The following day, Shoichi stepped into the world of GGO for the first time using his newly created character, "Sterben."
Around the same time, Atsushi logged in with his character, "Noir." Though it was within a game, the two were reuniting for the first time in quite a while.
"Long time no see. Uh... what do I call you?"
"Sterben."
"What does that mean, by the way?"
"It's a German medical term. It means death."
"I see. I'm Noir. Just so you know, I don't plan on leveling this character up."
Sterben tilted his head at the sudden declaration thrown his way by Noir.
"...What do you mean?"
"I've been thinking since we talked. You saw it too, right? Shana's combat footage."
"Yeah."
"So, do you honestly think that if we start raising individual characters now, we'll ever catch up to him?"
"..."
Realizing the sheer difficulty of the task, Sterben fell silent.
"Right? It's probably impossible. I mean, our goal isn't strictly to beat him, so if we can't win, we can't win. But we're not gonna just give up from the start, are we?"
"True."
"So here's my thought: You and I take turns piloting that character. If we do that, we can level it up at double the speed."
"...I see. But that's not your only intention, is it?"
Noir grinned, looking pleased that Sterben had caught on so quickly.
"As expected of my partner. You get it. We didn't come here just to play around; we came here to kill. But while we're inside the game, that's impossible."
"You mean killing outside? I have no intention of becoming a common serial killer."
"Of course. We are purebred Red Players, not serial killers. That's why our task from here on out is to figure out a way to make those two things coexist. If we establish a method, we can make your brother execute it."
"Have you thought of something?"
"No, not at all yet. But in the end, there's no doubt someone will have to be active in the real world, right?"
"That's correct."
Sterben nodded obediently, accepting the logic.
"In that case, don't you think raising multiple characters would be a waste of resources?"
"Certainly."
"So, we use this character purely for information gathering, and both of us focus on building up your character. How about it?"
"No objections."
"Then it's decided. Once we meet up with your brother, I'll start gathering intel. You handle the leveling for now."
"Understood."
Thus, it was decided that all resources would be poured into Sterben.
"Still, when you talk about synchronizing murder inside and outside the game... the only thing that comes to mind is timing them to happen simultaneously."
"There's likely no other way."
"Is it possible to synchronize the timing?"
"Apparently, it's possible to livestream the view from inside. If we do a private stream with a password lock, it should work."
"Yeah."
Their conversation flowed seamlessly. As expected, their synergy was flawless.
"In that case, what we need is the target's address and a method of killing."
"The address is the tricky part. The method could be anything."
"No. If breaking and entering is part of the package, leaving flashy evidence behind is bad news. Ideally, we want to make it look like an obvious death from natural causes or illness so the police don't investigate too closely."
"An impossible crime? That's high difficulty."
Noir scratched his head, acknowledging that they were indeed aiming for a perfect crime.
"Yeah... For now, let's target players who live alone, where the body won't be discovered easily. We should execute it in the summer when decomposition happens fast. That way, depending on the method, we can cover up a lot of things."
"Agreed."
"So, about the killing method..."
The two looked down, deep in thought. Sterben, seemingly struck by an idea, looked up first.
"Are physical means out of the question?"
"Yeah. They leave too many traces. It'd be easy to figure out they were murdered by someone."
Sterben nodded as if he expected that answer, then said to Noir:
"Then, poison."
"Buying poison is an easy way to get tracked, isn't it?"
"My father is a hospital director. Depending on the substance, I can obtain it in absolute secrecy."
"Oh, really? In that case, I'll look into which poisons would work best later."
"I'm counting on you."
Just like that, their murder plan began to take solid shape.
"Things are coming together pretty well."
"The problem remains obtaining the address."
"Yeah, that..."
At that moment, a stranger approached them from the distance, causing them to stop their discussion. The player spoke to Sterben.
"Hello. It's so cold out, all you can do is laugh."
It appeared to be a prearranged password. Sterben nodded to the player and then turned to Noir.
"It's my brother."
"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Noir."
"I'm Sterben."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Messenger. What should we do? Shall I show you around the city a bit first?"
"Sure. Please do."
"Understood."
