During the final stretch of our journey, Akane reminded us once again:
"This time, our only target is White Rabbit. Once we enter the recreation hall, split up immediately and search for her. The moment anyone finds her, contact the others right away. After subduing White Rabbit quickly, we'll leave this ship as soon as possible."
After a brief pause, she added seriously:
"Please do not use weapons like smoke grenades or flashbangs. If we make an even bigger mess, we're definitely going to get scolded. Also, avoid unnecessary combat. Please don't do things like knocking out all the guards... Just act with that sort of mindset."
As for who she was directing that reminder toward, it went without saying.
Neru, whose excitement had been obvious throughout the journey and who already seemed to have planned exactly how she'd deal with Koyuki to vent her frustration, couldn't help pouting.
"Haaah... What a pain."
"This is the last part," I said reassuringly. "If it's you, Neru, you can definitely do it, right?"
The orange-haired girl gritted her teeth and snapped back:
"Yeah, yeah, quit it already! I'd do it even without that kind of flattery! Who do you think I am? Something this easy is a piece of cake for me!"
Then she proudly declared her victory in advance.
"Just watch. I'll find her in no time, punch her in the back of the head without making a sound, and bring her back immediately."
Considering that Neru's punches could knock out even an android on Kei's level in a single hit, if one really landed squarely on Koyuki's head...
The girl was already pretty dense to begin with.
Moved by compassion, I immediately stopped her.
"You should hold back a little. Just make her cry so hard she can't speak, and that'll be enough."
"...Oh?" Neru revealed a cruel grin. "You're right! Sensei, you've got some pretty good ideas! Hahaha∼ Alright, let's do it your way!"
That was entirely her own misunderstanding. I had absolutely nothing to do with it.
By then, we'd reached the entrance to the recreation hall and could already hear the noisy commotion coming from inside.
Karin calmly said,
"Then let's begin."
"Right."
Neru nodded.
"Ah, Sensei, come with me. If anything happens, I'll protect you, so don't worry."
I trusted her strength.
At the same time, I didn't entirely trust her ability to stay calm.
No matter how I looked at it, staying together with her was the optimal choice.
So I nodded.
"I'll leave it to you."
Akane and Karin both seemed somewhat disappointed, while Neru narrowed her eyes happily.
"Hehe∼ Just leave it to me∼"
Soon afterward, Neru and I entered through the main entrance, while Karin and Akane planned to come in from the side.
Although I'd already expected it from outside, the interior of the recreation hall was even noisier than I'd imagined once we stepped through the doors.
The enormous hall was lavishly decorated and packed with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of machines of various types. Loud sounds blasted from every direction while bizarre and dazzling visuals flashed across countless screens.
The place was packed with people. Nearly every passenger seemed completely absorbed in their games, constantly shouting in joy or despair depending on whether they won or lost.
The most eye-catching feature, however, was undoubtedly the gigantic screen mounted at the highest point of the hall.
At that moment, it displayed a student whose face was overflowing with excitement, waving her arms as if she'd won an award. Around her, countless golden coins rained down as special effects, surrounding the giant bold text:
"C → B"
Clearly, she'd successfully increased her rank aboard the Golden Fleece and was now being showcased as a success story to inspire the next "lucky winner" dreaming of striking it rich overnight.
A despicable tactic.
And an effective one.
"What do you even call this..." Neru muttered while looking around. "Isn't this just a giant arcade?"
Because the surroundings were so noisy and chaotic, she unconsciously moved closer to me. Even then, we still had to raise our voices considerably to hear one another.
"What?" I teased. "Planning to sneak in a few games while Akane isn't watching?"
Neru immediately rolled her eyes.
"Idiot. We're on a mission right now. Besides, what's there to play in games that take no skill?"
The way she said that almost made it sound like she had skill herself.
After declining a guide who enthusiastically approached to explain the rules, the giant screen changed again.
Another student had apparently advanced from Rank C to Rank B.
As cheers and exclamations erupted around us, an excited announcement echoed through the hall.
"My, my! Another guest has advanced from Rank C to Rank B! Congratulations! Everyone else, please continue striving to raise your ranks as well!!!"
So the Golden Fleece could earn even more money from them, right?
Neru looked up at the screen, then surveyed the increasingly excited crowd around us.
