【BOG Live Commentary】We're progressing through the main story!

I took my eyes off the smartphone screen running the game and spoke to everyone on the other side of the comment section.

"Man, things are getting pretty complicated, huh? I guess we're getting close to the end of Chapter One of the main story, too? Things have been getting more and more ominous lately."

・Hazuki's past was way heavier than I expected

・It's scary that we can't read what's going on inside Raika

・Isn't Hazuki's family absolute garbage?

"Right? Hazuki-chan's backstory was way heavier than I expected. And now we're starting to lose track of what my 'wife' Raika is up to."

・Dude...

・What the hell did you just say...

・Marrying a loli is a crime, you know

"Hey, Raika's age is unknown! So it's totally fine to marry her or smoke!"

・The optics are NOT okay

・Society will not forgive you

・Well, even her profile doesn't reveal her actual age... She could legitimately be pushing thirty

"Exactly. If there's even a possibility that it's okay, then it's okay! Anyway, I want to analyze the mysterious heroine, Raika, but... first, let's organize what we actually know."

I spoke while recalling the story I'd been carefully reading until just a moment ago.

"First, Raika used to operate in the same unit as Hazuki. After that, I don't know exactly what happened, but she eventually founded the Fox Squad we have today. For the sake of the honest and awkward Hazuki, Raika gathered a group of unique Maki-hime who could become a place where Hazuki belonged. That's the Fox Squad that our protagonist is now in charge of. Foxes, of course. If the lying Raika was the one who named them, it fits surprisingly well."

・Yep, yep

・I love Potaku-san's IQ going up exclusively during his theories

・Please use that brainpower in your everyday life too

"In the main story's timeline, Hazuki, who's known Raika for a long time, realizes that Raika is trying to do something big all by herself. But since honest Hazuki can't see through Raika's lies, she entrusts the matter to our protagonist, who claims he can see through lies. That's basically how it goes!"

・Thanks for the explanation, it's really beginner-friendly

・This is definitely going to be the protagonist's big moment...

・Seeing how reckless Raika is, I'm scared she's going to suddenly do something incredible and then get herself killed

・Haven't played it yet, but I'm kind of scared to watch the next part of the stream

"I know! These days, it's perfectly normal for heroines to die in gacha games. Considering how dark this world is, it wouldn't even be surprising if she suddenly dropped dead and Hazuki went completely dark. ...Ugh, just imagining it makes me nauseous."

・Potaku-san, stay strong!

・※He took massive emotional damage from a depressing game he played before

"But our protagonist has visibly become much more reliable, too! And after the date event, he should have a much better understanding of Raika! So he'll probably save her! ...Although, now that I've seen that ominous monologue afterward, I'm getting worried about the date event too... Could that have been a hint that no one will be able to save Raika from her suffering...?"

・Potaku-san... your condition...!

・Your hands are shaking

・The man who fears bad endings more than anyone

"So, with that said, I'd love to continue the story... but today we're doing Victoria's individual story."

・Don't run away. Fight.

・Don't look away from the main story

・Show us the rest already

・This guy is always doing side stories

"I-I can't help it! Everyone needs a little time to mentally prepare themselves! Now, let's bask in the charm of our chūnibyō girl, comrades! It's the Affection Level 2 story!"

・WOOOOOO!

・LET'S GOOOOOOOO!

・He covered it up with sheer momentum

〈TIPS〉Victoria von Leonora researches philosophy, mythology, folklore, and all sorts of other subjects solely to make herself look cool.

I was summoned by Victoria after school to the rooftop.

When I opened the door leading to the rooftop, I saw her gazing at the scenery through the fence.

Apparently, there was no one else on the rooftop besides Victoria.

Her one visible eye, the one not hidden beneath her eyepatch, was filled with melancholy. Her magnificent golden hair swayed silky-smoothly in the wind.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Victoria. You're alone today?"

"Yes. This is something I don't want anyone other than the Observer to hear."

She answered with a mysterious smile before looking down over the school grounds again.

"Can you see it?"

"...Uh, see what?"

I looked down just like she did, but all I could see was Gensō High School, plain and simple.

"The scent of decadence. The smoke of falsehood. The light floating beneath the moonlit sky. They stimulate all five of my senses, and the unease in my heart simply won't cease. It's about time I traced it back to its source."

"Ah... yeah. I get you. Totally."

No, I don't understand a damn thing...

What on earth is she trying to say? I desperately wanted Hibari here to translate.

"—I'll get straight to the point."

"Yeah."

Please do. From the start.

