Starting with No Game No Life: Infinite Chests

Riku, are you openly declaring that you're going to build a harem?" Couronne was stunned by Riku's words. Then, with a half-smile, she stared at him and snorted. "That's basically a scumbag declaration, you know."

Still, even though Couronne said this, her mood seemed to improve. Clearly, Riku remembering his promise to marry her pleased her very much.

"I'm at least self-aware. But, well, I think that if you just give up on girls you genuinely like because of all this, that's being a coward." Saying this, Riku actually became calm and spoke with total seriousness.

"Pff, so you mean whether it's a human or someone from another race, as long as you like her, you'll go for it? That's impressively shameless." Couronne said, dumbfounded.

"Maybe. Some things aren't really under my control." Riku shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

"Riku, you've changed so much. You feel like a stranger. You were gone just half a month, and my cute little brother turned into a playboy..." Couronne said, looking conflicted.

"This world was insane to begin with. I've been repressing myself for too long. Now that I've gained power and the chance to end this mad war of the gods, I can finally return to who I am. If I kept repressing myself, I think I'd go crazy." Riku's golden eyes flashed as he spoke slowly.

"Yeah..." Hearing this, Couronne gave a faint, bitter smile and nodded. The old Riku had suppressed himself so much, she always worried he'd break down. Maybe this version was better after all.

Yet Couronne didn't know that it wasn't about being afraid of breaking, it was that he'd already broken...

"Anyway, that's enough for now. I'll just wait for you to come marry me, Riku. But you don't need to rush. Go after your plans all you want. I'll always support you." Then Couronne stood up, hugged the telescope, and said, "For now, I'm going to go modify this thing."

With that, she left without waiting for Riku to reply, opened the door, and stepped out, closing it behind her.

"What an understanding sister..." Watching Couronne leave, Riku touched his face. She could accept everything he'd just said and didn't even ask about what he was hiding. It really showed how considerate she was.

"Speaking of which, that Ex-Machina loli has finally made it back here, huh. Looks like I lost her a little too thoroughly before." At that moment, Riku's golden eyes narrowed as he muttered to himself.

Just now, he'd sensed a faint spirit reaction near the human settlement. Only another race could have that kind of spirit reaction besides himself, and since there was no malice, Riku could easily guess who it was.

Truth be told, from the very start, Riku knew a certain Ex-Machina loli had been tracking him. It's just that back then, he didn't have the strength to notice.

But after using Shambhala to teleport several times in a row, he'd completely lost her.

Riku guessed that if the Ex-Machina loli couldn't find him anywhere, she'd eventually return to wait at the settlement.

Now, it turned out his guess was right.

"Guess I should go meet her. I just happen to have time now." Riku muttered to himself, thinking it over.

Having decided, he activated Shambhala and disappeared from the room.

...

Outside the human settlement, a girl stood quietly atop another hill, silently watching the human settlement. She had waist-length black hair, ruby-red eyes, a beautiful and delicate face, and skin as white as snow. She was definitely the kind of stunning beauty who could be called top-tier.

Although she looked like a beautiful girl, the mechanical headpiece and two cable-like tails behind her clearly revealed her identity as a different race. More precisely, she was Ex-Machina.

—The Ex-Machina. Even among all the monsters involved in the Great War, they were an extremely special race.

The Ex-Machina are a race made of machines, hardly even counted as living things, moving and acting in groups called "clusters."

In other words, discovering a single individual was the same as discovering the whole race, and entering hostilities with one individual meant war with the entire race.

They are truly unique among all races.

Not only is their mode of action unique, but their abilities are as well. They can instantly analyse an opponent's attack, replicate it, and store it.

Whether it's the breath of a Dragonia, the magic of an elf, the technology of a dwarf, or the Heavenly Smite of a Flügel if an Ex-Machina sees it, they can copy it.

You could say they're an extremely troublesome race, with infinite potential to become stronger.

Because they act together as one, no other race dares provoke them lightly.

Right now, one Ex-Machina individual, a little girl, was staring intently at the human settlement, a place she could wipe out at any time, with an inexplicable look in her eyes.

"Little girl, are you looking for me?" A magnetic voice sounded, causing the Ex-Machina loli to slowly turn around, her red eyes flashing, and then she rushed over...

