"Oh?"
Not long after.
Click—
The starship disengaged from its hyperdimensional form and settled back into the base.
"Master, mission complete. Spacetime order has stabilized. The operation caused no additional casualties."
"Oh? That fast..."
The shipgirls and Flügel gathered around, curiously observing the little girl Ikaros had led over.
White hair. Red eyes. A simple dress without any extra adornments.
Her face was adorable, though her expression carried a faint confusion and listlessness, as if she lacked the energy to care about anything.
This was the female protagonist of the main story of No Game No Life—Shiro.
"Her intelligence far surpasses that of ordinary people. Even by the standards of genetic ascension, she qualifies as a genius. Though only in terms of intellect. Her physical constitution is still rather weak."
Nymph commented.
Shiro had been able to speak at the age of one, displaying logical reasoning and intelligence far beyond that of other children, frightening her own mother.
When other children could not even handle basic addition and subtraction, Shiro was already fluent in multiple languages, crushing world-class players in board games.
She could rapidly master knowledge across disciplines in a short time, possessed perfect memory, and demonstrated extraordinary logical deduction.
Unfortunately, such abilities had not brought her happiness.
"...Lolicon."
Gudako glanced at Shiro, who looked even younger than the Black Bullet lolis, and muttered inwardly.
"..."
Shipgirls had an instinctive fondness for small girls. Illustrious was the first to crouch beside Shiro and gently stroke her head.
"Don't be afraid. This is the Starsea Empire. We mean you no harm. We'll take good care of you."
"You weren't very happy in that world, were you?"
"..."
Shiro did not answer.
Her eyes moved over everyone several times.
She first nodded, then shook her head.
"Are you hungry? Is there something you'd like to eat?"
Radiating brilliant maternal warmth, Illustrious asked again.
"..."
Shiro lowered her head and continued to shake it.
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Is there something you want? ...Or did someone bully you?"
"..."
The little girl remained silent, head lowered.
"Would you like some snacks?"
Illustrious took out some sweets and placed them in Shiro's hand.
She neither refused nor accepted them, simply holding them loosely.
"Do you have any questions? You can ask about me, about the Commander, about the Starsea Empire..."
"..."
No reaction at all.
"Eh?"
Illustrious felt somewhat helpless. Formidable scratched her head.
"Commander, this child seems a bit withdrawn? Should we take her to see a psychologist? Or... maybe call over Herrscher of Sentience?"
"..."
"It's normal for children to be shy around strangers. Shiro is simply more sensitive than ordinary little girls. Being suddenly brought into an unfamiliar environment would naturally leave her at a loss."
Setsuna smiled.
He walked up to Shiro, crouched down, and gently patted her head.
"How about playing a game with me?"
"Chess, Go, or anything you like."
"Hm?!"
Shiro immediately lifted her head. A glimmer of light flashed in her eyes.
"...Okay."
During the long stretches of time she spent alone, the only opponent she could play games with was herself.
Researchers and others had played with her as well, but they were either too weak—or their intentions were impure, merely using the opportunity to study her.
"Schwi."
Setsuna turned his head.
"Lösen. Game selection: chess."
Shua—
Schwi projected a massive chessboard formed from a holographic interface before them.
Two opposing sets of pieces appeared neatly arranged.
"Oh?"
Shiro looked at it with curiosity. She reached out and grasped a piece. Though it appeared to be a projection, it felt solid in her hand.
She sat down opposite Setsuna and extended her hand, speaking in a soft, childish voice.
"You first."
"Confident, aren't you?"
Setsuna smiled and sat down as well.
Shiro possessed monstrous talent for calculation-based games. In games purely determined by computation, with no room for free manipulation, no one could defeat her.
From the moment a game began, she could already deduce its conclusion.
Setsuna was not particularly skilled at board games. Chen Hai could casually beat him ten to zero. However, when it came to pure calculation, he would lose to no one.
Clack—
After a brief moment of thought, he casually picked up a piece and made his move.
"Hm?"
Without hesitation, Shiro began her duel with him.
At first, her expression retained a trace of laziness. With little effort, she had already calculated countless possibilities more than a dozen moves ahead.
Every move her opponent made fell within her calculated range. As long as she responded calmly, victory would come without pressure.
Clack, clack—
The two exchanged moves on the holographic board while the shipgirls and other girls gathered around to watch.
Jibril in particular was excited. The Flügel's computational ability allowed her to see even more.
"Ohhh, this child is impressive. Master's at a disadvantage!"
"Trade a rook for a bishop, or even queen for rook and knight—that gives the highest win rate, 53.26%, Master!!!~~"
"Eh, eh, no, that's wrong! That move only gives you a 32.77% win rate. You miscalculated~~!"
Thump—
Formidable jabbed Jibril with her elbow.
"Spectators shouldn't speak while watching a game. Don't disturb them. Besides, can your calculation ability compare to Eternal Snowfall?"
"..."
Before long, Shiro realized that Setsuna's control over the board was in no way inferior to her own.
"King's wing sacrifice? That's your plan?"
