Episode 237: Mary Sue

Switching locations, Tokyo Metro Tsukishima Station.

More accurately described, the station interior—following extensive renovations and meticulous cleaning—had transformed into something resembling a secret base, …and within one of its rooms.

The six of us, having come from Sakagahara, are now being treated to a feast of okonomiyaki.

"Wow, you really saved us back there! Level 85 senior!"

And speaking with bold enthusiasm is one of the four who just fought the "zombies"—Nanasaki Satoru.

He now wears only a T-shirt, having stripped off his soiled uniform stained with zombie blood, and skillfully flips the okonomiyaki on the griddle.

From the iron griddle brought up from the surface comes the rhythmic sizzle—kachakachakachak, oooh, juicy—delightful sounds that send shivers down your spine.

...Well, I'm just not really hungry, to be honest.

I mean... this right in front of me... it looks just like the corpse of that "zombie" I saw a moment ago.

"Come on, go ahead! Eat up! Honestly, we get plenty of supplies from Central Office, so we never run out of food!"

"Huh..."

"We've even got fresh vegetables—plenty of them! And eggs too! What do you think? What do you think?"

"Um..."

"Now! If you join us right now... hehehe! I'll even throw in a year's supply of toilet paper!"

"No, that's a bit much..."

Dodging the obvious pitch.

I've got things to do, after all.

"Ah~? Seriously~?"

"Dead serious."

Taking a bite of the finished cheese-filled manjū, the flavor is surprisingly good.

The cheese and cabbage are working perfectly together—sweet and satisfying.

As soon as I take a bite, everyone reaches for the monjayaki right after.

...Wait a minute? Did I just get used as a taste tester?

"But we're civil servants, you know. What do you think, civil servants? The ultimate dream job—perfect for writing in your 'future aspiration' list and making your parents happy."

"Niyayan, niyayan."

"Hm?"

"Come on, you're being a bit too persistent now. Everyone's getting annoyed."

Sitting beside me is Ran, the Seven-Split Lotus.

The girl with the ponytail who just showed off her impressive saber skills.

Ran and Riru are siblings, seemingly "players" of some sort.

"Anyway, Niyayan, next up, I want it grilled with menchi-katsu."

"Alright, here we go!"

Riru skillfully juliennes the cabbage with practiced ease.

Apparently, he used to work as a cook at a diner, so he's quite familiar with this kind of task.

By the way, what about Thor Vlana something?

Tall's using that usual magic—getting an IV drip right now. It's a really draining technique, that 'Light Magic X' thing.

At that moment, her younger sister scolds her lightly, "Hey, now, Niyann…"

What's the problem? They seem like nice people, don't they?

so it is said.

It seems Rinrō-kun lacks a sense of urgency.

I don't think we're quite at the point where we can fully trust each other yet.

"There was also another 'player' who fought bare-handed, wasn't there?"

"That guy... his name's Soga Ryōji... sorry about that. I did ask him to come, but he didn't show up. He's a free spirit, you know."

"Hmm."

He gave a half-hearted reply while scooping up a small piece of yakitori with his chopsticks and popping it into his mouth.

There was more to my lack of appetite than just seeing those "zombie" corpses a moment ago.

Along the walls, surrounding us, stood a row of people in green uniforms, their presence making the air heavy.

Each of them had clearly defined, well-built bodies, visible even through their uniforms, and sharp, piercing eyes hidden beneath deep military caps, staring at us intently.

"Uh, um... aren't the others going to eat?"

"They seem to have already finished."

"Is that so..."

Then, Ri留住 lowered his voice slightly,

"They're probably doing some kind of training—these guys eat way too fast. We sometimes invite them, but everyone just says, 'We're done eating' all the time."

"Wow..."

Does that mean they're avoiding us?

"How many other 'players' are there here?"

"That's... definitely confidential information, you know."

It was the younger sister who answered in place of her brother.

Ran-chan, apparently less trusting of them than her brother, gave a wary expression as she said,

"Of course, we're not the only ones. Our allies are currently running around Tokyo, bringing together other 'players' in the city."

"Wow."

Maybe the person Tsumuri met—the one called a "Guardian"—is just one of them.

"So, you're gathering all the 'Players'... what's your plan?"

"Obviously, we're going to work together to defeat the zombies and reclaim the capital."

"Creating an army of 'Players,' huh?"

"Yeah. I heard the higher-ups are already drawing up plans for ten years from now."

"Hmm."

I suppose they're trying to promote themselves as forward-thinking, but to me, it sounds like "talk about next year and even demons would laugh."

They’re planning to form a military force after the New Year and wipe out the “zombies” and “monsters.”...And once they’ve quickly re-unified the country, they’re apparently planning to turn their attention overseas next.

"Overseas?"

Yeah... places like America or Europe... I hear it's even worse there than it is here.

"Are you saying we should take advantage of other countries' crises...?"

"That's right. It's kind of strange, though—apparently there aren't many 'Players' overseas. 'Players' seem to be concentrated mostly among people living in Kanto."

"Really?"

That was news to me.

"So does that mean whether someone becomes a 'Player' depends on where they're from?"

"I don't know. There seem to be 'Players' in Hokkaido and Okinawa too, so it's probably just a matter of probability."

Hmm. I wonder why.

"From what I've seen with Mr. Tōrō, it doesn't seem to be about race, does it?"

"Yeah, maybe it's just that you have to have lived somewhere in Japan at some point."

I see. That's certainly possible.

"Well, in any case, we'd better make use of the advantage that there are now so many people in this country who can wield mysterious powers... The higher-ups seem to be thinking of using our abilities to save and unify the world."

World unification.

It's so grand it's almost beyond my imagination.

While I'm still reeling, my five companions, right next to me eating menchi-katsu, all spoke almost simultaneously.

"That's impossible."

"Uh, no way."

"That's impossible."

"Come on, that's just too much."

"Are you kidding?"

Who said what among the five, well, you can imagine for yourself.

Representing the group, it was Yuki Ginsho who spoke.

He was the only one drinking beer, his mouth half-exposed, reddened by the drink,

I think I said Ran-chan. If you have a say in this, tell that 'higher-up' person to stop relying on such overly optimistic assumptions. It's better to reconsider that approach.

"…Why is this happening?"

"Of course it's simple... everyone called 'players' is a Mary Sue."

Mary Sue.

That's right—it's a term used in creation to refer to characters who are the strongest and are based on the author's self-projection.

"What? Who? Mary?"

"...Well, in short, we 'players' all think of ourselves like the protagonists of our own stories. 'Chosen by God,' that kind of thing."

"Okay, so what?"

"Think about it. Do you really believe someone who sees themselves as 'chosen by God' would sacrifice themselves for everyone else? Even if they did, it'd probably just be out of selfishness."

"That... might be true, I guess, but..."

"Exactly, those people surrounding this room probably volunteered themselves, swearing to serve the nation. They've been trained, willing to risk their lives to save the people—truly admirable individuals....But most 'players' can't become that way. When times get tough, when we're in real hardship, we always end up choosing the path that suits us best. After all, we believe we're 'special,' different from the other background characters, the 'protagonist' after all."

And Yoru-san scooped up the entire monja on the griddle with the largest spatula and slopped it onto his own plate.

"…………ah……"

"That's why forming our own army is impossible."

Ran-chan could do nothing but gaze sadly at the one with mentaiko in it.