Chapter 5: Looks like we were saved. That’s good.

Our party continued onward, heading for a town with hot springs called Glassport.

Twin-tailed cat-eared, panty-flashing, shameless maid magic fist fighter: Level 120
Ririka (real name: Cat Goddess Princess ☆ Milk-chan)

Erect-at-any-time, premature, direct-connection-brained knight: Level 80
Luc◯n, now renamed Siegfried

Another game’s player who probably got dragged into this because of cat-eared Ririka
In this world, a low-tier warrior: Level 1
Me, a TS blonde bishoujo named Clarice

These three—people I wouldn’t want anything to do with even if this were still just a game—passed through the grasslands and entered the forest.

Along the way, we ran into several monsters that screamed “starter enemies” and radiated zero tension. In the end, I didn’t defeat a single one. The cat-eared girl and the direct-connection idiot calmly beat them to death with bare-handed attacks, while I just stood in the back watching—like a character frozen in command-input standby in a turn-based RPG that had suddenly been given realistic graphics.

Once we were in the forest, I asked about something that had been bothering me.

"So, what happens if you die in this game? Is there a death penalty or something?"

"Basically, you don’t die, nya. If your HP hits zero in battle, you go into an incapacitated state and collapse, but once the fight ends, you get back up with 1 HP, nya. If the whole party goes down, there’s a setting called the spirits’ blessing that warps you back to the temple in the starting town, but there’s no death penalty, nya."

"Huh. That’s a pretty forgiving game."

"Because of that, dungeon-type areas are tuned pretty hard, nya, and elixirs that let you revive on the spot are real-money items, nya. Ririka has a few, but I don’t plan to use them, nya?"

"Heh. Don’t worry. The recommended level around Glassport is 30 or lower. There’s no way we’d lose to monsters around here."

It sounded reassuring, but I honestly didn’t know how much I could trust either the direct-connection idiot or the cat-eared girl.

For now, I’d leave things to them. But if it really got dangerous, I’d call in Hummingbird and withdraw on my own. If there was no death penalty, ditching them and running should be fine.

While I was thinking that, a voice came from deeper in the forest.

"P-please help! Someone, please help!"

Drawn by the cry, we rushed over and found a girl being attacked by a monster.

Not in a sexual sense, of course—just in a wholesome, violently physical one.

She was an elf girl who, if she were human, would look about twelve or thirteen. She had wavy light-blue hair tied back and reaching her waist, long slender ears, and a chest that was completely flat in defiance of modern trends. She was down on the ground. Looming over her was a hulking, nearly three-meter-tall, muscle-bound monster with the face of a savage carnivore, raising a massive cleaver-like weapon made of stone.

"The loli elf girl is in danger!"

"Ah—wait, nya!"

Ignoring the cat-eared girl’s attempt to stop him, the direct-connection idiot Siegfried dashed forward, drew his silver-glinting greatsword, and slashed at the huge monster.

"If this loli elf falls for me after I save her in such a cool way, she won’t need some dumb cat-eared freak or a fake with an old man inside—gubwah!?"

Instead of fighting properly, the idiot spouted delusions, raised his sword overhead with both hands, jumped, and swung down—only to take a direct hit midair from the monster’s cleaver as it swept sideways. He was blown away, and before he could even hit the ground, he turned into sparkling particles of light and vanished.

"Idiot, nya… That was a Wild Ogre, nya. It’s not an enemy you can take on at level 80, nya. And that was a full-on critical hit, nya… But why is a monster with a recommended level over 100 in a place like this, nya…?"

The cat-eared girl looked shocked, but the direct-connection idiot’s sacrifice wasn’t completely in vain. The elf girl seized the opening, scrambled to her feet, and ran over to us.

"Thank you! I couldn’t do anything on my own!"

"Sorry to ruin the moment, nya, but even Ririka would have a hard time protecting two people from that thing, nya. We should run, nya."

"More importantly, that direct-connection idiot just died! I thought you were supposed to just collapse in an incapacitated state!?"

"He just wasn’t registered as part of the party, nya. Ririka and the others were just strangers walking together with him, nya. Don’t worry, he should be back at the temple, nya. Anyway, we need to run now, nya."

At the cat-eared girl’s urging, the loli elf and I nodded and started to run—but from the bushes on the opposite side, another Wild Ogre emerged.

