The northern edge of Cross Connectia. Suzune Kazuki stood amidst mountains draped entirely in snow, their peaks stretching endlessly into the horizon.
　Lacuna had no regions designed to mimic frigid climates, and so the sharp, skin-biting cold felt strangely refreshing to her. Anyone else might have found it unbearable, but this was someone who spent their days battling alongside Ice-Snow Digimon.

　...Right now, it's not the weather but the stares from those around her that feel cold and biting.

　Suzune sighed. She and her partner Frigimon stood in the center of a large hall within a building styled like a Western mansion. Countless Digimon had gathered around, maintaining a cautious distance, yet intensely observing their every move.
　Having narrowly escaped Mistymon's forces, Suzune and Frigimon fled northward, evading their pursuers until they reached this mountainous region. When first confronted by the imposing peaks, it crossed Suzune's mind that turning back might be wisest. However, she concluded that no one else could scope out this harsh region as well as her, and resolutely pressed onward. After a grueling march through a blizzard so fierce it obscured even their next steps, the pair discovered a secluded village nestled among the mountain ridges.
　Thinking they might be able to gather information about Cool Boy's whereabouts, they'd knocked on the gate built into the village's walls. Soon enough, they found themselves surrounded by Icemon guards, who escorted them to this grand mansion, seemingly the local lord's. And now, Suzune and Frigimon were being warily, curiously watched by the village's Digimon residents.

　The villagers appeared to be primarily Beast Digimon. Among them were even In-Training Digimon like Wanyamon and YukimiBotamon, which looked frail and disheveled. They trembled while gazing at Suzune with a mix of fear and fascination. Frigimon, stepping protectively forward with its large frame to shield Suzune from those uncomfortable stares, gently lowered its gaze.

"Are you all right, Suzune?"
"Yes. It's certainly uncomfortable, but at least I have you with me. And I'm looking forward to speaking with the lord of this place."
"What if they're like Mistymon, though?"
"If that were the case, we'd have been taken much more forcefully. Despite their suspicion, we're still being treated as guests. The Digimon here seem more curious than hostile, too."
"Sure, but do they have to stare so much?"

　Just as Frigimon made the disgruntled comment, the door at the far end of the hall swung open, and heavy footsteps reverberated through the chilly air.

"What do you think you're doing? Gawking like that at our guests... Where are your manners?!"

　Standing tall, with a muscular build and a thick, gleaming silver mane, was an Ultimate form Digimon resembling Leomon—Panjyamon.
　At its deep, resonant voice, the murmuring among the villagers abruptly ceased, and they timidly shuffled out of the hall. When Suzune and Frigimon were the only ones left, Panjyamon bowed before them.

"My apologies for their behavior," Panjyamon said. "They were unnerved, because they've never seen a human before."
"I completely understand, Panjyamon. Thank you for your hospitality," Suzune replied, bowing politely. Panjyamon took a seat slowly, looking Suzune directly in the eye.

"Now then, my guests, I'd like to know what business you have here."

"Hmm... I believe I understand the situation," Panjyamon said, smoothing down its mane with one large paw, quietly repeating Suzune’s explanation to itself.

"So you came here searching for your comrade who is trapped within this world."
"Yes," Suzune confirmed. "And now we must also rescue a friend captured by Mistymon's forces."
"Mistymon..."

　Panjyamon's lips curled into a displeased grimace.

"Mistymon acts like a valiant Digimon, but is merely a crafty coward. I imagine that your captured comrade still lives."
"You know Mistymon? Then you—"
"I'm sorry, but there’s nothing more I can tell you. You must leave."

　Frigimon let out a startled cry at Panjyamon’s unexpected words.

"Whaaat? But you were acting like you were going to be upfront with us!" said Frigimon.
"My apologies. If you're in conflict with Mistymon, then you shouldn't remain here."
"Are you allied with Mistymon too?" Suzune asked.
"Certainly not. But..."

　Panjyamon abruptly fell silent, its eyes shifting toward a nearby window that filtered in the bright winter sunlight. Suzune followed its gaze and noticed the village Digimon—the ones who had been fixated on her moments ago—were now carrying around what looked like wooden crates.

