Lacuna has been called the "City of Chaos" or the "Blended City."
　It's a world filled with sights that seem familiar, even if you've never seen them before. Formed from the blending and transforming of real-world mapping data, none could dispute Lacuna's chaoticness.
　However, when implementing Lacuna as a map for the Digimon Liberator game, I.D.E.A. repeatedly expanded and altered it. As a result, the world was divided into seven areas, each seemingly possessing cohesion.
　One could even say it had achieved order.
　As a result, Lacuna functions properly as a game map, and now that the official service has launched, the word "chaos" feels far less fitting than some might suggest.

　Except in one particular area..

　There was one unique city where the development team unanimously agreed that making alterations would be presumptuous, so they released it with only minimal adjustments.

Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, Stonehenge, Ancient Corinth, Borobudur Temple Compounds, Luxor Temple, El Jem Amphitheatre, Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, the list goes on—countless archaeological sites from all over the world have been gathered and jumbled together, forming a hodgepodge of tourist attractions. The area could hardly be more chaotic.
　Visiting here will make you feel like you've traveled around the world. It's called Amber Remains, the Timeless Domain.

"Hey, Vi. Doesn't coming to this area feel like the final stage of the main quest?"
"What are you talking about, my dear rival? I'm not afraid to give spoilers, but this is more like a turning point."
"What?! It did take quite a while to get all the way here though, didn't it?!"
"Don't underestimate the sheer volume of scenarios in Liberator. Six months have passed since its launch, and the ending is still unknown. You'll keep getting stuck if you don't follow the story while playing."
"Oh... Alright!"
"Surely my dear rival hasn't missed any side quests?"
"That I have not! Just the other day, I meticulously cleared all the "Odessa" ones with Close! Right?"
"Yeah. There are no side quests left to do in that area... None."

　Here they were.
　The three girls had arrived in the disarrayed domain. They were playing through the main quest together as a party—a rather unusual style, given that it consists mainly of solo card battles.
　Arisa Kinosaki, Violet Inboots, and Close—all members of the debugging team.

"I'm just gonna say this now, but once we clear Amber Remains, we return to Obsidian Desert. There'll be like 20 more side quests to do."
"Woah... Well, I'm up for it!"

　The three are on an adventure, aiming to all reach the same point in various quests. Their partner Digimon are happily chatting behind them.

　Her name is Close—no surname. It is a name that defines her nature, and was chosen by her older sibling, Unchained.
　It could easily be perceived as having a negative nuance, but only Unchained knows the true intention behind it.
　However, Close actually likes her name.
For starters, it consists of one self-contained part, and that immediately sets her apart in human society. Additionally, some cultures favor a last-name basis, but she's called just "Close" by everyone, simplifying things.

Secondly, being called something so unorthodox immediately lets others know that she is fundamentally different from humans, which saves her time explaining. And for those who learn of her nature, the choice of name makes sense.

　That's right, she isn't human. This is a well-known fact.
　Like Unchained, she's a humanoid digital lifeform born in response to players' data passing through Lacuna's structural data. Contrary to the ambiguity of Unchained's appearance, Close's female form may be a result of the player data having been subjected to a deeper learning process.

　Therefore, to those unaware of these circumstances, she may appear to be a mysterious player who's always around whenever they log in. That's why Close believes that when humans on the debugging team hear about her origins, their first reaction isn't shock but rather a strong sense of understanding.

"Hey, Close. Can I touch your hair?"
"Yeah. That's... okay."

　Arisa gently strokes Close's hair like she's remembered something. Her gentle touch, as if handling high-quality silk, tickled a little bit.
　Watching on, Vi asks with a faint blush on her cheeks:

"...Can I touch too?"
"Of course, that's... fine?"

　Her sentence unintentionally turned into a question because they both seemed so eager to touch her hair every chance they got, and it baffled her that they always sought permission. What cause could she have to object? It's not like they were taking something away from her.
　On the contrary, Close felt a pleasant warmth in her chest with their touch. In fact, she'd rather be touched as much and as often as possible.

"It's unbelievable, really. You're just a mass of data that doesn't exist in the real world."
"Right? I'm so jealous you have such pretty hair. Especially since mine gets damaged so easily."
"That's because you keep pulling all-nighters, my dear rival. Adequate sleep is essential for the proper development of both skin and hair. Super very bad."
"Well... Hahaha."

　Listening to their conversation, Close suddenly found herself with another question in mind. When Arisa touched her hair, she said, "I'm so jealous." Because she had never even considered being in a position others would envy, she spoke to them frankly.

"Shouldn't I be the one who's... jealous?"
"Huh?! What?! Why?"
"After all, you and the others can leave this world, right? I'm jealous of the freedom you have... Freedom."

　Understandably, Close can't leave Lacuna.
　It's obviously impossible to leave in the physical sense but in Close's case, there's an additional reason why she couldn't leave even if she so desired.
　...If I were gone, everyone on the debugging team would... suffer.

　As mentioned earlier, Close was born from Lacuna's structural data and player data. And unlike Unchained, she incorporated human data in a more advanced way, making her the cornerstone of the debugging team's core system.
　That is to say, their Unique Emblems.
　The Unique Emblem system, which aids in all their activities, is a program that only functions by passing through Close's black box thought circuits.
　In other words, Close's existence in Lacuna is essential for the debugging team to properly utilize their Unique Emblems.
　When unknown Digimon occasionally appear in Lacuna, it's largely thanks to her presence that they can manifest through cards.

