[Ding! You have new mail.]
Momonga was chatting with Herohero and Naohara about old memories when the notification sounded.
It wasn't the system's usual cold, mechanical tone, but a pleasant, loli-like voice instead.
"Huh? Isn't that Bukubukuchagama's voice? Momonga, I didn't think you were still using that as your system voice!"
"That really takes me back. I remember Bukubukuchagama sent each of us a voice pack back then. After players outside the guild started calling it creepy, nobody used it anymore. I never expected the Guildmaster to still be using it."
Naohara looked at him in surprise, while Herohero spoke with a hint of nostalgia.
"It's Bukubukuchagama's heartfelt gift, after all. And Naohara, you've got some nerve calling me out. Don't think I don't know you're using it too!"
"Huh? How do you know that? I've never played it in front of you!"
"You really think anyone would fall for your little secrets?"
Momonga teased Naohara as he opened his mailbox and clicked to read the message.
The contents of the mail were simple, only a few short lines. Yet after reading it, Momonga fell completely silent.
The words that had been on the tip of his tongue vanished. The two red lights in his eye sockets fixed tightly on the message before him.
"What's wrong? Why did you suddenly stop talking?"
"The Guildmaster doesn't look too good. Did something bad happen in the mail?"
Sensing the sudden silence, Naohara looked at Momonga in confusion. Herohero also sent a concerned expression, asking what was going on.
"It's nothing, really. Just a problem with a company project. They want me to work overtime tomorrow to fix it. It put me in a bit of a bad mood."
Hearing their voices, Momonga snapped out of it and quickly explained.
"Momonga, life really isn't easy for you either."
Herohero didn't doubt him at all. Instead, he thought of his own endless overtime and couldn't help but sigh in sympathy.
Naohara, on the other hand, found it a little strange, but didn't dwell on it. After all, the server shutdown was almost here. He might look calm on the surface, but inside he was nervous beyond belief.
The three continued chatting, and under Momonga's deliberate guidance, the topic gradually shifted.
"By the way, Herohero, you haven't logged in for two years now. Naohara and I have collected several World-Class Items during that time. Want to take a look?"
Momonga casually changed the subject, subtly testing Herohero's reaction.
"Is that so… sounds like you two have been working pretty hard these past two years."
Herohero looked at Momonga and Naohara in surprise. He hadn't expected them to gather several World-Class Items in just two years. Nazarick only had eleven in total, after all. But considering the servers were about to shut down and things were easier to obtain now, he accepted it.
"So? Want to go see them?"
"If the Guildmaster is inviting me so warmly, I'd be rude to refuse."
Momonga asked quickly, a faint urgency hidden in his tone. Herohero hesitated for a moment, then happily accepted. He was genuinely curious about the effects of those World-Class Items.
"In that case, Naohara and I will head to the warehouse to get them. Herohero, could you go wait for us at the arena on the sixth floor?"
"No problem. I'll see you both there."
Herohero had no objections to Momonga's arrangement. With a flash of red light, he vanished from the Round Table Room.
"Let's go too, Naohara. We shouldn't keep Herohero waiting."
Momonga said lightly. Without waiting for a response, he activated the ring on his finger and teleported straight to the warehouse.
"Something's wrong. Very wrong."
Naohara stared at the spot where Momonga disappeared, his brow deeply furrowed. The entire exchange had left him with an intense sense of unease.
Based on his understanding of Momonga, something significant must have happened to cause this kind of change.
"Could it be that email? But what could possibly be written in it to make Momonga so eager to send Herohero away?"
Naohara felt his head start to ache. He shook it, tossing those thoughts aside.
"Forget it. If he called me over separately, it must have something to do with me. I'll deal with it when I get there. Let him explain it himself."
The ring on Naohara's finger flashed red, and he vanished from the spot as well. The once-lively Round Table Room returned to its usual silence. Forty-two chairs stood neatly in place, quietly waiting for their owners to return.
...
A flash of red light passed through the warehouse, and Naohara's figure appeared.
Gold coins and items were scattered everywhere. The Dragon Blood Sword, which had shattered into fragments on the floor earlier, was now gone, most likely swept away as trash by the NPCs.
"You're here."
Momonga stood quietly ahead. When he saw Naohara appear, he spoke softly.
"Yeah. I'm here."
Naohara replied, and the two of them fell into silence.
Momonga's gaze was fixed firmly on Naohara. He said nothing, yet Naohara could clearly feel an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him.
The air felt as if it had solidified, making it hard to breathe. Well, fine. This was still a game. He hadn't crossed over yet, so breathing wasn't actually required.
"I—"
"How long were you planning to hide this from me?"
Just as Naohara was about to ask what was going on, the other's roar cut him off.
"Why didn't you tell me? What are you trying to do, Naohara?!"
"Quitting your job, renting out your place, taking out insane loans…"
"You did all of this behind my back, and then you lied to me about your company being on holiday…"
"Naohara, tell me what's going on! Aren't we friends? Why hide it from me? Why lie to me?!"
In the silent warehouse, shouts filled with tangled emotions echoed again and again. For Suzuki Satoru, everything felt utterly unreal. His closest friend had kept him in the dark for so long.
Fear, anger, anxiety surged through him.
He knew this friend of over ten years inside and out. After so many years together, the two of them had long formed an unspoken understanding. Most of the time, a single look was enough to know what the other was thinking.
But that email had struck him like a heavy blow.
At first, he had only been curious. Naohara hadn't gone to work for the past few days, so he contacted the company staff to ask about the situation. After all, based on what he knew of Naohara, he was the type who would act as if nothing was wrong even when something serious had happened. "I don't like dragging others into my own problems" was something Naohara said all the time.
But when the staff told him that Naohara had already resigned, Suzuki Satoru was completely shaken. He almost rushed home on the spot, wanting to sit down and have a serious talk with him.
In this society, being able to land a job at all was already a blessing. Even though he himself was exploited by his boss every day and forced to work overtime, he had never once considered quitting.
He didn't dare.
This dark society never lacked people like him. The moment he left, someone else would immediately fill his position.
Suzuki Satoru desperately wanted to go back and ask Naohara why he had given up that job. But then he remembered that today was Yggdrasil's shutdown day.
He forced himself to suppress the urge.
After all, Naohara cared deeply about today. Just looking at the calendar in his room, with that huge X marked on the date, made it obvious. Not wanting to upset his friend, Suzuki Satoru decided to ask him about it tomorrow instead.
Still worried that something serious might have happened recently, he spent a large sum of money to hire a private investigator to look into Naohara's recent activities, hoping to find out what had driven his friend to resign.
At first, it was just a precaution. Suzuki Satoru hadn't thought too much of it.
But while he was chatting with Naohara and Herohero, the information came in.
After skimming through it, he stared at the system interface in disbelief. His mind shook violently, as if caught in the middle of a raging snowstorm. Even though he was inside the game, an intense chill ran through him.
Forcing down the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, Momonga put on an indifferent front and continued chatting with the other two.
If it had been just him and Naohara, he wouldn't have held back. He would have shouted nonstop, demanding answers.
But Herohero was there.
He didn't want to drag that friend into this as well. So during the conversation, he deliberately steered the topic, easing Herohero out of the room and creating a space where only he and Naohara remained.