53: The game is afoot.
“I did call you… but I didn’t tell you to chase me all the way here. I just wanted you to lose.”
“Don’t move… I’m going to punch you in the face right now.”
“Who wouldn’t move if you said that?”
Catching his breath, he observed the situation.
He didn’t think Iro would have run off to such a place without any reason. It might be a trap again, but if it was a trap, she should have headed here in the first place. There was no reason to take the risk of going all the way to the edge of the action area just to take hostages.
Then, why did she come to such a high place?
Did someone lure her here?
“Ugh…!”
Ryugo mustered all his remaining strength to move his legs, which had stiffened like sticks.
The image that came to his mind was the sight of Double Suit riding his bike to rescue Madoka.
He would break the rules without hesitation for his own amusement. He would even help behind the scenes or assist in an escape.
Then,
“You’re here, aren’t you…Double Suit!”
He was definitely on Iro’s side.
He had always felt that she was unusually clever for her level. The speed at which she leveled up, the trick she used to hide the fact that she was a Holder, and the various strategies she employed.
There was no way Iro could do all that on her own.
“–Ah, was I found out?”
Suddenly, a black hole opened behind Iro, and a face he never wanted to see again emerged from it.
Double Suit.
He had suspected it before, but judging from his appearance, the black hole was something other than a Pocket Dimension. It was probably a power that allowed for teleportation.
“Well then, goodbye.”
Double Suit took Iro’s hand and hurriedly tried to escape.
He knew that if he stayed here any longer, he would lose.
“No way I’ll let you.”
Ryugo activated his app and entered the ‘Command.’
The content was ‘Don’t move.’
“Huh?”
Iro tilted her head.
“That won’t work on him…huh?”
“Gah…!”
Iro’s eyes went wide.
It must have been an unbelievable sight.
Double Suit froze as if he had been frozen in place, and an expression of agony appeared on his face.
“N-no way…”
“You were under my hypnosis before, weren’t you?”
“You…remembered…!”
“Thinking back, it didn’t feel like you were acting. It was obvious that your body was moving on its own.”
It was convenient that he had taken Iro’s hand. His hands were also unable to move. He gripped her hand like a vise, preventing her from escaping.
“It’s over.”
Even as he was convinced of this, he couldn’t shake a bad feeling.
He couldn’t afford to let his guard down for even a second. After all, his opponent was the one who had set up this game. He could think of any number of irregularities.
That’s why Ryugo ran with all his might.
To prevent Double Suit from revealing whatever he was hiding.
“Oh, this is frustrating.”
As Double Suit said that with a laugh, something like an electric current burst from his body.
At the same time, his feet began to move awkwardly.
So, he’s breaking the effects of the 『Command』!
Is this the game master!?
“To think I’d give you such a hint. However–“
“Don’t move!!”
I gave the ‘Command’ again, but Double Suit only stopped for a moment.
Is he releasing it the moment it’s cast?
“It’s useless. See you.”
“‘Punch Era away'”
BAM!!
Double Suit’s fist tore through Era’s temple, and her slender body was sent flying. She rolled over the cobblestones, her arms and legs flailing.
“Wh-what the…?”
It must have been unexpected. The margin disappeared from Double Suit’s face.
He’s not immune to hypnosis.
He’s simply releasing it after it’s cast.
That means there’s a slight lag before he can release it.
If I give him a ‘Command’ that he can complete during that lag, it’ll be useless for him to try to release it.
“U…gh…”
Era collapsed to the ground, her eyes rolling back in her head as she lost consciousness.
She had just taken a full-force punch to the head from an adult male. There’s no way she could get up right away. In the worst case, she might even pass out.
I’ve got time.
I can catch up now.
My target, of course, is
“Double Suit!!”
This is the man I can’t let get away.
Era will be fine with Misato.
As soon as he got close, Ryugo used “Don’t move” and dove into Double Suit’s arms.
“That’s why I said hitting me is useless.”
Double Suit sneered.
Of course, I’m not going to hit him.
“Now, let’s start the experiment!!”
The moment Ryugo chanted,
“This is crazy…!!”
The world warped, changing into the funky, fantasy world he had seen before.
The usual rabbits were there, blowing their trumpets.
However, there was no sign of Bunny Suit.
“What did you do!?”
Double Suit was pale, making no attempt to hide his agitation.
It seemed like an unexpected development, beyond unexpected. A mere human creating a pocket dimension.
But the answer was simple.
“The envelope I got from Bunny Suit.”
