Abundant nature, neat rows of buildings, and pleasant sunlight shining through the gaps.
　This is Emerald Coast, the Invasive Forest City. Taking its name from the sheer volume of vegetation—virtually a sea of greenery—this area today welcomes two visitors: a woman and a Digimon, who have traveled here through a portal.
　The woman is dressed casually in jeans, but her long legs and attractive, well-proportioned face catch the eye. Although her outfit lends her a mature look, she gives off a gentle and friendly impression, with faint eyeliner and curly long hair dyed jade green—a perfect match for her surroundings.

　Her name is Suzune Kazuki.

　Her style is neither showy nor flashy, but something about her refined appearance implies that she is no ordinary person.

　By her side stands Frigimon, a Digimon with a plain and simple appearance.

　They say a name often matches nature, and Frigimon's bear-like ears and snowman's body do give a frigid impression... but what really catches the eye is its size. Suzune was not especially short, but Frigimon was three times the size of her. Individual Digimon can vary, it's true, but few Frigimon were this big.
　Testifying to this, almost all the players passing by would stop for a moment to give them—well, mostly Frigimon—a curious look.

"Yep, you sure do stand out." said Suzune.
"That's why I asked if I ought to stay in your D-Storage," replied Frigimon.
"Who said it's a bad thing? Isn't it kinda cool being the center of attention?"
"You really are a show-off, aren't you, Suzune? I don't understand you rich people!"

　When Frigimon pointed this out, Suzune lightly brushed her hair back with her left hand, and the ring on her ring finger glinted in the light.

"I mean, my husband's the one with the money, not me. But I guess I can't deny that I like attention. You don't exactly hate it either though, right?"

"I suppose you're right... Hee hee."

　Drawn in by Frigimon's laugh, Suzune laughed too, her eyes narrowing into little curves.

"Ha ha, I don't think I should be acting like this at my age," she said.
"You're not old enough to say things like that!" said Frigimon.

　Though already married, she was still only 25. The reminder that her youth wasn't yet over gave her comfort.

　Now then...

　Enough of indulging in all the attention.
　Time to get to work.
　Unknown to the surrounding players, Suzune Kazuki was a member of a team that supports the game from behind the scenes—the debug team.

"Okay Frigimon, can I get your help now?"

　Now that they were at the edge of town, away from the hustle and bustle, Suzune made her usual request, while rubbing her ankle.
Without a word, Frigimon lifted her up onto its left shoulder and started walking slowly.

"Thanks."

　It wasn't that her feet hurt or she was tired.
　This was a metaverse environment, after all. It didn't track fatigue or provide physical tiredness feedback. But the young woman liked the view from up on Frigimon's shoulder.
　Compared to the usual ground-level banality, it put a whole different perspective on things. And even if she fell, there was no need to worry about getting injured. She asked Frigimon for a ride whenever they went investigating, simply for the joy of it.

　But it had its benefits too—Frigimon's long legs also enabled them to cover a lot more distance when on the hunt.

"Hey."

　Frigimon's giant face turned toward Suzune as she dangled her legs from its shoulder, swinging them back and forth, and admiring the view.

"I meant to ask you before... Do you act this spoiled with everyone?"
"No way. If I let others see this side of me, they'd look down on me, wouldn't they? I'm only like this in front of my husband and you, Frigimon. Oh, and my mom back home," replied Suzune.
"Well, don't you have it good!"

　In fact, Suzune felt so comfortable and relaxed around her Digimon partner, that it was almost like being back at her family home. Part of that was down to Frigimon's personality, but equally, something about Frigimon's huge size made Suzune want to act childish and helpless. How many times had she thought about ordering a giant cushion shaped like Frigimon since she started this job...?
　Her husband's salary was nothing to sneeze at—you could safely say they were wealthy—but Suzune had decided she wanted to contribute some income of her own. She wanted to work while still able, so that no matter what happened, they would always be okay.
　The job had its stressful moments for sure, but having the ever-understanding Frigimon as her partner helped to no end.

"So what was the mission again? Search this area for a stray Digimon, wasn't it?"

　Suzune gave her partner a small nod.

"That's right," said Suzune. "A little while ago there was a report of a regular player fighting off an NPC that had gone rogue."

　Suzune was referring to the recent appearance of rampaging NPCs around Emerald Coast.
　Fortunately it wasn't yet public knowledge, but with an ordinary player defeating a rogue NPC, a new problem had arisen.

"So in other words, the Digimon that player defeated is now on the loose, right?" Frigimon concluded.

　Recent investigations had confirmed that wild Digimon were invading the bodies of NPCs and causing them to go berserk. So, as Frigimon had said, a wild Digimon that had taken over an NPC before going on the rampage was now back on the loose in Lacuna.
　Without a card's protection, any Digimon that remained in a Lacuna environment it wasn’t adapted to would vanish before long. At least, that was what the debuggers and the rest of the admin team believed.
　That's why dealing with the rogue NPC should have been a task for the debug team. After taking the NPC down, the Digimon ought to have been promptly captured and secured. The plan was then to send it to the Garden...

