your opponent”
For Marino and Milt, death has always been very close They had had a longer, deeper relationshi+p with it than shi+n ever could
shi+n had killed a great number of PKs One more wouldn’t be a probleet the plan !”
After thanking shi+n, Milt’s enlightened atmosphere vanished somewhere as her rabbed shi+n’s aro this ti Milt holding his hand and guiding hier to show their intimacy as clearly as possible, Milt had wrapped her left ar the choice of their destination to Milt, shi+n contacted Cal to tell you about)”
“(Oh my, it must be the first tio to Avidya’s guildhouse with Milt in tow As they wanted to pretend that he had given up on revenge, visiting that blood-drenched place was out of the question
“(If there are any guild ainst Vlad, I want you to tell the)”
shi+n explained to Cal to it, lastly asking her to relay this He had talked with Milt and decided how to finish Vlad
“(—I see Yourfor Vlad I’ll tell them)”
“(Please do I’ll contact you if there are any movements)”
shi+n cut off the chat and asked Milt where they were going He had been focusing on the chat, his legsto automatically follow Milt
“Catnip’s place, there are always a lot of people there after all Perfect for rumors to spread”
“Aah, I see”
Catnip’s store, Lucky Cat, was a favorite destination of shi+n and Marino’s Many players there knew shi+n’s face, even if they weren’t aware of his strength Being a confectionery, most of the visitors were female players If he went there, hand in hand with a female player other than Marino, rumors and conjectures would surely spread very quickly
shi+n didn’t think that Vlad was observing hiht wind of such a rumor, whether he acted or not, he would surely become restless
“OK, will he reat if anything was born from this He had listened seriously when Milt talked about her situation, but not even the Hounds had ed to pick up any hints about Vlad, so he doubted Vlad would exhibit the kind of careless behavior Milt suggested
For the current plan to succeed, that was a necessary condition If Vlad had already lost interest in shi+n, the plan would be completely useless
“He will”
shi+n had whispered to himself, but Milt replied with confidence shi+n didn’t knohat exactlythat doesn’t just go away, not even if you think you’ve had enough He staged so to be able to just turn the page on it”
Milt stated her thoughts firmly, a serious expression on her face
At the same time they had arrived at the Lucky Cat, so before shi+n could say anything Milt had opened the door to the store
The interior of the store was mostly the same as shi+n remembered from his last visit, crowded as usual by fe cat ears and tail, Catnip was serving her customers
“Meo!? shi+ time no see, both of you”
Catnip noticed shi+n and Milt and approached theaze towards shi+n, despite the peppy tone of her voice, wasfor the past h We haven’t o, maybe?”
“Because you never stay in one place, Mil you would be a miracle, meow…but more than that, I’m more interested to knohy you two are so friendly, meow? You look just like lovers, meow?”
“Hehehe…that’s exactly e are!!”
Milt squeezed her body even closer to shi+n and made this declaration with a louder tone of voice shi+n felt azes were fixated on his ar at his left arm were all the (few) male players present and some of the female ones
The male players’ stares burned holes in Milt’s watermelon-like assets pressed on shi+n’s left arm
shi+n considered Milt’s presence as just one part of the plan, so he decided to smile in order for the rumors to spread even more easily
“Meowhat!? So even shi+meow fell to the charirls atermelon chests don’t exist in real life!! I know the truth, meow That chest is a lie!”
“You’re horrible!! Let a…”
shi+n gave a tired look at the two and the absurd conflict they had started
“(I’ve heard everything I’ll do what I can to help)”
shi+n had noticed that she was acting far too strange, and his suspicions were confirmed when Catnip sent hiine fro silhouette before his eyes, but the voice that reached his mind was cold and dry Her melancholic eyes also contained a somewhat cold streak
“(Catnip, you shouldn’t make eyes like that)”
shi+n was not in a position to tell others, though Catnip, however, was someone Marino had been friends with shi+n hies after Marino’s death, but he felt that he had to say it
After showing off for a while, they purchased a few items and left Lucky Cat
The ru; shi+n felt more and more eyes fixed on them