Episode 11: Bad Cop and Mug Cup Whatchamacallit

"The ‘Core’...? That's a new one on me. I can't just swallow that whole, but what do you mean by it? Your name's Elisabeth, right? Tell me everything you know."

Kiryu-san’s tone was interrogating as he spoke, tapping his own shoulder with the crowbar, thwack, thwack.
Elisabeth, already realizing she was no match for him, just pressed her lips together, looking as if she might cry.

"Hey, Elisabeth?"

"I... I can't say anything..."
She shook her silver twin-tails and glared sharply at Kiryu-san.

"Because it's all just so absurd! Even if I told you, there's no way you'd believe me!"

"Whether we believe you or not is for us to decide. You just need to tell us what you know."

"She's the 'Core.' If you kill her, this game will end, and we can go back to our original world. ...That's about all I can tell you."

"That proposal is utterly unacceptable. Any other information?" Kiryu-san dismissed it out of hand.

At that, Elisabeth looked even more like she was about to cry. She hung her head and squatted down.
It seemed less like she was trying to win us over with tears, and more like she herself didn't know what to do and was just completely confused.

...Ugh, this is a pain.
I couldn't help but scratch my head.
Elisabeth was the one who attacked us, and even now she was saying that Sera—meaning me—should be killed, so it was only natural that Kiryu-san was on high alert.

But at this rate, we're not going to get anywhere...
Our current relationship was terrible, but the information she likely possessed was extremely... extremely intriguing. If she clammed up, I'd be the one in trouble.

After all, Kiryu-san and I had been adventuring however we pleased, just winging it up until now.
However, this was still an unnervingly abnormal world.
It wouldn't be strange if we fell into an unexpected pitfall at any moment.
I wanted information from someone with experience so badly I could almost taste it.

...And there was one other thing bothering me.
Elisabeth's exhaustion.
It was obvious at a glance that she was completely worn out.

When you think about it, it's only natural, I guess... This woman was in the middle of such grueling overtime that she fell asleep on the job only a little while ago, and on top of that, she's basically just woken up, right? I thought, observing Elisabeth.
Kiryu-san and I, who had been energetically moving around right after arriving in this world, were the abnormal ones.
I, for one, hadn't slept a wink and had made it this far.
And yet, I was still relatively energetic.

...Something about this world was off. Not just this world, but my body too.

My body had certainly started to feel heavy, but I could still move. I thought it was strange that I could move. At the very least, it wasn't the kind of stamina a person who thought they were "about to die" from overwork should possess.

Considering all this, I really wanted to hear what Elisabeth had to say.

"Kiryu-san, I'd like to try and talk things over with her, is that okay?"

"...Sera, unfortunately, that's impossible. This girl tried to kill you, remember? What's needed here is an interrogation. Dialogue with someone who harbors malice or murderous intent is impossible."
Kiryu-san turned back as he said this, visibly seething.

...It felt wrong to say it, but he was terrifying.

Or rather, he clearly wasn't in a calm state.
Does he have some kind of trauma regarding 'people with malice or murderous intent'?

"Ugh, I suppose 'dialogue is impossible' might be one way to look at it, but... Still, this is a place where the physics engine is so messed up that pebbles on the roadside can just suddenly clip through the ground, you know? You yourself were just testing that out, Kiryu-san. I don't think fighting her now, in a place like this, is a good idea."

"...That... is true."
My words seemed to register with Kiryu-san.
Seeing my chance, I pressed on.

"Besides, even if you say we should be wary of her, I don't think even you believe we should kill Elisabeth, do you, Kiryu-san? In that case, we should at least talk to her, to see if we can establish some kind of non-aggression pact."
With that, I turned back to Elisabeth.
Elisabeth tensed up, looking wary, but I continued speaking.
I'm used to having conversations with emotional people from work.

"Elisabeth, for now, let's just try to get comfortable."
After a moment's thought, I said that to her.
Elisabeth looked at me and tilted her head, puzzled.

"For now, let's put aside the fact that you attacked us. I'll put my machine gun on the floor too, so please try to relax a bit."

"Hey, Sera!" Kiryu-san raised his voice reproachfully, but I just shook my head and shrugged.

