Early TNG Vol. 23 Chapter 2 Part 2

Full title: THE NEW GATE

Note: If you found any typos/mistakes, pls write them in the comment. Thanks.

Translator: Canon

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After dinner, everyone retreated to their rooms for showers and a change of clothes, then reconvened in the lounge. It was dark out, but still too early to sleep.

Shin wore a navy pajama set. Tiera, enamored of the robe she’d once worn at an inn, had adopted a pale-green yukata as her sleepwear. Milt lounged in a cream-colored gown, Schnee in a light blue long cardigan-style nightdress. Retoneka had on a tawny bathrobe, the same issued to all Black Faction staff with enchantments to regulate heat and cold. She explained it had been introduced after too many researchers collapsed into bed straight from the bath.

“So, what’s on for tomorrow? Fishing’s fun, but I’d love to try those jet ski things. You’ve got one, don’t you, Shin?”

Milt’s suggestion earned Shin’s ready agreement.

“If the weather’s good, sure. Between gear and items, safety isn’t a problem.”

To Shin, a water bike was just a type of marine sport. He’d never tried it in reality, but this world had near-identical models. In games, real manufacturers often lent their data for promotional purposes, so replicas were common. THE NEW GATE was no exception, with both original and real-world models available. Perfect for leisure.

“A… water bike? I gathered it’s a vehicle, but what exactly is it?”

Tiera’s question gave Shin pause. In this world, not only were they unused; she’d never even seen one.

“Hard to explain. Bikes themselves seem to have been forgotten here.”

“Yeah. Without an Item Box, they’re impossible to maintain, so nobody needs them. Too little cargo space, parts are rare and pricey, and they’re noisy; a perfect monster bait.”

Schnee joined in.

“I’ve seen schematics for magic bikes, but never an actual one. I hear parts sometimes turn up in ruins, though.”

“Ruins of lost civilizations, huh. Even the facilities we used back then must be classified as ruins now.”

THE NEW GATE featured ruins of ancient civilizations apart from dungeons: treasure troves of rare items, often tied to events. Production classes benefited most, sometimes finding materials, equipment, or even blueprints etched like murals. Shin had once obsessed over ruin-hunting himself.

“Easier to show than tell. Just think of a water bike as the aquatic version of a land bike. I’ll let you see one tomorrow. If it rains, we’ll find another way to pass the time.”

“Got it. I’m looking forward to it.”

From there, the talk flowed into a free-for-all of “things I want to try.” Shin and Milt’s ideas of leisure items captivated Tiera and Retoneka, while, in turn Shin, and the others listened with interest to the pastimes of the locals.

𑁋

Time passed quickly, and they split up before it grew too late. It would be wasteful to spend their rare day off in a fog of sleep deprivation.

Back in his room, Shin sat on the bed, firm yet comfortably springy. He prayed for good weather tomorrow, checking his Item Box as he did. Water-version magic bikes could be built from magic ship components, so outfitting everyone posed no problem. He rearranged the storage order for easier access.

“Looks fun.”

“Yeah. It feels good to just play again. There’s another purpose to this trip, but fussing over it would backfire.”

Answering the fox-child-turned-adult-mind Yuzuha, Shin’s thoughts drifted to Retoneka. If everyone was to enjoy themselves, he had to lead by example. Burdening her with guilt was the last thing he wanted. That was why he’d thrown himself wholeheartedly into the fishing contest with Milt.

“That’s the right approach. Well then, tonight I’ll sleep with the sea and moon.”

With that, Yuzuha hopped down, padding to the door.

“Eh? Where are you going all of a sudden?”

“There’s someone else who needs your attention more. She worries too much about others’ eyes. So tonight, make sure you let her lean on you. And for the record, I really do feel like sleeping outside tonight.”

“…I see. Thanks.”

Her tail flicked in reply, curling around the knob to open the door before she padded out.

Standing beyond the open doorway was Schnee.

“Where’s Yuzuha headed?”

“She says she wants to sleep under the moonlight. I saw it earlier; the moon is nearly full. Must be one of her moods. Element Tails seem to love the moon.”

In game, their territories always featured star-filled skies and a perfect moon. Shin didn’t know why, but Yuzuha clearly felt the same pull; during journeys, she sometimes insisted on sleeping beneath the open sky.

“Did I make her feel obliged?”

“Maybe not zero, but not entirely, either. She did insist that she really felt like sleeping outside tonight.”

