Inside the world of swords and magic, where studies lacked time for advancements, a place unknown to anyone but its residents hid behind the imaginary barrier once known as the eerie Dark Lair Forest. In the past three years, the robust barrier, capable of defending the nearby towns from epic-ranked monsters, became a mirage to a hidden paradise where mana doesn’t exist. Behind the clusters of various exotic trees, a city made of tall buildings resides.

… And it’s now known as the Tokyo Megapolis.

Its topology, including region and city names, imitates that of Tokyo prefecture with the addition of agricultural lands on the upper-right region and cruise ports on the lower-right sea. The neighboring places were once the Briston empire’s possession, but due to its downfall, the newly-forged empire only retains a sixth of its past land.

The Megapolis, in four years, already mitigated its technology from Earth’s 2020s, and with the vigor of magic, its advancement grew exponentially. Radio Waves replaced mana instead as the satellites circled beyond the region and beneath the barrier. Its residents didn’t know who the founder was, but most contributions, from architectural calculations up to the sole framework of every engineering sector, came from Rox.

The urbanized area evolved with technological modernization, and shouldn’t have existed in this fantasy world. Which is why most people who came here can never leave again. Once a word leaks out to the public, the place will become subject to invasion, causing massive destruction, which will result in war.

All of Quimora’s questions about technology and such were answered by Rox as they wandered across the city. The Hachiko statue, a famous hero dog from the tales of the otherworld brought by novels, became a landmark in the imitated Shibuya crosswalk. Quimora didn’t take her crimson eyes off it as she surrounded herself with the sounds of camera shutters.

“Do you want a pet?” Rox asked as Guinelle distanced herself behind them.

Quimora shook her head and left a faint smile as she faced Rox. However, Rox discerned that she might be repressing her wants by hiding her arms and fidgeting her fingers. “It would be nice, but… I suppose I’m not ready for responsibilities yet.”

“Say… Do you want to live in this place? Most people without abilities lived in this place, and they never complained. Everyone here was equally treated, and every job contributes to the development of the society.”

“I… suppose… I’m not sure yet,” Quimora stuttered.

“When things are unsure, you sound like Nebula-sama. I always get her complaints. That ‘suppose’ may be the annoying gift she inherited from you.”

Quimora gazed at the crosswalk and lost in thought. She muttered, pressing her lips, “Even if she resided for a decade in my head, I always fail to understand her intentions. Was she trying to help me? Or was she taking advantage of my body? She can’t even answer me when I need it.”

When Quimora glanced at Guinelle, she noticed her biting her lip and grimacing. Guinelle turned away a second of eye contact. Quimora bowed and whispered, “Wherever I am, peace always stays away, rejecting me.”

Rox softly rubbed Quimora’s back with her rubber-like synthetic hand. “We are never your enemy, Quimora. Nebula-sama may have been a prankster, but her intentions are pure for you. I might’ve been dead already if not for her.” Rox may have the most brilliant talent furnished through technology, but in Nebula's eyes, she is only a frail girl alluring diseases with no known cure.

As Rox planned to lead the two to the next stop, she encountered a long line of people wanting to check their ATM accounts in a single ATM. A fully-coated man with a hat stood before the machine, and as per the nearby conversations, half an hour passed and he didn’t move an inch.

“Whose kid dare to prank on my territory?” Rox growled, gritting her glossy-white teeth and rolling her ball-jointed arm. She had an infrared sensor to detect living organisms through their body heat, and what she discovered wasn’t a human… but a mannequin.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Wicked Luna, entertain Quimora for me. I’ll be doing some business,” Rox said, leaving Quimora to Guinelle as she crossed the street.

Guinelle pinched her forehead and sighed, “That same routine again. Solving this matter won’t take decades. She only bailed out to play games. What an immoral tongue.” She gazed at Quimora in a blink and turned her face to the ground.