Chatting casually, the three headed toward the tavern. It was the standard location for gathering information in games. Incidentally, the "chatting" was mostly between Noir and Messenger; Sterben remained characteristically silent.
"Still, 'Messenger'... that's a fitting name."
"Ahaha, I'm not very good at naming characters."
"What a coincidence. neither am I."
Before long, the three arrived at the tavern.
"Party recruitment and things like that are usually done here."
"Standard stuff."
"I'll explain the facilities inside for now."
Once the general explanation was finished, Messenger led them toward the Governor's Office.
"This is the Governor's Office. Mostly you use it to register for various events and... ah, Sinon."
Hearing that name, Sterben and Noir followed Messenger's gaze.
"An acquaintance?"
"Y-Yes."
Messenger gave a vague answer. It was obvious he couldn't take his mind off the female player. Noir, recognizing her face, whispered to Sterben.
"Oi, isn't that the girl from the video? Sinon, Shana's woman?"
"Looks like it."
"Which means your brother's rival is, of all people, that Shana?"
"It would seem so."
"Well, since 'The Flash' is in the picture, that girl probably just has a one-sided crush on Shana. But even so, your brother doesn't stand a ghost of a chance, does he?"
"Shana cherishes his comrades, so I don't know if it's one-sided or not. But as long as it serves as fuel to incite my brother, it doesn't matter."
"Wow. You really have no mercy, even for your own flesh and blood."
As they whispered, they glanced at Messenger just in time to hear him mutter in a voice filled with agony.
"Shana..."
Hearing that, the two hurriedly looked back toward the pair. Noir unconsciously released a wave of killing intent, but Sterben checked him, and they simply observed.
It seemed Sinon had beckoned to Shana, who had been in a spot not visible from their angle. The distance between the two looked undeniably intimate—like lovers—as they peered together into a console Sinon appeared to be operating.
Seeing this, Messenger bit his lip as if desperately enduring something.
"His appearance is totally different from the old days, but his movements are exactly the same. He looks tough."
"Well, you're the one who fought him directly."
"Yeah. One of these days, I'll kill him with my own hands, too."
As Noir said this, he intentionally released his killing intent this time.
The reaction was instant. Shana suddenly moved to shield Sinon, scanning the surroundings with high alert.
"Crap, he noticed my bloodlust! Oi, Messenger, look over here! Do not look at that woman named Sinon!"
"Eh? Huh?"
Startled by the command, Messenger hurriedly turned back to face them.
"We're moving. Act like we're just having a conversation. Keep it natural."
The three began to walk, managing to move to a spot out of Shana's line of sight. Fortunately, Shana showed no sign of pursuing them.
"W-What happened?"
"Nah, it's just that Shana bastard noticed my killing intent."
"Ehh!?"
"So, to avoid trouble, we beat a retreat."
"Can... can a normal human being even do something like that?"
"He can, apparently. That's 'The Hero' for you."
Noir's comment referred to the SAO era, but Messenger interpreted it as a reference to the BoB video.
"Oh, did you see the BoB video?"
"...Yeah."
"I see. I guess that person really is famous."
"I suppose."
"By the way, what was your friend Sinon doing over there?"
Since the tour of the Governor's Office had been cut short, Noir asked Messenger about the thing that had piqued his curiosity.
"That was the registration for the BoB."
"Registration? How do you do it?"
"You just enter your name and press the participate button. Oh, but if you want prizes sent to your home if you place well, you have to enter your real name and address."
"Real name and address?"
Messenger failed to notice the way Sterben and Noir's expressions sharpened instantly at those words.
"Yes, that's right. Huh... come to think of it, I think Sinon mentioned the other day that she wanted the prizes..."
"But that girl, Sinon... she was showing her input screen to Shana like it was nothing, right?"
"Ah, yes... she was..."
Sinon had definitely beckoned Shana over. That meant she didn't mind Shana seeing her personal information, or perhaps that showing him wouldn't cause any problems. Which meant...
"In other words, Shana already knows her address. He's probably even been to her house."
Sterben dropped the remark without reading the room. Or rather, in this case, it was intentional. He said it specifically to nurture his brother's madness.
Just as intended, Messenger bit his lip, his eyes growing dark. Noir stayed silent, while Sterben smirked inwardly.