The little girl gradually grew serious. Leaning forward, she tied her loose white hair into a ponytail to keep it from interfering.
She used her full strength to contend with him.
This was the first time she had encountered such a powerful opponent. Every flaw was seized upon and infinitely magnified.
Every trap she set was seen through—and then used against her to devour even more of her pieces.
Even more absurdly, he seemed to have predicted who knew how many moves into the future. From beginning to end, she had the illusion of being led by the nose.
A few beads of sweat formed on Shiro's forehead as she brought forth unprecedented determination.
Clack, clack—
However, once the game collapsed, there was no possibility of turning it around.
A few minutes later.
"Checkmate."
Setsuna placed his final piece.
Shiro sat on the floor in disbelief, staring blankly at the holographic chessboard for a long time.
She had never lost so miserably at chess since the day she first started playing.
"No, I wasn't serious at the opening just now. One more round!"
The little girl's face was full of defiance.
"Sure."
Shu—
Schwi reset the board.
Shiro sat upright, brows tightly knit, entering high-efficiency thinking mode at once.
From the very first move, she planned far ahead, calculating every possible variation.
The level of seriousness she displayed surpassed any game she had ever played before.
"Four-pawn formation? Why would you use such an amateur tactic?..."
"Hm? No, that's not right..."
"Ah? Eh—"
Each time Shiro made a move, she required a long period of deep calculation. Setsuna, meanwhile, could respond almost instantly.
Twenty minutes later.
"Checkmate."
"Uu..."
Shiro stared at the board again, her eyes filled with confusion.
She had been utterly defeated once more.
She could not understand it. She could not imagine it.
This was an opponent she could not overcome even at full strength.
"Let's switch sides. You take the initiative this time."
"Mm."
Shiro did not hesitate.
Adjusting her tactics, she battled Setsuna again.
"..."
"Checkmate."
"Eh? Again..."
"..."
"Tenth round. Checkmate. The score is now 10 to 0. Shall we switch to a different game?"
"Uu..."
Shiro refused to accept defeat.
"Go. How about Go?"
Shua—
Schwi projected a Go board.
"I can give you a three-stone handicap. Even eight stones is fine. You go first."
"!!!"
Faced with treatment akin to a professional playing against an amateur, Shiro felt displeased.
"No need!! I'll give you the handicap!"
Half an hour later.
"Give me two stones. Just two. I'll definitely win!!"
"..."
"Three stones. Three stones and I'll absolutely win!!!"
"..."
"Eh? How can someone play like this? So strong... Maybe, perhaps, possibly I need four stones..."
"Waaah—"
Chen Hai saw it clearly. Setsuna was using the same strategy he once used against her.
"Commander, are you using Eternal Snowfall and Sophon's computational power to bully a child?"
...
"..."
Shiro was questioning her entire existence.
She challenged Setsuna in every game she knew.
Without exception, she lost them all.
The big brother before her was like a true god of games—meticulous in planning, flawless in calculation.
Whether it was chess, Go, or all sorts of strange and obscure games, he defeated her with overwhelming superiority.
"Why?"
"H-How did you even think of playing that move? Th-That's way too weird, isn't it?!"
Shiro clutched her head, desperately replaying the matches in her mind.
After reviewing them, she realized that every single move Setsuna made had been the perfect optimal solution, accounting for every possible future variation she might attempt.
It could be said that from the very first move of each game, her win rate had already approached zero.
The little girl tugged at Setsuna again and again, experimenting repeatedly, determined to find out just how deep this unfathomable big brother truly was.
Gradually, she began talking more.
"You calculate the development of the game, don't you? So do I. But humans can't defeat super artificial intelligence."
"...Are you using a computer program to play against me? Are you a robot?"
Shiro tilted her head back, gazing up at Setsuna with curiosity written all over her face.
"No, no. I simply borrow the power of artificial intelligence."
"But no computer program has ever beaten me."
"That's because their computational power isn't enough. Combine all the intelligent computers on Earth, and their processing capability still wouldn't match a single thread of Eternal Snowfall."
Setsuna replied with a smile.
"If you're not convinced, you can challenge Grey. In terms of raw computational power, she surpasses me."
"..."
"Oh..."
Shiro's originally listless expression gradually grew lively.
For the first time, she felt the thrill of challenge—the joy of facing the unknown and confronting it.
Through the games, she began to discover many things she had never known.
"What is Eternal Snowfall?"
"The vessel you're currently aboard. It's also part of me. If you want to see the data, I can show you."
Schwi projected information about the Starsea Empire.
With Shiro's photographic memory and extraordinary comprehension, she continued playing against Setsuna while occasionally turning her head to glance at the holographic interface.
Gradually, a model of a vast civilization began to take shape in her mind.
Though there were still many uncertainties for a child, she grasped the concept of the multiverse with remarkable speed.
"Is this another world? Was I transferred to a different world by a god? Like in video games and anime?"
"You can think of it that way."
"Oh..."
Shiro felt no attachment to Earth.
Her attention was entirely focused on Setsuna and the game before her, giving everything she had to win even a single round.
