Chapter 142: Only God Knows
"Losing to a guy like that is nothing to be ashamed of."
Ryuen Kakeru patted Katsuragi Kohei on the shoulder, then stuck his hands in his pockets and left immediately.
"Ryuen, are you just surrendering to Katsuragi like this!"
Katsuragi Kohei's voice was laced with resentment.
"No, not at all. I'm just gathering strength—sooner or later, I will defeat him again."
Ryuen Kakeru said with a smile, quickly walking off into the distance.
Inside the cruise ship's restaurant, the students of Class D sat huddled together around tables overflowing with food.
Ike Kanji and Sudo Ken were fighting over the last piece of cake; Sato Maya and Karuizawa Kei were arguing over who was the most impressive; and Sakura Airi sat in the corner, stealing glances at Katsuragi Keima.
Kushida Kikyo was helping everyone pour drinks, her smile finally becoming somewhat genuine.
Hasabe Haruka crunched on snacks, her eyes squinted into thin lines, while Matsushita Chiaki sat beside her with a smile on her lips.
The entirety of Class D was enveloped in a relaxed atmosphere.
"Haruka, did you know all along that he would win?" Matsushita Chiaki asked.
Hasebe Haruka shook her head.
"I didn't know, but I knew he wouldn't lose."
"What's the difference?"
Hasebe Haruka thought for a moment: "People who 'will win' are competing against others; people who 'won't lose' are competing against themselves. God never cares about others; he only cares about the game. As long as he treats the exam as a game, he won't lose."
Matsushita Chiaki looked at her. "You understand him very well."
Hasebe Haruka smiled. "I don't. I'm just observing. After all, people with similar wavelengths are rare."
"That is true."
Matsushita Chiaki narrowed her eyes slightly, observing the person beside them out of the corner of her eye.
Katsuragi Keima sat in the corner, clutching his handheld console, the faint glow of the screen reflecting on his face.
Elsie was crouched next to him, eating dessert, her face covered in jam and cream.
"Kami-nii-sama, aren't you going to eat something?"
Katsuragi Keima shook his head. "Not hungry."
"Then are you happy? We took first place!"
Katsuragi Keima thought for a bit. "It's alright."
"Alright?"
"It would be impossible to say I'm unhappy. After all, with more points, I can buy more games. And..."
Katsuragi Keima did not continue.
"Kami-nii-sama, what are you thinking about?" Elsie asked.
Katsuragi Keima shook his head. "Nothing."
He didn't continue playing. He pressed the save button and put away his console. Then he stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sea.
The sunlight spilled across the water, shimmering like crushed gold.
He suddenly felt that maybe this world wasn't so boring.
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On the cruise ship's top deck.
Kamuro Masumi's terminal vibrated. After seeing it was a message from Hashimoto Masayoshi, she walked over to Sakayanagi Arisu's side.
"Hashimoto says Katsuragi went to find Ryuen Kakeru."
Sakayanagi Arisu nodded. "And then?"
"They seemed to have a brief confrontation. Katsuragi said Ryuen sold him out; Ryuen said he simply chose the winning side."
Sakayanagi Arisu laughed.
"Katsuragi still doesn't understand. It's not a question of winning or losing; it's a question of vision. Katsuragi sees an exam, Ryuen sees Katsuragi Keima, and what I see..."
She didn't finish, simply maintaining her smile. Kamuro Masumi looked at her.
"What do you see?"
Sakayanagi Arisu didn't answer. She just looked at the sea, a smile on her lips. What she saw was a person who could change this school.
Not because he was smart, not because he was powerful, but because he didn't care.
He didn't care about grades, he didn't care about points, and he didn't care about the gaze of others.
He lived in his own world, and that world was more real than this physical one.
"Interesting," she whispered. "Next semester, I'll have a proper meeting with you."
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On the stern deck.
Ryuen Kakeru leaned against the railing, looking at the sea. Ibuki Mio stood beside him, her hands empty. She looked at the water, thinking about what had just happened.
"Ryuen."
"Yeah?"
"What kind of person do you think Katsuragi Keima is?"
Ryuen thought for a moment. "A monster."
"A monster?"
"Yes. A monster who can calculate everything and whom nothing can beat." He paused. "And he's also an eccentric."
Ibuki Mio looked at him. "An eccentric?"