“I see. Then we shouldn’t let this opportunity slip away.”

Once the door was closed, Schnee wrapped her arms around Shin’s and sat down on the bed.

Through the thin, pale-blue sleepwear, her warmth and softness came through clearly.

Even with magical enchantments woven into the fabric, its thinness was unchanged. The sensation, subtly different from her everyday attire, made Shin acutely aware of his quickening heartbeat.

“It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve just relaxed like this, the two of us.”

“Things have been rather hectic, after all.”

“Couldn’t you at least have come to my room at night sometimes, or let me come to yours?”

Shin already knew what her answer would be, but asked anyway.

At Kurikara’s inn, they had stayed in a shared room, but during travels when the Moon Shrine was deployed—or when rooms were assigned by the Black Faction—they had private quarters.

“That’s… when Filma and the others are around, I always feel like they’re watching.”

“I get embarrassed,” she added in a whisper so faint it barely carried, the tips of her ears tinged red.

“The Moon Shrine doesn’t allow clairvoyance, you know. And even Filma wouldn’t actually spy on us.”

It was mainly Filma who teased Schnee, but Shin believed there were limits she wouldn’t cross.

“Even without sight, you can sense presence. I realized it once when I spent the night in your room. The next day, Filma and Sety were grinning, so I pressed them until they confessed. If it had ended there, I might have endured it, but then Shibaid even nodded in agreement. I later checked for myself. Inside the Moon Shrine, if you focus, you can more or less perceive what’s happening in a room. Quite… precisely.”

“…Seriously?”

Shin could guess that Filma and Sety’s intentions differed from Shibaid’s. Schnee understood that much as well.

Still, even if it wasn’t direct sight, knowing their intimacy could be overheard through presence-sensing made it no less uncomfortable.

Shin doubted anyone would keep probing constantly, but once aware of the possibility, Schnee couldn’t simply ignore it.

And to be honest, Shin couldn’t say it didn’t bother him either.

“Wait… does that mean the reason Filma and the others didn’t come this time—”

“No, that was a coincidence… I think. At least, I didn’t do anything.”

Apparently, Schnee hadn’t arranged it. Shin chose to accept it as a chance.

After a brief silence, Shin spoke again.

“In other words… tonight’s the perfect chance.”

“That’s right.”

From the arm she was holding, Shin could feel the rapid rhythm of her heartbeat, just as fast as his own.

“Should I turn off the light?”

“…No. Let’s leave it on.”

Night deepened.

Somewhere outside, the cry of a fox echoed faintly.

◆◆◆◆

The next morning. After pulling the blanket over the still-sleeping Schnee, Shin quietly left the room.

It was still too early to rise. He could have gone back to bed, but instead, he suddenly found himself thinking about Yuzuha.

When he stepped out onto the deck, dawn was just beginning to break.

“Good morning. You’re up early. Are you done already?”

“Morning. Just woke up, that’s all. Oh, and thanks for yesterday.”

Watching the sun rise, Shin thanked Yuzuha.

It was true she wanted to spend the night outside, but he knew she had also been looking out for him.

“Schnee really shouldn’t worry so much about what others think.”

“Yeah, I doubt Filma and the others would actually keep probing all night, but I can understand why it would bother her.”

Schnee had said before that with the others’ ability to sense presence, they could more or less tell what was happening inside.

Still, Shin didn’t believe Filma or the rest would go so far as to deliberately monitor them through the night.

Even among party members, privacy should be respected. He figured that at most, once they sensed what was going on, they’d stop reading further.

“Why don’t you just modify things so your presence can’t be sensed?”

“That’d be the simplest fix. I’d like to spend time with Schnee without worrying about eyes on us now and then, too.”

Even if they weren’t directly seen, just having people know what was happening was a little awkward.

It was something Shin had already been considering since hearing Schnee’s concerns, and Yuzuha’s suggestion only reinforced it.

“I’ll think about it once we’re back. For now, maybe I’ll tweak the ship a little. Anyway, I’m heading in—are you staying out here?”

“I’ll stay a while longer. I’ll be back before breakfast.”

“Got it.”

Shin returned inside the ship, heading toward the kitchen in the lounge for a drink of water.

But someone was already there.

“Morning. You’re up early.”

“M-Morning. You too, Shin.”

Milt, sitting in the lounge, answered with a stiff voice. Her face was noticeably red.