"...There's no way we can have a proper discussion if we're aiming weapons at an unarmed Elisabeth and saying, 'Alright, let's talk,' now is there?"
When I said that, Elisabeth gave a sarcastic smile and shrugged, as if to say, "Exactly."

"We don't need to get too close to each other. But please, let's at least exchange information. First, let's sit down. You were working overtime until just now, weren't you, Elisabeth? Staying crouched won't help your fatigue. Okay?"
As I sat down, Elisabeth frowned, her gaze searching.
Still, she hesitantly sat down on the ground.
...It felt strange to think this about someone who had just tried to kill me, but she reminded me of a wary little kitten.
Having sat down, it seemed we weren't going to clip through the floor. Thank goodness.

"Um, by the way, Elisabeth."

"...What is it?"

"This isn't an official stage, so sometimes things clip through the floor. Please try not to move around too much, okay?"

"Eeep?!" Elisabeth shrieked, her shoulders jolting as she frantically looked around.
...This place looks like a normal stage at first glance, but Kiryu-san's investigation revealed spots where things can occasionally clip through. Genuinely terrifying...

"For now, I'll explain our situation. I was originally a rookie nurse, and right before I came here, I'd been working from 5:30 AM until midnight. That's when I wandered into this world."
When I said that, Elisabeth made a face that seemed to say, "Huh."
...She seems like a corporate drone too, so information like this probably doesn't surprise her.
I had a vague feeling, but yeah, she's one of us.

"And Kiryu-san next to me is an engineer, isn't he? He also came here while working overtime. ...Right, Kiryu-san?"

"...We were right before a new game release, and the entire staff was doing debugging work."
When I looked up at Kiryu-san, he spoke, albeit reluctantly.

"I fell asleep in the middle of it, and when I woke up, I was in this world. Our situations are similar, Elisabeth. We both just woke up in another world, didn't we?"

"... ...Yes. I was doing some record-keeping work, and it seems I fell asleep without realizing it."
After a moment of silence, Elisabeth hesitantly opened her mouth.

"Actually, Sera... was your arrival different?"

"Yes."
I continued after that "Yes."

"A big shot was doing rounds while I was working overtime, so I was locked in the linen room."

"Locked in? What's that about?"

"If a supervisor finds out a rookie is working overtime, the Head Nurse gets chewed out. And if the Head Nurse gets chewed out, then later all the nurses on the ward get chewed out. So I was hidden in the linen room, waiting for the rounds to finish. Then, at that moment, my smartphone went haywire? And while I was panicking and staring at it, a door to another world just opened up."

"...What even is that?" Elisabeth looked at me as if she couldn't comprehend what I was saying.

"I've never heard anything like that before."

"It's true, you know! Surprising, right? I took the job because I heard the turnover rate was less than 5% and there was almost no overtime, you know? But in reality, people are quitting left and right, and forget overtime, it's..."

"You idiot. That kind of thing happens all the time," Elisabeth said with an exasperated, bitter smile. "What I meant by 'what even is that' was the part about your smartphone going haywire."
I tilted my head.

"When you came here before, Elisabeth, you didn't hear any stories like that?"

"No... The previous time, and the time before that, before we could discuss anything like that... ...Well, the killing just sort of started, bit by bit."
Her words made me jump.

"Does this fantasy world have some kind of death game rules?"

"That's not it. But... um, how should I explain this? It seems only one person can bring electronic devices like smartphones or laptops into this world."

"One person."

"Yes. Only one. An existence known as the 'Core.' And that electronic device... this time, it's a smartphone. It should have a function it didn't have before. A function necessary to traverse these worlds."
I instinctively held my breath at Elisabeth's words.
A function it didn't have before... Could she mean the Untitled app?

"It's quite useful to have, you know. Even though this world is so incomprehensible, as long as you have that, you can move about pretty freely."

"Freely?" I couldn't help but tilt my head.

"Does that mean... for example... we could return to our original world?"

"That's impossible. No, it means you can travel to other game worlds. And not just yourself; you can take others with you... for example, me or that man over there."

"That is convenient." I let out an involuntary cry of admiration.
But Elisabeth's expression was dark.

"Yes, it might be convenient. But if this world is the same as the one I wandered into before, then other humans should have been summoned here too... And within this closed-off, abnormal world, eventually, a struggle—a fight to the death—will break out over that electronic device."