"...What are they even doing? Someone's rank went up, so they're celebrating? What's the big deal? Makes no sense."
I sighed in agreement.
"Honestly, it's probably better not to understand."
Neru thought for a moment.
"Hmph... So that's why these people completely ignore everything around them and just stare at these machines. They don't go to school or anything? They just stay here doing this all day?"
I looked at her in surprise.
For someone who looked like a delinquent, frequently arrived late, left early, or skipped class entirely for various reasons, that was an unexpected concern.
"You're actually the type to care about that?"
"Huh?" Neru snapped. "S-Shut up! I may be late a lot, but I don't skip that often! I do actually go to school properly!"
After saying that, she took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Anyway, that's not important right now... If that idiot is hiding among these people, it wouldn't be strange at all. Everyone here looks possessed. It's so noisy you can barely hear anyone talking. No work, no responsibilities, no one telling you what to do... This place is perfect for someone like her."
...Was she talking about Koyuki or herself?
After doing some mental calculations, I said,
"But the amount of money that's disappeared into this place, enough to push the Seminar to the brink of bankruptcy... It should be enough for dozens of Koyukis to live carefree for the rest of their lives."
"Yeah. That's why people only get something for nothing when someone else pays the price."
After saying that casually, Neru added:
"But seriously, if that idiot really is here, what exactly is she doing..."
Before she could finish, her eyes, which had been scanning the hall, suddenly locked onto a particular spot.
"...Ah. Found her."
"That fast!?"
Neru tugged on my sleeve, prompting me to lean down slightly, then pointed toward a corner.
"Over there... See her? The one sitting all the way in the back."
Following her direction and focusing more carefully, I finally spotted Koyuki.
I also immediately understood why I'd unconsciously overlooked her earlier.
Not only had Koyuki changed out of her Millennium uniform, she'd put on an outfit that combined a bunny girl costume with a magician's attire.
SAUCE
More importantly, she'd even dyed several bright yellow streaks into her most recognizable feature, her pink hair.
But that was fine.
Impure pink hair was still pink hair.
Just like Hanako and Seia.
Wait, now that I think about it, doesn't Neru's hair look kind of pink-orange too?
"Why is it like this again!?"
At that moment, Koyuki suddenly let out a miserable wail.
"How is this possible!? Do you have any idea how much I've spent today!? The guaranteed S-rank should've appeared by now! How long am I supposed to wait before becoming a VIP!? I can't wait anymoreeee!"
She began furiously smacking the machine.
The behavior quickly attracted a warning from a nearby security guard, and Koyuki immediately put on a flattering smile and stopped.
It seemed she was simply playing games.
"Seriously... I was wondering what she was up to. She really just dumped all the bond money into the games...?"
As she watched the pink-haired girl return to her game the moment the guard left, Neru grew even angrier.
"How boring... We came all the way here because of something this stupid...!"
"Well, it's not exactly a bad thing..." I said, twitching slightly. "But losing that much money in just a few days purely through gaming... Somehow that feels even more ridiculous."
"...Yeah. This is definitely better than her secretly working with some delinquent gang and plotting something weird... Though personally, I wouldn't have minded. Actually, I'd probably like that development more."
After saying that, Neru took out her communicator, informed Karin and Akane that Koyuki had been found, and sent them her location.
After receiving confirmation from both of them, the orange-haired girl smiled at me, clearly in a good mood.
"Looks like that's the end of it. It was a short mission, but thanks for your hard work, Sensei. Once Karin and Akane get here, it'll all be over. That idiot hasn't even noticed us..."
At that exact moment, an alert several times louder than the previous ones suddenly echoed throughout the hall.
An excited announcement followed immediately after.
"Incredible, incredible! This guest, Asuna-sama, has reached Rank A in only ten attempts! Congratulations! Will she ride this momentum all the way to becoming a VIP!?"
On the giant screen appeared Asuna, who had mysteriously vanished earlier and was now wearing a bunny girl outfit that nobody knew where she'd obtained.
She stood there with a radiant smile, arms spread wide as though accepting everyone's congratulations.
At that moment, I remembered why the Game Development Department's casino project on campus had gone bankrupt almost immediately after it started.
And as she watched the screen, the smile on Neru's face slowly transformed into utter bewilderment.
"...Huh?"