"Yeah. He clearly could have destroyed Class C, but he didn't. He clearly could have left me with nothing, but he didn't."
Ibuki Mio fell silent. She remembered what Katsuragi Keima had said—"To me, you are a special existence."
At the time, she thought he was talking nonsense. But thinking about it now, maybe he was serious. Not "serious" in an "I like you" way, but serious in a "you deserve better options" way.
"Ibuki."
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to go to the Class D study group in the future?"
Ibuki Mio was stunned for a moment. Earlier, Ryuen had revealed the contents of his deal with Katsuragi Keima, which she hadn't been able to react to at the time; she needed time to digest it. And today, an answer was required.
Ibuki Mio was silent. She thought about these past few days in Class D—every day being pestered by Elsie to chat, every day being fed by Karuizawa Kei, every day being looked at by Sakura Airi with those timid eyes, every day being pulled around by Sato Maya asking about this and that, every day being treated by Horikita Suzune with that cold but serious attitude.
And Katsuragi Keima, sitting under the big tree playing games.
"I want to go," she said.
Ryuen Kakeru laughed. "Then go. Study well on how to defeat that guy."
"Mhm."
Ibuki Mio looked up at the sky. What kind of person was Katsuragi Keima, really? It seemed that from start to finish, she didn't understand him enough. And it seemed she truly did want to understand him a little more.
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The cruise ship sailed steadily through the night. The sea was like ink, and the moonlight shattered into millions of silver scales, rising and falling with the waves.
Most students had already returned to their cabins to rest. The corridor was so quiet that only the slight vibration of the ship and occasional distant laughter could be heard.
Katsuragi Keima's room was at the end of the hall.
He hadn't turned on the main lights; only the small bedside lamp was on, its orange glow enveloping the bed and desk. He leaned against the headboard, handheld console in hand, the screen's glow reflecting on his face.
Elsie sat nearby, staring intently at Katsuragi Keima.
"Kami-nii-sama," she whispered.
"Mhm."
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
"Not tired."
"But you've been playing since we got back from the island. It's been eight hours."
Katsuragi Keima's fingers paused. "Only eight hours?"
"Eight hours is a long time!" Elsie hopped onto the bed, rolled over, and stared at the ceiling. "Kami-nii-sama, do you feel like you're a bit different from before?"
Katsuragi Keima didn't answer, but his fingers slowed down.
Elsie continued: "Before, when you played games, you didn't care about anything. No matter who called you, you wouldn't respond. But this time..." She tilted her head to look at him. "This time, you got involved in so many things."
Katsuragi Keima's fingers stopped. The character on the screen stood in the middle of a dungeon, getting hit twice by a mob, losing two bars of health. He didn't reload his save; he just looked at the character for a few seconds.
"Before was before," he said.
"And now?" Elsie pressed.
Katsuragi Keima was silent for a while, before speaking a few seconds later: "It's..." He paused. "It's alright."
Elsie's eyes lit up. "What does 'it's alright' mean? Does it mean you don't hate it?"
Katsuragi Keima didn't answer. He pressed the save button and placed the console next to his pillow.
"Kami-nii-sama, do you remember when you first came to this school?" Elsie lay on the pillow, her voice soft. "You said every day that the real world was boring, that 3D girls were a hassle, and that you just wanted to go home and play games."
Katsuragi Keima leaned against the headboard, looking at the ceiling. He remembered, of course. Back then, everything he looked at was boring. Classmates were NPCs, teachers were system announcements, and the classroom was a repetitive stage.
Every day he just wanted to finish his tasks quickly and go back to games. But now...
"Kami-nii-sama," Elsie rolled over to look at him, "don't you feel like this world is... maybe not so boring anymore?"
Katsuragi Keima turned to look at her. The light from the lamp fell on her face, making that usually giggly face look exceptionally serious.
"Maybe," he said.
Elsie smiled and sat up, crossing her legs to face him. "Then don't you feel like those people aren't just NPCs either?"
"Not all of them."
Elsie's eyes grew even brighter. "Then what are they?"
Katsuragi Keima thought for a moment.
"Everyone has their own path. Karuizawa Kei used to always want to find a protective umbrella, but now she's learned to stand on her own. Sakura Airi used to stutter when she spoke, but now she can proactively greet people. Sato Maya didn't used to care about anything, but now she'll get serious for half a day over a game choice. Kushida Kikyo used to hide everything in her heart, but now she at least tells me the truth. Horikita Suzune used to think everyone was an idiot, but now she at least waits for people to finish talking."
