Chapter 37 - Overthinking Till It Hurts

It had been well over an hour, and Kazuya was still on the balcony, lost in his deep thoughts. A lot of things he had experienced recently didn't make much sense to him, so he was trying to rationalize things. 

He replayed Shizu's warning to him over and over again in his head, trying to link it up with the mission at hand, wondering how the two would correlate.

To him, Shizu's warning was an indication that there was more to this whole goblin fiasco than meets the eye. He believed that avenging his family's death wouldn't be as simple as slaying a bunch of goblins, and he wanted to know why.

At that time, Kenpachi had already dressed up and left for a mission that morning (so he was told), so the room was vacant, perfect for him to have some time alone to think and commune with his fairy, Gaichu, without the fear of being seen. 

He wasn't sure if anyone in the guild was open to the idea of their world being a fictional fabrication designed solely for the cause of entertainment, and he was also not sure of how they would react to it if they found out. 

So he got into the room, shutting the door and resting his back on it as he sat on the ground. He couldn't bring himself to lock the door of a room he didn't own, so the best he could do was use his back to hold it in place so he would easily know when someone tried to come in without knocking. 

Multiple questions and theoretical answers ran through his head the more he thought about everything. The biggest mystery that bugged him the most was the culprit behind the goblins' sudden sentience and revenge on humans. He felt he would get involved in it soon enough, and it would be best if he got all the information he needed right now for this. 

He wondered: Could it be that there was a higher power beyond the sudden goblin attacks? If there was, then what was it? Or better yet, WHO was it? If the Master's prophetic intuitions were true about him, it would mean that he would go on further quests beyond the goblin hideout to end his vengeance. 

He would not be satisfied with just slaying a few creatures; he would be after something beyond them, something responsible for them. But he couldn't place his finger on what or whom it would be.

He was able to figure this out based on the repeated patterns he had noticed ever since he realized that he was part of a virtual world. Whenever he needed answers related to his missions, all he had to do was fulfill the mission at hand, and the answers would be made available to him. 

But this time, he didn't want to go unprepared only to get devastated by another bombshell. He wanted to know more, so he called on his least favorite person in the world, "Gaichu!"

Then, the fairy popped out of thin air. "Good morning, Kazuya," it replied, "what can I do for you today?"

"I need information on the goblins," Kazuya said.

"Well, you would have to be a bit more specific than that, Kazuya." "What sort of information do you need?" it asked.

"I want to know how and why the goblins suddenly turned offensive towards people," he said to Gaichu.

"There are millions of theories behind it; I don't know which to tell you," Gaichu replied, causing Kazuya to roll his eyes. What other sort of answer was he expecting from Gaichu?

Ever since it came around, it had never given him full information the way he wanted it, except in some unexpected situations when his life was on the line. 

"How about you tell me the most probable case scenario?" Kazuya asked, trying to hit the nail with the hammer. He wanted to make sure the fairy wouldn't slip past his questions with riddles and pointless statements. 

"The most probable cause is the support and reinforcement of an outside personality that comes from beyond their community," Gaichu replied.

"So, in other words, someone put them up to it?" asked Kazuya.

"Precisely," Kazuya replied, "but it's just a theory—fallible at best." "I would advise you to take this with a grain of salt; it would be ill-advised to do otherwise."

"Any idea who this person might be?" he asked the fairy, ignoring its warnings. The theory was very compelling, as he had also come up with it. 

"I don't know for sure," replied Gaichu, as expected, "but I'd bet you'd find related clues to that during your mission."

"Yeah, sure thing," Kazuya said, knowing that was the best answer he was going to get from the fairy. "It seems it's only when I'm about to die that you give the information I need."

"As I said, I am your digital guide to this wonderful world. So while it is my responsibility to answer your questions, it is also my job not to give answers beyond specified levels, which might tinker with the gameplay. "I want you to have the best gaming experience out of this," it replied, "nothing more."

Kazuya frowned when he heard that. Gaichu had just reminded him of how fake this world was, despite the vividly horrific times that came with it. Out of annoyance, he dismissed the fairy, saying, "Get out," rudely, and it disappeared without saying a word.

The last thing he needed right now was a vivid reminder that everything he was doing right now was ultimately meaningless, as it would have no tangible implications in the real world, despite what happened in this virtual reality. 

Shutting his eyes and shaking his head, he dismissed all opposing thoughts from his mind. 

He remained where he was, sitting on the ground with his back resting on the door, staring into the distance, intensely overthinking until it began to hurt.

-

Genta was helped with her chores downstairs by Orihime, and in less than an hour, they had managed to sweep and mop the entire ground floor. The moment they had finished was when the bell rang from the magical clock on the wall, indicating it was about 9 a.m. that morning.

"Snap," Orihime swore, "how time flies." "Just three hours before noon, huh?"

Genta looked down. The smile on her face slightly dimmed when she was reminded that Kazuya and Orihime would soon be leaving. 

"Yeah, I know we've only known each other for barely a day..." she said to Orihime. "But I'll miss you."

Orihime shook her head when she heard this, knowing the reason Genta was talking this way. But she didn't want Genta to feel obligated to do something she didn't want to, so she had to tell her... 

"Well, you don't get to say that now, do you?" Orihime replied, folding her hands with a slight smile. "You know that is welcome to come with us if you want."

"Sorry, Orihime," Genta replied, "but my home is here, with the Sentient Hunters." "This is where I belong, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon."

"Can't you come with your master for only this mission?" asked Orihime, surprised by the way Genta and the others were making such a big deal about this. They weren't stealing her away; they just wanted her until their missions were over, after which she would be free to go back if she wanted to. 

"The big man and I would love it if you joined us for life, but we are not an official squad—hell, I doubt we would last up to a week from now, given how fast things are going." But can you at least come along with us? "Can't that be possible for you?" she asked. "Maybe then you could get all mushy about it, but you don't have to do that now!" 

Genta thought about it for a moment before answering, "Okay, I'm coming with you—but only with the Master's approval."

"Why do you all need the old woman's approval for everything around here?" asked Orihime. 

"Well, that could be a good reason why she is called our master, wouldn't you agree?" asked Genta. 

"I get that," replied Orihime, "is that the way guilds work traditionally?"

"Yes, around here, the Master calls all the shots and approves or declines every mission before they get embarked on," replied Genta, "but you seem unfamiliar with this truth." "I take it you have no guilds where you come from, correct?"

"Well, in my town, we rely more on science and alchemy for our well-being and only use magic when we feel it is necessary," Orihime replied. "Unlike you guys, who rely on magic for almost everything, we barely use it." "With that in mind, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this place a magical town now, would it?" 

"You're probably right on that one, Orihime," Genta replied. "All this work has gotten me all sweaty." "You want to join me to take a bath?"

"I thought you'd never ask." I feel the same way," Orihime replied as they headed back upstairs to clean themselves up.