1. TLed from: https://www.wenku8.net/novel/2/2542/index.htm
2. V6c0: https://pastebin.com/EWw4Wmuy
3. V6c1v2: https://pastebin.pl/view/b38f34af
4. V6c2: https://pastebin.pl/view/ca4a2c68
5. V6c3: https://pastebin.pl/view/77554c44
6. V6c3v2: https://pastebin.pl/view/a49059cb (some small changes)
7. V6c3v3: https://pastebin.pl/view/5d958069 (title change)
8. V6c4: https://pastebin.pl/view/3d7f4bd1
9. V6c4v2: https://pastebin.pl/view/8192d44c (some small changes)
10. V6 Intermission https://pastebin.pl/view/a0d2ad4e
11. V6 Side Story: https://pastebin.pl/view/7315da5f
12.  
13.  
14. Chapter 5 - Welcome to Shadow Garden!
15.  
16. Akane regained consciousness in a white room, and she looked around.
17.  
18. “What IS this place…”
19.  
20. Fortunately, she was not bound.
21.  
22. She turned to get off the bed, and her feet made contact with the icy floor.
23.  
24. Akane changed into a thin, white outfit that resembled a hospital’s nightgown.
25.  
26. “I feel like I’ve seen this place somewhere before, but also not…”
27.  
28. The floor felt like marble, but not quite.
29.  
30. The design of the hospital gown was also highly familiar, but the material seemed more like silk than synthetic fibers.
31.  
32. “Am I overseas… Still, I haven’t seen words like these before either.”
33.  
34. She studied the letters which covered the room, but they did not match up to any language Akane remembered.
35.  
36. In any case, she had to verify her current conditions ASAP.
37.  
38. “It’s very likely that this is some kind of research installation. In that case, it probably follows that I’ve probably been kidnapped by an organization that wants to use me… But if that were the case, why didn’t they tie me down?”
39.  
40. Anyone who understood Akane’s powers would have tied her up.
41.  
42. More to the point, she had recovered her memories and her original strength as the First Knight.
43.  
44. If this was a kidnapping, it was a pretty crude one.
45.  
46. “...Looks like they’re underestimating me.”
47.  
48. Akane stood in front of the room’s door.
49.  
50. She could sense two people outside. They seemed to be on watch.
51.  
52. That said, while Akane as she was now ought to be able to easily subdue them, she could not tell if they were good or bad people.
53.  
54. While the chances were very low, they might be an organization which helped her out of kindness.
55.  
56. “Hmm–”
57.  
58. After her brief period of contemplation, she sensed that the beings beyond the door had left.
59.  
60. “--This is my chance.”
61.  
62. Akane swiftly reached a decision.
63.  
64. As though declaring she would think about the consequences after acting, she punched the door at full force.
65.  
66. There was an unexpected “thunk”.
67.  
68. “Ow, that hurt!”
69.  
70. Akane rubbed her knuckles and crouched down.
71.  
72. The part of the door she had hit was completely unmarked.
73.  
74. “B-But why?! I seriously poured my mana into it!”
75.  
76. Anyone who looked closely would have found that part of her long black hair had turned gold.
77.  
78. “What the heck is this door made of…?”
79.  
80. After looking up, Akane realized something.
81.  
82. The letters which covered the door and walls were glowing faintly.
83.  
84. “Is this light… magic…?”
85.  
86. There was no doubt about it. She could feel mana flowing through them.
87.  
88. “Could it be that they managed to extract the mana from my body and make use of it? Big brother said that it wasn’t impossible…”
89.  
90. Many researchers around the world had been studying the applications of magic,
91.  
92. Among them were naturally those who wanted to extract mana from human bodies for use as a brand new energy source, but all those attempts ought to have failed.
93.  
94. “But how, there’s no way, right?”
95.  
96. If they had actually managed to put it into practice, then it made perfect sense why they hadn’t bound Akane.
97.  
98. In other words, this organization possessed such technology.
99.  
100. “I, I don’t think we can jump to conclusions just yet.”
101.  
102. It might have been sheer coincidence that the door managed to take a punch from her.
103.  
104. This time, Akane used her full force, channeling her mana into her fist.
105.  
106. The very next moment, the door suddenly opened.
107.  
108. “Oh crap.”
109.  
110. She had put too much force into her blow and could not pull it back in time.
111.  
112. Akane’s fist flew right toward the face of the silver-haired girl.
113.  
114. There was a quiet smack and Akane’s fist stopped in mid-air.
115.  
116. “Huh?”
117.  
118. Akane was briefly stunned.
119.  
120. The silver-haired girl had casually caught Akane’s full-force blow with one hand.
121.  
122. She found it hard to believe what she was seeing.
123.  
124. “The door wasn’t locked ~desu. All you had to do was say something and you could have come out at any time ~masu.”
125.  
126. Akane had a vague memory of this silver-haired girl who spoke in not-very-proper Japanese.
127.  
128. “If, if I’m not wrong, you should be Natsume-san… Why are you here?”
129.  
130. She was Minoru’s little sister and ought to have been in her big brother’s lab.
131.  
132. “It okay ~desu.”
133.  
134. That said, Akane had no idea what exactly was okay.
135.  
136. “Ah…”
137.  
138. “Have seat ~desu.”
139.  
140. At her insistence, Akane sat down on a chair inside the room.
141.  
142. Since there was someone she knew here, she might as well hear her out.
143.  
144. “Natsume-san, I didn’t know you could speak. What kind of person are you? Where is this place?”
145.  
146. The silver-haired girl tilted her head after this intense questioning. She seemed to be thinking about something.
147.  
148. “That right ~desu. I not Natsume ~masu. Beta, I. Beta.”
149.  
150. For some reason, she didn’t seem to be getting through, Akane thought.
151.  
152. “Er, so you mean you’re not Natsume-san, but your real name is Beta?”
153.  
154. “I will, care take of you ~desu. No need of worry ~desu.”
155.  
156. “Hahhh…”
157.  
158. I can’t help but worry, Akane thought.
159.  
160. “I, Shadow Garden of Beta. Brought you back.”
161.  
162. “So Beta-san of the organization called Shadow Garden kidnapped me, is that it?”
163.  
164. “Yes ~desu!”
165.  
166. The offender proudly admitted to her sins with a smile on her face.
167.  
168. “So you’re a spy who used the alias of Natsume to infiltrate Messiah, then?”
169.  
170. “Not spah. Investigation ~desu. Investigation of isekai lifeform.”
171.  
172. “Isekai lifeform?”
173.  
174. What on earth is she talking about? Akane couldn’t help but tilt her head.
175.  
176. “Isekai lifeforms ~desu.”
177.  
178. Saying so, Beta pointed to Akane.
179.  
180. “Er, are you saying that I’M an isekai lifeform?”
181.  
182. “Yes ~desu.”
183.  
184. She didn’t quite understand what Beta was saying.
185.  
186. “Show you ~desu.”
187.  
188. And then Akane was led out of the room by Beta.
189.  
190. ========================================================================
191.  
192. “W-What’s with this place…”
193.  
194. Akane could not help but stare as Beta led her through the base.
195.  