Yet no matter how hard she tried, the gap between humanity and superintelligence of the stellar age remained immense.
One round. Two rounds. Ten rounds...
Switch games.
Three rounds. Six rounds...
Switch again.
"Uh..."
At first, the shipgirls watched with fascination. Later, they realized that this little girl was astonishingly serious—and fiercely competitive.
She exhausted every game she could think of to challenge Setsuna, only to be crushed without mercy by Eternal Snowfall.
Even as the sun slowly set, she remained seated across from him, brows furrowed, pondering a way to break through.
"Ah, I'm hungry."
Gudako was already dizzy from watching.
"Where's Erina? And Rindou Kobayashi? Sonoka Kikuchi? Are you around? Save us??!"
"Commander, maybe go easy on her and let her win one round? I'm worried she'll starve to death here."
The Totsuki chefs who had accompanied them brought over an extravagant dinner.
They weren't particularly interested in war. For them, traveling to other worlds with Setsuna was simply an opportunity to see whether there were any new local ingredients worth cooking.
"Commander, I found some new ingredients in Disboard suitable for cooking. These are newly developed dishes. Please enjoy."
"Be sure to tell me your impressions later."
Rindou Kobayashi presented several strangely shaped avant-garde dishes.
"Uh... maybe we should call it a day?"
Setsuna was about to stand when Shiro, sitting on the floor, grabbed his clothes stubbornly.
"No. I... I can definitely win!!!"
"Commander Big Brother, o-one more round!!!"
"???"
No one had expected that Shiro, who had been a silent and socially anxious girl just moments ago, would start acting spoiled toward Setsuna.
"The result won't change. It's like you playing chess against an ordinary person. They would never be able to beat you."
Setsuna rubbed Shiro's head.
Then he lifted her onto his lap.
"Starship? AI?"
Shiro fired off a string of questions.
"Let's eat first, alright? After dinner, rest a bit. I'll play with you again."
"Oh..."
Shiro obediently agreed.
She had originally planned to deal with dinner quickly and then fight Setsuna for another three hundred rounds over the board.
She casually picked up a dish she didn't recognize and put it into her mouth.
"Mmm!!!—"
An unprecedented explosion of flavor erupted across her taste buds.
For a child who had never cared about the outside world and treated her three daily meals as mere routine, the cooking of Totsuki's chefs was nothing short of divine descent.
...
"Again, again, Commander Big Brother!!!"
Shiro was brimming with excitement, tugging at Setsuna to play.
"Uh... how about we try something different?"
Knowing Shiro's personality well, Setsuna made a suggestion.
Shua—
On the holographic interface, the vast game library of the Starsea Empire was projected.
After years of research by Akashi and the Research Division, combining the strengths of more than a dozen universes, it was the number one entertainment industry in the cosmos—so immersive even Cthulhu-like outer gods would lose themselves within it.
"Oh..."
Even a genius loli had never seen such a staggering array of content.
From real-time strategy to war simulations, from multiplayer competition to gacha games fueled by microtransactions—everything was there.
Shiro was stunned.
Holding a controller while sitting on Setsuna's lap, she pointed at one of the titles.
"This one."
"Let's go."
Her talent for games was astonishing. Within minutes, she grasped the rules.
In games that did not rely purely on calculation but instead on skill and experience to determine victory, she was immediately able to trade blows evenly with Setsuna.
Until the moon hung high and the stars filled the night sky, she continued tirelessly challenging him.
"It's 35 to 17 now. Commander, I'll catch up soon. Again, again!!!"
Even while yawning, the little girl refused to admit defeat.
"...If you like playing that much, we'll continue after we go back."
Setsuna tapped Shiro lightly on the head.
"I still have proper matters to attend to... And there are plenty of experts in the capital. You can play with Nyarlathotep, Kuuko, and Nagashima."
"Of course, if you want to travel to other worlds, that's fine too. Maybe in the future I'll even create a world where everything is decided by games, just for fun."
As a vassal world of the Starsea Empire, Disboard naturally would not follow Tet's somewhat whimsical management style.
Still, Setsuna found the idea of a world where everything was settled by games quite amusing.
Perhaps one day he could establish such rules and create a game world for leisure and vacation.
"...Okay!"
Shiro agreed reluctantly.
Here, she had finally experienced the true joy of games—as though an enormous world of games awaited her exploration.
"Commander Big Brother, you have to play with me, okay!!!"
Yawning, the little girl clung to Setsuna's side until she was too sleepy to even lift her head, at which point Illustrious took her away to wash up and sleep.
"..."
Gudako was convinced. Grey was convinced. Jibril and the shipgirls were all convinced.
Starting from the Black Bullet lolis, Setsuna seemed to possess an unimaginable attraction to every variety of loli across every world, casually bringing back groups of them.
Even a silent, withdrawn, socially anxious little girl could be effortlessly won over. The title "Friend of Lolis" was indeed well deserved.
"Commander, do you have some kind of anti-loli special attack inherent skill or Noble Phantasm?!"