kscans

Chapter 398 - The Day the World Ends

Two weeks had passed since Hayato spoke with Infinity.

He had told Diite what they had discussed. While she did not think Hayato was lying, she seemed unable to readily believe it and was currently investigating the matter, including the situation with Hypnos and the others.

That investigation was proving difficult, but the members who had regained their memories were gradually arriving at Hayato's Colony, so that part was proceeding smoothly.

The members who regained their memories traveled from the spaceship Aphrodite to the Colony aboard an automated transport ship. The transport's capacity was small, so it had to make several round trips over a few days. Today, the final transport was scheduled to take place.

When Esha and Ash had arrived, they were practically smuggled into the Colony, but now that Ney, who held a considerably high position in the Foundation, was with them, there was no need for such worries. They had arrived openly at the Colony's arrival lobby, and their official records had already been prepared.

Hayato felt uneasy about the future, but he decided that for today, at least, he should forget about everything and play the host. He was in the Crown Cafe, preparing a welcome party.

Ivan and the others who had come to the Colony earlier were waiting for the new arrivals at the cafe. The ones coming today were Lunaria, Xenobia, Cecil, Noat, and Lee.

There had been a suggestion to transport the women first, but due to Lunaria's fear of people and Xenobia's fear of men, they needed time to mentally prepare, so the men had been transported first.

Cecil, Noat, and Lee had no issues with public interaction, so they were tasked with escorting Lunaria and Xenobia.

They had already arrived at the Colony and were now on their way in an automated taxi. Hayato waited for them to arrive while he made preparations.

(This place is ridiculously cramped...)

The Crown Cafe was not a particularly large establishment. And this time, with so many members who had regained their memories and many other related people present, the cafe was overflowing with people.

Mist had gone so far as to say she would take a day off work to welcome Noat, but Damian had stopped her. Today was reserved for members related to the clans Blackjack and Ambrosia. However, since Lee was also coming, Relic and Sonia were scheduled to join them after they finished work.

"Wouldn't it be better to get money from Diite and expand the shop?"

"First, let's stop thinking about getting money from her," Hayato retorted to Esha's casual comment.

He did want to make the shop bigger. Lately, customers had started coming just for the coffee, so business was booming. However, it was only slightly in the black, and he hadn't saved up enough money to expand.

He was also considering introducing new coffee beans, which made it difficult to spend money on anything extra.

However, there was something to be hopeful about regarding his income. The movie Ash and the others released on a video site was racking up a considerable number of views, and since this cafe was used as a filming location, the number of customers coming for that reason was also increasing.

Some customers had even come all the way from Earth. He hadn't tallied last month's numbers yet, but Hayato was inwardly pleased, expecting a significant profit.

But he couldn't understand why some customers would give him and Esha these fond looks. He was busy, so he hadn't seen the movie yet, but he felt a little irked, wondering if there was something in it.

After sternly telling them not to spoil it, he asked Esha what was going on, but she gave him a curt reply, "I haven't seen it either," so he hadn't pressed the matter.

Just as he was thinking he should properly check it out once things settled down, the cafe's doorbell rang.

"Whoa, for real, it's a cafe. Isn't this place awesome?"

"This is a nice atmosphere. I'm making this my lyric-writing room."

"I heard there was booze, so I was looking forward to this!"

Cecil, Noat, and Lee came in, making a racket.

All three were dressed casually. Cecil wore blue denim jeans and a black short-sleeved shirt. Noat wore a slightly oversized long-sleeved jersey that was primarily white with several red patterns. And Lee was in black leather pants and a matching jacket, seated in her wheelchair.

And at the doorway were Lunaria and Xenobia, hiding their bodies from both sides, peeking in with only half their faces visible.

After welcoming Cecil and the others, Hayato smiled and beckoned to Lunaria and her companion.

"Welcome, you two. Come on in."

Lunaria and Xenobia looked at each other, nodded at the same time, and came inside.

Xenobia was wearing a black stand-collar blouson that covered her mouth, along with black half-pants that reached her knees. She wore her hat pulled down low and was glancing around nervously.

Lunaria was dressed in what looked like a white straitjacket, with several black belts for fashion on her arms and thighs. There was some kind of mark printed on her chest.