After that, the three visited a few more facilities before Sterben met up with Kyoji's main account, "Spiegel," outside the city to begin leveling up.
"Is Noir-san not coming?"
"About that."
Noir explained to Messenger that they had decided to double-team Sterben's leveling to counter Shana, who was said to be the top player in GGO.
"Ah... if you put it that way, that might be better."
"Right? That guy is like a monster. We'll never catch up using normal methods."
"I see. Aim high, then!"
Messenger then logged out to switch to Spiegel. The two left behind discussed the earlier event.
"That guy really is dangerous."
"Yeah."
"Kirito might be the strong one, but he is the scary one."
"True. To think he'd sense your intent from that distance."
"My bad. I was careless. I almost ruined everything right at the start."
"Let's both be careful from now on."
Thus, they decided to stop casually approaching Shana.
"But we got a harvest, too."
"You mean the real names and addresses."
"Yeah. Now the question is how to steal a look at them."
"We can figure that out as we go."
"Alright then, I'll head out to gather intel as planned."
"Yeah. Later."
Noir wandered off to parts unknown, and Sterben exited the city alone. He met up with Spiegel, and they moved to a secluded spot for the minimum necessary equipment transfer.
"I'll just dump everything here for now. Use whatever you like."
"...I don't understand guns."
"Then just use the most basic gun for now, on the premise that you'll get a better one later."
"I'll leave it to you. Also, did you find the weapon I asked for?"
"An estoc... or something similar, right? I found one, just in case."
In the SAO era, XaXa's signature weapon was the estoc—a thrusting sword designed to slip through the gaps in armor. Sterben accepted the proffered weapon and narrowed his eyes, perhaps recalling the past.
"Not bad."
He gave the sword a few experimental swings.
After selecting a set of armor, Spiegel began packing away the remaining gear. Sterben's eyes happened to land on a cloak among the pile, and he asked casually:
"What is that mantle?"
He only asked thinking it might be useful for hiding his identity in the city. However, Spiegel's reply brought Sterben a stroke of incredible luck.
"Oh, this? It's a mantle that lets you disappear for a set amount of time. It's pretty rare, but it's hard to find a good use for it... If you use it after enemies spot you, they just spray bullets and it's pointless. And for ambushes, the effect duration is too short."
"...Can it be used inside the city?"
"Eh? I wonder. I've never tried since there's no point in using it in town."
"What are the duration and cooldown?"
"Duration is one minute. Cooldown is five minutes, I think."
"I see..."
Sterben said to Spiegel:
"Can I have that mantle?"
"Hmm, sure, I don't mind. It is good gear for a beginner to protect themselves outside, after all."
Sterben was internally ecstatic. With this, all the pieces were in place. Even he hadn't expected the plan to proceed this smoothly.
Sterben's leveling went well, and after several battles, Spiegel praised him profusely.
"As expected of you, Brother. Your combat instincts are amazing. I never thought you'd be able to move like that on your first try."
"Is that so."
After returning to the city, Spiegel said he needed a short break and logged out. Apparently, he was going to meet up with Sinon later to go hunting again.
Sterben immediately contacted Noir and handed over the mantle.
"What's this?"
"Apparently, it's a mantle that lets you hide your presence for one minute. It's called a Metamaterial Optical Camouflage Mantle."
"Cooldown?"
"Five minutes."
Hearing this, Noir looked at him with a slightly guarded expression.
"Amazing... oi. Things are going so smoothly I'm starting to suspect it's a trap."
"But we don't know if it's usable yet."
"True. If I stand right behind someone and peek at their screen, they'll probably notice my presence."
"Well, test it out in various ways."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
Over the next few days, Noir spent his time testing various items. Finally, he established a method of peeking at other players' real names and addresses using a sniper scope combined with the mantle.
One week remained until the BoB registration deadline.
During that time, Noir diligently dedicated himself to gathering information. Behind Spiegel's back, unaware of anything, the blueprints for the murder plan were steadily completed.
It's not good to have too many heavy chapters in a row, so the atmosphere will change completely tomorrow.
Man, they are really having their way with things so far, aren't they?
Next Time: "That is an Underestimation"
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