"What are those?" asked Suzune.
"Offerings for Dalphomon," said Panjyamon. "The Guardians will soon be here to collect them."
"Dalphomon?"

　Suzune was piqued by the mention of that name again—the same one Mistymon had mentioned before.

"What's going on here exactly? Is Dalphomon some kind of deity to you?"
Panjyamon didn't respond.
"Please, Panjyamon. Tell me."
"To me, Dalphomon is simply an entity that has existed since the very beginning of this world."
"The beginning...of Cross Connectia?"

　Panjyamon nodded bitterly in response to Suzune's puzzled expression.

"Exactly. Perhaps some might call it a god—I don't know. The Guardians certainly believe so. They enforce offerings to Dalphomon from every territory within their reach."
"And what does Dalphomon provide in return for those offerings?"
"Nothing at all. In fact, these forced tributes didn't even exist in the past. Mistymon started the practice. Frankly, I doubt whether these resources are actually reaching Dalphomon."

　Suzune gazed once again out the window. The village, buried in snow, appeared bleak. Judging by the harsh surroundings and the ragged state the Digimon she'd seen earlier were in, it seemed unlikely that this village possessed any real abundance of resources. Their lives were probably very modest.

"Isn't there any way to refuse?" asked Frigimon.

　Panjyamon shook its head.

"The Guardians vastly outnumber us. If they ever felt inclined, they could crush us in an instant."
"That's..." started Frigimon.
"You understand now," said Panjyamon. "If the Guardians suspect we've been harboring humans, it'll be a very difficult situation for us. So please, leave immediately."
"Ah! But then, maybe we could—"

　Frigimon had been about to suggest fighting the Guardians off itself, but Suzune cut in.

"I understand. We'll leave. I'm sorry for troubling you."
"Wait, Suzune—"
"It's fine. Come on, Frigimon, let's go."

　Quieting Frigimon's lingering objections, Suzune bowed politely once again.

"Thank you for your generosity, Panjyamon, despite how difficult your position is."
"...Use the back gate on your way out. Please, avoid crossing paths with the Guardians anywhere near this village."
"Thank you, then, for everything."

　Suzune spoke calmly, then turned on her heel and exited the mansion. Frigimon, still clearly dissatisfied, nonetheless gave a quick bow to Panjyamon before hastily following after her.

"All right, that should do it," said PolarBearmon.
"Thank you, PolarBearmon," said Suzune.
"Hehe, no problem—stuff like this is my specialty!"

　On a snow-covered peak some distance from Panjyamon's village, Suzune peeked her head out from a mound of freshly packed snow. Their temporary shelter for the night—a sturdy igloo created by PolarBearmon, Frigimon's Ultimate form, turned out to be cozier than she had expected. Settling inside snugly, she felt the fatigue of the day's march seep from her body.
　The fierce blizzard had finally passed, leaving behind a crisp, gray sky. Looking down from their spot among the majestic mountains, Suzune spotted Panjyamon's village far below. A caravan-like procession had stopped before the gates—no doubt the Guardians arriving to collect their offerings.
　Noticing her intent gaze, PolarBearmon leaned in, peering curiously at Suzune's expression.

"Suzune, why'd you stop me back there?"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, come on—you know exactly what I mean. Taking out a few Guardians in my Mega form would've been a piece of cake."
"...Even so, we couldn't."

　Suzune sighed.

"Just as Panjyamon and its villagers have their own way of living, the Guardians have theirs. Both groups have an equal right to exist here. As outsiders, we have no business favoring one side over another."
"I get what you're saying, but still..."
"And besides, our primary mission here is to help Lacuna. To put it bluntly, solving their internal conflicts isn't our job."
　PolarBearmon settled down beside Suzune with a dissatisfied huff.

　More than her reasoning, it disliked the fact that she was deliberately acting so coldly about the situation.

"Suzune... I told you before, don't keep everything bottled up inside."
"I'm not bottling anything up. I'm fine."
"Nope, you're definitely not. You've had that gloomy look on your face ever since we entered this world."
"...Of course I have. My husband and I could both lose our livelihoods."
"I know that, but... That's not what I mean."

　PolarBearmon paused, gazing steadily at Suzune with its round eyes.

