No Game No Life - Volume 9 Chapter 2.1

Chapter two ── Inductive reasoning (Retroduction)

Eastern Federation’s main island ── Capital: Kannagiri.

The place where the golden fox that built the Eastern Federation resides. A place called Miyashiro. There,

the Warbeasts gather to revere her as if she were a living goddess. In that place, currently──

“… Hey… I had already decided that I wouldn’t be your straight man no matter what, but…”

There was someone who finally lost her patience and opened her mouth in protest. She had the

appearance of a fox. A woman who had fox ears, a monocle, and two large tails with lustrous golden fur.

She was also the founder of the Eastern Federation and the Warbeast’s designated representative: Miko.

The targets of her protest and stare were:

“Hm? Ah～ since we invited ourselves in, we’ll make ourselves at home on our own so don’t worry about

it”

“… don’t… mind us…?”

“Not serving your guests a single cup of tea just shows the level of your country… ah. No, we’d also be

troubled if you served us pet food, so let me correct myself: knowing your place is

splendid etiquette on

your part.”

── A certain group of people had suddenly teleported to Miyashiro.

Without even saying hello, they made themselves at home and sprawled on the sofa. That group consisted

of Sora, Shiro, and someone who had no right to be talking about etiquette but did so anyways: the

smiling Jibril. And in response to that shameless group:

“Miko-sama. Please tell them to ‘

leave’. As soon as you do, I’ll kick these hoodlums out immediately,”

said an elderly Warbeast with a smile. He was Hatsuse Ino, and he had a vein popping off his forehead.

However, Jibril teleported behind him upside down and answered with that same smile:

“Dear me. A lowly dog said that he will kick me and my Masters out … It must have been my

imagination. After all, even beasts know who they shouldn’t bare their fangs at ♥”

“Ha ha ha, even though you’re a bird brain, I thought you at least understood how the Ten Pledges work.

Please forgive me for making unfounded assumptions. But don’t worry. Since this is Miko-sama’s private

property, as soon as she refuses to let you stay you’ll just be some trespassers and I’ll kick you out

whether you understand the Pledges or not.”

── ‘Reconciliation is still a ways off huh…’ Sora, Shiro, and Miko thought.

Ino and Jibril’s staring contest was producing sparks, but then Ino turned to Sora and Shiro and continued:

“Even though you’re just a bald monkey, I thought you understood that this isn’t the time for such

things?”The place where Sora, Miko, and the others were was Miyashiro’s residential tower. If one looked up,

there were some screens.

Five Warbeasts were being displayed on screens both big and small that hung from the ceiling. They

probably were the Eastern Federation’s representatives, and one of them was someone very familiar with

the group.

Her ears and big tail were like a fennec’s. A girl currently dyed in red── It was Hatsuse Izuna.

She was running through a virtual townscape in Blood Destruction. She was playing a game against…

“… A Dwarf?… Is it Hardenfell? It looks like she’s having no trouble.”

This was the first time he had seen one, but going by their external characteristics, it was likely someone

from the eighth ranked race, the Dwarves. They ranked just below the Elves, who were number 7,

therefore, they were a high ranking race, and yet── Izuna was just toying with them.

Even in the other screens, against opponents of many different races, the matches were mostly one-sided.

“This is all thanks to you. We mobilized everyone capable of Blood Destruction except for Hatsuse Ino

and me… and they took the bait every time.”

She had all the Eastern Federation’s Full-Dive Virtual Gaming Machines and their best gamers working at

full capacity. But even so, there were more enemies than they could handle. They must be after

‘Information about Sora and Shiro’s true identity’.

Many races had sent an investigation probe and Miko was definitely going to get them all, one by one.

She had of course guessed that it was all part of Sora and Shiro’s plan, so she was quite thankful, which is

why──

“Well? Even though you knew that we’re busy and that you’d be in the way, you still came… may I ask

why?”

── Even though she was looking at Izuna jumping up and down celebrating her victory, Miko made a

bitter smile.

Had that calmed her down? Miko turned to face Sora again expecting an answer.