　Unfortunately, things had become complicated.

　And the blame lay squarely with the GMs and the debug team for failing to manage the situation.

"But that fight between the player and the rogue NPC was some time ago, wasn't it?" said Frigimon. "The chances of us finding it now aren't great."

　Indeed, the amount of time a wild Digimon could move through Lacuna was limited to a few hours, a few days at the most. Most likely the chance to secure it had passed.
　But...

"We should still be able to make it," said Suzune.
"How do you know that?"
"For two reasons," Suzune continued.

　There was no hint of bluster behind her quick and confident declaration.
　Reason number one: Suzune raised the index finger of her right hand.

"We have eyewitness accounts. Other players who saw the fight with the rogue NPC reported it to the GMs. The logs include mentions of a Digimon running off without a human companion within the Emerald Coast area."

　Players unaware of the true situation had reported it as a graphical bug. And descriptions of the Digimon matched the type that had invaded the NPC and caused it to go rogue. 　Reason number two: Suzune raised a second finger.

"Apparently a Digimon that has hacked into an NPC can survive longer in Lacuna than one that hasn't."

　Wild Digimon invade the bodies of NPCs because of their survival instincts. They use the body of the NPC as a kind of protective suit, but at the cost of losing their sense of self, causing them to go berserk. Once they've lost that protection, their instinct is to search for a new place to hide.
After infiltrating a host, the Digimon becomes aware that possessing an NPC would cause it to go berserk, and gains a small amount of environmental resistance.

"So when they regain their sense of self with this new knowledge, the Digimon doesn't make the same mistake twice," explained Suzune. "We've confirmed that such a Digimon with increased environmental resistance also has an enhanced hacking ability. It seems they then hide inside objects within the game world instead."
"You mean like grass, trees, and whatnot?" asked Frigimon. "Right," said Suzune.

　It was a very recent discovery.
　Somebody had entered a dense thicket of bamboo at the edge of the Emerald Coast region, and discovered a wild Digimon hiding inside. Saying it felt silly—Digimon hiding inside inanimate objects—but after this discovery, there was undeniable evidence that it was possible.

"Well," Suzune continued. "They can hide, but not forever. It allows them to survive for a few more months though."

　Compared to hiding in an NPC's body, where they can at least move about, being locked inside an inanimate object must feel extremely uncomfortable for a Digimon. Yes, it extended their lifespan, but they could do nothing but sit there until their data faded away...
　But Suzune believed there was still time.

"Based on that fact, we may still have a chance to find the escaped Bulucomon. As long as it's hopping from one object to another," said Suzune.

　"Ah."
　Heartened, Frigimon gave out its usual, slightly languid laugh.

　They found the Bulucomon soon after.
　It was only a few hundred meters away, as the crow flies, from where it had originally been spotted. Suzune and Frigimon spotted it hiding in an area of dense vegetation, collapsed with its hand outstretched, probably after trying to enter into a game object.
　From the short distance it was able to travel, it seemed like this Bulucomon didn't have much time left.

"...Thank goodness," sighed Suzune. "Indeed," agreed Frigimon.

　 　They both gave a sigh of relief, and Suzune jumped down from Frigimon's shoulder. She then immediately set a blank card in her D-Storage to provide the needed protection.

"Blank card, standby. Novel Emblem, on. Digimon capture, execute."

　The screen of her D-Storage lit up with an intense glow. The light enveloped the Digimon, and just a few moments later the previously blank card now showed an image of Bulucomon on the front.
　Now all she needed to do was transfer it to the Garden, and the mission would be complete...

"Aaah!"

　At the very moment she extended her finger to confirm the transfer, Suzune heard a shrill cry behind her. Even without looking, she could tell it was a young girl's voice.

　It wasn't a voice she had heard before, so it couldn't be a teammate...

Upon turning around, her suspicions were confirmed: a young girl with short hair was standing there, dressed in a school uniform with a blazer. A high-school girl—no, maybe even a middle schooler. And at her side was a level 3 Digimon, DemiDevimon.
　Suzune was confident that she had memorized all the names and faces of the debug team's members. There were some still in elementary school, even, but none who had a DemiDevimon as a companion.

"Hold up, hold up!" shouted the girl. "Don't interrupt our quest!"
"Yeah yeah yeah!" shouted the DemiDevimon. "We found that Bulucomon before you did!"
"I was just about to capture it for myself!" cried the girl.
"Cutting in line when somebody else is on a quest is no fair! Ain't that right, Reina?"
"That's right! Give it back!"

　The girl called Reina and the DemiDevimon rattled on without a pause. The clamor they were making made Suzune's temples hurt a little. Still, she had spent enough time with Yuuki and the others to be used to this much. It was just mild discomfort this time, not a splitting headache.