"You can't keep worrying about things beyond your control, Suzune. Especially when it comes to Unchained."
"You're right, I know."
"No, you don't. You keep acting like you could've done something. Like you could've changed how things turned out."

　This struck close to home, leaving Suzune at a loss for words.
　She'd suspected Unchained's true motives for some time, but as she was only a debugger, and not a GM, her options were limited.
　She'd tried subtly warning those around her, even maneuvering quietly behind the scenes to introduce elements that Unchained couldn't control. But in the end, Unchained's schemes had been in place long before Suzune joined the team, and so, beyond her influence from the very start. Yet, no matter how much logic told her otherwise, she couldn't shake the lingering feeling that maybe there had been something more she could've done.

　Even now, Suzune couldn't help but wonder—just how far did Unchained's plans extend? Had Unchained orchestrated everything from the invasion by the Emperor Dragon of Calamity to the awakening of Shoto Kazama's mysterious Override power?
　And what about Cool Boy? According to Yao Qinglan, she had anticipated Unchained's movements and had been responding strategically. And that strategy had led to the debugging team coming to Cross Connectia.
　But if that were the case, why hadn't she acted sooner to stop things before they spiraled out of control? Or perhaps there's something even more dreadful yet to come, something bad enough that it justified undergoing this current predicament? Besides that, there was the question of how anyone could be certain that Cool Boy had truly managed to outmaneuver Unchained.

"I'm alright, really," said Suzune, giving PolarBearmon a gentle smile.

　 In truth, the thought that she and the others might merely be pawns in a game between two extraordinary minds—Cool Boy and Unchained—filled her with a quiet, deep-seated melancholy.
　Still, tasks lay piled high before her, urgent and impossible to ignore. Right now, all she could do was fulfill her role perfectly, even if that role was only that of a pawn on the board.

　And on that note, she realized that they were way off track.

　Altea's abduction was a serious blow. It meant that they now had two search-and-rescue missions on their plate.
　Knowing Altea's abilities, it was quite possible they were already making progress wherever they'd been taken. Even so, when push came to shove, Suzune knew she would have to be the one to decide whether to withdraw from this world without him.
　It had to be her, given that she'd been the one to hold Ryutaro and the others back when they'd wanted to rush into danger to rescue Altea. She couldn't leave such a harsh choice to the kindhearted Yuuki or young Winr—they shouldn't have to bear that burden.
　Suzune unconsciously rubbed her hands together against the pervasive cold. No matter how often she reassured herself that she'd made the right decision, it never made her heart any lighter.

　An explosion shattered the quiet, jolting Suzune's attention back to reality. Instantly, PolarBearmon lunged forward, shielding Suzune.

"What was that?!" she exclaimed.
"It's okay. It wasn't aimed at us. But look."

　PolarBearmon pointed toward Panjyamon's village. Smoke was rising from several buildings, and the previously peaceful winter atmosphere reverberated with the fierce roars of beasts.

"They're fighting the Guardians? Why?!"
"I doubt it's because they found out about us."
"Suzune, we have to go help Panjyamon!"

　Even as PolarBearmon became agitated, Suzune was composed.

"No, we won't."
"Come on, are you seriously still being this stubborn?"
"I told you already. This conflict is theirs alone—we have no right to decide who's right or wrong. Instead, once the fighting ends, we'll follow the Guardians. They might lead us directly to their base."
　PolarBearmon had no retort.
"If you disagree, you're free to go on your own. I have no right to stop you, either."

　Suzune and PolarBearmon stared at each other silently for a tense moment. Finally, PolarBearmon sighed and dropped down beside her in resignation.

"...You're really not going?" asked Suzune.
"Nope. Because..." said PolarBearmon, cheeks puffed as it stared toward the village. "Then I wouldn't be there when you finally decide to fight."

　Suzune listened quietly.
"Stuff like rights and duties—I don't really get all that. But when you feel in your gut that you absolutely need to act, Suzune, it's fine to throw those complicated reasons away. Because if you don't..."
"If I don't?"
"You'll regret it forever."

　Suzune lowered her eyes at PolarBearmon's words. Their circumstances, their duty to save Lacuna, the faces of the Digimon from earlier—everything swirled through her mind. She thought, and thought, and thought.

　Then, finally, she opened her eyes, resolved.

　To be continued.