196. What shocked her was the magical technology here which far surpassed that of Japan, as well as the disparity between that and the science on display, which lagged far behind Japan.
197.  
198. All the women in the base were speaking in a language Akane had never heard before, and most of them had very distinctive ears.
199.  
200. Those did not seem to be awakening aftereffects, but more like racial characteristics, such as the kind elves and beastkin might have.
201.  
202. But what shocked her most was how strong they were as fighters.
203.  
204. After Beta showed her around their training facility, Akane couldn’t help but shudder at their strength.
205.  
206. “Want to try ~desu?”
207.  
208. Beta flexed like she was showing off.
209.  
210. Incredibly enough. Beta seemed to hold a very high rank in this facility. Everyone addressed her as politely and responsibly as possible.
211.  
212. “By try, do you mean you want me to fight?”
213.  
214. Akane phrased those words as a question, but Beta seemed to have accepted them as an agreement.
215.  
216.  There were communication difficulties after all.
217.  
218. “Weakest one here, come out now!”
219.  
220. Beta had a shit-eating grin on her face as she said that.
221.  
222. Apparently, this phrase was one she had mastered during her time in Japan.
223.  
224. However, it would seem nobody understood her. But that was only to be expected. It WAS Japanese, after all.
225.  
226. <<It would seem she’s spoiling for a fight. I would like the weakest of you to be her opponent. Please take care not to harm her.>>
227.  
228. Beta seemed embarrassed as she said this, but Akane had no idea what she was saying since it was in the other world’s language.
229.  
230. After a while, a one-eyed dark elf brought a young girl out.
231.  
232. She seemed to be only around 13.
233.  
234. The girl had hair as white as snow. Her eyes were cute, but there was a sternness in them that made others want to smile.
235.  
236. <<711, you will be her opponent. If you end up disgracing Shadow Garden with your performance, you know what will happen, right?&gt;>
237.  
238. After the dark elf said something to her, the girl’s already nervous face became even more tense and she glared at Akane.
239.  
240. “Er, pleased to meet you.”
241.  
242. It would seem there was no way to avoid fighting. Akane decided to offer a handshake to ask that her opponent go lightly on her.
243.  
244. <<There’s no way I will lose you. I will not stumble at a place like this.>>
245.  
246. She smacked Akane’s hand away and glared even harder at her.
247.  
248. “Er, sorry about that.”
249.  
250. Apparently, shaking hands wasn’t a good idea in this world, Akane mused.
251.  
252. After that, Akana and 711 picked up training swords and headed to the center of the training yard.
253.  
254. ========================================================================
255.  
256. Beta and Lambda watched the two of them square off against each other.
257.  
258. “Who do you think will win?”
259.  
260. The dark-skinned elf Lambda asked. She was in charge of training newcomers in Shadow Garden.
261.  
262. “Well, I don’t know much about 711.”
263.  
264. Beta narrowed her blue eyes and smiled vaguely.
265.  
266. “711’s been here for half a month. She’s still the weakest for now, but talent-wise she’s top-notch.”
267.  
268. “It isn’t often that I hear you say that, Lambda.”
269.  
270. “She has outstanding abilities. However, she’s a little rebellious…”
271.  
272. “Well, she’s just a kid. She’ll be fine as long as you train her properly.”
273.  
274. “Yes, of course.”
275.  
276. “Lambda, who do you think will win?”
277.  
278. “I don’t understand that black-haired girl… But there seems to be something strange about her mana. Is she that girl whom everyone said you brought back, Beta-sama?”
279.  
280. “Yes. Her name is Nishino Akane… Although Shadow-sama apparently said she was called Nishimura Akane.”
281.  
282. “In that case, she must be Nishimura Akane. After all, the Master has spoken.”
283.  
284. “Indeed. Nishimura Akane it is, then.”
285.  
286. “This Nishimura Akane has very interesting mana… But I think 711 will be the winner.”
287.  
288. “I think so too.”
289.  
290. After hearing Lambda’s answer, Beta quickly expressed her agreement.
291.  
292. Akane and 711 were facing off in the training yard. Once Lambda gave the signal, they would begin.
293.  
294. Just then, the doors to the yard opened.
295.  
296. A petite elven girl appeared there. She looked tired and wore a white labcoat, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she walked over to Beta.
297.  
298. “Eta, what are you doing?”
299.  
300. Beta warily asked her.
301.  
302. The small elf was Eta, the “Seventh of the Seven”. Her primary job was researching the “Wisdom of the Shadows”.
303.  
304. “I came to see what the experimental subject looked like.”
305.  
306. She replied in a very exhausted voice. Her dark-colored hair was curled up in a cowlick from where she’d slept on it.
307.  
308. “By experimental subject do you mean Nishimura Akane? Did you get permission from Alpha-sama?”
309.  
310. “...Of course.”
311.  
312. Eta looked away as she said that.
313.  
314. “I’ll confirm with Alpha-sama afterwards. You’re not to touch her before that, okay?”
315.  
316. “There’s no need to confirm with her. It’s just twice the hassle.”
317.  
318. “Do NOT touch her until I get confirmation.”
319.  
320. Beta repeated those words, as if for emphasis.
321.  
322. “Hm… Her mana’s weird, we should be studying it ASAP.”
323.  
324. Eta pouted like she was throwing a tantrum.
325.  
326. “May we begin?”
327.  
328. After Lambda asked Beta and Eta, the two of them nodded.
329.  
330. “Now then, begin!”
331.  
332. The moment Lambda gave the signal, Akane and 711 both swung at each other.
333.  
334. ========================================================================
335.  
336. “What… This girl is really strong.”
337.  
338. Akane felt a thrill of terror as she blocked 711’s first hit.
339.  
340. She couldn’t imagine that such an opponent could land such a heavy and telling blow. It made her arm go a little numb.
341.  
342. <<I can’t lose… I won’t lose.>>
343.  
344. 711 poured more mana into her strike and mercilessly blew Akane away.
345.  
346. “Aiiieee?!”
347.  
348. This was a novel experience for Akane, who had always been extremely strong in Japan. She had never expected herself to lose in a simple contest of magical power.
349.  
350. Akane barely managed to keep her guard up as she raised her sword and took a stance.
351.  
352. She had completely underestimated her opponent.
353.  
354. She had not expected someone this young to be this strong.
355.  
356. At this rate, she would lose.
357.  
358. “What a pain…”
359.  
360. Akane’s black hair slowly turned gold.
361.  
362. She didn’t need to win this spar.
363.  
364. And frankly speaking, she didn’t even need to fight in the first place.
365.  
366. But right now, Akane sensed the importance of showing her strength.
367.  
368. It was a way to prove her worth.
369.  
370. This young girl must be quite a powerful member of the organization, Akane surmised. But she was probably not the strongest. The three people watching this fight were clearly higher-ranked than her and there were probably others who were even stronger than them.
371.  
372. In other words, it would be very difficult for Akane to leave this organization with her own strength. She would need to find a way to return to Japan while within the organization.
373.  
374. That being the case, it would be best for her to show her worth and improve her standing here.
375.  
376. A chance to escape would present itself someday.
377.  
378. After making up her mind, Akane unleashed her mana.
379.  
380. Following which, her black hair turned a lovely gold color.
381.  