　(Later, it was discovered that there was a period when Shoto Kazama's Zephagamon and Arisa Kinosaki's Cendrillmon cards were temporarily rendered unusable. Those cards were only unlocked upon joining the debugging team because of Close's system. Of course, this confidential information is known only to a few of the GMs, with most of the debugging team unaware. This explains why Arisa and Vi so innocently responded to Close's words.)

"But out of all of us, I think you're the most free."
"I agree. Of course, it's a shame you can't see the outside world, but in this game, I don't think there's any player with more freedom. That's something I envy."
"I'm... free? More than anyone?"

　The answer was so unexpected that Close's thought circuits halted momentarily. She had never thought of herself as being free. Because she never even tried to be.

"There's something I'll need to tell you eventually."

　Arisa looks down and speaks hesitantly.

"—I'll soon have to leave this world for a while." "Is that... You mean...?" "Yeah. I think I'll take a break from Digimon Liberator for now."

　She continued.
　Entrance exams are coming up, and Arisa will have to concentrate on studying. Her grades at school are respectable, her report cards are good, and her mock exam results are excellent. If she keeps it up, she'll likely get accepted into her top school.
　However, to reassure her parents, she feels the need to stop playing and focus on her studies. The Kinosaki family has been a family of doctors for generations.
　Her parents have told Arisa that "there's no need to force yourself to become a doctor" and "you can live the way you want." It's Arisa herself who feels a sense of responsibility as a member of the Kinosaki family.
　Hence the temporary break.
　That’s how Arisa concluded.

"Hey, it's not like I'm quitting or anything. I'll still be able to come visit from time to time, and I'll be back once my exams are over. I still want to play with Shoemon and Junkmon a bunch too."
"...Both of you will be going... away?"
"Ah. Well, that's still some time off for me. I've already been accepted to a university in my hometown after my study abroad ends. So, I do plan on taking a small break."
"...Is that so?"
"Right. That's why my rival and I are jealous of you, Close. We think you're so free and envy you for that. I'm sure there are circumstances we don't know about, but on a surface level, yeah."

　Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not jealous.
　Violet's face clouds over as she says this.

　...I'm free, and they're free too. But I don't feel free, and they don't feel free, either...

　At this point, it finally dawned on Close that maybe everyone has their own definition of freedom. Unchained once said that the grass is always greener on the other side, and she feels like she finally understands what that means.

"I feel uneasy."
"Hm?"

　And the emotions that come with that.

"I think it's good to be jealous of me for being free. But, you and Arisa both have a different kind of freedom. I think it's natural for us to be jealous of each other. But that is exactly why I cannot accept that one's freedom is hindered by the other's restriction. I want to play with both of you more. I don't want you two to go. I want us to stay together forever... as friends... Friends."

　Without stopping, Close let it all out.

"Hold on a second, Close! Was that the longest you've ever spoken at once?!"
"Focus on what's important, my dear rival! Although it's true that I haven't heard Close talk this much before!"
"Because I felt uneasy... is all. This is the first time... I've felt like this."

　Was this what it feels like to want to cry? She had never shed a tear before, but now she felt as if she might experience it for the very first time. She felt down, lonely, and frustrated.

"It's okay, Close. It's not like we'll never see each other again."
"That's right. After all, Digimon Liberator is a super very good game that's being released worldwide. On top of that, there's even talk of a home T.A.L.E. device coming soon. When that time comes, we'll have even more time together than ever before."
"It's not farewell... is it?"
"Of course not! Don't worry about what I said earlier—we'll definitely be able to spend time together!" "That's good... Good."

　She breathes a sigh of relief.
　It must've been evident on her face, because Arisa gave an amused smile.

"Something about you reminds me of my older sister."
"Older... sister? Like how Unchained is ...to me?"
"Yeah! You're both incredibly free-spirited and travel the world without abandon, but you're both a bit similar in the way that you get worried about strange things. Well, your personalities are polar opposites. My sister is super talkative."

　...Similar, huh?

　While on the subject of similarities, Close realized something. She knew someone who was quite unlike herself, but looked similar to Arisa. And she happened to be on the debugging team.

"Is that person perhaps..."

　They've never spoken before, and she doesn't even know her name, only her appearance. Maybe Arisa can confirm...

"...No, it's nothing... Nothing."

　Nothing.
　Until now, Arisa had never willingly talked about her sister. Considering this, the most "human" course of action was to not pry any further.

　...Ah.

　Thinking about it this way, Close realizes that she's become more capable of thinking like a human.
　That made Close so happy that, once again, she unconsciously curled the corners of her mouth into a smile.
　Does Unchained know of this joy?
　Of being human?
　Even if you're not the same as someone else—even if you're not human—you can still be accepted by someone.
　She thought it would be a wonderful thing if Unchained knew the joy of affirming yourself.

"Moving on! That's the end of the girl talk for now. Let's go have a spectacularly good time!"

　Vi goes on.
　She declares that once you've progressed this far in the quest, there's no way you can quit without seeing the ending.
　As if making up their minds, Vi and Arisa took the lead and stepped ahead.
　Close also joins them.
　Each of the steps the two took, although shorter than hers, felt like giant strides to Close, and it made her feel deeply reassured.
　And so...
　She wished that they could walk freely—forever, always, together.

To be continued.