Schwi's sudden charge caught Riku completely off guard.

Just like that, the Ex-Machina loli knocked Riku to the ground, straddling his waist.

Of course, Riku only allowed this because he knew Schwi wouldn't actually hurt him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let his guard down.

Getting knocked down in an instant… it was a strange feeling…

Riku's golden eyes locked with the ruby eyes of the Ex-Machina girl sitting on his stomach. For a moment, his thoughts were in disarray. But this girl in front of him was someone who would accompany him for a lifetime. Riku quickly calmed down.

"Oni-chan, I can't hold it in anymore. Please make me a woman…!" Schwi stared intently at Riku, and after a few seconds, suddenly spoke. Her voice was crisp and childlike, but her words left Riku completely speechless.

"No." Riku looked straight at the mechanical loli in front of him and replied without hesitation.

[Query] "Is it because I lack charm that Oni-chan won't accept my confession?" Schwi asked again.

"Why are you so sure I'd want to do that with an Ex-Machina loli? Besides, you don't even have a 'hole', do you?" Riku held his forehead and couldn't help but retort. Even though he did care deeply for the girl in front of him, there was a line…

[Affirmative] "Oni-san is rejecting me after all."

[Query] "You're obviously friendly toward me, but you still refuse me." Schwi lay across Riku, her voice mechanical but somehow not cold.

"Why are you following me, anyway?" Riku decided not to dwell on the last topic and changed the subject.

Even though he already knew everything about Schwi, he had to ask, otherwise, the conversation couldn't move forward.

[Answer] "I want to analyse the independent language humans use to communicate."

[Explanation] "The independent language called 'heart' by humans."

[Query] "You were an ordinary human before, but now you have power equal to a werebeast?

[Inquiry] "And not just that, how do you have spatial abilities and managed to lose me?" Schwi said in her flat tone.

"I can't tell you that, at least not for now." Riku said calmly.

[Dissatisfaction] "I explained myself, but you won't answer me. That's not fair." Schwi sounded almost like she was sulking.

"How is that unfair?" Riku rolled his eyes at the girl clinging to him like a bandit. "Can you get off of me now?"

[Denial] "No."

[Request] "Please engage in heart-to-heart communication with me immediately."

[Request] "Physical contact, with skin-to-skin communication. I assume this is a way to connect 'hearts' that Ex-Machina do not possess."

[Judgment] "If I imitate the same action, I may also be able to read the 'heart'." Schwi placed her small hand on Riku's face, her tone measured and calm.

"If you could really understand the heart just through sex, then hearts would be worthless." Riku shook his head with a sigh.

[Query] "According to my research, this method should be correct." Schwi insisted, almost sulking.

"The truth is, even humans can't truly understand their own 'hearts', much less through something like that. But honestly, if you're seeking the heart, you already have one." Riku said softly.

To seek a 'heart' despite being a machine, to want to read and understand a 'heart', just having that desire meant you already had a soul.

[Confusion] "Why do you say that? It's precisely because I can't understand the heart that I was disconnected from the [Cluster]." Schwi murmured. Though her face barely changed, there was a hint of loss in her ruby eyes.

[Insistence] "I've explained so much, so please engage in deeper communication with me. If you're not satisfied here, I can find somewhere else." Schwi pressed further.

"You're really persistent…" Riku shook his head. It looked like simple persuasion wouldn't work, so maybe it was best to keep her by his side for now. Riku's golden eyes flashed as he fell silent, thinking.

Otherwise, with her running around looking for him, something unexpected might happen.

"—!" Seeing that Riku wouldn't answer, Schwi suddenly lowered her head and stole a kiss from Riku, making his golden eyes widen in surprise.

What on earth…

[Perplexity] "We made contact, but I still don't understand the 'heart'." Schwi sat back up, touching her lips and murmuring blankly.

"I told you that method won't work." Riku covered his face, annoyed. He should probably be happy about this, but all he felt was an overwhelming sense of absurdity.

"Whatever. My name is Riku Dola, just call me Riku. And you?"

"..."

"..."

Unlike before, Schwi didn't answer immediately. She just stared at Riku in silence, as if caught in inner conflict.

Riku raised his eyebrow and said again, "Tell me your name."

[Answer] "——uc207pr4f57t9."