"Tonight, the moon reaches its fullness. Its radiant light illuminates the night, revealing hidden truths. Even darkness that conceals everything cannot escape the radiance emitted by the one and only satellite."

"Yeah, but what are you actually trying to say?"

When is she going to get to the point?

"—I'll get straight to the point."

"You said that already."

"Observer. At the dead of night, when even grass and trees lie sleeping, we shall Discover the truth."

"...Wait, are we going somewhere at two in the morning?"

When I asked her to clarify, Victoria nodded with a satisfied expression, as if to say, "So you finally understand."

Just as Victoria had said, it really was a full moon tonight.

The moon shining in the two-o'clock sky was beautiful, but if possible, I really wanted to get back into bed.

"You've come, Observer Night Watcher."

Victoria greeted me with a fearless smile. Apparently, she was perfectly energetic even at two in the morning. If anything, she looked even more energetic than she did during the day.

"The wind speaks to me. Tonight, we shall finally bring the truth to light. Come, let us go."

With that, she spun around and slowly began walking toward the back of the school building.

Unlike the main street, where there were at least a few streetlights, the area behind the school building was pitch-black. Even with the full moon, there was almost nothing to see.

Yet even in those conditions, Victoria continued forward with an utterly confident stride.

"What are you doing, Observer Detective? This way."

"Victoria, can you even see where you're stepping?"

"Heh. Is whether something can be captured by the naked eye truly so important? If you too can perceive the 'Idea,' perhaps you may reach the same rank as me."

Victoria turned around and gave me an impressively smug expression that was somehow perfectly visible even in the darkness.

She turned forward again and resumed walking, only to trip over a stone at her feet.

"Hyah!?"

"I knew this was going to happen..."

I'd more or less seen it coming, so I grabbed her hand and steadied her.

The softness of her hand made my heart beat a little faster.

"Th-thank you..."

"..."

It was so unusual to hear Victoria sincerely thank someone that I found myself flustered.

An awkward silence settled between us. Things rarely got like this when I was with Victoria, so I had no idea what I was supposed to say.

"...Ah! Observer! Look! A mysterious shadow writhing beneath the moonlit sky!"

I looked toward where she was pointing, and sure enough, I could sense something moving beyond the darkness. There was probably someone there.

"By the name of the Evil-Eyed Princess, I shall expose the truth!"

"Whoa, Victoria! If you run, you're going to fall again!"

I hurriedly stopped her, and she began walking briskly while carefully checking where she was stepping.

As I watched her, I began thinking about what I'd just seen.

What on earth would someone be trying to do by coming to the deserted area behind the school at two in the morning?

As I stared into the darkness ahead, for a brief moment the moonlight illuminated what was beyond it.

The shadow was about the height of an elementary or middle school student. It had white hair and dead-looking eyes, and it was rummaging around inside its pockets.

"Damn it, I can't sleep... I need to smoke... I need to smoke..."

Raika Usobuki was trying to smoke a cigarette behind the school building at two in the morning.

She was roughly scratching at her white hair while searching through her pockets, but her hands were apparently shaking so badly that she couldn't get whatever she was looking for out.

Even from that brief glimpse, she looked seriously messed up.

"Ah, Victoria, let's just forget it. Never mind! Let's go home!"

I firmly grabbed Victoria's hand from behind and started talking a mile a minute.

There was no way I could let this innocent girl witness such a sight—the tragic end of a nicotine addict...!

"Observer, what are you talking about!? This is our chance to expose the truth, and you're seriously going to let it slip away!?"

"Wh-what? Victoria, don't tell me you can't 'see' it?"

"...What?"

I swallowed my embarrassment and unleashed the chūnibyō lurking inside me.

"I thought someone who could perceive the Idea like you would have figured everything out already. —Hey, is seeing things with your naked eyes really that important?"

Victoria's visible eye widened, and she immediately began putting on a brave front.

"N-no! Of course I had already perceived everything with my Evil Eye! I was merely testing you, Observer Watcher. The truth has already been revealed by the moonlight. Let us return."

Just as I'd hoped, Victoria seemed to have decided it was time to head back to our room.

Relieved that I'd managed to keep Raika's secret, I followed after her.

Victoria von Leonora (Ree-chan)

Profile 2

What she wears is the coolest version of herself. It is far removed from who she truly is, and she must always maintain an air of transcendence.

She attacks enemies using magic. Her favorite is lightning magic (because it's cool). She's particularly good at coordinating with Hibari, so the two of them often operate as a pair.

She serves as the squad's rear guard, providing high-firepower support from the back. Because she is well-versed in mythology and fables, she can immediately identify the weaknesses of "Fictional Erosion," which draws its origins from them.