That Lunaria looked at Hayato and let out a big sigh.

"Thank goodness. Hayato-san is really here."

"Of course I'm here. Did you doubt it for some reason?"

"I was worried that maybe Hayato-san was an NPC and had been sent back to the research facility."

"Ah, I see."

"I'm glad the real-life Hayato-san is no different from the one in virtual reality."

"Don't put it like that. Are you telling me Xenobia-san had her doubts too?"

Xenobia seemed to panic quite a bit, pulling her hat down even lower and hiding her mouth with her collar.

"I, I wasn't doubting, but I was thinking it would be nice if you were a woman."

"Ah, right. Um, sorry for being a man?"

Xenobia panicked again, waving her hands back and forth.

"No, no, I'm the one who's sorry. Even though Hayato-san is a man, I'm not that scared. Maybe I built up a tolerance in virtual reality. Besides, I have to drink the coffee, as promised...!"

For some reason, Xenobia said this as if it were an obligation, clenching her fists and psyching herself up.

The shop was small, but Hayato thought it would be fine since the only men here were acquaintances. Just then, the people around them started getting noisy.

"Hey, Hayato, is the food ready yet? Hurry up and give us some proper delicious food that doesn't trick our sense of taste!"

"Bring me all the donuts you have."

"Are Relic and Sonia here? I came here to tease those two. And I'd like some booze if you have any?"

"You guys never change. Yes, yes, it's all ready, so just wait a bit. And Relic-san and the others are coming tonight."

Cecil and the others were making themselves at home like regulars, despite having just arrived. Hayato, exasperated but happy, hosted the members who had returned to reality.

They were boisterous for about three hours, but things had finally calmed down, and now everyone was sitting at tables, chatting amiably.

A large amount of food had been consumed, but Ash, Mist, and the others had prepared ingredients beforehand with their own money, so the burden was not solely on Hayato. Since he was the one who cooked, that part was tough, but seeing everyone eat so happily, saying it was delicious, made his fatigue vanish. He cooked with a smile on his face the whole time.

That had settled down, and now he was serving coffee.

Lunaria and Xenobia were sitting at the counter, and Hayato was brewing coffee for the two of them.

"I'll have the Lunaria Special, with lots of sugar and milk."

"You might be fine in virtual reality, but too much sugar isn't good for you, you know? Weight-wise, I mean."

"...Then lots of milk. And just a little sugar."

"Got it. Xenobia-san, will you have the same?"

"I'm fine with black."

"I'm a little shocked that Xenobia-chan is so mature...!"

For some reason, Xenobia was apologizing for Lunaria's sad voice.

"There, there. By the way, was the trip here okay?"

Lunaria nodded at Hayato's words.

"It was fine. People were staring at me in the Colony lobby, but I, the Demon Lord, did my best."

"Lunaria-san is beautiful, and your clothes are unique, so it can't be helped that you draw attention. Also, try not to mix up reality and virtual reality."

He said this as he served them their coffee.

It had become something of a rite of passage for the returned members to drink Hayato's coffee. Ivan, Cecil, and the others had just had some a little while ago. Unlike before, they now told him it was delicious, and Hayato was secretly pleased.

He wondered what these two would say, but they were looking at him with surprised faces.

"Um, is something wrong?"

"I may indeed be a peerless beauty, but I think it's improper for you to say it out loud."

"No, I just meant it as a general statement... And I didn't say peerless beauty."

"I knew you and Esha-chan were getting along well in virtual reality, but I never thought you'd be living together in reality. You should be careful with your words, you might be in danger if you make Esha-chan angry. I don't want to get caught in the crossfire."

Xenobia nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Even Esha can't fire her Destroy skill in reality, you know?"

"That part is a relief."

Lunaria said this and took a sip of her coffee. Xenobia did the same. Lunaria's brow furrowed slightly, while Xenobia exhaled with a smile.

"Is it bitter?"

"Yeah. A little... no, quite a bit. But I think it's delicious. An adult taste."

"I like this flavor. It was a little hot, though."

"That's good. Oh, try these, I made some cookies. I remembered you made them a lot in virtual reality, Lunaria-san, so I thought you might like them."