“You look flushed. Don’t tell me you’ve caught a cold?”

“No, no, of course not! I’m fine—totally fine!”

When Shin moved closer to check for a fever, Milt flustered and tried to put distance between them.

Her behavior was clearly strange.

“If it’s not a cold, then why’s your face so red? And why the panic? You’re acting suspicious.”

Shin narrowed his eyes and stepped closer.

Milt retreated step by step, until she realized too late that the wall was right behind her. With no way to back up further, her gaze darted about nervously.

“Uh, umm… I-I think I’ll go back to bed!”

“Not so fast!”

When Milt tried to bolt using a skill, Shin also invoked one to cut her off, moving ahead of her to block the way.

As she tried to slip past him, he reached for her arm.

She reacted quickly, trying to slap his hand away, but Shin caught hers instead.

Her strength wasn’t weak, but it couldn’t match Shin’s stats. Realizing she couldn’t shake free, she switched hands to strike with the other. Shin caught that one too.

Still holding both her hands, Shin pinned her against the wall. He half-expected her to try a kick, but no such intent came.

“Well? Care to explain? Your face is completely red.”

What had looked to him like just a light flush earlier was now an undeniable blush.

“Because… in this situation…”

“Situation?”

Shin glanced again, taking in the scene.

He was holding both of Milt’s hands, fingers interlaced to prevent her from channeling skills, pressing her arms up against the wall.

To an outsider, it would look less like he’d stopped her from running away and more like he was forcing himself on her.

“If you’d just talk straight, it wouldn’t come to this, you know.”

“…That comment’s kind of complicated, but fine. I’ll talk.”

“Then why are you still clinging to my hands? If you’re not running, I don’t need to hold you down.”

Shin tried to release her, but now Milt was the one refusing to let go.

“If you don’t hold me down, maybe I won’t talk after all.”

“…Seriously, why?”

Shin sighed in exasperation. He could never predict her behavior.

“Not that this isn’t kind of nice, but anyway—the reason I tried to run…”

“So? What was it?”

“Well… it’s embarrassing to say, but… Shin, you and Schnee, you spent the night in the same room yesterday, right?”

“How do you…! Wait, don’t tell me—”

Shin remembered what Schnee had confided the night before.

“This magic ship doesn’t have presence-masking effects, right? Or anti-【Clairvoyance】 features.”

“Normally it wouldn’t. Hold on though—the materials should at least make full-on 【Clairvoyance】 impossible.”

When Schnee had explained, Shin had tested it briefly with 【Clairvoyance】. It wasn’t clear; more like looking through smoked glass, hazy and indistinct.

“True, but when you combine it with presence detection, you can still tell what’s going on…”

Milt averted her eyes. Shin already had a sinking suspicion why she’d tried to flee.

“Even if you didn’t literally see, that’s not okay. Schnee specifically avoids it because of this risk.”

“At first, I just wondered if it was possible. But then, when I realized how clearly I could sense it, I… I got carried away.”

She admitted she’d only meant to test it briefly.

“I wasn’t watching the whole time! At first I just thought, oh, they’re being all lovey-dovey, huh. I was a little jealous, so I figured I’d tease you about it later. But I didn’t think you’d actually go further!”

“…Even so, you—”

“I know, I know! It was thoughtless. I swear, I didn’t keep sensing after that.”

Milt insisted she’d cut off 【Detection】 as soon as it became obvious what was happening.

“Didn’t think I’d need the countermeasures Yuzuha and I just talked about this soon. I didn’t mean to tempt fate.”

“And I didn’t mean to trigger it.”

When Milt finally let go, Shin sighed deeply.

“Don’t tell Schnee about this. Honestly, I wouldn’t even know how to explain it.”

“Like I could ever tell anyone this!”

“…Fair point. Still, when you see her, try not to let it show on your face. She’ll catch on instantly.”

“Ugh… I’ll try.”

Seeing how unconvincing she looked, Shin decided that if it came down to it, he’d come clean himself.

After returning to his room from the lounge, he lay back down, only for Schnee to stir awake.

“Shin?”

“Just woke for a bit. Went to check on Yuzuha. Let me sleep a little more.”

“All right.”

She curled up beside him, closing her eyes.

Schnee, usually so composed and dignified, often grew affectionate when it was just the two of them.

Feeling warmth toward her, Shin drifted back into slumber.

𑁋

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