Chapter 55: The Pair on Vacation
"Haruto-san... Kaguya-san... Have you already figured out how to clear the instance?"
Yotsuya Miko's eyelid twitched, a subtle but telling sign of her bewilderment. She stared at the two of them, who looked for all the world like they were on a resort holiday rather than trapped in a death game.
Kaguya was lounging against the headboard, sprawled lazily across the bed. "How could we? It's barely started. This princess doesn't have fiery eyes that can see through all creation; how could I be that amazing?"
Haruto was also lying down, his head comfortably pillowed on Kaguya's lap. He scrubbed at his eyes, his voice thick with a groggy grumble.
"I'm so tired I could die... If I'd known this was coming, I wouldn't have stayed up all night. It's all your fault for insisting on 'just one more round' a billion times. Now look, I was dragged in here before I could even get a wink of sleep."
"And I didn't get any sleep either, did I?" Kaguya retorted.
"Is that even the same thing? For you, missing a day or two of sleep is probably like skipping a light nap." Haruto muttered, then added under his breath, "Besides, if you get really tired, can't you just find a table corner to bump your head on and be fully revived?"
"..."
They bickered back and forth, utterly devoid of the tension or awareness one would expect from participants in a horror game. Watching this scene of almost domestic squabbling, Yotsuya Miko felt a deep sense of disconnect, unsure of what to even say.
She remembered their first instance together, how reliable and steady Haruto had been. Even in the second one, while he and Kaguya had been a bit flighty at the start, they had proven themselves dependable when it mattered.
But now... it wasn't that she thought they were unreliable, but their current state just felt... far too casual. Yotsuya Miko couldn't find the right words to describe the sheer nonchalance radiating from them.
Of course, if Haruto could hear her inner thoughts, he would surely scoff. 'If the people I summoned hadn't shown up, I could play the part of a coward. But they're all here, and I'm sitting on a mountain of talismans and items. If I still have to act scared, what was the point of summoning them in the first place?'
"Ryuko, shall we go check out the third floor?" Kaguya suddenly suggested.
"Sure," Haruto nodded without hesitation. "Let's do it tonight. After dinner, we can take a little stroll up there."
Hearing them decide to explore the most dangerous, unknown area of the castle so casually, Yotsuya Miko was dumbfounded. Were they really going to be this spontaneous? She distinctly remembered them warning her at the beginning to be cautious and stick with the main group to fly under the radar.
Knock, knock—
A sharp rap on the door cut through the room. The Butler's steady, dispassionate voice followed.
"Guests, dinner is ready. Please follow me to the dining hall."
Haruto and Kaguya exchanged a look, then rose from the bed with a shared, lazy grace. Together, the three of them walked out of the room.
A long, rectangular dining table made of solid wood dominated the center of the hall, already laden with steaming, exquisitely prepared dishes. Haruto's gaze swept across the room.
Several people were already seated. Among them was the man with gold-rimmed glasses who had spoken up for them earlier. Beside him sat the heavily tattooed, burly man who had angrily rebuked the player trying to trick the newcomers, and next to him, a girl who looked painfully timid.
"If you don't mind, you can come sit over here with us," the man with the gold-rimmed glasses offered with a polite smile.
The tattooed man beside him puffed out his chest and added heartily, "That's right, come on over! I'll cover you... all of you. Let's make some friends."
As he finished his sentence, his eyes flickered to Haruto, and the image of the man impaled by a parasol seemed to flash through his mind. A visible shudder ran through him, and his boisterous tone suddenly lost its confidence, deflating like a punctured balloon.
The man with the gold-rimmed glasses kept his focus on Haruto, waiting for a decision. Kaguya and Yotsuya Miko didn't respond, simply turning their heads to look at him as well.
"Then let's join them."
It was just a meal; Haruto wasn't picky about where he sat. Besides, he had a few questions for them.
Although the dining table was large, one side could only accommodate six people at most. Once their group sat down, the entire left row was perfectly filled.
"My name is Xie Lin. I've cleared four instances; this is my fifth," the man with the gold-rimmed glasses said, taking the lead with introductions.
"Liu Haoran. You can call me by my name, or if you don't mind, show some respect and call me Brother Haoran! I'll protect you! This is also my fifth instance," the burly tattooed man declared with a heroic air.
"I-I'm Wu Wenwen. I've cleared two instances... this is my third. You... you can just call me Wenwen..." the young girl stammered, her voice timid. Her familiar, skittish aura reminded Haruto of Reisen.
Haruto briefly shared their own information in return, before his gaze settled on the question that had been bothering him.
"You all... have you known each other for a long time?"
Xie Lin seemed slightly taken aback by the question. He glanced at Yotsuya Miko and Kaguya, then looked back at Haruto with a hint of confusion.
"You don't know about Tracking Cards?"
As Haruto's brow furrowed, Yotsuya Miko leaned in and explained in a low voice, "Haruto-san, I know about this. It's a type of tracking item. Like the Cursed Doll, it requires a medium. As long as you have a personal item from your target, you can use a Tracking Card to match into the same instance as them."
Haruto shot a surprised look at Miko.
Xie Lin nodded. "Indeed. After clearing so many instances, you've probably realized that players in the Death Game rarely come from the same world. We're pulled from different planets, parallel universes, or even different timelines. But every world is vast, and you're definitely not the only player from your home. If you look carefully on forums, chat apps, or message boards, you can always find information about player gathering spots left by veterans."
He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his expression turning more analytical. "And Tracking Cards are the best-selling items in any world's player community. After clearing an instance, people might make enemies, but they also inevitably meet trustworthy companions they've fought alongside., teaming up with newcomers who have fewer clears will lower the overall difficulty of the instance you're matched into."
Haruto pondered this for a moment. "Since Tracking Cards exist, there must be other, similar services, right? Like veterans carrying newcomers through instances, or... targeted assassinations?"
"They exist, but such transactions are rare," Xie Lin replied. "The instances themselves are dangerous enough without the distraction of hunting other players. The price for such services is extremely high, usually requiring payment in instance-exclusive items. If real-world currency is used, the amount is an astronomical figure that ordinary people can't afford. Most newcomers can't pay, and veterans don't trust strangers easily."
"Alright, I think I understand." Haruto nodded, already making a mental note to ask the kappa for help with some research once he got back.
Instance-exclusive items?
He had a mountain of items. Even if they weren't from a death game instance, who would be able to tell the difference? As long as a market for such transactions existed in his world, Haruto was confident he could trade until his suppliers went bankrupt.
According to Xie Lin, if instance items were traded for real-world currency, it would be an astronomical sum.
A greedy glint appeared in Haruto's eyes. He rubbed his hands together, already deciding to visit Reimu and place a long-term order for talismans and Talisman Cards the moment this instance was over.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]