kscans

Chapter 61 - The Observers

The sound of furious battle echoed without pause. Before them was a scene of such intensity that it felt unnatural for the glass doors in the room not to be rattling. Two figures stood there, mouths agape, utterly speechless.

Projected onto multiple large monitors was a single battlefield from various angles. Within it, one overwhelmingly large figure and two small players had been locked in a deathmatch for over an hour.

Yes... a deathmatch, indeed. A scene so filled with an indescribable heat that it was enough to silence even those who had observed or spectated countless virtual battlefields before.

"W-well."

How long had it been since he'd spoken? A shadow, illuminated by the light of the monitors in the dim room, tried to say something, but his mouth was too dry, and the words caught in his throat.

He took a gulp of cold coffee from a cup he'd forgotten he was holding and tried again.

"...S-so, your thoughts?"

The question was tinged with a sense of resignation, or perhaps desperation. The other shadow, startled as if snapped out of a trance, tried to answer, only to follow the exact same path as the first.

"...W-well... I'm not sure where to even begin with my critiques."

The second voice, also hoarse after downing some coffee, sounded older than the first.

"Ah... well, first things first, we need to confirm."

"She hasn't made a direct approach yet. At the very least, there's no sign she's made any kind of move... though if she did it covertly, we'd be helpless."

"So, for now, it hasn't been flagged as an irregularity... Wait, even after this?"

"That's the thing... It's actually stranger that she's not making a move. Based on past tendencies, it would be unnatural if some sort of guide hadn't already been sent to correct the trajectory by now."

"...Has she taken a liking to them?"

He gave a vague nod instead of replying, perhaps. It was met with a groan, one that was impossible to decipher.

"...The problem is, I can't even tell if this is a good omen or a bad one."

"There's precedent... well, not none, but, yeah."

Nine times out of ten, something terrible was about to happen. And it would undoubtedly happen in a way that completely ignored any and all of their attempts at control.

"...Chitose-kun, I'd like your opinion on something."

"What is it, Representative?"

The man called Chitose responded with an air of complete resignation, as if he had given up on everything.

"If we were to take it away, how do you think she would react?"

The man called the Representative posed the question weakly, looking even more exhausted than Chitose.

"Ah... are we talking about which one?"

"...The girl we can actually reason with, of course."

"I see... Having reviewed the logs from the past few days, what do you think, Representative?"

"...Yes, I imagine..."

His expression was difficult to describe—if one had to, it was the face of pure emptiness, like someone who had their treasure stolen from under their nose without even realizing it, unable to even muster anger.

It was a pitiable expression, one that almost made you want to press your hands together in prayer. On the large monitor reflected in his eyes, the face of a young girl could be seen, blushing in the arms of a young man—

"...I'd probably get kicked by a horse."

"...You have my deepest sympathies."

Two heavy sighs, each with its own quality. As a gloomy atmosphere seeped into the monitor room, the decisive moment was about to unfold on the fiercely flickering main screen.