Chapter 318

“Chat GPT, can you tell me what 4, 35, 38, 20, 14, 63, 63, 13, 35, 31, 5 mean?”

[Sorry, the provided sequence doesn’t seem to have any particular meaning or context. If you provide more information or context, I may be able to help you.]

“Why are you so useless like this! Just give me something random! Gah!”

[Sorry, but…]

Adella lay on the roof, enjoying the view as she desperately tried to decipher the encrypted message.

This would’ve been an excellent time to harness the power of collective intelligence, but NaeMe’s advice lingered in her mind.

[It’d be better to keep it secret until I’m sure about the content.]

“You don’t even know what it is yourself. No, I should decrypt it first, right?”

If it were an important encrypted message, she could use it as a leverage against NaeMe.

Restoring the account status to before the lost save file would be inevitable.

She should also receive a generous Christmas gift.

Perhaps she could even attempt to reverse the dynamic between older sister and younger sister titles.

“Since I failed last time… There’s no law that states opportunities only come once.”

Ignoring all the messages sent by NaeMe urging her to come home early, she devoted all her attention to decrypting the code.

She tried hanging upside down from a tree, hitting her head against waterfalls.

She drummed on the wooden fish in the quiet temple map and didn’t let go of the paper while pushing through crowds in the noisy square map.

To what extent did the great Adella watch a three-hour documentary on ‘The History of Human Ciphers’ on VTube?

Yet still, a satisfying result was not easily forthcoming.

Adella sighed deeply and aimlessly wandered around the VR square map again.

“Ah… If only it was some sort of treasure map!”

Papyrus stained with ink showing a red ‘X.’ Rolling seas and a Kraken, an uninhabited island lush with forests. An octagonal star compass was drawn in the corner.

Each of these invoked the romanticism of adventure.

Adella picked up a rolling branch and squatted down to draw a treasure map on the ground.

“How do you draw that compass star again?”

She had watched ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ on Netflix just a couple of days before, but her poor memory failed to recall easily.

Adella, being disappointed, roughly sketched the ‘4’ that pointed to the cardinal directions.

“It doesn’t look cool because it’s not a star. Sigh… Anyway, I wonder if NaeMe draws well?”

She had never seen NaeMe draw.

Being adept at magic, swordsmanship, mathematics, languages, and music, Adella guessed NaeMe must have a certain proficiency in art too.

In the meantime, she erased the crooked ‘4’ with the branch.

“Huh? Sa… sa sa sa. It’s the number 4!”

Because she had stared at it for so long, it had become the number that induced anxiety.

Adella rolled on the ground, thinking of something, and finally opened the map app.

She compared it with the numbers she had converted into ASCII, utf8, and plain alphabetical order.

N, and then E.

So, the numbers must mean latitude and longitude.

“This body is a genius!”

With joy, Adella jumped and immediately entered the numbers into the map app.

It was less a cipher and more a riddle sequence.

‘Prudish NaeMe probably couldn’t have imagined this!’

[35.3820 N, 63.63133531 E]

Unfortunately, Adella’s guess was entirely wrong.

“Ah… That’s not it, is it?”

The Balah Murghab mountain range in northern Afghanistan — far too out of place for a treasure map.

Isn’t it completely random to have a treasure map hidden here?

After approximately an hour of further painstakingly analyzing, Adella was able to find a more reliable answer.

[35°38’20” N, 139°35’31” E]

[Tokyo Setagaya, Japan, 4-Chome (丁目) 23-19, Seijo Mitsuke House]

“Our… country… no, it’s those bastards’ country!”

Thus, Adella traversed from patriotism to opportunism in a single sentence.

* * *

* * *

“One wonders if this child thought I wouldn’t be able to find her after running away…?”

Meanwhile, NaeMe could intuitively view Adella’s tear-inducing one-man show over the last half-day from a third-person perspective.

‘What on earth was she doing under the waterfall? Was it some form of spiritual cultivation?’

Adella had merely left the party, but ownership still belonged to NaeMe.

Since the open world doesn’t have a central server but has the capsules act as nodes to share the load, ownership implies existence.

Naturally, until NaeMe’s body in the virtual reality world returned to the real world, this ownership relationship could never be permanently dissolved.

Kangkangkang-!

‘Even invoking a tiger can bring it.’

At that moment, Adella knocked on the private room door.

[Private Room]

[NoName and Adella’s House]

[system: User ‘Adella’ has sent a request to join ‘NoName and Adella’s House’ party. Would you like to accept it?]

“Who is this?”

“Isn’t it obvious if you listen? It’s me, Adella! There’s an important thing to discuss, so would you please open this door?”

“The door might break. You’re done with running away?”

Treating running away like going out for a meal — No Name.

Even though Adella’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, there was no time to object now.

“Now isn’t the time for that! Listen carefully to what I have to say. This morning, I managed to collect all the fragments of ‘Mephistopheles’ Memories,’ and once all collected, a sequence of 11 numbers appeared!”

“Mm, well done.”

“Who am I? Adella, the genius kitty, of course! I thought about whether I should tell you the cipher I cracked by myself, but if you show some sincerity, I might consider it. Hmmph.”