We were surrounded.

"This is bad, nya… Even Ririka might not get out of this safely, nya. Going back to the temple is fine, but I don’t want it to hurt, nya…"

"Seriously…?"

As I stared at the suddenly timid cat-eared girl in despair, the first ogre’s massive cleaver came crashing down toward me from behind.

Bash!

A sharp, explosive sound echoed through the forest as the ogre’s cleaver was knocked aside.

My pink poncho burst apart, and shimmering plasma particles scattered across the surface of my body.

"Due to the impact from the blunt weapon just now, electromagnetic shield durability has decreased by 20 percent. Recharge will complete in 30 seconds. Immediate counterattack is recommended. No equipment such as shields or armor has been confirmed on the target indigenous organism. Danger level assessed as D-minus or lower. Aiming at the head, gunfire using the Gladius is judged to be more than sufficient."

Erika’s voice reminded me that I was wearing an electromagnetic shield suit.

I’d forgotten—shaken by the fact that I couldn’t defeat even starter monsters—but I had weapons that didn’t belong to this world’s swords-and-magic system.

When I grasped the grip of the Gladius .45 low-recoil electromagnetic-barrel pistol clinging to my waist, it detached soundlessly. My body—Clarice—flicked off the safety, racked the slide, and raised the gun.

As I aimed, a crosshair appeared in my field of vision along with remaining ammo and shield-status displays. A square cursor overlapped the monster, which was staring in confusion at its deflected cleaver, and the label [unknown] appeared.

"Erika, something popped up."

"Have you forgotten, Master? Due to the reconfiguration of the nanomachines injected into your body, synchronization with firearms and aiming assistance are being performed."

"Oh yeah, that’s right."

So that was why—even without armor in the game—a reticle appeared when aiming a gun.

"The indigenous organism is entering an attack posture. Commence attack immediately."

When I shifted my gaze to the ogre’s head, my arm moved on its own, the sights snapping into place as if magnetized.

I, Clarice, pulled the trigger.

With a not-too-loud bang, the bullet—accelerated by both propellant and the electromagnetic barrel—fired, and the ogre’s head vanished in an explosion of blood and flesh.

I turned and, in the same way, blew off the head of the other ogre, which had been raising its cleaver over the heads of the cat-eared girl and the loli elf, both of whom stood there slack-jawed.

"No reactions detected from moving entities capable of hostile action in the vicinity. Good work, Master. However, relying solely on the Achilles Mk.6 light electromagnetic shield suit still carries a risk of injury. I recommend equipping the Gungnir Mk.4 ground combat armor."

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Understood.”

After ending the call with Erika, I spoke to the cat-eared girl and the loli elf, both of whom were still standing there with their mouths hanging open in shock.

"Looks like we were saved. That’s good."

"That is not a ‘that’s good,’ nya!"

After blowing off two Wild Ogre heads with headshots so clean even I was impressed with myself, our headcount technically stayed the same—Siegfried out, loli elf in—but our three-person group was now a bit more solid. We moved to what looked like a safe lakeside spot and set up camp. That was when the cat-eared girl finally snapped and came at me.

"What the heck was that, nya!? I’ve never seen anyone use guns in Sword Brave, nya! It’s a pure fantasy MMORPG of swords and magic—only swords and magic, nya! There’s no secret setting where it turns out to be post-civilization Earth, nya! And why didn’t the monsters you killed turn into light and vanish!? They died in a gory mess with blood and brains everywhere, nya!?"

"I was shocked too!" the loli elf girl leaned forward eagerly. "Why do you even have something like that!? Is it a cheat!? Data tampering!? You’ll get your account banned!?"

Well, seeing something like that out of nowhere would freak anyone out.

"Uhh… explaining it properly might take a while…"

"Too bad, nya! Explain it properly anyway, nya!"

"I was probably the opponent you left sitting in a separate window when you got isekai’d—back when you were playing Double War Fire Universe. I got dragged in because of that."

"That wasn’t long at all, nya! You explained it instantly, nya! Wait—so you were that hardcore no-lifer, nya!? Then where’s Ririka’s Neko-Neko ☆ Milk Fleet, nya!?"

"I don’t know about that. You were weak, and by the time I boarded your flagship, it was already basically wiped out."

