"Ahem, ahem—"
To ease the inexplicably awkward atmosphere, Shido gave two dry coughs, straightened his expression, and asked Yutsuki, "Yutsuki, can you explain to what exactly is going on right now?"
Itsuka Shido had a mountain of questions piled up right now. What happened to this world? Is that girl nad Marina really from DEM? What is her goal? And why does Yutsuki know Marina?
From the looks of it, unlike the clueless Shido, Ryougi Yutsuki and Reine had anticipated this situation long ago and had made corresponding preparations in advance.
Although he felt a bit dissatisfied about being kept in the dark, rather than dwelling on that, Shido wanted to understand the specific situation more.
"Well, where should I start?"
Yutsuki smiled bitterly. After pondering for a mont, she spoke to Shido.
"Generally speaking, just as Shido heard, DEM launched an attack against us, planting the hacker program nad Arusu Marina into the Fraxinus's computer via the wireless network to carry out a hacking attack on us. The Fraxinus's computer autonomously counterattacked, deploying a powerful firewall, using this ga world as a quarantine zone to imprison Marina. And that tifra should be right around when Shido entered this world."
"In other words, while Maria and Marina were waging an earth-shattering hacking war, I jumped into the battlefield with a playful mindset, completely lacking any sense of danger?"
Shido showed a look of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Well... actually, I didn't notice it at all back then either."
Yutsuki scratched her head sowhat guiltily. Actually, this was completely unavoidable. It would be a different story if she were in her pri, but with her Spirit power sealed, Yutsuki could at most notice information on the level of "Hm? The wireless network signal is a bit weird."
"After shutting down Marina, Maria... no, to be precise, Maria was truly born after that." Slightly correcting her wording, Yutsuki shifted her gaze to Maria and continued, "Probably to suppress Marina's resistance... the Fraxinus's main computer analyzed Marina's data structure and birthed a counteracting deterrent force—the existence of Maria."
Shido looked at Maria with questioning eyes. To this, Maria nodded, confirming Yutsuki's explanation.
"That is indeed correct... but when I was just born, I didn't have any mories of fighting Arusu Marina. If there's one thing I rember..."
"What is love?"
Before Maria could say it, Shido softly voiced his guess. To this, Maria nodded affirmatively.
This was the question the other party asked when Shido first t Maria.
"I'm afraid this is the key to unlocking the blockade set by the Fraxinus's main computer based on so judgnt."
Then, unlike a computer that can only make logical judgnts, Maria, who had developed a hazy consciousness, began to search for the answer to the question, driven by human primitive thirst for knowledge and curiosity.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
Maria lowered her head in extre sha.
"That's not true, Maria was just doing what was natural for her. Besides, things haven't gotten that bad,"
Seeing the dejected Maria, Shido hurriedly comforted her.
Judging by Marina's surprised expression earlier, the developnt of the situation had clearly exceeded her expectations as well.
Hearing Shido's words, Maria's expression improved slightly. Then she looked at Yutsuki with so confusion.
"But... I clearly felt that 90% of the managent permissions within the Fraxinus computer had already been seized by Marina. Just what thod did Yutsuki use to stop her rampage?"
"Mhm... this is a bit complicated to explain."
Yutsuki pondered distressedly for a mont, then tried to express it in the most concise language possible.
"Simply put, it's like instruction corruption. Through a special computer program... in the current situation, it should be a virus. The computer's instructions are broken down into aningless garbled code that the decoder cannot translate while in transit. Because the Magic Convergence Cannon received invalid instructions, it naturally didn't react."
Shido expressed that he was completely confused listening from the side.
[...To put it more abstractly... Originally, Maria constructed sothing like a "shield" isolating the outside in this computer world. On this basis, Yutsuki set up a "filter net" on the outside. When the shield set by Maria was deactivated, the filter net decomposed and destroyed the instructions sent by Marina... Well... to use an explanation even a monkey could understand... it's like using a crane to lift a car about to crash into a wall into the air to prevent an accident... It's enough if you understand it like that.]
...Although he did sowhat understand it, why is it? Shido had the illusion that Reine was treating him like an idiot.
However, unlike Shido who barely accepted this explanation, Maria showed a shocked expression of disbelief.
"How is that possible... That's equivalent to completely separating the Fraxinus's computer and the airship. Setting aside how that was done... if that's really the case, all equipnt on the Fraxinus will be unable to operate, and the airship will crash directly to the ground."
"What!!!"
Isn't that worse than the original situation? Shido's face instantly turned completely pale.
[Well... there's no need to worry about this point. Currently, the Fraxinus is being proxy-controlled by another computer.]
"Is that so..."
Maria's face was written full of doubt. It wasn't because of competitiveness or fighting spirit or anything. In reality, within Ratatoskr's organization, there really wasn't a second computer with performance that could match hers.
No—! There is indeed one!
A supercomputer capable of filtering the tens of millions of instructions sent by the Fraxinus's main computer per second, while also maintaining the functions of the airship as a substitute for the Fraxinus's main computer.
"Ratziel"
Constructed by a Spirit based on a wish, possessing super strong computing and calculating abilities far beyond the scope of human understanding—a tangible miracle.
As if confirming Maria's thoughts, Yutsuki nodded.
"Mhm, before entering this computer world, just in case, I didn't release my Astral Dress state and directly left my Angel in the real world."