"A fight to the death? Why would something like that suddenly happen?"
As I said that, Elisabeth's gaze flickered down for a moment.
She looked like she was thinking, I've said too much.

"...Something like that has happened before, hasn't it?"
Before I could say anything, it was Kiryu-san who asked.
Elisabeth hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded in response to his question.

"...Yes. The struggle escalated, and eventually, it turned into a fight to the death. And then, while all that was happening, the original owner was killed. The moment they died, I woke up and was able to return to my original world. So surely, this time too..."
After saying that, Elisabeth let out a small sigh.

"I've said too much... but oh well. Since I lost to that man, I don't stand a chance anyway. I'll let you kill me quietly now, if you want?"

"I'm not currently considering a career change to murderer," I said, grimacing.
For a moment, Elisabeth just stared blankly at my reaction, then she started to chuckle.
...Good.
It seemed I'd earned a little of her trust, and the tension that had been etched on her face eased.

But she probably wouldn't give me any more answers that touch the core of the issue, even if I asked now...
That's what I thought.
—Honestly, it felt like there was a considerable leap in logic between Elisabeth's story about 'a convenient electronic device' and 'a fight to the death over it.'
Because normally, people wouldn't just suddenly start killing each other.
No matter how abnormal the world they'd been thrown into, there aren't many people who can just suddenly commit murder.
...Usually, it would start with talk of cooperation, or if that wasn't possible, then separating and living quietly.
Elisabeth's current story had skipped over all of that.
She even gestured as if considering how to gloss over the skipped parts.

Elisabeth probably omitted facts that would be inconvenient for her if she said them now.
That was my hunch.
But I shouldn't say that now.
If I asked, she'd just dodge the question and become warier.

It's bothering me, but I can't ask any more right now.
There's a rule that when a patient is hiding something they don't want to say, a nurse shouldn't point it out on the spot.
It's because a simple conversation can turn into a one-sided interrogation or denunciation.
In that case, a relationship of trust cannot be built between the patient and the medical staff, information exchange becomes impossible, and there's a risk that proper intervention cannot be carried out.

The same could be said for Elisabeth.
It wasn't good to press her now.
Our relationship was too delicate.
If I were to ask again, it would have to be after more time had passed.
I didn't know if a good opportunity would arise, though...

I glanced up at Kiryu-san. He smiled with a complicated expression, looked at me, and shrugged.

"Well... if you want to build a cooperative relationship with her, I don't mind."
He, for his part, seemed to have regained his composure while talking.
The agitation he'd shown earlier was gone.
Smiling wryly, Kiryu-san picked up Elisabeth's fallen staff and offered it to her.

"...Just from talking a little, it's clear there are holes in the information you know too. It's not yet decided that killing the 'Core' is the only way to return to the original world."

"Yes, that's true."

"So, why not form an alliance? All of us were originally ordinary citizens far removed from murder. If we can return to our original world without killing anyone, that's obviously for the best, wouldn't you agree?"
When Kiryu-san said that, Elisabeth blinked, stared at the offered staff, and fell silent.
But then, a faint, unreadable smile touched her lips.

"...Yes, I understand. Since I'm no match for you, it seems cooperating is my only option. ...Sera, I'll save killing you for when it's clear there are absolutely no other options left."

For the time being, we decided to return from the ‘Slum District’ to the original ‘Downtown,’ using that method of repeatedly ramming our heads into the wall.
Even with few enemies, we couldn't stay indefinitely in a place where we'd discovered that simply walking a short distance could mean clipping through the ground and falling forever.

Besides, I was thirsty and quite hungry.
Elisabeth had said that "pretty much anything that was in the original game should also exist in this world," so we decided to secure canned goods and water at the 'Supermarket' stage on the way.
...Still, it was really helpful to hear Elisabeth's stories.
I was glad that someone experienced with interdimensional transfers had become our ally (even if it might be temporary).

Elisabeth, having been overpowered by Kiryu-san, seemed to have resigned herself to accompanying us.
And, for some reason, she wanted to stay close to me.
Apparently, she trusted me for defending her and was wary of Kiryu-san, who had hit her with a crowbar.