“Uhm… Guinelle… If I did something, I’m sorry…” Quimora tried to reach out to her, however…

“Don’t lie to me, and don’t ever fake a smile on your face. If you hate me, just say so!” Guinelle shouted, clenching her fists with her shoulders raised. “A saintess shouldn’t feel guilt, for what we did was always right. However, not every decision was accompanied by our morals. I know you can never forgive me for what we did to you.”

“Guinelle… It’s not true. The fact that you saved me back then was…”

“How should I be forgiven if I only took advantage of you!? I’ve only done that to progress the mission. I’ve deceived you, and I have no right to stay by your side. I’m responsible that this ended for you miserably. I’m sorry…”

Covering her eyes with her arm, Guinelle sprinted across the sidewalk, dispensing trails of tears each step she took. She didn’t mind other civilians ogling at her.

“Guinelle!” Quimora shouted, trying to chase her. However, she’s terrible at chasing people.

From what Guinelle knew, she stated that Quimora could never forgive her. She only had this chance to know the intentions of the people that led to the desolation of the place she once called home. Forgiveness could always be bestowed once she understood their side. Hence even with the lack of stamina, she urged to find Guinelle to clarify things out.

“Why did you leave me, you idiot!? I can’t handle this!” Guinelle whispered through the intercom device implanted in her right ear as she talked silently in a woman’s public toilet.

“Well, things are pretty nasty here. Knowing that Nebula-sama planted the mannequin prank in the ATM, she might have reasons why she clocked me out.”

“That’s… unfair. Why, of all people, did she choose me to tour a person who can never forgive my sins.”

“Duh, don’t treat this trip as a communion. You’re not the only one involved in the ruckus. She entrusted you with this task. She may have a reason only you two would know.”

“Treat my past as a completely different matter. I provided her with a promise that I would save her from the devil’s land, but… I… I destroyed the family she just forged. I wish I never made that promise.”

“And you fulfilled that promise. I don’t know what else was bugging you. Did you even hear what she said about this?”

Guinelle replied in silence as her throat thickened. Quimora wanted to say something, but she thought that hearing her side only added load to the burden she carried. She never considered accepting Quimora’s opinion in the first place.

“That’s why I hated bullheaded characters. They ran off crying crazy one-sidedly. You’re currently in a toilet bowl, aren’t you?”

“Don’t make it sound so disgusting.”

“You are disgusting. Instead of burying your face into a mountain of powder called pride, you should catch up to her and apologize.”

“An apology won’t even afford what we did to her.”

“This isn’t business. You’ve known her personally. She might’ve treated you as a friend. You should be able to clarify this to her with simple talks. How pitiful you have a hard forehead.”

Guinelle caressed the blue gem implanted on her forehead hidden behind her bangs. She sniffed, cleared her tears with a towel, and replied, “If you’re insulting me, I’ll find a moral way to get back to you. Since you tracked me with this GPS thing, where is Quimora now?”

“...... Oh, it looks like this is the best opportunity for you to clarify what you feel. Tee hee!”

On a random Shibuya alleyway behind the commercial buildings, the overwhelming stench of stashed trash bins and traces of abandoned animals’ fur crawled into Quimora’s nostrils. The compressed wind shuffled the garbage in the corners. Empty bottles halted their roll on the ground for quite some time now.

“Guinelle!? Where are you!?” shouted Quimora who heard her rasping breaths resonating with the echoes of her voice. Emerging into the unknown, Quimora held her pulsated chest as she trekked with her trembling legs. She ventured into four different alleyways, but a group of people she didn’t expect showed up behind her.

“Hey there, young lady. Are you lost? Or maybe you’re looking for a certain person. I might know who you’re looking for,” a man with mohawk hair said, leading the gang of three people who wore the same style of baggy clothes.

Quimora stepped back and hesitated to reply to his invitation. Since the alien Quimora just set foot in this place, and she recalled what Rox said about peace, she had no other choice but to ask for help.

“I’m looking for a certain person.”