Schwi finally snapped out of her daze and recited what sounded like a string of code.

"Uc207pr4f57t9… That's way too awkward. Pick something more human." Riku shook his head.

[Dissatisfaction] "My name isn't awkward."

Schwi seemed to pout, her tone carrying a trace of sulkiness. To Riku, it was actually pretty cute.

"Change it. If you want to understand the heart, start by learning from humans. First, give yourself a decent name." Riku said, calm and confident.

[Answer] "…Trakaxula."

Hearing this, Schwi fell silent, twirling a strand of her black hair around her fingers, and finally said with difficulty.

"That still doesn't sound human, and honestly, it's not great. From now on, your name will be Schwi." Riku said, raising an eyebrow and making the decision for her.

[Confusion] "Didn't you say I should name myself? Why did you overrule me…?"

[Dissatisfaction] "Why not just give me a name in the first place…?"

[Conclusion] "Riku is making fun of me."

As she wriggled atop Riku, Schwi glared at him. Her expression was very human and, honestly, very cute.

To Riku, this was proof that Schwi had already gained a heart.

"All right, Schwi, don't get so hung up on it. And let's drop that mechanical-sounding code. Otherwise, people will know you're Ex-Machina right away." Riku smiled slightly, shifting the subject. Schwi was right; he really had teased her just now.

"Mmm… Oni-chan, like this… is it okay?"

Schwi thought for a moment, ruby eyes flickering with streams of data, then suddenly broke into a big smile. She pressed her index fingers into the sides of her cheeks, looking as adorable as possible.

"...!"

Seeing this, Riku's eyes widened a bit he was a little dazed. Okay, that really was pretty cute. It was such a sudden change, it was hard to process.

"Based on heart rate, skin contact… Riku was excited just now. He was very satisfied with Schwi's previous mode. Hypothesis: I should use this template going forward." Schwi spoke slowly.

"Ahem, just be normal, all right?" Riku said, rubbing his face in embarrassment.

"Now, can you get off me?" Riku added.

"No… Riku hasn't explained what a 'heart' is yet." Schwi shook her head.

"'Heart' is something you need to experience for a long time, it can't just be explained in words." Riku said. "Since that's the case, how about making a deal with me?"

"Deal?" Schwi tilted her head, puzzled.

"Yeah. Stay by my side, and I'll help you slowly feel what a heart is. In return, I want your combat power to help me end this insane war of the gods to pull the god of war down from his pedestal." Riku's expression finally grew serious as he spoke.

"Based on our combat abilities, the difference is too great. Riku's chances of victory are zero." Schwi replied without hesitation.

"No, probabilities aren't absolute. Just because it's zero now doesn't mean it'll always be zero. Besides, maybe it's not actually zero right now. Surface-level numbers aren't everything." Riku shook his head and denied it flatly.

[Query]… [Confusion]… [Query]… [Conflict]…

As Riku spoke, Schwi's head almost looked like it was about to start smoking. He worried for a second she'd short-circuit.

But in the end, Schwi recovered. She fixed her gaze on Riku and finally opened her mouth.

"Deal accepted. No matter the outcome, Schwi will follow Riku until the very end."

"Mm."

Hearing this, Riku gave a genuine smile and reached out to pat Schwi's head.

As he did, Schwi's ruby eyes flickered. Something strange welled up inside her.

"Schwi, get up now, will you? After sitting on me this long, most people's legs would be numb by now." Riku teased.

"Okay."

Upon hearing this, Schwi finally got off of Riku.

Riku took the chance to use some transformation magic to clean off the dirt from his clothes.

"Riku, where are we going now?" Schwi asked, confused.

"First, put on some clothes. Then we'll head back to the settlement." Riku said, rubbing Schwi's head.

Come to think of it, bringing another loli home in such a short time, was Couronne going to freak out?

The thought gave Riku a sudden headache.

"Okay."

Though she was confused by Riku's reaction, Schwi obediently produced a set of clothes and put them on. The abilities of the Ex-Machina really were convenient.

Just as Riku was considering whether to return by Shambhala or simply use the main gate, he suddenly stopped, narrowed his eyes, and turned to look east.

"Strong spirit reaction detected. Judging by distance, it's very close, it's about to reach us."

Schwi's eyes flickered, faint data streaming past as she spoke slowly.