Hayato placed a plate with several cookies on it in front of the two of them. For some reason, they both stared intently at the cookies.

"Is something wrong?"

"Actually, a long time ago, Xenobia-chan and I talked about opening a cookie shop if we were going to live in reality."

"That happened...?"

"We'll be relying on Ney-chan for a while, but a cookie shop is one of our options."

"Can you really make a living with a shop that only sells cookies...?"

"We'll have an exclusive contract to supply cookies for Hayato-san's shop. Buy them at a high price."

"We can't afford that. But you said it's one option, so you have others?"

At this, Lunaria and Xenobia's faces turned serious.

When he asked for details, the conversation turned to what they should do about Rosalie, Gil, and the others.

Before she lost her memories, Rosalie had charged in, saying there were clothes she wanted Lunaria to wear. Since they had been holding a fashion show of sorts on the last day, there was talk that becoming a model wouldn't be a bad idea. They weren't thinking about it that seriously, but it was one of the options.

However, Rosalie and the others had not regained their memories and were currently serving in the Demon Lord's Army in virtual reality. It would be easy for the current Diite to restore their memories, but what they themselves thought was a separate issue.

"I don't know about Gil-chan and the others, but Rosalie-chan and her group said they had no lingering attachments to reality. Back then, it seems they lamented that even if they designed clothes, they couldn't make them because of the resource depletion. And they also said they wanted to be with me."

"I see. But I think it's okay now. I'm not an expert on fashion, but there are plenty of clothes being sold, so there must be a good amount of materials. Besides..."

"Besides?"

"Well, you know Ney thinks of Rosalie-san like a friend, right? You might not know, Lunaria-san, but Ney is related to the Foundations, so she's rich. I have a feeling she'd support you immensely."

"...The Foundations?"

"Huh? Did I not explain? The twelve Foundations that could be said to rule this world. The situation is different from a hundred years ago, so please be really careful about that. You could be arrested for saying the wrong thing."

"Twelve? Not the Zodiac Foundation?"

"Zodiac Foundation?"

Hayato tilted his head at Lunaria's words.

He seemed to recall that Curtis's family name was Zodiac, but he had never heard of a Foundation with that name.

Xenobia suddenly clapped her hands together.

"I remember. Before she lost her memories, Lunaria-chan said that the research facility where she was born belonged to a place called the Zodiac Foundation."

"Yes, that's it. It might not exist anymore, though."

"I've never heard of a Foundation like that. I can't say this too loudly, but Ney's Foundation is called Libra, which means the constellation Libra. They handle the courts and legal affairs."

"Zodiac refers to the twelve constellations of the zodiac, so maybe there's a connection."

"The what...?"

"The twelve constellations of the zodiac. The zodiac is, to put it very simply, the path the sun takes as seen from Earth. The constellations on that path are the twelve zodiac constellations. Of course, Libra is included."

"Ah, now that you mention it, I think I've heard of that. I wonder if there's some connection...?"

Just as he said that, a call tone rang from the cafe's monitor.

Hayato wondered who it could be and turned on the monitor. A flustered-looking Ney appeared on the screen.

"Ney? It's rare for you to call on the monitor."

"Ha, Hayato! Th, this is no time for that!"

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?"

"Have Lunaria and the others arrived!?"

"Ah, yeah. They got here a few hours ago. We're all just chatting now."

"I, I see, then this is... no, it's faster to show you than to explain! Put on your headgear and try to log in!"

"Huh? Right now?"

"Please! It's just to confirm!"

He didn't know what he was supposed to confirm, but from Ney's frantic state, Hayato could tell that something very bad was happening. Esha and the others around him, hearing Ney's voice, had gone quiet, sensing that some kind of problem had occurred.

Hayato took out his headgear, put it on, sat down in a chair, and turned it on.

The word "LOGIN" appeared before his eyes. Hayato selected the word.

Then, the words "LOGIN UNAVAILABLE" were displayed.

"Huh?"

While Hayato was stunned, another set of words appeared before his eyes.

『By a decision of the management, service for Another Frontier Online has been terminated. Thank you for your long-standing patronage.』

The people around him grew noisy, but Hayato didn't notice. He just kept staring, unable to comprehend the official statement.