382. “Sorry, but I’ll be going all-out now.”
383.  
384. After taking her stance, Akane gradually closed in on her opponent.
385.  
386. <<Urgh…>>
387.  
388. 711 watched her warily, an unhappy look on her face.
389.  
390. The distance between the two of them was gradually shrinking.
391.  
392. And then, Akane made her move.
393.  
394. Golden mana swept across with incredible speed.
395.  
396. <<Wha…>>
397.  
398. 711 reflexively blocked the attack with her sword, but her eyes went wide at the sheer power of her opponent’s offensive.
399.  
400. The shrill sound of scraping metal came from her opponent’s blade and her arms went a little numb.
401.  
402. —She’s overpowering me.
403.  
404. Having realized this, 711 leaped back to disperse the force of the blow. Even so, she could not fully dissipate it.
405.  
406. <<Ugh…>>
407.  
408. Her face twisted  as she felt the sharp pain coming from her right arm.
409.  
410. It would seem she had been hurt.
411.  
412. However, 711 soon wiped the look off her face and took her stance again.
413.  
414. She calmly studied Akane.
415.  
416. It was at this point that 711 finally regained her calm.
417.  
418. She forgot about the pressure which Lambda and Beta were exerting on her and faced Akane, in the truest sense of the word.
419.  
420. <<Whew…>>
421.  
422. She gently exhaled, and adjusted her mana levels.
423.  
424. The air around her became as clear as flowing water.
425.  
426. She had learned swordsmanship before, but it had been less than two weeks since she had started learning how to manage her mana.
427.  
428. This was 711’s true strength, the reason why Lambda had called her talent outstanding.
429.  
430. <<...I won’t lose.>>
431.  
432. 711 muttered those words seemingly to herself.
433.  
434. “What’s with this girl…”
435.  
436. Akane began to feel a little nervous as the girl opposite her began to radiate something of the feeling of an expert.
437.  
438. This should have been a good chance to press the attack.
439.  
440. Akane had sensed that 711 was hurt during their exchange of blows just now.
441.  
442. If she had followed up appropriately, she could have ended the match right there and then.
443.  
444. However, she could not do it.
445.  
446. 711’s eyes seemed to have seen through everything.
447.  
448. Such an opponent was very dangerous.
449.  
450. “I’m not going to lose either.”
451.  
452. Although neither party understood each other, their clash allowed Akane to sense that 711 was also bearing her own burden.
453.  
454. Even so, Akane was also determined not to lose.
455.  
456. She had made up her mind to meet him again.
457.  
458. “Yeeeeeeeeeeart!”
459.  
460. <<Hmmmm─!>>
461.  
462. The two of them clashed, their blades colliding.
463.  
464. Once, twice, three times…
465.  
466. Initially, it had been Akane’s sword which had overwhelmed her opponent. That had been due to the difference between their mana potency.
467.  
468. Six times, seven times, eight times…
469.  
470. However, 711’s swordsmanship became more precise over the course of the battle. No, she was honing it with Akane’s magical power.
471.  
472. The number of times 711’s sword barely missed Akane’s body was starting to increase.
473.  
474. “Kageno-kun, lend me your strength…!”
475.  
476. After about 20 or so bouts, Akane was in a very precarious position.
477.  
478. She was keenly aware that she would lose at this rate.
479.  
480. <<Hup…!>>
481.  
482. However, 711 had been waiting for this moment.
483.  
484. She had been baiting Akane.
485.  
486. Waiting for her to make this very move.
487.  
488. After all, it was 711 who would lose if the battle kept up.
489.  
490. 711 struck at the best possible moment.
491.  
492. And at that moment, 711’s right arm made cracking noises.
493.  
494. Her bones had broken.
495.  
496. “Argh…”
497.  
498. 711’s sword wavered for an instant.
499.  
500. At that very instant, Akane struck with her own blow.
501.  
502. “Kageno-kun…”
503.  
504. <<Dad…>>
505.  
506. And thus, the match was settled.
507.  
508. ========================================================================
509.  
510. “Did they actually knock each other out…”
511.  
512. “I certainly wasn’t expecting that.”
513.  
514. Beta and Lambda said  so from where they were watching the fallen pair from outside the ring.
515.  
516. “711 is as outstandingly talented as you said. However, I’ll have to mark her down for her lack of calm at the beginning.”
517.  
518. “That was my fault for not properly teaching her. I will retrain her immediately.”
519.  
520. “711’s individual strength was slightly superior. However, the quality of Nishimura Akane’s mana was quite abnormal. It wasn’t just its quantity, but it had apparently mutated in some way…”
521.  
522. “Is it because her mana comes from a different world than ours? Or are you saying she’s a special case…?”
523.  
524. “I don’t know. In any case, I’ll be asking her a lot of questions to find out more once she calms down— hold on!”
525.  
526. Beta grabbed Eta by the collar halfway through her reply.
527.  
528. “I’m really interested in that weird mana of hers…”
529.  
530. Eta scrabbled like a cockroach as she tried to approach Akane.
531.  
532. “Eta! You are not to go near her until we get Alpha-sama’s permission!”
533.  
534. “But she might be dead by the time I get permission.”
535.  
536. “She won’t die just like that!”
537.  
538. “Time is money. My mission is to prevent losses from making such stupid choices.”
539.  
540.  
541. “Yes yes yes, in any case, I am NOT going to allow it.”
542.  
543. “Muuu… Then I’ll use you as a test subject next time, Beta.”
544.  
545. “Ugh… If you dare, I’ll report you to Alpha-sama!”
546.  
547. “Muuu… My budget’s going to get cut… But if I give in to intimidation here, it’ll affect our development of Shadow Wisdom…”
548.  
549. Eta’s voice trailed off as she fell into thought.
550.  
551. “Quick, get them both to the sickbay now. I’ll explain our future plans after they wake up.”
552.  
553. “What do you plan to do after this?”
554.  
555. “In any case, we’ll need you to help train Nishimura Akane until she gets settled down. We’ll be having her help us in various ways after that.”
556.  
557. “Understood.”
558.  
559. Lambda signaled her people to have Akane and 711 sent to the sickbay.
560.  
561. ========================================================================
562.  
563. “Ugh… Where is this place…?”
564.  
565. After waking up, Akane found herself on a soft white bed.
566.  
567. This appeared to be an infirmary of some sort.
568.  
569. “Did I… lose? No, I should have hit…”
570.  
571. Akane’s attempt to take her opponent by surprise at the end of the battle had been completely seen through by her opponent.
572.  
573. Normally, she should have lost. However, her opponent had paused her attack for some reason and in the end they had both hit each other at practically the same time.
574.  
575. Akane did not remember anything after that.
576.  
577. Akane sat up and surveyed her surroundings. It was then that she spotted the white-haired girl on the bed beside hers.
578.  
579. “Looks like a double KO.”
580.  
581. Akane couldn’t help but sigh in relief as she realized that the other girl wasn’t hurt.”
582.  
583. Her sleeping face was very youthful and very cute.
584.  
585. However, this young girl had completely surpassed Akane in strength. Her experience in real battles allowed her to realize that she would definitely lose in their next encounter.
586.  
587. <<Dad… Mom…>>
588.  