“…No way.”
“There was a letter inside. It said, ‘Hold this envelope and chant. Now, let’s start the experiment.’ It said I could use a pocket dimension once with this.”
“He infused it with some of his energy, huh…”
“I suppose so. You guys can create things that have unrealistic effects, like that app. The app and the pocket dimension are essentially the same thing. That’s why you can make it usable for others.”
I didn’t know how to use it when I got it, but I never thought I’d find the perfect time to use it.
“Fufufu…”
Double Suit chuckled through his teeth, his mouth twisted into a grin.
“Amazing… it really is amazing! But it’s pointless to send me here. You saw it too, right? I can escape from here.”
“……..”
“No, you can’t. You have to resist until the end. What did you think you were doing, doing something so pointless?”
“…Double Suit!!”
I start running with all my might, recklessly. I aim to ram into him.
Double Suit looks at me with disappointment.
“It’s a shame. To think you’d stop thinking.”
“It’s over!!”
I grab onto his waist and push him into the black hole.
My consciousness fades as my body floats into the air.
“——————–“
It’s all darkness.
It’s like I’m crawling through mud, I can’t tell up from down or left from right. But I can tell that I’m being carried somewhere.
It’s like being underwater in a lazy river. I can’t resist, I can only be carried to my destination. I feel more helpless than a leaf floating on the river.
But I’m not worried about where I’m going.
The light came just as suddenly.
“Puh-ha!”
I’m thrown out, and the feeling of hard concrete hurts my whole body.
The smell of rust fills my nose, and I stand up unsteadily.
Is this some kind of ruin? The only light comes from the moon, and it’s so dark I can’t see an inch in front of me.
“W-why am I here…!?”
Double Suit is the one who’s surprised.
It seems he didn’t know where the path he opened would lead.
That’s no wonder.
Ryugo is the one who led him here, without him noticing a thing.
“Tanuki!…Did you do this?”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down. You’re the one who chose the place.”
“That’s right…! Just before I entered the hole, I ‘ordered’ it to change destinations…!”
“It’s too late to realize that now. You lost the battle of wits against me.”
“Guh…!”
“――I knew you’d come. Ryūgo Watanuki.”
I turn my gaze toward the voice.
It’s dark, but I can see it faintly.
The figure of a bunny suit tied to a pillar.
An ordinary-looking rope is wrapped around its body, but it seems to be something that even a non-human can’t remove. Just like when I captured the double suit before.
However, Enka has proven that anyone can remove it from the outside. When she helped the double suit.
She chuckled and laughed quietly.
“Perfect.”
“Sorry I’m late. The double suit was taking his sweet time showing up. But thanks to that, I was able to find you. If I release you, will you be able to defeat the double suit?”
“Of course.”
How did I do it?
The answer is simple.
Just before the double suit entered the hole, I instructed it to fly to the bunny suit’s location with an ‘order’.
He can only break the hypnosis after it’s been cast. He can’t prevent it.
And I found out through trial and error that he needs to be aware that he’s been hypnotized.
If I activate an ‘order’ at a specific time, it will almost certainly be carried out.
“That’s why I brought you into the pocket dimension.”
“…fu, fufufu…I won’t let it end like this, like this….I won’t let you ruin such an interesting game…we’ll keep playing forever!!”
Leaving the excited double suit behind, Ryūgo ran at full speed toward the bunny suit.
It’s the umpteenth time I’ve used my top speed today. I’ll definitely get muscle aches.
Even so, there’s no other way to end everything here.
“Whoa, whoa, aren’t you impatient?”
The double suit quickly approached with his characteristic long legs.
He caught up to me near my shoulder in an instant, and I was pushed away like a pinball.
I was almost close enough to the bunny suit…….
“No way. I haven’t even given the starting signal yet.”
“Shut up. You’ve lost. I’m ending this experiment here.”
I’ll defeat the double suit here.
The victory condition is to free the bunny suit.
If it’s her, she’ll be able to stop the double suit.
But how can I approach her?
“Kukuku…”
Cornered as he was, the double suit laughed silently, sounding amused.
“You enjoyed it too, didn’t you? You must have experienced a thrill that you can’t find in your ordinary life. You really enjoyed it, didn’t you!? Why are you ending it!?”
“Get out of my way.”
“Get out of your way, huh. I’m going to have you disappear for a while.”
“What?”
With a bang, the double suit spread his arms wide and inhaled deeply.
Then,
“Let the game continue (The game is afoot.)!!”
–Space shattered.