CLAN - Episode 4

[At the Downtown District....]

Rui: … Are we really in the right place? Looks like just another shopping street.

Q: Hey, are you doubting my skills or something?

The IP address of the message you received didn't pass through any overseas servers, and there were no traces of traps either.

This is the place, no doubt about it.

Rui: ….

Shizuru: I gotta say, the downtown area is pretty nice.

Q: Why?

Shizuru: The vibe’s great, you know? Lots of little family-run pubs and jazz bars around.

You'd be surprised, they sometimes have hidden gems like rare drinks you wouldn't normally find anywhere.

Q: Hmmm …I like the entertainment district more because it's not as boring.

Shizuru: This downtown area is really steeped in booze and music.

If you can't see that, then it's because you’re still a kid with a lot to learn. [1]

Q: What’s that supposed to mean?

[At Messiah's House....]

Rui: ...Is this the place?

Shizuru: We're here. Let's start by asking if Messiah is around.

???: Yes, who’s there?

Rui:.....

???: ….?

Rui: Uhm–.... A—....

Shizuru: …What, you didn’t think this through...?

Rui: ...What should I say in real life situations like this?

Shizuru: Ugh! This is why gamers stay at home…!

Hey–, sorry to bother you all of a sudden. Is there a gamer here that goes by the name “Messiah”?

???: M-messiah?!

Shizuru: Wait, I'm sure their real name is probably different... We've only interacted online, so you know.

Messiah’s sister: Y-yeah, my younger brother is a gamer. He used to go by that edgy-sounding username.

Shizuru: Ahaha... Lately, we've been having trouble keeping in touch with him, and were wondering what's up with him.

We were so worried we ended up coming all the way to your place! If you don't mind, could you maybe... share what happened to him with us?

Messiah’s sister: Right. So what happened was–

Shizuru: …I see. So, he’s been missing for a few days now.

Messiah’s sister: Yeah. That kid tends to be a bit of a shut-in and usually doesn't like going out much, but on that day, he surprisingly went out. [2]

Q: He didn't mention what he was up to or anything?

Messiah’s sister: I'm not sure about that… He just said he was going to “meet someone” and left.

Rui: …Someone, huh.

Messiah’s sister: He came back home after a while though.

After that, I started worrying about him when I noticed the room was quieter than usual, so I went in late at night.

Shizuru: ...And then you found out he disappeared without a trace.

Messiah’s sister: Yes.

Shizuru: Did you report it to the police?

Messiah’s sister: No, not yet... I'm worried, but it hasn't been a week yet, and there’s a lot of long-time residents around here...

Q: What do you mean by that?

Messiah’s sister: Well, you know, with rumors going around about that kid being a shut-in, if the police were to get involved, it could get... complicated.

Shizuru: …I see. It’d be troublesome if the neighbors started gossiping.

Messiah’s sister: I’m embarrassed to say this…

Shizuru: Don’t worry, leave it to us. We’ll be looking for your brother.

Messiah’s sister: Thank you so much.

Shizuru: We also want to meet him and ask a few things. Right, Rui?

Rui: …Yeah.

Shizuru: Could we see his room for now, please?

Messiah’s sister: Of course.

[Inside Messiah's Room...]

Shizuru: Whoa, it's pitch black in here!

Q: Ouch! What's this, game cases!?

Shizuru: Let’s turn on the lights for now…

Hey, look at this Rui!

Rui: This is…!

Q: A Chaostone?! It even opened a door to the Chaos World?!

Shizuru: So, Messiah really is in this Chaos World. But why couldn't his sis find them?

Q: His sister mentioned that she came in at night to check up on him. There probably wasn’t enough light to illuminate the door.

Shizuru: That’s true…

Rui: …Let’s go.

Shizuru: Yeah!

Q: Okay!

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Translation Note:

[1] A kid as in Q is still immature/young and has a lot of things he doesn’t know about.
[2] She referred to him as a Hikikomori (引きこもり) which means a shut-in or someone who has severe social withdrawal that’s in extreme degrees of isolation within their room.

Edit

Pub: 10 Jul 2024 17:38 UTC

Edit: 10 Jul 2024 17:46 UTC

Views: 243