589. The white-haired girl frowned as she muttered something.
590.  
591. “Is she dreaming? Is she okay?”
592.  
593. Akane approached her and patted her head.
594.  
595. <<Uuu… uu…>>
596.  
597. “It’s okay, it’s okay…”
598.  
599. The fact that even a little girl like this had to fight suggested that this world might be in as bad a state as Japan.
600.  
601. After Akane gently patted her head, the girl’s expression gradually softened.
602.  
603. And then, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at Akane.
604.  
605. “Ah, you’re awake. Are you alright?”
606.  
607. <<Mom…?&gt;>
608.  
609. The white-haired girl smiled warmly as she looked at through sleep-blurred eyes.
610.  
611. <<Mom… Where’s Dad…?”
612.  
613. But just as she reached out to Akane, an angelic smile on her face, she suddenly came to her senses.
614.  
615. <<You, you’re…!>>
616.  
617. The girl leaped back in panic and drew back from Akane.
618.  
619. “Look, calm down, please.”
620.  
621. <<Kuh… Stay back! How could I…!>>
622.  
623. “Moving so vigorously all of a sudden is dangerous, you know.”
624.  
625. <<How could I… lose…? Did, did I lose…?&gt;>
626.  
627. The girl looked around and gradually, she seemed to realize her circumstances.
628.  
629. “Calm down. It’s okay.”
630.  
631. <<I lost… Even though I shouldn’t have lost in a place like this…”
632.  
633. Tears began welling up in the girl’s eyes.
634.  
635. “What’s wrong? Did something sad happen?”
636.  
637. Akane reached out to her, but the girl swatted her hand away.
638.  
639. Reaching out to someone in this new world was taboo. Akane had learned that now.
640.  
641. <<D-Don’t touch me… Uuu.. I, I’ll never cry again, I promised…>>
642.  
643. The girl jumped off the bed while wiping her tears away.
644.  
645. <<Uuu… uu…>>
646.  
647. And then, she ran off while holding back her sobs.
648.  
649. “Is she going to be alright…”
650.  
651. Akane looked worriedly at the girl as she left.
652.  
653. However, she could not speak the language, and thus there was nothing she could do.
654.  
655. “You awoke ~desu.”
656.  
657. Just then, the silver-haired Beta entered the room.
658.  
659. “Ah, that girl ran off while crying just now…”
660.  
661. “It’s okay ~desu.”
662.  
663. While she didn’t know what was okay, Beta had said so, so it was?
664.  
665. Akane realized there would be no point in telling her about it.
666.  
667. “Ah, what’s going to happen to me from now on? What do you have in mind? Can I still go back to Japan?
668.  
669. “I understand. I very understand.”
670.  
671. Beta held Akane’s hand. There was a suspicious smile on her face as she said that.
672.  
673. “Ah, okay.”
674.  
675. “I, your friend. One day, will return you to Japan.”
676.  
677. “Can, can I go back to Japan?”
678.  
679. “Return yes probably, but if you don’t cooperate then no.”
680.  
681. “Ehh, are you threatening me?”
682.  
683. “No desu. Extremely difficult skill issue ~desu.”
684.  
685. “Ah, okay.”
686.  
687. “So please work with us.”
688.  
689. “Sure, as long as it’s within my abilities.”
690.  
691. Although she didn’t quite trust them, Akane realized that it would be a waste of effort to argue with her here.
692.  
693. No matter how she looked at it, she would need to investigate this organization in depth to return to Japan.
694.  
695. Rather than be considered an unwilling subject, it would be better if they treated her as a cooperative partner.
696.  
697. “Thank you very much. Akane good person ~desu. I, am your ally ~desu.”
698.  
699. “Ah, okay.”
700.  
701. “You, become member of this organization for now ~masu. This organization name is Shadow Garden.”
702.  
703. “So you want me to become part of Shadow Garden? What kind of organization is it?”
704.  
705. “We hide in the shadows and hunt shadows, ~desu.”
706.  
707. “That’s pretty cool.”
708.  
709. While she had no idea what sort of things they did, it had a very isekai flavor to it, Akane thought.
710.  
711. Now that she thought about it, she’d always liked cool things like this. She couldn’t help but smile nostalgically as the thought came to mind.
712.  
713. “From now on, you are a number ~masu. You are 712 ~desu. You are no more Nishimura Akane ~desu.”
714.  
715. “So I’m going to be addressed by a number, then… Huh? Nishimura Akane?”
716.  
717. Akane’s thought processes suddenly ground to a halt after she was addressed by that name.
718.  
719. “You are Nishimura Akane. No?”
720.  
721. “Nishimura Akane… Why did you call me by that name?”
722.  
723. Only one person had ever called Akane by that name in the past.
724.  
725. “Is it not Nishimura Akane?”
726.  
727. “Yes, it is. It’s okay. I was just curious as to how you learned my name.”
728.  
729. “I see. I heard it from someone.”
730.  
731. “So you heard it from someone, then…”
732.  
733. It would be one thing if she was just imagining things.
734.  
735. But if it wasn’t her imagination… Akane’s heart raced.
736.  
737. Calm down. I can’t let myself be exposed just yet.
738.  
739. “Yes ~desu. Are you interested ~masu?”
740.  
741. “I’m just surprised that there’s someone here who knows me. Is he Japanese?”
742.  
743. In order not to appear suspicious, Akane continued speaking in the same disinterested tone as before.
744.  
745. “Fufufu, that is secret ~desu. But everyone in that base knew Akane’s name. Nothing suspicious ~desu.”
746.  
747. It was just as Beta had said.
748.  
749. Everyone knew the name Nishino Akane in the base. But only one person ever called her Nishimura Akane.
750.  
751. If he was here, then Akane’s goals would be completely different.
752.  
753. “Ah, that does seem to be the case. I must have forgotten.”
754.  
755. Akane scratched her face in what looked like embarrassment. Beta smiled and kept her eyes firmly trained on her.
756.  
757. “From now on you are 712 and you will live in Shadow Garden ~desu.”
758.  
759. “So I’m 712, then? I understand.”
760.  
761. “I will show you to your living area, 712 ~desu. Please come with me ~desu.”
762.  
763. Beta took Akane’s hand and led her out of the sickbay.
764.  
765. ========================================================================
766.  
767. The corridor outside the sickbay was made of stone.
768.  
769. The beautiful masonry and arched ceiling were illuminated by soft, indirect lighting.
770.  
771. Interesting. By itself, this place had a very isekai fantasy feel to it. But in that case, what was with the room where Akane woke up?
772.  
773. For some reason, it reminded her of modern Japan. It was as though someone had tried to recreate Japanese technology in another world.
774.  
775. “712, is there something that bothers you ~desu?”
776.  
777. Beta said from ahead of her.
778.  
779. “No, I was just thinking that this was a completely different world, so it all felt new to me.”
780.  
781. “That’s wonderful ~desu. That was the sickbay ~desu. People go there when they’re hurt. Also, this is the toilet ~desu.”
782.  
783. “So that’s the restroom.”
784.  
785. “It’s a toilet ~desu.”
786.  
787. “So it’s a toilet, hm.”
788.  
