The Empty Box and The Zeroth Maria Volume 4
Source: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Utsuro_no_Hako_to_Zero_no_Maria

Summary

Following the declaration of hope, by Daiya in his remark that should Kazuki manage to keep all contestants alive on the 8th day. The final battle of the Idle Game takes place.

Kazuki chooses his piece to be the Knight. A thing reserved for those who are playing for real and denied the NPC replacements.
He has come to terms with the fact that to win he must become King of the game. Though not in the literal Class sense. He finds his greatest opponent in this to be the President who instantly sees him and his attempts at showing knowledge as some ploy or sign as his involvement with the instigator.

In order to break this stalemate he uses the information of his previous attempts and gives it out to those he thinks he can trust.

Success relies on breaking the ‘team’ formed by the president and controlling the greatest time bomb in the group, Koudai Kamiuchi.

After every attempt to rely on Maria ending in failure. Kazuki begins to avoid her, in order to achieve victory through his own merits. But unfortunately his resolve will only form an irreparable rift.

Interpretation

Things kick off with new information and a tense atmosphere from the start. We believe we now have a certain culprit and see Kazuki as he tries to reach out to people’s desire for peace. Unfortunately with so many strong willed and strong minded ‘companions’ things will not go so easily as others will always try to be in control for that added measure of safety.

This really adds a new dynamic to the play when we as the read3ers are able to see that Kazuki is laying down a lot of his possible aces and details to people only for them to doubt him.

Just as things start to be working out though, .. In typical fashion the plot grows thick with blood and suffering. For a game built upon betrayal will always result in betrayal. The greatest hint from the start “it’s impossible”

We get to really see Kazuki grow as a person and firm his resolve. He starts to see what he really desires from his ‘everyday life’ and even confronts the girl who has caused so much change in him about it. Of course she will not remember this confrontation, yet because of this it is a little easier as she is not just a Box in this world but the Maria without one.

Towards the end we get many heavy hints and as we learn a little about another past we left with a feeling of dread. But that seems unfounded… Only for the very last words of ‘O’ to haunt us.

All in all. I only have 2 hours of sleep left before work now… So I guess that’s how I’ll justify the 8/10 I’m giving this volume. Though I WILL NOT READ THE NEXT ONE!….

Until I get home today <_< Ugh I really want things to just be known to me NOW!

Rating 8/10

~Kanshisha13