While following Lala, Yuuji quickly sent a message explaining the situation to Zastin, who replied almost immediately with possible solutions.
[Most likely Lala's invention malfunctioned again.
There are two solutions.
The first is that I return to Deviluke and bring a device that can fix it, although it will take at least two days.
The second is more complex, you must find a way to escape from the inside.
Normally Lala creates those worlds with a purpose, so if it is fulfilled the world will end on its own and everyone will be released.
There is also usually a forced release method, since Lala would not trap people without a way to escape.
And finally, Lala herself should have a personal method to leave and close the world whenever she wants.
As you can see, everything depends on Lala. Without her memories it is difficult to figure out.
I will go to Deviluke for the device while you try from inside. Keep me informed about any situation.]
Yuuji read the message quickly and put the D-Dial back into his pocket.
"Then I guess waiting two days is enough" Yuuji nodded.
The system did not even say anything, already guessing that he would choose that option.
"Instead of trying to guess uselessly, I might as well enjoy my life as a supervillain for two days. It will be like a videogame."
After finishing speaking with Zastin and understanding the situation, he looked around. The portal created by Lala had taken them to the rooftop of a building, and right in front of them was a giant amusement park with various rides, among which the huge Ferris wheel in the center stood out the most.
"Lady Chaos, what are we doing here?"
"Do you not remember the plan, E.V.? My former trusted assistant betrayed me and became a hero. He is here right now, on an outing with friends."
So it is a story of betrayal' Yuuji thought, feeling the story had a bit too much drama.
"So are we going to capture them?"
At his words Lala laughed loudly.
"Ha ha ha, what kind of supervillain would do that? Of course we would not do something so unsophisticated. Look..." she explained while pulling a diamond shaped crystal out of her pocket.
The crystal glowed red, with energy leaking from it. Its appearance made it difficult for Yuuji to look away before Lala put it back into her pocket.
"That is a negative clodrotenite particle, forcefully charged with positive energy, zero synergy between the two forces, on the verge of exploding. The only thing preventing it from detonating is that it is contained inside that containment device created by me, but once released it will destroy the entire city and everyone inside it regardless of their powers.
Our goal is to place it inside the amusement park so that when millions die along with my former assistant, everyone will know that the one who brought this disaster upon them was him. And even if he manages to survive, he will live with the guilt of being responsible for millions of deaths...Mwahahaha!"
"..."
'She definitely holds a grudge' Yuuji thought.
"So... would it not be enough to just release the particle? What exactly do we have to do?"
"Are you crazy, E.V.? The particle would destroy everything instantly. I do not want to die, so we have to set things up properly so it works.
I will simply put a countdown so the device releases the particle, and until at least ten seconds before it explodes we must prevent the heroes from neutralizing it" Lala explained.
"I see... No, wait! Why not set the countdown to ten seconds from the start?"
But Yuuji's voice did not reach her, because Lala had already jumped off the building.
"Whatever. If this is a plot, it is definitely the final act. That means it will not really last long" Yuuji thought before following her and jumping off the building.
Looking down he noticed that Lala was walking on a kind of crystal staircase that appeared in front of her and disappeared behind her, so he decided to imitate her using Project Image crystals.
"This is really cool, she has great ideas" Yuuji said in his mind.
[Host, you might have Chuunibyou.]
Once on the ground inside the amusement park Lala turned toward him.
"Come on, E.V., let us destroy this city and that traitor along with it."
"Lala!"
Before they could do anything a male voice rang out, drawing both of their attention.
"Who is Lala? And why does everyone keep confusing me with her today?" Lala complained as she turned around.
As soon as she did she struck a cliché villain pose, placing both hands on her hips and puffing out her chest before laughing.
"Jajaja! Rito, my former assistant, it is time for you to pay the price of your betrayal."
'Wow, Lala must have read comics from fifty years ago to design this' Yuuji thought as he watched her.
'So that is Rito. I imagined you would be here. If I, who am her neighbor, am here, then you, who live with her, would obviously be here too.
Although I did not expect you to be enemies.'
While Yuuji observed Rito with interest, Rito also noticed him.
While Yuuji had been thinking earlier, Rito had also been talking to Lala, but she was only saying nonsense and Rito did not know if she was just playing or if she truly did not remember anything.
Now, noticing someone who seemed more reasonable, he shouted his name with hope.
"Yuuji!"
"Hello" Yuuji greeted normally.