789. She seemed to be a big fan of it.
790.  
791. Looking inside, she saw that the tiled floor was divided into several cubicles. There was a large wall-to-wall mirror inside and surprisingly enough, there were actually flush toilets here.
792.  
793. “Flush toilets, I see.”
794.  
795. “Newest technology ~desu.”
796.  
797. Beta said smugly.
798.  
799. Akane’s doubts grew deeper. This restroom looked like it had been copied over from Japan.
800.  
801. “Who made this?”
802.  
803. “Eta was creator.”
804.  
805. “Eta?”
806.  
807. “Small elf in white coat watching match with us.”
808.  
809. “Oh, her.”
810.  
811. Akane remembered that there had been an elf in a white coat before the match started.
812.  
813. “But original knowledge not from Eta. From That Man ~desu.”
814.  
815. “Which man?”
816.  
817. “Secret ~desu.”
818.  
819. Beta smiled meaningfully to her.
820.  
821. “That man” again.
822.  
823. There was no doubt that “That Man” had joined Japan’s technology to that of this world.
824.  
825. However, she could not yet be sure that “That Man” was the “Him” that Akane knew.
826.  
827. “Next is cafeteria ~desu.”
828.  
829. After that, Beta brought her to a spacious, airy place.
830.  
831. Although it was quiet now because mealtime was over, it should have been able to comfortably accommodate several hundred people.
832.  
833. “This is amazing…”
834.  
835. Both the sprawling area and the decorations on the walls and ceiling stunned Akane.
836.  
837. “Are you hungry ~desu?”
838.  
839. “Ah, a little…”
840.  
841. “Let’s get you something ~masu.”
842.  
843. After Beta showed Akane a seat, she went to get some food.
844.  
845. The chairs and table where Akane was seated were all high-quality items. The table was over ten meters long and made of a single polished slab of material, while the chairs were inscribed with intricate patterns and felt very comfortable to sit in.
846.  
847. Wait, was this the work of a certain famous interior designer…
848.  
849. “...Looks like it.”
850.  
851. Although the famous chair that Akane knew was not carved like this, the overall design was practically identical to the work of that famed designer.
852.  
853. That being the case, she had no choice but to regard all the interior decorations here in a suspicious light.
854.  
855. Could that light have been… Was that cutlery… She began to see his shadow in everything around her.
856.  
857. “This is no good…”
858.  
859. All she was doing was seeing what she wanted to see. All these were items used by humanoids, so it followed that there was a high chance that they would look similar. That thought finally let Akane quiet her heart down.
860.  
861. “Why were you gawking at just now ~desu?”
862.  
863. “Ah, everything here was so exotic that I couldn’t help looking.”
864.  
865. By the time she came to her senses, Beta was seated opposite her.
866.  
867. Her elf and beastgirl subordinates had already set the table for them.
868.  
869. “This, this is…”
870.  
871. “What’s the matter ~desu?”
872.  
873. There was no mistaking the dishes in front of Akane for anything but Japanese cuisine.
874.  
875. “Why is there Japanese food here…”
876.  
877. “I ate the same thing in Japan ~desu.”
878.  
879. “A-Ah, so that’s how it is.”
880.  
881. Indeed, Beta had assumed the name “Natsume” for her activities in Japan.
882.  
883. It wouldn’t be strange for her to reproduce the food, drink and culture she had encountered in Japan, but…
884.  
885. “The miso… you even managed to copy the sou sauce.”
886.  
887. Could she really imitate these flavorings in such a short time? Of course, there was a chance that Beta had brought some back from Japan.
888.  
889. “It’s good…”
890.  
891. The bonito stock in the miso soup gave it a sublime flavor.
892.  
893. “Glad that you like it ~desu.”
894.  
895. Beta skilfully began eating with the chopsticks.
896.  
897. She finished it all, as though she didn’t want Akane to be suspicious of her.
898.  
899. “Delicious ~desu.”
900.  
901. Just as they finished their meal, a familiar-looking girl appeared behind Beta.
902.  
903. <<Alpha-sama’s given her permission.>>
904.  
905. Her name was Eta, apparently. This sleepy-eyed girl in a lab coat began talking to Beta in this world’s language.
906.  
907. <<Eh, really?&gt;>
908.  
909. Beta glanced dubiously at the document Eta passed her.
910.  
911. <<Yup. Alpha-sama signed a permission form. It says Nishimura Akane is to be handled by Eta.>>
912.  
913. Her ears twitched upon hearing “Nishimura Akane”.
914.  
915. <<So be it, then.>>
916.  
917. Eta quickly ducked under the table to grab Akane.
918.  
919. <<Hold on! Despite what the document says, there are two suspicious things about it.>>
920.  
921. <<W-What?&gt;>
922.  
923. Eta’s eyes shifted around after Beta grabbed her by the collar.
924.  
925. <<If Alpha-sama DID give you permission, she would never hand the task to you alone. She’d arrange for someone to supervise you.>>
926.  
927. <<Um… this is because of my daily performance and accumulated trust in me…>>
928.  
929. <<Also, the handwriting on this document is weak and sluggish. It’s almost as though someone was trying to imitate Alpha-sama’s handwriting and slowly copied it.>>
930.  
931. <<W-What are you talking about…>>
932.  
933. Eta broke out in a cold sweat.
934.  
935. <<Eta. You forged this document, didn’t you?&gt;>
936.  
937. After Beta glared at her, Eta put on a twitching smile.
938.  
939. <<Just give up on this. I’ll go to Alpha-sama right now—>>
940.  
941. <<Fine, I’ve had it.>>
942.  
943. Eta interrupted Beta with a cold voice.
944.  
945. <<In that case, I’ll take her by force.>>
946.  
947. In the next moment, Akane’s world turned upside down.
948.  
949. “Wa-aaaaaaaaiiiiiieeee?!”
950.  
951. Akane was bound up by black slime and then suspended upside down. Although she tried her hardest to struggle, the slime was incredibly strong and didn’t budge.
952.  
953. When she tried infusing mana into it, it felt like it had been sucked away.
954.  
955. <<Eta, what are you doing?!>>
956.  
957. Beta and her subordinates had been tied up as well.
958.  
959. <<Taking her by force. Talking to muggles is just a waste of time.>>
960.  
961. Saying so, Eta prepared to leave with the trussed-up Akane.
962.  
963. <<Hold it right there, I said hold it!!>>
964.  
965. Beta sliced up the black slime and then generated a black sword, which she used to slice at Eta.
966.  
967. <<Ugh.>>
968.  
969. Eta narrowed her eyes, then transformed the slime.
970.  
971. She created a huge shield from it.
972.  
973. Beta’s sword crashed into the shield.
974.  
975. Thunk. There was a dull sound.
976.  
977. <<What the hell’s with this shield?!”
978.  
979. Beta’s sword did not so much as scratch Eta’s shield.
980.  
981. In fact her sword was being absorbed by the shield.
982.  
983. Somewhat panicked, Beta quickly pulled her sword free and backed away.
984.  
985. <<This is a new technology, it reacts to and absorbs mana.>>
986.  
987. <<I’ve never heard of it before! Weren’t you supposed to tell us immediately if you came up with anything useful?!>>
988.  