"That’s awful, nya! That was Ririka’s first War-Fire match ever, nya! You’re supposed to go easy on beginners with a friendly carry, nya!"

"…That part I do feel a little bad about."

"So basically," the loli elf girl said, "Clarice-san got transported here as a character from a completely different game?"

"That’s probably what happened."

"That’s not fair, nya. If this was an isekai, Ririka wanted cheats too, nya. Though honestly, I’d rather have been reborn as a villainess in a world full of handsome men, nya."

"Ah! Me too!" the elf girl nodded enthusiastically. "I wanted to be a righteous villainess! The kind who kicks out the evil heroine!"

What the hell is a righteous villainess?

"Nya? You’re actually a girl inside too, nya?"

"Oh! Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself properly," the loli elf said. "My name’s Natsumi!—well, no, that’s my real name. This character’s name is Mekemeke!"

That was her introduction.

I was a little surprised. For an all-ages MMORPG whose selling point was awkward, half-baked fanservice, I hadn’t expected there to be female players.

"Mekemeke’s hard to say, nya. Can I just call you Natsumi-chan, nya? Also, watch out—this cheat Clarice has a dirty old man inside, nya."

"Whaaat!? Isekai, TS, and cheats!? I’m honestly worried about the kind of brain that comes up with this stuff!"

"Hey, don’t say that. You might hurt someone who fits that description."

"But anyway," Ririka continued, "if Clarice-nyan isn’t just a useless level 1 burden, things change, nya. Hurry up and call that space fleet already and let Ririka take a bath, nya."

"Ah! I want a bath too!" Natsumi chimed in.

Yeah. Of course this was where it went.

I’d wanted to keep my special cheat-like ability—well, not really an ability—secret, because the moment other players found out, I knew I’d get swarmed. But what’s seen can’t be unseen. I’d have to manage these two carefully and make sure this didn’t spread to other players.

"Erika. That’s the situation, so you can come out now."

As I said that, I removed the small communications module attached opposite my gun and pressed the switch.

A 12-inch-tall AI in a white school swimsuit—Erika—appeared as a three-dimensional hologram.

"Understood, Master. As for the two indigenous beings here, this is our first meeting. I am Erika, Fleet Operations Support AI of the MCSF Space Fleet."

"Whoa! Sci-fi! This totally shatters the sword-and-magic fantasy world setting!"

"This school swimsuit girl is a fleet AI?! Ririka's fleet AI was a realistic-looking old lady! This is totally a cheat, nya?!"

"It's just a cosmetic mod. Messing with game data would get you banned from matches, you know."

"Oh, right, nya~ Anyway, Erika-nyan, I want a ship with a bath, nya!"

"Request cannot be granted for indigenous beings. Approval requires a rank of Major or higher in the Galactic Federation Space Force. It is advised that indigenous beings act accordingly and simply bathe in the nearby lake."

"Nyaa?! Ririka is not an indigenous being, nya! I am a proper Tochigi Prefecture resident, nya!"

"No beings, presumably created through genetic manipulation of cat and human DNA matching your description, exist in former Japan's Tochigi Prefecture, Earth."

Somehow, the conversation had gotten even more complicated.

"Hey, Erika, I'm thinking of at least letting them use a shower, so have the Dragoon land by this lake or something."

"Hmm... If Master says so... However, I must request that you not indulge the primitive planet's indigenous beings too much."

"How rude, you AI, nya! When I get back to Tochigi, I'll reorganize my fleet and beat you to a pulp in online battles, nya!"

Leaving the cat-earred girl, who was still complaining at the now-vanished comm terminal, I whispered to the Loli Elf.

"Just so you know, that cat-ear's putting on an act. Underneath, they're actually a middle-aged man. Don't be fooled."

"Ahh, I had a feeling that whole vibe was kinda suspicious. Adding 'nya' to the end of sentences is pretty severe."

"Yeah, seems they're really into it, convinced they're a cat-eared girl. It's pretty messed up, so be careful."

"But at least it's safe while we're in this world. I mean, I... no, this Meke Meke-chan is a boy!"

Saying this, the being who wasn't the Loli Elf—the Elf—lifted their skirt to show me.

Cute frilly panties, bulging in a peculiar shape to accommodate the sizable contents within.

A... b-o-y...?

I felt dizzy.
I had no idea what was supposed to be "safe" anymore.