Seeing that he was recognized, Rito's hope turned into happiness.
"Yuuji, what are you doing here? Do you know how to escape?"
"Who is Yuuji?" Lala asked Yuuji in confusion.
"I have no idea" Yuuji shrugged.
"Wait, Yuuji, do not joke..."
"Rito, traitor! You will pay for what you did!" Yuuji interrupted, playing along with Lala.
It was easy to guess that Rito still did not understand the situation and only wanted to escape, but Yuuji had no reason to worry about his mental state.
At least he did not until Rito shouted his next words.
"Stop joking! If we do not get out of here we are all going to die!"
"...What?"
Yuuji stopped the act he had barely begun and looked at Rito expecting answers.
"Only you will die. E.V. and I will escape before it explodes" Lala said.
"Sorry, but it seems the games are over" Yuuji said, ignoring her.
Immediately he activated Audacity. Lala and Rito, who had been looking at him a second earlier, began looking around without understanding how he disappeared.
In reality Yuuji was still standing right in front of them. He approached Lala and restrained her limbs with the Third Arm Sash to prevent her from pulling out some strange device.
"Huh? Assistant?... mmm, that feels nice..."
Before she could finish speaking Yuuji pressed several points around her body.
With Yuuji's knowledge of the human body and the sensations at each point, combined with his mastery of everything, including massage and various martial arts, it was easy to relax her enough to make her fall asleep quickly.
"Is she...?"
"She is fine, just asleep" Yuuji said while lifting her into his arms. "Let us talk somewhere else. Are you alone?"
"Ah! No. I am with Haruna and my little sister, they are nearby. Follow me" Rito said while starting to move.
A few minutes later they arrived at a rest area where Yuuji saw Haruna and a small girl, perhaps around twelve years old, with brown hair and a face similar to Rito's, whom he recognized as his younger sister.
"Lala? Is she alright?" Mikan was the one who stood up from her seat worried when she saw her unconscious.
"She is fine, I just put her to sleep" Yuuji repeated.
"And who are you?" Mikan asked, looking at him cautiously.
"Yuuji Rito. You must be Mikan, it is a pleasure" Yuuji introduced himself.
"You are Yuuji? Lala mentioned you before, it is a pleasure." Mikan replied with a formal bow.
"This is not the time for introductions, we have a problem!" Rito interrupted anxiously.
"Right. Explain the part about us dying" Yuuji said while placing Lala on a chair.
"Do you not see this window?" Rito said while pointing in front of him.
But Yuuji's confused expression was his only answer.
"There is a window in front of us that has been there since we arrived in this world. It is like a videogame screen and it gives us a mission, stop Lady Chaos. If we do not stop her, everyone will die."
"Really?" Yuuji said curiously while looking where Rito had pointed.
"System, can you see it?"
[I do not see anything there.]
"How strange."
"We have twenty minutes left. If we do not find Lady Chaos and stop her, everyone will die" Rito said.
"About that, Lala is Lady Chaos" Yuuji said, thinking Rito was a bit slow.
"Seriously?"
"Yes. Did you not search information online?"
"Well... I..."
"He was so worried that he did not even stop to think, he just followed the guide arrow to this amusement park" Mikan explained.
"But if Lala is the target, why is the countdown still running?" Rito asked.
"I have an idea" Yuuji said as he approached Lala.
After checking two pockets without success, in the third he found her D-Dial.
Since it was identical to his, it was not difficult to find where everything was stored.
There he found the diamond shaped artifact Lala had shown him earlier.
As expected, it had a countdown until the device would open, just as Lala had explained.
"What do you think?"
"The numbers are the same as the countdown on the blue screen" Rito exclaimed. "That must be it."
"Very well then, either we escape or we disarm it somehow" Yuuji said.
"Let us escape or throw it far away!" Rito said immediately, but soon his expression changed. "Oh no."
"What is it?" Yuuji asked when he saw Rito's changing expression.
"The mission just changed. Now it wants us to prevent it from exploding."
'System, are you sure this is not you? It sounds like the kind of annoying thing you would do.'
[...]
"So, does anyone know how to disable the lock of a device containing a negative clodrotenite particle charged with positive energy?" Yuuji asked jokingly.
The three of them looked at Yuuji seriously, his joke not amusing them at all, which made Yuuji a bit embarrassed.
"Alright, sorry for the joke.
Since none of you know how to disable it, then we can only ask the one person who knows how to do it" Yuuji said.
______________________________________
+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)