989. When strengthened by mana, a sword was naturally stronger than a shield.
990.  
991. This was a simple matter of surface area.
992.  
993. A sword only needed to be hardened at its edge. In contrast, a shield needed to be enhanced across its entire surface. Trying to strengthen a shield to the same hardness as a sword would require several times for mana.
994.  
995. This was why very few magic swordsmen opted to use shields.
996.  
997. <<Um… The safety tests weren’t finished yet. I was planning to report it in a few days’ time.>>
998.  
999. <<You were never planning to do this tests, were you?&gt;>
1000.  
1001. As they spoke, Beta slashed at Beta with incredibly smooth, flowing movements.
1002.  
1003. Akane could not help but applaud those movements which she could barely follow with her eyes.
1004.  
1005. “She, she’s amazing…”
1006.  
1007. Akane understood why Beta, this somewhat suspicious girl, was so respected in the organization. Compared to her, 711’s movements were like an infant’s.
1008.  
1009. <<Quit getting in my way.>>
1010.  
1011. Meanwhile, Beta’s opponent Eta was also skilled beyond her imagination.
1012.  
1013. She controlled the slime like it was an extension of her body, generating shields, swords, spears and the like to meet each incoming attack. While it was hardly the same as pure martial technique, one could say that it was something which only someone who had honed their skills to the utmost could do.
1014.  
1015. Her mana control and creativity were extraordinary.
1016.  
1017. Both of them were evenly-matched… No. It would seem neither of them had gotten serious yet.
1018.  
1019. They were fighting at a level where they were not quite about to hurt each other.
1020.  
1021. Also, Akane’s instincts told her that neither of them had revealed their hole cards yet.
1022.  
1023. <<Dammit, behave already!>>
1024.  
1025. <<Muuuu?&gt;>
1026.  
1027. Beta’s hit had knocked Eta away.
1028.  
1029. Eta conjured up a shield to defend herself while dissipating the force of the blow in mid-air through careful slime control.
1030.  
1031. However, there was a grim look on Eta’s face.
1032.  
1033. Beta’s subordinates raised their swords and surrounded Eta.
1034.  
1035. <<This is…>>
1036.  
1037. <<That’s enough, just give up already.>>
1038.  
1039. Beta said smugly.
1040.  
1041. <<Eta-sama, pardon us, but we will be detaining you now.>>
1042.  
1043. Nu, Lambda, Chi, Omega, and the other Numbers soon gathered.
1044.  
1045. Even Eta could not help but turn gloomy when she saw this.
1046.  
1047. <<Muuu…>>
1048.  
1049. <<If you abandon your weapons and sincerely apologize, I’ll consider lightening your punishment.??
1050.  
1051. Beta slowly closed in as she slowly turned up the pressure.
1052.  
1053. <<I say, what’s going on here?&gt;>
1054.  
1055. Just then, a girl with hair as lustrous as a clear lake appeared.
1056.  
1057. She was Epsilon the Precise, the “Fifth of the Seven”.
1058.  
1059. <<Two Shades and a whole bunch of others… This is somewhat tricky.”
1060.  
1061. Eta muttered quietly.
1062.  
1063. Several of the people classified under “others” frowned.
1064.  
1065. Still, that was only to be expected.
1066.  
1067. Everyone here was a highly-skilled expert.
1068.  
1069. Both the way they condensed their mana and held their weapons were a sign of how strong they were.
1070.  
1071. What was truly startling was that each and every one of them was far stronger than Akane.
1072.  
1073. Whether it was because of pride in their abilities or the confidence they felt due to their long experience…
1074.  
1075. That was the reason why they could not help but feel displeased when lumped into “a whole bunch of others”.
1076.  
1077. Yet despite this displeasure, not a single one of them dared object. After all, they understood that they WERE in fact a whole bunch of others.
1078.  
1079. <<You’re just in time, Epsilon. Help me get this dork under control.>>
1080.  
1081. <<Yes yes, I’ll lend you a hand, Beta.>>
1082.  
1083. The two of them quickly finished sharing their opinions.
1084.  
1085. Epsilon understood that it was definitely Eta’s fault this time round.
1086.  
1087. Beta and Epsilon moved to flank Eta, while the others crowded around closely.
1088.  
1089. <<Fine, I get it. That’s enough.>>
1090.  
1091. Eta raised her hands, as though she had given up.
1092.  
1093. <<Are you surrendering, then?&gt;>
1094.  
1095. Despite what Beta said, nobody was dumb enough to actually lower their guard because of that. Eta had not dropped her weapon and nobody here believed that she would actually surrender, given her personality.
1096.  
1097. <<...To all you ladies who are bullying me. Surrender now or you will regret it.>>
1098.  
1099. Despite being surrounded by everyone and with her hands up, Eta said something unexpected instead.
1100.  
1101. <<Do you think I’ll actually surrender?&gt;>
1102.  
1103. Epsilon replied, her caution at maximum.
1104.  
1105. <<Hm, is there anyone here who’s going to surrender?&gt;>
1106.  
1107. Eta looked around herself.
1108.  
1109. Everyone was wary of her, but nobody seemed willing to give up.
1110.  
1111. <<I see. Negotiations have broken down, then.>>
1112.  
1113. <<Indeed, they have.>>
1114.  
1115. Eta and Beta spoke in unison.
1116.  
1117. <<Everyone, subdue Eta!>>
1118.  
1119. And then, everyone moved.
1120.  
1121. And then, right after that, everyone melted.
1122.  
1123. <<What?!>>
1124.  
1125. Their mana grew turbulent and their clothes and weapons melted.
1126.  
1127. <<What the heck is this!!!!!?!>>
1128.  
1129. Although Beta barely managed to keep her outfit intact, most of the others were half-naked and it was plain to see that further fighting would be very difficult.
1130.  
1131. <<I just used electronic waves as described in the Wisdom of the Shadows, “Mana Disruptor Field (Me Excepted).“
1132.  
1133. <<If you developed something like that, then at least report it first!!>>
1134.  
1135. <<Well, the activation conditions are tricky and it can only be used in certain circumstances…>>
1136.  
1137. <<That’s enough!! In that case, we’ll just have to think of something together, Epsilon!>>
1138.  
1139. Beta addressed her comrade.
1140.  
1141. However, Epsilon was nowhere to be seen. In her place was a note on the table.
1142.  
1143. <<I suddenly remembered I had an urgent mission so I’m off now bye. - Epsilon>>
1144.  
1145. <<Aaaaaaaaahhhh, that damn woman!>>
1146.  
1147. Beta roared.
1148.  
1149. <<Ah, an opening.>>
1150.  
1151. As Beta gave vent to her wrath, Eta hit her and she immediately passed out before keeling over.
1152.  
1153. And then, Eta took Akane away.
1154.  
1155. ========================================================================
1156.  
1157. “Urgh… Where is this?”
1158.  
1159. Akane opened her eyes and discovered that she was in a dark basement.
1160.  
1161. She was bound to a bed by the black slime.
1162.  
1163. Around her were various scientific devices and junk of unknown provenance, all tightly packed together.
1164.  
1165. How many times have I been kidnapped recently, anyway? As she thought about that, she couldn’t help but sigh quietly.