"Um, excuse me," said Suzune, "I'm sorry, but maybe you could explain to me what you mean by quest?"

　She tried her best to remain calm. She was less concerned by the pair's boisterous mood, and more concerned with that disconcerting word that they'd used. First, she had to get some more information out of them.

"Tch!" hissed Reina. "These casuals who only log in once in a while have no love for the game!"
"Reina, listen. She's probably a busy businesswoman climbing the career ladder, looking for a breather between long days at the office," reasoned DemiDevimon. "She has that kind of air about her. She's not gonna love the game as much as you, okay?"
"A businesswoman? Climbing the career ladder?" said Reina. "That's so cool... Um, thank you for all the hard work you put in every day!"
"Besides, this quest isn't public, it's still in testing," DemiDevimon reminded her. "Remember what it said in the pop-up message? It's probably just a coincidence they're here. I think it'd be best to negotiate this peacefully."
"You may be right..." Reina considered. "Okay! Let's negotiate, Mrs. Haggard Hardworker!"
"You two don't know the meaning of manners, do you?" said Suzune. "Although I'm not entirely sure if I'm being insulted or complimented..."

　The pair were proving to be more difficult than they looked, but even confronted with such impoliteness, Suzune resolved to maintain a professional air.

　She tried to collect herself.

　The girl and her Digimon were looking to negotiate. They'd probably want her to hand over the Bulucomon card. But negotiations aside, Suzune needed to know more about that quest—that's where she needed to move the conversation.

"This quest of yours..." Suzune began, "Were you asked to capture this Bulucomon?"
"What do you think, Devvi?" asked Reina "Shall we tell her?"
"If you want somebody to show their cards, you need to reveal something of your own first," DemiDevimon advised. "That's a basic rule of negotiating, Reina!"
"I see!" said the girl, "Yes, what he said! Our mission was to capture a wild Bulucomon!"

　A little honesty goes a long way. Add that to the girl's age and charm, and Suzune found her heart softening a little, just as DemiDevimon predicted.
　But the situation was serious. This was no time for cute games.

"Say, Suzune," said Frigimon. "Don't you think..."
"Yes," agreed Suzune. "Quite right."

　The two exchanged a glance.
　Something definitely wasn't right.
　As mentioned earlier, the presence of wild Digimon within Digimon Liberator was not public knowledge. Most of the players who had encountered them had dismissed them as graphical bugs, and that was the end of it. And securing wild Digimon—or put another way, capturing them—was a task for the debug team, and the details were kept strictly confidential.
　But Reina had used those exact words—that she was there to "capture" a "wild" Bulucomon.

"Reina, wasn't it?" Suzune asked. "How exactly were you going to capture this Digimon?"
"I was going to use this!" said Reina. "It was added to my inventory when I accepted the quest on the Initiate Quest screen!"

　She held out a blank card that closely resembled the one Suzune had just used to secure the Bulucomon.
　But there was one clear difference from the blank cards that Suzune was used to.

　The girl's card was black.

　Suzune had never seen or heard of such an item. Also, if she was telling the truth, someone with admin access must have personally assigned her the quest.

"Oh, and check this out! Once I clear the quest, I'll be rewarded with a ton of Alt-Art Chips! I wanted to keep them all for myself, but what do you say to an even split?"

　The Alt-Art Chips that Reina was talking about are, in short, consumable items that let you increase the rarity of cards. It isn't hard to get your hands on a couple of chips, but there aren't that many floating around, and a high number are required to actually be useful in-game. That makes them a pretty effective bargaining chip.
　Suzune could clearly see the bait. She didn't feel it was a trap set by Reina—more likely whoever had issued the quest in the first place was behind it. Alt-Art Chips were definitely a good way to reel in normal players to do your bidding.
　Suzune's suspicion was rising by the second.
　A black blank card... A huge reward of Alt-Art Chips... An ominous vision of somebody infiltrating the admin team and pulling strings from the shadows arose in Suzune's mind. 　Who could it be? What was their goal?

"Reina. This is a negotiation, right?" asked Suzune.
"Sure is!" said Reina. "Shall we seal the deal?"
"Don't be in such a hurry," said Suzune. "If we're negotiating, then let me lay out some conditions as well."

　Suzune had been thinking of the mission as just another typical debug team job.
　But now, a keen but clueless player had entered the picture, seemingly being manipulated from the shadows.
　It had come completely out of nowhere, but she now realized the gravity of the situation for the admin team.

"Let's do it, Suzune," said Frigimon.
"Yep. Time to root this corruption out at the source!"

　And with that, Suzune took out her D-Storage and pointed it directly at Reina.

"Let's battle, Reina," said Suzune.

　"If you win, I'll give you this card for free." This time it was Suzune who spoke without a pause, not leaving Reina and DemiDevimon a chance to interrupt.

"But if I win, I'll have you join me for tea."

To Be Continued.