“Well, to be frank, the castle isn’t very hospitable right now. Rather, it’s quite dangerous so we came to

take refuge…”

Sora’s tone completely changed and became quite dark, so Miko narrowed her eyes.

“It’s a relatively serious matter. I want you to lend us your strength── particularly, the geezer’s”

“… mine you say…?”

── Both Miko and Ino more or less understood Sora as a person.

Sora’s usual easygoing attitude, composure and arrogance── were just a facade. He would never say it

himself, and if it was pointed out he would stubbornly refuse to admit it.

However, there are some persons, such as Shiro, who are painfully aware of it themselves and don’t want

to lie to themselves either, so they know.

There hasn’t been a single time

where Sora has been truly ‘composed’. He is always desperate, always

thinking and rethinking his plans to the death, hot on Shiro’s heels. That’s how he has lived his life until

now.

Something had made that man break his composed facade so clearly, and what’s more, it also made him

seek Hatsuse Ino’s help…

Everyone realized that whatever it was, it must be something extraordinary. Sora solemnly explained:

“── I’m so popular it’s troubling me. Popular with beautiful robo maid girls, I mean. Please help me.”

“……………………………….”

So popular that it’s troubling him.

Ah, that’s a line that anyone who was born a man wants to say at least once. On the other hand, men also

want to punch everyone who has actually said that line in the face. But alas… right now Sora feels like he

understands.

Phrases like: ‘I’m so popular, it’s troubling me’, or ‘I have so much money, it’s troubling me’ certainly

look bad. However! He now understands that being in a situation where you actually say them is no fun at

all!!

Those people were actually troubled

. Rejecting them just because it’s an enviable and extravagant

worry is too much!

After all, it is a very urgent matter!! A really serious problem────!!

“Sora-dono, since it looks like it is indeed a really serious problem. I, Hatsuse Ino, shall lend you my

meager strength.”

Sora was crying tears of sorrow in his heart, but Ino nodded with sincerity and put a hand on his shoulder.

And with a very reliable and gentle smile, he said:

“Listen well all right? Even if you searched all around the world, you wouldn’t find a single person who

likes Sora-dono. Please be strong. That is just an obsessive-compulsive belief ── a type of delusion.

Please take a long, peaceful rest.”

Ino’s p

itiful gaze

wordlessly told him that ‘Those ‘beautiful girls’ exist only in your head’.

“… Hatsuse Ino. Please call my personal physician…” Miko said.

“Right away. But Miko-sama, this is a perfect opportunity. We could just let Sora-dono die”

“And leave the leader of the Federation with hallucinations? That would be dangerous for the Eastern

Federation too. We shall leave his death for another──”

Miko was saying whatever she wanted, but before Sora could object:

“… ‘Master’ provided. Lesen ── Apocryphal teleportation: Shurapokryphen

,” a voice coming from

nowhere said. It was with great timing too. After all, proof is better than words. And then:“Discovery: I finally found Master. Reward. Tell me the reason why you came to these coordinates,”

someone said, with their head tilted to the side.

As if she had been there from the very beginning, a robo maid girl stood in Miyashiro’s residential tower.

An Ex-Machina with iris colored hair ── Emiline. But weirdly enough, the one who was the most

surprised at her appearance was not Miko or Ino but──

“Wa-wait a second… why are you here?… or rather, how did you get here──!?

── ‘I came here to run away from you’ Sora swallowed that reply.

“Answer: We reopened the Irregular’s spatial fissure. It took us some time… sorry to have kept you

waiting,” Emiline apologized about the wrong thing and Jibril’s face twitched.

In order to shake off the Ex-Machina, Jibril had teleported to a set of coordinates they couldn’t teleport to:

somewhere outside their field of view and unknown to them, Miyashiro. She thought that they wouldn’t

even be able to identify their location, but to think they would reopened her own hole in space in less than

an hour. Jibril just couldn’t believe it, but──

“… It looks like… I was still underestimating you…”

Jibril’s killing intent made it clear that her pride had been hurt.

