Looking at the words on the screen, Otto's mouth spread into a grin, and a strange sense of satisfaction spread through his chest.
Being called "Overseer" felt good. Being called "brother" felt good too. And with those two pleasures mixed together, his brain practically trembled, making him want to roll around on the floor.
He was the youngest child in the family. He'd always been the one calling other people big brother and big sister. And with his father already old and worn down, when would it ever have been someone else's turn to call him big brother?
Even though the girl named Seele wasn't actually in front of him, Otto could almost picture a soft, delicate girl standing there, calling him big brother.
Otto settled his somewhat excited heart, then placed both hands on the virtual keyboard.
[Puberty Lord Overseer]: Mm-hm, little sister Seele. Is there anything you need Overseer-brother to help you with?
After sending it, Otto twisted his body a little. This new kind of experience was exciting to him, with his still-boyish temperament.
[Seven Punches Through the Sea of Quanta]: Overseer-brother, do you know Sister Bronya?
Sister? Now that Otto had both names, he felt he should be able to find Seele very quickly.
There might be plenty of girls named Seele, but there weren't many Seeles who also had a Sister Bronya. With Schicksal's resources, he'd be able to find her soon.
At that moment, Otto couldn't help thinking about what kind of expression this girl named Seele would have on her face once she was brought before him.
[Puberty Lord Overseer]: I don't know her. But Seele, can you tell me about your Sister Bronya?
[Seven Punches Through the Sea of Quanta]: Sister Bronya is someone who treats me very well. But Seele doesn't know if she'll ever be able to see Sister Bronya again.
[Seven Punches Through the Sea of Quanta]: Overseer-brother, if one day you can meet Sister Bronya, then tell her Seele will definitely go back.
Had these two sisters been separated? Maybe they'd run into some accident when they were young and it forced them apart. Or maybe they weren't blood sisters at all—just a pair of very close friends?
Otto had practically finished prying all the information he could out of Seele. He'd wanted to say more, but just then the light-screen started to shake, as if the form was about to change.
Was it unable to hold this state?
Otto's hands typed quickly. This short chat was about to end.
[Puberty Lord Overseer]: If I can find your Sister Bronya, I'll tell her.
[Puberty Lord Overseer]: Seele, I've been really happy chatting with you. But I can't keep chatting right now. I'll come find you again.
[Seven Punches Through the Sea of Quanta]: Mm, Overseer-brother, thank you for chatting with Seele. Seele has been alone here for a very, very long time.
[Seven Punches Through the Sea of Quanta]: I really look forward to chatting with Overseer-brother again next time.
Otto kept both hands over the virtual keyboard. He still wanted to type out some farewell words. After all, he didn't have any friends either, and in this era he still had to be careful not to let anyone notice anything strange about him.
Even if he was still wearing a borrowed identity, chatting with Seele had made him relax a great deal.
His own rank was low, and he'd run into a girl whose rank was even lower.
But just as Otto wanted to send a few more parting words, the light-screen in front of him suddenly changed.
The ten fingers that had been typing so nimbly sank into something soft.
Otto didn't notice at first. His ten fingers pressed against that soft place the way someone might play a piano.
Void Archives looked at Otto's ten fingers pressing against her chest, as if he were treating her breasts like piano keys. An amused smile curved across her face.
"Pretty bold, aren't you, little Otto?"
Void Archives, who had just been the light-screen, had turned back into Kallen's appearance. But Otto said nothing. He only silently pulled his hands back.
He put his hands behind his back, and where Void Archives couldn't see, his fingers rubbed lightly against each other.
They really were very soft and springy.
Seeing Otto act like he had nothing to say, Void Archives looked at him with grievance in her eyes, as if Otto had done something unspeakable to her.
"What was that just now?"
Otto acted as if he hadn't seen that aggrieved look. His face stayed expressionless as he asked.
And when Void Archives thought back on what she'd just gone through, she put away her smile.
"You were using me to mimic the Second Divine Key, right?" She recalled the feeling from just now. Normally, when Otto used her, she would still remain conscious and could even guide him.
But when she mimicked the Second Divine Key, her consciousness had actually sunk into darkness, as if she'd been locked inside some dim space, with almost no awareness of the outside world at all.
She hated that feeling. She'd kept struggling the whole time, and only through that constant struggle had she finally broken out of it.
"Little Otto, what did you do to me?" She'd never had any accidents before, yet the moment little Otto used her, something went wrong. So the problem had to be on his side.
Otto weighed his words a little, hiding Seele's existence, and only said that he'd managed to communicate with someone in an unknown place.
Void Archives listened, her brows drawing together slightly. After Otto finished, she sat on the desk with her arms folded over her chest and her long legs crossed.
"That shouldn't be happening. I shouldn't turn into that kind of state." She thought for a moment. "Could it be that the Divine Keys I mimic change depending on what their user wants?"
She stretched out a finger and pointed at Otto. "Like you, little Otto. You're lonely. You've always been alone. So my form shifted to match what you were hoping for."
"You long for other people to get close to you, so I turned into something like…" Void Archives paused, then chose a word for it. "…some kind of group chat thing."
She didn't want to turn into that kind of form, because it felt like losing even more of her freedom.
That feeling was like crouching naked in the dark, with chains wrapped all over her body, and the only thing she could do was open her mouth and scream without a sound.
"Can we find that person? The one I was talking to?"
Otto did want to find Seele. He wanted to see what she looked like, wanted to hear her call him "Overseer-brother" with his own ears.
Even dry text alone had been enough to make him feel pleased. If he heard it in person, it would surely be an exquisite experience.
But when she heard his question, Void Archives shook her head.
"When I mimic the Second Divine Key, I gain the ability to connect with the Imaginary and the Quantum. So letting you chat like that with some unknown existence is, in theory, possible."
"But what I can connect to isn't limited to just the world we're in."
"It's entirely possible that the one you contacted isn't even from our world."
"You might not even have been talking to something that could be called human. It could have been some kind of strange creature."
Void Archives said this, but she was a little puzzled. Why did little Otto want to find the other side so badly? What about them interested him?
Then she caught the flash of disappointment that passed across Otto's face.
Her eyes widened. She guessed one possibility. A wicked smile appeared on her face—the look of someone who thought she'd seen through the truth.
"Little Otto."
"Don't tell me the one you were chatting with was a girl?"
"So this is an online romance that isn't enough for you anymore."
"You want to meet her offline?"