Published: September 10, 2025
※2016/12/4 Typographical errors corrected.
※2016/12/4 Some revisions made.
This is Satou. I've seen manga that start with a note saying, "This is ●●." I guess that’s because without such a disclaimer, some people might mistake it for a different work, right?
◇
“Master, it’s really intense! At this rate, I’m going to break.”
She wrapped her slender legs around my waist, pressing her ample twin mounds against my face.
“Ko, Core Two.”
“Master, Master, Master.”
I gently stroked Core Two’s back as she sought me desperately, almost madly.
“‘Guilty’.”
Arisa and Mia pulled Core Two away from me.
“Master, Master, Master.”
Even as Hikaru and Lulu held her in a headlock, Core Two desperately reached out for me.
I stared back at her, confused.
As soon as we arrived at the Isolated Island Palace by unit deployment, Core Two embraced me fiercely. I just didn’t understand why she was longing for me so intensely.
“What’s wrong, Core Two?”
“Master, Master, Master.”
Receiving no meaningful answer, I held her hand and asked my companions to fill me in on what was going on.
“Do you have any idea what’s happening?”
“No idea. The brownies told us Core Two was acting strange, so we canceled the sea fishing tournament and gathered here. That’s about all I know.”
“Could something have happened in the dungeon on Dejima Island?”
Following Arisa, Hikaru offered a sensible opinion.
“Yeah, I’ll go check it out.”
I deployed by unit to the Labyrinth Master’s Room in the dungeon on Dejima Island.
“—What’s this?”
The Dungeon Core was flashing violently, coloring the room red and blue.
“Report the current situation!”
“Master, who, is—”
Core’s response was broken and hard to understand.
“Someone from outside i-is i-interfering with me.”
It seemed the dungeon was under some kind of hacking attack.
A holographic window displayed the current labyrinth information.
“Are monsters trying to stampede outside the labyrinth?”
Based on the information shown, that was my assumption.
“Is it serious?”
“It’s a pinch (…) and a real crunch (…).”
Turning toward the familiar voice, I saw Tama and Pochi looking up at me from my shadow.
When our eyes met, they smiled slyly as if to say, “You caught us,” their eyes sinking back into the shadows.
Apparently, they had followed me using Tama’s shadow portal.
—Right.
“Tama, Pochi! Emergency mission!”
“Aye!”
“Roger that!”
At my command, the two sprang out of the shadows and struck a sharp pose, ready for orders.
“Exterminate the monsters pouring out of the labyrinth entrance!”
“Aye-aye!”
“Roger that!”
I deployed them by unit to the shrine near the labyrinth.
Since the labyrinth and Labyrinth Island are under my control, moving them was easy.
Alright, the monsters are taken care of.
“Master, s-support, is on its way.”
“Understood.”
I touched the Dungeon Core, connecting directly to Core’s consciousness.
“Follow—” A struggle of wills with an unknown entity flowed through Core.
Inside my mind, it called me “Master,” not “Master-sama.”
“Follow— Divine Will — Refuse to obey.”
Indeed, as Core Two said, the Dungeon Core was under tremendous strain.
“Core, trace whoever is connecting from outside.”
“Follow— Superior — Yes, Master.”
After a slight headache, the haughty voice reached directly into my brain.
A YES/NO prompt appeared in my peripheral vision: “Request from a superior has been received. Do you comply?”
Of course, I chose “NO” — but didn’t select it yet.
I remembered something from some manga or anime —
“Only someone willing to be hacked can hack.”
—Or something like that.
It might be a bit different, but that was the general idea.
I traced the faint flow of demonic essence floating in the leyline upstream.
It was quite far away.
Passing through many magic power reservoirs, miasma caverns, and sources, it came from even further beyond.
It was like a cybercriminal (cracker) launching an attack through multiple network servers.