After getting scolded by the magic police, we were released. Apparently, fighting in public places is forbidden. But really, what are we supposed to do to defend ourselves if we’re attacked?

Back in the girls’ dormitory, I changed into my loungewear and started playing a computer game I’d bought in Zipangu Village.

“Ahh, game over. Things just aren’t going my way.”

“What game is it, Fally?”

“F-Fally?”

Lala called me by this odd nickname, making me stare at her in surprise. Twirling a strand of her hair with her index finger while lying on her bed, she explained.

“I thought a nickname would make you sound cuter. You know, give you more of a girly vibe and add some charm to your daily life.”

Lala’s suggestion embarrassed me a bit, but it also made me feel like part of the girls’ circle, and that was kind of nice.

“You can call me Lani. How about it, Fally?”

“L-Lani…”

This was… surprisingly fun.

“So, Fally, what game were you playing?”

“It’s a game where you run a cake shop. I was managing it to increase the company’s stock value and net profits, but eventually, fewer and fewer customers came, and the store went out of business.”

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“Why’s that? Weren’t you making money?”

“Well, according to the guide, there are hidden parameters like customer satisfaction and patissier loyalty that aren’t visible to the player. It seems that, in the long run, focusing on satisfying employees and customers leads to higher profits. If these hidden numbers are that important, it’d be nice if they were visible from the start.”

“Maybe that’s how real life works, too. Even in a simplified game model that cuts out real-life complexities, the truly important numbers are still hidden.”

Lala’s sharp insight made me blink in surprise. Her legs, swinging on the bed, picked up speed. Then, summoning courage, I decided to voice a question I’d been holding back.

“I’m not even sure the Princess Index reflects the true nature of a person’s gender at heart. I don’t know if I can say my heart is truly that of a girl.”

“I think you’re really girly, Fally, even from my perspective.”

“Thank you. Hearing that brings back a bit of the confidence I was losing. But even in this game, it made me realize that in real life, too, the truly important numbers are hidden. For instance, for feminized guys like Sharp to get along in a girl’s world, I think there are a lot of unseen things besides the Princess Index that really matter.”

The vague unease about fitting into a girl’s world—I realized I’d put that worry onto Sharp. Lala continued where I left off.

“Chasing only visible numbers can help set clear goals, give a sense of growth, and make it easy to evaluate others by fitting them into frameworks. Technology and the economy have grown, driven in part by human desires rooted in numbers. But if you unquestioningly chase visible numbers, sometimes people and society end up going down strange paths. Some villains in the world aren’t bad by nature but ended up turning to evil because they aimed for visible things like money or status and discarded the invisible. In the end, pursuing goals that way, you won’t even reach the numbers you originally wanted in the long term.”

What started as a simple game discussion had turned deep.

“You’re really wise, Lani.”

“Hehe. To achieve my dreams, I have to think about things like this. My goal is the ‘greatest happiness for the greatest number.’ It’s a quote from a jurist in Otherworld Britain.”

“Happiness is the ultimate invisible number.”

“Right? Imagine if we could measure happiness and pursue it like any other number to make everyone happy. How easy that would be.”

“Anyway… Oh no, my stomach… I’ll be right back, going to the bathroom.”

“Take care!”