He paused. "They have gradually become flesh and blood, just like characters in a game."
"Why does that metaphor sound so strange!" Elsie stared at him for a long time, then a meaningful smile appeared on her face. "Kami-nii-sama, you've changed."
"Changed how?"
"Before, you wouldn't say these things. Before, you would only say 'Mhm,' 'Whatever,' or 'I don't know.' Now you say such long, long sentences, you talk about who has changed, and you say they aren't NPCs." She pouted slightly. "Kami-nii-sama cares about them."
Katsuragi Keima was silent for a moment. He picked up his console, the screen was still on, but he put it back down.
"Maybe."
"Do you hate this feeling?"
"I don't hate it anymore."
"Really?"
"Mhm."
Katsuragi Keima put the console by the pillow and pulled up the blanket. "Games are still fun. But reality..." He paused. "Isn't that bad either."
Elsie stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly lunged forward and grabbed his arm.
"Kami-nii-sama!"
"What are you doing?"
"I'm so happy! Because Kami-nii-sama has finally felt happy too!"
"I've always been happy! Provided you don't cause me trouble!"
"I didn't cause any trouble!" Elsie pouted again. "Ryuen almost got wiped out!"
"That was an accident!" Elsie immediately shifted the topic awkwardly. "Speaking of which, it's summer vacation after this, right! Can we go play everywhere?!"
"Probably."
"I've watched so many dramas, movies, and novels lately. I suddenly have an idea!"
"What?"
"I want to start a band!"
"Ha?" Katsuragi Keima completely failed to understand the logic of the person in front of him.
"But I don't know anything. Can Kami-nii-sama help?"
"No way. I don't even have enough time for games."
"Waaaah, Kami-nii-sama!"
"Don't get tears and snot on my bed! Fine, fine, I'll help you!"
"Kami-nii-sama is the best!" She tried to lunge again but was held back by Katsuragi Keima pressing his hand against her head.
"You've really got some strength, you brat!"
"Speaking of which, I'm tired too..." She shrank back onto the pillow, pulling the blanket up so only her eyes were visible. "Kami-nii-sama, goodnight."
"Hey! This is my bed! Go back to your own room to sleep!"
But Elsie closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly, her breathing becoming steady, a smile still on the corners of her mouth.
Katsuragi Keima leaned against the headboard and sighed, then turned to look at the sea outside the window. Under the moonlight, the sea was calm, like a giant mirror.
He remembered the first moment he arrived in this world, wanting to go back more than anything. And now? He didn't know. But he knew he didn't hate it here. He didn't hate these people. He didn't hate this feeling.
Perhaps he hadn't come here to save the world. He had come here to save himself.
At that moment, Katsuragi Keima seemed to hear a faint sound from outside the door.
"Keima-kun... I wonder if he's already asleep..."
"He's definitely playing games!"
"Why are you all here?"
"Ah, Little Kikyo is here too?"
"I—I'm just passing by!"
"I saw a few very interesting novels and wanted to recommend them to Keima-kun!"
"I brought something delicious for Keima-kun!"
"Horikita-san? Are you here too?"
"What do you mean 'too'? I just have matters to discuss with Katsuragi."
The soundproofing of the door was poor; Katsuragi Keima could clearly hear the dialogue outside. It seemed a lot of people were standing at his door.
Elsie, who had supposedly fallen asleep at lightspeed, suddenly woke up, sitting up on the bed like a projectile.
"Kami-nii-sama." Elsie looked at Katsuragi Keima with a meaningful smile. "It seems there's another mission to execute."
"You... weren't you just asleep?!"
"Isn't this just me caring about Kami-nii-sama!"
"Honestly."
At that moment, the voices outside gradually quieted down. Then, a knock sounded at the door.
Katsuragi Keima took a deep breath and placed his handheld console in the bedside drawer.
"See you later."
He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also to the console.
Katsuragi Keima smiled slightly, pushed up his glasses, and opened the door.
Hello everyone! I'm VarieTL!
I'm sorry to say that this is the end of the Fanfiction, I hope you have enjoyed it and hope to see you on my other works :)