Chapter 38: The Sealed Story of Yae Village Slowly Unfolds…

Chapter 38: The Sealed Story of Yae Village Slowly Unfolds…

 Hokuto remained silent, deep in thought.

 If this were anyone else, I might still have some doubts.

 But this is Otto Apocalypse.

 That basically guarantees he's already suspicious of me.

 With his level of intelligence, there's no way he hasn't noticed something's off.

 How annoying…

 Anyone Otto sets his sights on rarely meets a peaceful end.

 Fortunately, even if he suspected something, he still knew nothing about Hokuto.

 As long as he didn't slip up, everything would be fine.

—

 『Your Great Inventor:』 "You don't need to worry. I'll only ask questions you should know the answers to. Your job is simply to answer truthfully."

 A green message floated across the screen.

 Hokuto could practically see Otto's smug, self-assured expression.

 Tch… this guy is so irritating.

 『Hokuto:』 "Heh, alright! Let's see if the story actually goes the way you predict. Oh, and remember—if you're wrong, you owe me a donation."

 『Your Great Inventor:』 "Agreed."

 The exchange immediately sparked excitement in the chat.

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "Big brother, you're making another bet? Can you win this time?"

 『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Hehe~ You're so quick to agree~ I wonder who will end up losing this time?"

 『today's performance wasn't perfect:』 "Predicting the outcome of a story? This kind of wager requires both reasoning skills and luck."

 As the chat buzzed with anticipation, Hokuto simply tapped the screen to continue the story.

—

 Following the mission marker, Hokuto guided his character up a flight of stairs.

 Almost immediately, monsters spawned.

 With a few quick taps, he wiped them out in seconds.

 The fight ended, and the game led him toward an NPC—Kallen Kaslana.

 Hokuto clicked "Talk."

 The dialogue screen popped up.

—

 [These creatures… they've clearly been affected by Honkai energy. What's going on?]

 Kiana murmured to herself, finally sensing that something was wrong.

 [It's over.]

 Kallen sighed in relief.

 Then, the character portrait shifted—Yae Sakura took the stage.

 [How could this be? It hasn't been long since the last festival…]

 [Yae Sakura, that little girl said your sister "went to the side of the gods." What does that mean?]

 Kallen's curiosity was piqued.

 Yae Sakura lowered her gaze.

 [My sister, Yae Rin… she died. Four years ago… she gave her life for this village.]

 [She died for the village?]

 […Let's talk about it later.]

 [The village chief encountered some Honkai creatures today. Kiana, can I trouble you to take care of them?]

 [Huh? Why so suddenly…]

 [Please.]

 [O-Okay…]

—

 As soon as Yae Sakura "insisted," the chat reacted.

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "Big brother, I don't get it… Why did Yae Sakura suddenly sound so forceful?"

 『Hokuto:』 "You mean when she asked Kiana to handle the monsters?"

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "Yeah! She was supposed to be asking for help, but she sounded so… demanding?"

 『Hokuto:』 "Hahaha, that's because you didn't notice—she was trying to send Kiana away."

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "What?! Why—"

 Before Seele could finish typing, Hokuto had already cleared the next wave of enemies and reached the village chief.

 He tapped "Talk."

—

 [You're the village chief?]

 [Hmm? Who are you…?]

 [I heard you encountered some monsters. Yae Sakura asked me to handle them.]

 [Hmph. Since when did our shrine maiden need to rely on outsiders?]

 [That's because Yae Sakura had something more important to do.]

 [More important?! What's more important than my life?! Hah! That's just an excuse!]

 [She just didn't want to help me. That cold-hearted shrine maiden! Still holding a grudge after all these years…]

 […After all these years?]

 [Hah, I knew it. She still resents what happened back then. So what if a little girl died? It was for the good of the village!]

 [A little girl… Was he talking about Yae Rin?]

—

 The chat went silent.

 Then, a blue message floated across the screen.

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "This old man… is awful. How can someone be this cruel? Was Yae Sakura always surrounded by people like this? That's so sad…"

 Seele's innocence was obvious.

 Normally, a kindhearted guy would step in and gently reassure her.

 But unfortunately for her—

 Hokuto wasn't that kind of guy.

 『Hokuto:』 "I told you before, didn't I? This world was never kind to begin with."

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "o(╥﹏╥)o But… I still want Yae Sakura to have a happy ending."

 Hokuto paused.

 She actually believes there's a happy ending in a game like this?

 …How do I even respond to that?

 For the first time, he actually felt a little guilty.

 『Hokuto:』 "Then… I promise you, she will."

 Even if it's not in reality.

 The chat atmosphere grew somber.

 And then—

 A green message appeared.

 『Your Great Inventor:』 "All I wish… is for the Saintess to live."

 Hokuto froze.

 It was a simple sentence.

 But for someone who already knew the script—

 He could feel the weight behind those words.

—

 Meanwhile, in the game, Hokuto's character entered the shrine.

 A few waves of enemies appeared and were swiftly dealt with.

 Then—

 The screen faded to black.

 And a child's voice echoed.

 [Sister… can my sickness be cured?]

 As the scene brightened, a small girl in a kimono appeared before them.

 End of Chapter 38