“Mm, that’s great. Adella, can you step aside for a sec so I can take this call?”

“Huh? Oh, alright…”

It was outside Adella’s expectations that NaeMe would show no interest in the cipher.

Furthermore, though NaeMe must surely know that she left the party, Adella noticed no particular reaction.

Suddenly, Adella felt her eyes reddening with emotion but stifled it forcefully.

Adella lay flat on the carpet floor, waiting for NaeMe’s call to end.

“Just now, you formed a group, right? How many people? Thirty? Wouldn’t that be insufficient? I see.”

“What? Who are you talking to?”

“Ssh, hold on. Mm. Mm.”

“Alright! I won’t interrupt!”

“That building is set for redevelopment. Got it. Also, Emika, always be careful. Stick with the adults, and if anything happens, contact me immediately. Oh, and could you please take a picture of the Mitsuke House entrance on your way? Thanks for helping with the difficult request.”

After the call ended, Adella asked curiously,

“Emika? That Kamikita Emika?”

“Yes, do you know her?”

“I know all of your acquaintances. But why… wait, didn’t you just mention ‘Mitsuke House’?”

Adella’s eyes widened in shock.

How could she know that name?

Staring at Adella’s open mouth, NaeMe smirked.

“It seems you’ve decoded it too, Adella?”

“Err… no… how…!”

“Didn’t you know your inventory was shared with mine?”

As NaeMe swiped her hand over the hologram, a black garter belt stocking appeared.

Adella gaped in astonishment.

Her eyes questioned why her item was in NaeMe’s possession.

NaeMe began rummaging through the inventory by squeezing into the upper torso.

A Vocaloid dakimakura, Gundam figure, male idol bromide, and even a warm fleshy breast pad were pulled out.

“Kyaaaah! Stop it!”

NaeMe held the last item up and observed it,

“Digital video editing level 1 written exam guidebook… why is the book so clean? You barely used it when you were at the boarding school?”

“Th… That! Ahh! Why is Sister messing with my things? Wait, so about that cipher, did Sister decode it alone?”

Not just decoding, it seems.

By now, NaeMe had already contacted the Japanese Katsuhuta Sect and sent a request for investigation.

“Come on, what if there really was treasure?”

After hearing the entire story, Adella clenched her fists and protested.

“Whatever, we’ve already moved on from that.”

It might very well be that they’re just doing favors for others, as Adella put it.

But the Japanese know more about their own affairs.

If there were any issues, they’d take appropriate measures.

Adella still seemed unsure.

Holding Adella’s hands tightly, NaeMe said,

“At first, I thought the same as you. Of course, it’s irksome to hand things over to someone else, but tell me, what can I do right now?”

It wasn’t a question of whether she had the ability or not.

Could an eight-year-old really comb through an entire apartment complex alone?

“Even if the coordinate values were given down to the second, one second of latitude equals 25 meters, and one second of longitude is a whopping 30 meters. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Mm…”

“If we allow for 2 to 3 seconds of error, it would mean painstakingly searching an entire hectare. And if a foreigner were to break into property in a redevelopment area, the police would get a report in less than a day, wouldn’t they?”

The apartment complex, though old, belonged to a neighborhood in a secure upscale community.

“Anyway, good job collecting the fragments for me, Adella. Even though you must’ve been exhausted from the gaming, you stuck through it. Thank you.”

“Haha… m… it was quite tiring indeed. Yeah!”

Adella couldn’t quite meet NaeMe’s eyes.

She buried in her heart that she had gathered them inadvertently as she became more idle.

“What time is it now? It’s past midnight.”

“Eh? It’s already this late? Damn, time flies when you’re in here.”

“I see. You’ve worked hard, Adella.”

Suddenly feeling a sense of unreality, Adella grabbed NaeMe from her shoulder and placed her on her knee to ask,

“But it’s twelve o’clock, why haven’t you gone to sleep yet? You didn’t broadcast today, right?”

On non-broadcast days, NaeMe rarely stayed in the virtual world for long.

NaeMe’s connection time had already surpassed six hours.

She had stepped into the VR world right after dinner.

NaeMe replied coolly.

“Merry Christmas a bit late, Adella. Can I check your inventory for a second?”

[‘Dawn Cat – Adella’s’ Inventory]

[43. Full Villa House (Waikiki Beach)]

“What’s this?”

“Even though I can’t realistically give you a house in the real world, at least in the virtual world, isn’t it alright? Do you like it?”

“No, it’s too sudden…”

NaeMe had already changed into a Santa costume.

“Recently, I feel like I’ve been intruding too much on your personal life. I should have treated you with the respect you deserve as an individual. After thinking it over, I realize I haven’t done that as well as I should have. I’m deeply sorry.”

While gazing intently into Adella’s face,

This was a habit of NaeMe’s.

She always checks the reaction of the person receiving a proposal or gift.

Surprisingly attentive to others’ feelings; this was what Adella thought of NoName.

Adella closed her mouth tightly and shook her head.

“No, I don’t need it.”

“EH? You don’t need it? Why… Why? Don’t you like it?”