Actually, regarding how to operate the airship, Ratziel was rely imitating the operation records previously left by Maria. However, constructing the filtering virus part took Ratziel quite a long ti without Yutsuki's command.
Although saying it's long, in the real world, it was only a matter of ten plus minutes.
Except for the inability to generate an independent consciousness, this Angel's performance completely crushed humanity's current computer level.
"Did you anticipate this situation happening beforehand, Yutsuki?"
Shido couldn't help but ask.
"Not to this extent... It's just that I felt sothing was a bit off back then, so I left Ratziel behind just in case."
When invading the computer world back then, Kotori told her. Ratatoskr only had one computer capable of generating artificial intelligence-level—Maria. Yet in reality, she discovered two high level artificial intelligences.
Actually, the non-daily dates on the third and fourth days, and the hacking ability with Miku in Karaoke. Those were also small miracles that happened after Ratziel received Yutsuki's subconscious wishes.
"Honestly, the things it can do are far beyond this." Speaking of this, Yutsuki suddenly looked at Shido with slightly apologetic eyes. "Sorry Shido, actually from the very beginning, I could have brought everyone out of this computer world."
"Wh—"
So surprised he couldn't speak. This sentence from Yutsuki could be said to be the most shocking news Shido and Maria had heard so far.
There was no need to understand what love is at all, nor was there a need to defeat Marina. Relying on Ratziel's ability, Yutsuki could have directly cracked the firewall set by Maria, while expelling Marina, and directly left this computer world.
Hearing this news, Maria showed an emotion called anger, glaring into Yutsuki's eyes and questioning her.
You have to know, even if Ratziel maintained the current situation, the fact that Arusu Marina grasped ninety percent of the Fraxinus's managent permissions remained unchanged.
"To think it was like this. Why didn't you just bring Shido and everyone back to the original world from the very beginning!? Why, even though you clearly love Shido? Why didn't you stop back then? Why did you make him fall into this situation?"
If Yutsuki's plan were divided into upper, middle, and lower strategies, Yutsuki chose the worst lowest of lowest strategy.
She didn't understand. Clearly there was a more efficient way to solve the problem, yet Yutsuki specifically did this roundabout thing.
To Maria's questioning, Yutsuki remained silent.
"Stop saying that, Maria."
Gently patting Maria's shoulder, Shido slowly shook his head.
This might be a bit hard for Maria to understand, but for Shido, Ryougi Yutsuki's actions didn't seem strange at all.
"Because, if we directly left this world... not only would Maria not be able to understand what love is, but you would disappear, right?"
"Shido!?"
Maria looked at Shido in disbelief, wondering in her heart why Shido knew this.
"Your expression this morning gave so guesses... And Yutsuki's actions confird this guess."
Saying that, Shido showed a helpless bitter smile towards Yutsuki, who awkwardly turned her gaze away at this mont.
Since she knew that the mont Arusu Maria understood love, the blockade would be lifted. Then why didn't Yutsuki run out to stop it when Shido and Maria kissed back then?
"The reasons why Yutsuki did this—there are probably two points," Shido explained to Maria, "First, it was to allow Maria to continue existing."
"For ?" Maria looked at Yutsuki with a surprised face.
Regarding Shido's explanation, Yutsuki didn't deny it, nodding gently.
"When understanding what love is, Maria's structure would also approach completion. At this ti when permissions were seized by Marina, I could modify Maria without harming her, allowing her to exist as an independent entity. Moreover... I believe—Maria possesses human emotions and, like humans, has the right to understand love. I cannot erase Maria's growth because of my own selfish desires."
Perhaps among everyone, Ryougi Yutsuki was the one who treated Maria the most as a human, as an ordinary girl.
Understanding this, Maria lowered her head feeling extrely guilty.
"I'm sorry... even though it was for my sake. I still said such harsh things."
"It's fine, I just wanted to do it myself."
Yutsuki shook her head, indicating she didn't mind.
"As for the second point..." Shido gave a bitter smile and said with a sowhat uncertain tone, "To save Marina."
"!?"
Seeing Maria so completely shocked that she couldn't speak, Shido couldn't help but give a bitter smile. Actually, even he felt this guess of his was a bit ridiculous. After all, their side and DEM were absolute mortal enemies.
But every ti he associated it with that night, that girl who slowly enjoyed the warm bento with him, who panicked out of embarrassnt because her na was written on the bento box, whose words and actions were like an unhonest little black cat. Itsuka Shido, no matter what, couldn't treat Marina as an enemy.
Probably, Yutsuki was much clearer about this feeling than he was.
"Maria and Marina are both important family mbers, so neither can be abandoned. That's right, Yutsuki?"
After a long ti, Yutsuki showed a helpless bitter smile.
"To be seen through to this extent by Shido... Am I really an idiot like Kurumi said?"
This phrasing was equivalent to admitting Shido's statent.
"I cannot understand... what kind of thoughts exactly exist between Yutsuki and Shido." Sighing with complex emotions, after a long silence, Maria showed a smile, "However, since both Shido and Yutsuki say so, I will believe that Marina shouldn't be a bad person..."
Able to get Maria's understanding, a relieved expression appeared on Yutsuki's face.
"Thank you for being able to forgive, Maria."
"Well... understanding is one thing, but how should I put it... there's a feeling of extre unwillingness."
Looking at Shido and Yutsuki, for so reason, Maria showed a distressed smile.
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