1166.  
1167. Though she tried to struggle, her bindings would not budge. The capabilities of this black slime alone were awe-inspiring.
1168.  
1169. “Is someone there?”
1170.  
1171. Akane yelled.
1172.  
1173. At first, she could not see anything due to the heaps of junk and the dark environment. However, she sensed that someone was moving around nearby.
1174.  
1175. <<...Hm?&gt;>
1176.  
1177. That someone moved toward Akane.
1178.  
1179. A face protruded from behind the pile of junk. It belonged to the girl in white called Eta.
1180.  
1181. “You’re Eta, right? What are you going to do to me?”
1182.  
1183. <<So you’re awake. Surprisingly resilient… I should probably have used a stronger sedative.>>
1184.  
1185. Eta muttered to herself in the other world’s language.
1186.  
1187. Although Akane had no idea what she was saying, just looking at her eyes made Akane shudder.
1188.  
1189. Eta’s eyes did not seem like they were looking at a human being.
1190.  
1191. Rather, they were cold and emotionless, like she was an experimental animal… no, just a piece of experimental data.
1192.  
1193. She did not regard Akane as a human being.
1194.  
1195. Eta approached the bed and looked down on Akane. The aloof expression in her eyes remained the same.
1196.  
1197. <<Breathing normal, pulse slightly elevated, subject is in a state of mild anxiety.>>
1198.  
1199. She touched Akane’s body without any hesitation.
1200.  
1201. <<Condition normal. No changes needed to the plan.>>
1202.  
1203. She spoke in a monotone as though confirming to herself.
1204.  
1205. “What did you say? What are you going to do to me?”
1206.  
1207. Even when Akane addressed her, Eta merely responded with a cold look.
1208.  
1209. <<Presence or absence of consciousness will not affect the plan. However, the vocal cords are annoying. They might prove to be a distraction. Should I sever them or simply anesthetize her… Since I’ll be dissecting the specimen anyway, I might as well remove the vocal cords for study. No, before that, I should confirm my ability to converse in the other world’s language.>>
1210.  
1211. She seemed to be organizing her thoughts by talking to herself.
1212.  
1213. Although she sounded like she was speaking to Akane, she had not paid any attention to the latter at all.
1214.  
1215. “What have you been talking about since just now, anyway?”
1216.  
1217. After saying this, Eta looked at Akane for the first time.”
1218.  
1219. “Ah– Ahhh– a i u e o. Is that how you vocalize your vowels?”
1220.  
1221. Eta calmly said.
1222.  
1223. “Y-You can talk?”
1224.  
1225. “All intelligent lifeforms follow similar speech patterns. He said so, and it turned out to be correct.”
1226.  
1227. Akane was shocked when she heard Eta speaking in fluent Japanese.
1228.  
1229. Both her pronunciation and understanding were several levels above Beta’s.
1230.  
1231. “What do you have in mind? What are you going to do to me?”
1232.  
1233. “Experimentation. I plan to satisfy my intellectual curiosity.”
1234.  
1235. “And, and what does that entail?”
1236.  
1237. “First we will begin with conversation and understanding communication patterns and thought processes. After that we will proceed to a physical examination, mana examination and cerebral knowledge recovery.”
1238.  
1239. “Wait, when you say “cerebral knowledge recovery”...”
1240.  
1241. “Knowledge from another world is very precious, but information obtained through conversation will include lies and irrelevant data. All that wastes time. As a result, we will be using this to solve the problem.”
1242.  
1243. As she said this, Eta pointed at a large piece of junk beside her.
1244.  
1245. The coffin-like object was covered in tubes and cables, and it occasionally belched steam.
1246.  
1247. It looked very suspicious.
1248.  
1249. “W-What is this…?”
1250.  
1251. “This is Brainsucker-kun Mk XXIII, the last word in extracting human knowledge and leaving nothing behind. After many failed previous incarnations, it is finally complete… I think.”
1252.  
1253. “So you’re saying you only THINK it’s complete…?”
1254.  
1255. “I referenced a thesis from Academy City Laugus, “The Brain And Mana; Possibilities Of Using Mana to Interfere With, Damage Or Heal The Brain As Well As Plans For Practical Applications, by Sherry Barnett”. If anything goes wrong, it’s all her fault, so it’ll be fine. I thought Laugus was full of intransigent blockheads, but it turned out there really were some capable researchers there too. She was one of them. Come to think of it, Sherry Barnett’s holding a conference in Laugus, maybe I should go take a look…”
1256.  
1257. Eta muttered a whole bunch of unreliable and irresponsible nonsense to herself.
1258.  
1259. “Listen you, what the heck have you been doing since just now? What do you even treat me as, anyway?”
1260.  
1261. “A somewhat valuable lifeform. I think you’d be around… five levels below him in orders of importance?”
1262.  
1263. “What? I’m a valuable lifeform? Also, who is this he…?”
1264.  
1265. “He is he… He’s a lifeform who’s far more valuable than you. It was thanks to him that we learned the foundation of the language you speak.”
1266.  
1267. “Japanese… and it was thanks to him, don’t tell me you…”
1268.  
1269. She had a bad feeling about this.
1270.  
1271. If he had been the one to teach Eta Japanese, and if he had been captured by the woman who didn’t even treat people as people…
1272.  
1273. “Are you worried about him? He helped out with Brainsucker-Kun Mk XIX and ended up fine in the end, so Mk XXIII should be fine too.”
1274.  
1275. “What… You used that crazy machine on him?! Did he even consent to it?!”
1276.  
1277. “Consent… is an optional concept. I simply tricked him a little and forced him to participate. He was really sturdy though, so it was fine.”
1278.  
1279. “Forced… You just forced him to take part in your experiments, didn’t you…!”
1280.  
1281. Calm down, Akane told herself. There’s still no confirmation that he’s the person I have in mind.
1282.  
1283. Akane took a deep breath and suppressed her anger.
1284.  
1285. “Well… If by experiments you mean stuff on the level of testing venom that could kill a dragon, attempting to extract and dissect his brain tissue or attempting to extract his mana circuits… I suppose, yes.”
1286.  
1287. Eta blasely replied.
1288.  
1289. Akane gritted her teeth so hard they started to make grinding noises.
1290.  
1291. “Tell me. Who is this person you’re talking about…?”
1292.  
1293. Akane spoke in a furious yet trembling voice.
1294.  
1295. “He is him… Hm— It’s hard to describe him. Ah, he’s the person who wrote this.”
1296.  
1297. Saying so, Eta handed a note written in Japanese to Akane.
1298.  
1299. The content of the note was trivial, but Akane knew the handwriting very well.
1300.  
1301. “How did you… How could this, this handwriting, could it be… Kageno-kun.”
1302.  
1303. Tears welled up in Kane’s eyes.
1304.  
1305. She was certain of it. This note was definitely written by Kageno Minoru.
1306.  
1307. At that moment, all the questions in Akane’s heart joined up.
1308.  
1309. Kageno Minoru was in this world.
1310.  
1311. That truck accident had sent him to another world, where he had become an experimental subject for this girl called Eta and had his knowledge of Japan stolen.
1312.  