“If the house is too big, we won’t even see each other’s faces. And I still like living with Sister. When else will I get to touch these adorable cheeks? Hiiheee! (Nyah~)!”

“Stop that! And when did you stop caring about privacy?”

“Do you have amnesia?”

Adella whistled casually to avoid the question.

“So, will you really return it?”

“Yes, I’ll return it! I’m not leaving here! No, I can’t leave! Until Sister makes me a body, I’ll keep bothering her!”

“When you have your body, what then?”

“At that time, we’ll share the same bed, heheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee! I wonder what Sister’s belly fat feels like in a world where ethical codes don’t exist! I want to touch it quick.”

NaeMe shook her head at Adella’s nonsense.

“Oh, by the way, about your Myouja account.”

“It’s fine. Even though it’s somewhat embarrassing for my preferences to be aired in front of the audience, but… if Sister repays me tonight, that will be enough as a Christmas present. Spend the night with me.”

“Here? So, you’re telling me… to just sleep in the capsule?”

“Yeah! The capsule has a sleep mode, right? Can’t you? Do you not want to? Do you want to abandon Adella?”

“Alright then, if that’s the case. Got it.”

“Yay!”

Adella sprang up with a triumphant cheer.

“Aaaaah!”

Having sat on Adella’s knees all this while, NaeMe bounced off her and fell flat on her butt.

NaeMe grabbed a pillow to punish Adella, who laughed mischievously.

Adella summoned her 99-reinforced dakimakura, and an irregular pillow fight ensued.

Each side launched ferocious attacks without any defense, displaying no mercy, worthy of sisters.

Finally, with the purchase of a cudgel, NaeMe struck Adella’s head hard, creating an unforgettable Christmas memory for both.

* * *

* * *

Police officers who arrived in the Setagaya Ward remained silent, without sounding any sirens or alarms as they ambushed quietly.

Roadblocks and police tape were scattered throughout the roads.

Some residents, sensing the uneasy atmosphere, came out in their pajamas.

The police officers kindly calmed them down each time, guiding them back into their homes.

“Seeing the police cooperate in this manner is quite unusual.”

The young librarian of the Katsuhuta Sect casually told this to Kozumi Yoshihiro.

The stance of the Japanese government toward the sects was somewhere between servility and caution.

Particularly, the larger sects could be considered civilian volunteer groups at best, or private military companies (PMCs) meddling in politics at worst.

The teacher of Emika slightly nodded in agreement.

“Signs of the pseudo-religion Aleph were discovered, so presumably, the higher-ups are on high alert. It seems they’ve accepted that Aleph has been reactivating for a long time already.”

“Indeed. While terror in Japan is hard to imagine…”

“I hope these people inside are simply imposters…”

Uninhabited abandoned buildings were found to have had electricity and water illegally connected.

Most notably, they had been paying billions of yen in mana taxes annually for the past decade.

While occasional homelessness sometimes resulted in people squatting in empty houses due to Tokyo’s exorbitant housing costs, this case was notably unusual.

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s do it!”

A group of men surrounded the building in unison.

[Great Spell Circle: Light]

The sky above lit up with an enormous light spell, illuminating the building’s balconies and corridors.

Anti-magic suits and aura shields were firmly wrapped around the members as they kicked down the iron doors.

Kwang!

The hinges, already worn out, gave way with a loud creak, revealing the interior completely.

“Two per unit. If there’s no one, move to the next. Hurry!”

There were fifty search target units in total.

At times, a smelly vagrant was discovered and handed over to the police immediately.

And then, at Unit 316 in the middle of the third floor,

“Hojo, please come quickly over here!”

Right on cue, young men with tattoos approached, their eyes filled with hostility while being captured.

“These people?”

“Not sure yet. But everyone seemed to know magic.”

Knowing magic and living in such a run-down place?

This was a very unsettling situation.

“Make sure not a single one escapes. And any other reports?”

“It… it’s…”

The young man couldn’t continue.

Hojo shoved his shoulder and entered the room where Katsuhuta sect members had gathered.

A female member in the corner was heaving from the nausea.

Under normal circumstances, someone might have come over to comfort her by patting her back, but currently, no one had the leisure to do so.

“What’s this?”

“A capsule.”

The pungent stench hit the nose hard.

Even food waste would have smelled like a pleasant fragrance compared to this.

An overwhelming odor that made eyes water, numbing the nose and tongue.

Anyone who smelled it would instinctively know what it was.

Hydrogen sulfide, volatile organic compounds, ammonia.

Simply put, the smell of corpses.

Unable to use any magic before the forensic science team arrived to preserve the scene,

A shabby fabric was temporarily placed to cover the capsule entrance to minimize the smell somewhat.

“Are there people inside…?”

“Yes. There are. People who were… once.”

“Hmm… May I see for a moment?”

Hojo exhaled deeply.

The skeleton was already fully decomposed into bones.

The bottom surface of the capsule, which had been lain like a coffin, was filled with an unknown black liquid. Presumably, this foul-smelling sludge was the cause.

Hojo had no choice but to cover his mouth after some time.

“How could humans do such a thing…?”