I'm just as wary of Elisabeth, though... She did try to kill me.
For now, I decided to keep an eye on Elisabeth and stay as close to Kiryu-san as possible.
I mean, I suspected the person inside Elisabeth was probably also an ordinary citizen, far removed from killing, but the thought of her suddenly attacking me when my guard was down was terrifying.

As these thoughts ran through my head, I sidled up to Kiryu-san. He murmured in a voice only I could hear,

"...You're pretty good yourself. To think someone would maneuver me into playing the bad cop."
He muttered this with a wry smile. I couldn't help but tilt my head and look up at him.

"Bad cop?"

"Never mind, just talking to myself. ...It just means you're amazing for casually using a classic interrogation tactic without even realizing it."
Kiryu-san, having reached his own conclusion, deepened his wry smile and abruptly ended the topic.

Interrogation, huh. Come to think of it, the way Kiryu-san was talking when he was trying to interrogate Elisabeth earlier, I feel like I've seen... no, heard it somewhere before. Where on earth did I hear it? Could it be that I've met Kiryu-san somewhere in real-world Japan?
I thought about it, but no answer came.
I decided to switch gears and just focus on moving forward.

──Right, here's the plan from now on.
First, return to ‘Downtown’ and clear it.
Secure food at the supermarket at the beginning of the next stage, ‘Uptown.’
The Safe House in the middle of Uptown... we'll pass by it for now.
After procuring supplies like syringes and medicine bottles in the hospital area towards the end, we'll then return to the Safe House to rest.
It was quite a forced march, but with the Army of Hell around, we'd manage somehow.

"Sera, think we can clear this game?"

"Of course. The Army of Hell members, who are power-leveling like crazy right now, should also be ridiculously strong."
When I tried putting a Vital Watch on the arm of Ortega (provisional name), who'd been instantly killing zombies with a plastic trash can... his level was 10.
Good condition. At this rate, we could take down a tank with ease.

"For now, shall we head to the supermarket?"
The way to the supermarket was a piece of cake.
We only had to walk a little, and the Army of Hell would charge forward, instantly killing zombies, Minotaurs, and Zombie Tanks for us. So satisfying.

"No way, how can you defeat a tank with a crumpled-up tissue..." Elisabeth commented, utterly astonished.
We reached the supermarket in no time and got fruits, bottled water, bread, canned goods, and more.
There was a mid-boss inside the store: the supermarket manager, who had become a psychopath.
He was screaming, "THIS IS MY STOOOORE!!" with an enraged expression, but he too was instantly killed, no contest.

We put various supplies into paper bags we found at the register, loaded them onto a cart we found in the store, and continued looting.
Nick? Of course, we brought him. He's on the cart.
We also found plastic bags and eco-bags, so we stuffed those full of supplies too and tied them to the Army of Hell.
The appearance of the Army of Hell members was getting progressively weirder.

We passed through the Safe House and ventured a little further to the hospital area.

We helped ourselves to a bunch of tourniquets, hypodermic needles and syringes, alcohol swabs, and absorbent cotton.
In a linen room, I found new linens, so I decided to stuff a large quantity into pillowcases to use as makeshift bags.
Sheets also looked useful.
Just as I thought we could finally take a break after gathering various items, my body suddenly swayed.

"Sera!!"
Before I hit the ground, Kiryu-san caught me.
I was supposed to be feeling better, that's strange... I thought, but it seemed the unrelenting tension had unknowingly persisted, and it finally caught up with me.
With that, my consciousness blacked out.

【Character Introduction That Won't Help You Understand the Main Story At All】

■ Ms. Elisabeth

Actually, the person inside is quite bad at sports. No wonder she was no match for Kiryu-san in terms of strength.
Despite her sharp tongue, she's weak to pressure and easily moved by sentiment, a natural worrier. Her screams are unique. Loves cats. Likes dogs quite a bit too. Actually, likes animals in general.
She used to write an otome game analysis blog and occasionally posted photo diaries for friends and family on Facebook, but it's been rather neglected lately. Has one older brother. Favorite foreign drama is G█ee.
From the middle of the story onwards, a handsome, elite, stamina-monster real estate agent will fall head over heels for her, and she'll end up being hounded by him like something out of a gag manga, but that's a story for the real-world arc. For now, she's just a pitiful older sister figure.