1313. In that case, the body left behind by that accident must have been faked. No, it was possible that even the accident itself had been staged through technology from another world.
1314.  
1315. When she thought of how he had suddenly had his home taken from him, how he had been split apart from his family and friends, dragged to another world and forced to live a cruel and tragic life, Akane began to tremble in anger.
1316.  
1317. “You… What have you done to him? How, how is he now?!”
1318.  
1319. “Oh, he’s fine… for the moment.”
1320.  
1321. “What do you mean, “for the moment”? What are you planning to do to him?”
1322.  
1323. “Oh, experimentation and dissection.”
1324.  
1325. “Say what?! Where is he now?!”
1326.  
1327. “Ah… Well, I think the conversation’s gone on long enough. I think I’ve got a pretty good understanding of the situation.
1328.  
1329. Eta did not seem to want to answer further questions.
1330.  
1331. She turned away from Akane. It would seem she was preparing some kind of device.
1332.  
1333. “Answer me! Where… where is he now?!”
1334.  
1335. Akane thrashed around, trying to escape her bonds, but the slime did not budge.
1336.  
1337. On the contrary, it was Akane’s bones which creaked.
1338.  
1339. “Ah, it’s ready.”
1340.  
1341. Eta held something that looked like a collar. There seemed to be something sticky on it and it exuded a strange smell.
1342.  
1343. “What, what, what is that…!”
1344.  
1345. “This is Vocal Cord Extractor-Kun Mk I. While it’s been gathering dust in the storeroom due to limited applicability, I’m sure it’ll work just fine.”
1346.  
1347. “No, stop…”
1348.  
1349. Eta put the mysterious collar on Akane.
1350.  
1351. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. Now then, 3, 2, 1…”
1352.  
1353. And then, right before she was about to hit the switch on the collar…
1354.  
1355. <<Stop that.>>
1356.  
1357. There was a bonk, and Eta’s head shook.
1358.  
1359. <<Ah, my head~>>
1360.  
1361. Eta crouched down while grabbing her head.
1362.  
1363. <<That’s enough out of you. You won’t be getting off easily for what you did today.>>
1364.  
1365. There was a beautiful blonde elf standing behind Eta. She was holding a hammer made of slime.
1366.  
1367. Clearly, she had bonked Eta on the head with it.
1368.  
1369. <<W-What do you mean, brain cells won’t regrow once they’re damaged… Ah, my brain…>>
1370.  
1371. Eta glared at the other elf.
1372.  
1373. <<And what is that look of yours supposed to convey?”
1374.  
1375. <<I won’t forgive you, even if you ARE Alpha-sama…>>
1376.  
1377. <<Huh.>>
1378.  
1379. <<Take this. “Mana Disruptor Field (Me Excepted).“>>
1380.  
1381. However, nothing happened.
1382.  
1383. <<Eh? But why?&gt;>
1384.  
1385. <<It seems that mana disruptor field uses radio waves.”
1386.  
1387. <<Wait, don’t tell me..>>
1388.  
1389. <<Sorry, but I blocked out those disruption waves.>>
1390.  
1391. Saying so, Alpha removed her clothes. Below it was a silvery slime suit.
1392.  
1393. “Is, is that aluminum foil…”
1394.  
1395. <<You should know about it too, right? The Wisdom of the Shadows speaks of using aluminum foil to block radio waves.>>
1396.  
1397. <<Wait, is that legend actually true…>>
1398.  
1399. <<Now you have your answer.>>
1400.  
1401. And with that, Alpha brought the hammer down on Eta’s head again.
1402.  
1403. The shocking truth left Eta briefly unable to move.
1404.  
1405. “Ugh!”
1406.  
1407. With a quiet groan, she fainted.
1408.  
1409. <<Take her away. She will be strictly punished until she has changed her ways and her research budget will be heavily reduced. After this, she will only be allowed to conduct research as I direct for the time being.>>
1410.  
1411. <<Y-yes.>>
1412.  
1413. The girls that appeared from behind her dragged the unconscious Eta away.
1414.  
1415. <<Sorry about all this trouble.>>
1416.  
1417. She freed Akane from her bonds as she spoke to her.
1418.  
1419. “Who, who are you…?”
1420.  
1421. Akane was so stricken by the sight of this beautiful elf that she could not say anything else.
1422.  
1423. <<I do not understand your language. Beta will handle the rest.>>
1424.  
1425. And with that, she left.
1426.  
1427. She was so powerful it beggared belief.
1428.  
1429. Also, she was incredibly beautiful.
1430.  
1431. Akane’s instincts told her that she was the strongest fighter in this organization.
1432.  
1433. “Are you alright ~desu?”
1434.  
1435. The silver-haired girl showed up soon enough and got Akane out of there.
1436.  
1437. ========================================================================
1438.  
1439. “From now on, this will be your room, 712 ~desu.”
1440.  
1441. Beta led Akane to an austere room.
1442.  
1443. “So this is my room…”
1444.  
1445. “Yes ~desu. Do you understand after I explained all that?”
1446.  
1447. “Uh, pretty much, I guess.”
1448.  
1449. “Then this is a language textbook. Make sure you learn it quickly, okay?”
1450.  
1451. From what she could see of it, the title of the book was “Understanding This World’s Language For Otherworldly Lifeforms.”
1452.  
1453. “Ah, who’s going to teach me?”
1454.  
1455. “You’ll just have to figure it out practically ~desu. I might not look it but I’m very busy ~desu. That’s it then. Bai bai~desu.”
1456.  
1457. Beta looked away and quickly departed.
1458.  
1459. “...Eh, forget it.”
1460.  
1461. It had been a crappy day, but all the things which had happened today had taken their toll.
1462.  
1463. Akane took a deep breath and then opened the door.
1464.  
1465. “It’s prettier than I expected…”
1466.  
1467. There were three beds in the room.
1468.  
1469. The one in the middle was currently occupied by a girl sleeping in it.
1470.  
1471. Perhaps she had noticed Akane’s presence, but the girl sat up. She was the white-haired girl who had fought Akane.
1472.  
1473. <<You, what are you…?!>>
1474.  
1475. “You, you’re…?!”
1476.  
1477. Akane and the girl spoke simultaneously.
1478.  
1479. <<Why, how could this– how come our new member turned out to be you…>>
1480.  
1481. <You, so you were in this room too. Nice to meet you.”
1482.  
1483. Akane quickly recovered and replied with a smile.
1484.  
1485. <<Kuh… Like hell I want to meet you..! I’m sleeping outside!>>
1486.  
1487. The girl leaped off her bed and glared at Akane before running out.
1488.  
1489. “Ah…”
1490.  
1491. Although she wasn’t sure what the girl had said to her, her hostility was very much in obvious.
1492.  
1493. Akane sighed as she watched the girl leave.
1494.  
1495. Things just kept coming one after another.
1496.  
1497. From coming to another world, to not understanding the language, to being snapped up by an organization full of supermen, being stuck in a room with an unfriendly roommate; nobody here was a real friend.
1498.  
1499. However, she held onto one hope in her heart.
1500.  
1501. “I’ll save you this time, Kageno-kun…!”
1502.  
1503. Akane clenched her fist as that thought ran through her head.
1504.  
1505.  
1506.