“──Wha… Are those the Ex-Machina!? Why──!?” Ino recovered from his stupor and screamed, and

meanwhile Miko put her guard up. However, all of that was completely ignored by Emiline ── No. By

all the Ex-Machinas. They simply kept going with emotionless voices:

“Lesen: Successful courtship scenario creation weapon. Liebe Erfolg Situation Forme22── ‘True23

Sora Seducer: Check Martyr24’ ── Prototype 0008”

That didn’t come from Emiline’s mouth. It was several voices coming from thin air again. This time, the

scenery inside the room, and the inside of Miyashiro’s residential tower started to get overwritten with

another world.

Contrary to Miko and Ino, who were at a loss for words, Sora’s group was composed. They just glared at

the Ex-Machina and sighed.

── These guys. They really are an ‘omnipotent special effects device’ huh.

While they were inside a phenomenon that deepened that conviction, Sora thought about the book Jibril

had brought.

Just as the Ex-Machina had said, this was the eighth time

they had seen that crazy ‘Spatial overwrite’.

Nine, if you included when they first appeared. Sora’s group was already used to it.

22 ‘Liebe Erfolg Situation Forme’ was written in bad english in the original, so I wrote it in bad german to get the same effect.

23 ‘True’ is the type of weapon, the Ex-Machinas use 2 types: copied ones or ‘apocryphals’ and ones they created themselves or

‘true’.

24 A pun on ‘checkmate’ the same way the Stalemartyr from vol 6 was a pun on ‘stalemate’. In fact, the name of this ‘weapon’

seems to be a parody of the Stalemartyr in general…According to the book, it seems that they overwrite scenery by giving shape to substances in space

through the process of adding to them without altering them.

Complex, polygon-like outlines ran through the air, and as if they were rendering ──

The ‘empty space’ covering every substance’s surface flickered and solidified intermittently. There, the

3D textures expelled by the Ex-Machina quickly ‘materialized’ and ‘built’ a fictitious scenery.

… This was still undoubtedly Miyashiro’s residential tower. The very same tatami mat room they were in.

But no one, not even Miko, who lived there, could believe it.

The Ex-Machina transcended both time and space, no ── they transcended even causality itself, and

‘Lesened’ a very particular scenery──

“…………………….”

First of all, there was Sora, wearing a suit they had put on him at some point and…

“… You want to see my panties? All right… ♥ I like Sensei after all… ♥”

“Ah, no fair! This part of Sensei is for my exclusive use! Right? Sensei♥”

“S-sensei? Whenever I think of you this part gets really itchy… why?”

“Sensei ♥ I want you to give me practical health lessons again today♥”

And many little girls carrying backpacks, saying lines that no sober man could write.

… They were the same size as Shiro, or perhaps even smaller. There were 11 x-schoolers in total.

In summary, it was a space imitating an elementary school after hours.

The Ex-Machina had also altered their physical appearance. They had all types of girls, from the quiet

glasses girl, to the strong-willed girl.

They were fighting for the right to do unmentionable things to their beloved Sora-sensei first. It was that

kind of scene.

… It was a scene built with a very terrifying power, and a not so terrifying stupidity.

Everyone else was quiet. Only the aforementioned Ex-Machinas were still making a racket:

“Heee… We can’t decide like this…”

“Then～ the one who makes Sensei feel the best gets to go out with him!”

“No objections!”

“Alriiight, I won’t lose! Please look at my single digits undeveloped p──”25

“I can only objeeeeeeeeeect!! Are you messing with meeee!!”

25 TL Note: I feel dirty. How is Yen Press going to translate this I wonder? ED Note: I can almost hear the cops knocking at my

door *shudders* ED Note 2:*Baby I’m Yours background* Ladies and gentlemen, we got’em *FBI Open up!*It had culminated on a stupid conclusion: ‘For the time being, let’s all try it!’

When he saw those little girls begin to take off their clothes, Sora finally let out an angry scream that

shook the entire classroom.

“Hey, listen to me, please! I won’t do it with anyone! And I won’t go out with anyone either alright!?”

In the back of the classroom were: Shiro, who was sitting in her seat resting her cheek on her hand, Miko,

who was wearing a sailor uniform, and Ino, who was clad in a school uniform about to burst. They all

were looking at Sora as if he was garbage. Sora just wanted to shake off those gazes.