Chapter 1-9 : What They Think About Us (part 3)
Certainly, as Nansa obaa-san said, she might want to make potions for me because I helped her, but she didn’t have the obligation to make potions for my friends.
I couldn’t argue with that and remained silent, but then she spoke up.
「Well, I hate Outworlders, but I know there are some good Outworlders like you out there, and I’m sure your friends are good people.」(Nansa)
「Yes, they are.」(Alice)
「Hmm… Alright. I’ll make potions for them, but you have to bring them here.」(Nansa)
「Really!?」(Alice)
「Yes. First, I want to see them in person. I will decide whether I will make them potions or not after talking with them.」(Nansa)
「 Alright, I understand.」(Alice)
「When are you planning to meet them?」(Nansa)
「Around noon the day after tomorrow.」(Alice)
「Alright, I’ll be waiting, so make sure you come with your friends.」(Nansa)
「I will.」(Alice)
「For now, you can leave the herbs to me and go home. You need to rest too, don’t you?」(Nansa)
「Un. Thank you, Nansa obaa-san!」(Alice)
After leaving Nansa’s house, I searched for a quiet place in the neighborhood to eat the bread I bought from Marl’s Bakery, and then logged out.
As soon as I woke up in the real world, I grabbed my phone and sent messages to Suzu and Shougo asking them about the meeting place tomorrow.
After that, I had dinner, took a bath, and went to bed early.
ーーーーー
The next morning, I woke up and saw a notification on my phone. It was a message from Shougo, saying that we were gonna meet at the guild hall.
After washing my face and having a quick breakfast, I returned to my room and logged into the game.
I arrived at the guild hall ten minutes earlier than the appointed time, so I decided to sit on the edge of the stairs at the entrance to the guild hall and wait for the two while eating some Marl’s Bakery’s bread.
I also DM’d the two, telling them I was eating bread on the stairs in front of the guild hall so that they could find me easily.
While I was enjoying my bread, a group of male players approached me.
「Yo, cutie over there, are you alone?」
「You’re so cute!」
「Wanna explore a dungeon with us?」(male players)
You can’t fake your gender in this game. That’s why they can blatantly try to hit on me because they’re completely sure that I’m a female in real life, not a ‘nekama’.
*/TL : Nekama means males playing as female characters in online games.
「Sorry, but I’m waiting for someone.」(Alice)
「Hee~ Could it be your boyfriend?」
「Your boyfriend sucks. How could he make such a cute girlfriend wait?」
「Forget about that loser and play with us!」(male players)
They’re so annoying…
While chewing my bread, I looked away, trying to ignore these idiots.
「Come on! You’re being cold to us.」
「Yeah, we’re just asking you to have some good times with us.」(male players)
What persistent people…
I think I’m gonna just report them for annoying behavior.
「Yahoo~ Alice, I’m sorry to keep you waiting!」(??)
However, when I was about to open the menu interface to report them, a female player approached me and glared at the annoying male players with scary eyes like a female yakuza looking down on her prey.
「Huuhh!? Who the hell are you people? Do you have business with my girlfriend, huuh!?」(??)
「Hiiiiiiiyy!!」
「Oi, this woman is dangerous!」
「Let’s get the hell away from here!」
「Y, You’re right! Let’s go!」(male players)
Those annoying players went away as soon as they felt an intense killing intent from the female player.
「Alice, are you okay?」(??)
「Un. Thank you. Is that you, Suzu?」(Alice)
「Yes, but we’re inside the game, so you Should call me Rin!」(Rin)
「Ah, you’re right! Thank you, Rin! By the way, your character looks a lot like you.」(Alice)
「Right~? I chose the same black color with the same length. Only my eye color is different. I chose red because it looks cool. Forget about me, your character looks super cute! Your beautiful blue eyes match your pinkish-silver hair so much.」(Rin)
「Hehe~ Thank you. You want some bread? I found a bakery selling super delicious bread near the residential area.」(Alice)
「Fufu. You do love to eat a lot even in the game.」(Rin)
「Have you forgotten? That’s the reason why I’m playing this game.」(Alice)
「Haha, right. I’ll have some, then~」(Rin)
Rin sat next to me on the stairs, and then we ate bread together while waiting for Shougo.
About fifteen minutes later, a group of players led by a black-haired male player approached us.
「Yo, you two!」(Shougo)
He raised his hand and greeted us.
「Shougo?」(Rin)
「Yes. I AM!」(Shougo)
He posed like a superhero as he replied to Rin.
Yup. It’s one hundred percent him.
「You’re late!」(Rin)
「Haha, sorry about that. I had to meet up with these guys first.」(Shougo)
Saying that, Shougo pointed his thumb at the people behind him.
「Shougo, are they your friends you were talking about?」(male player in heavy armor)
「Ara, ara~ Look at these two pretty ladies~ They’re so cute! Guhehe~!」(Onee-san-type female player)
「Hey, Leone, stop talking like a perverted old man!」(witch-like female player)
「But they’re indeed cute. Damn Shougo! Curse him for having two cute girls as childhood friends!」(male player with a spear)
There are two male players and two female players standing behind Shougo, and including Shougo himself, they are a party of five people.
「Oi, Shougo, you will make Alice feel uncomfortable if you don’t introduce them.」(Rin)
「Y, you’re right… Ahem! This man in heavy armor is Gaul, the man with a spear over there is Shuu, this onee-san who talks like a perverted old man is Leone, and the girl who dresses like a witch is Kururu.」(Shougo)
「Nice to meet you, guys. I’m this guy’s childhood friend, Rin.」(Rin)
「I’m Shougo’s childhood friend too, Alice. Nice to meet you!」(Alice)
「I heard about you two from this dude. Hope we can get along well.」(Gaul)
「Pleased to meet you, ladies!」(Shuu)
「Guhehe~ It’s a pleasure to get to know cute girls like you~!」(Leone)
「I told you to stop talking like that! Geez… Sorry about her. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you two.」(Kururu)
Uhh… What a bunch of… Umm… ‘unique’ people…
「Alright, then. Shall we go to the dungeon now?」(Shougo)
「Ah, Shougo, before we head to the dungeon, there’s a place I want you to visit with me. Rin, you too.」(Alice)
「Of course, I’ll go with you. How about you, Shougo?」(Rin)
「I don’t mind coming with you, but… Guys, I’m sorry. Would you tag along with us for a moment?」(Shougo)
「I’ll follow you wherever you go.」(Gaul)
「I don’t mind.」(Shuu)
「Well, we can’t turn down a cute girl’s request after all~」(Leone)
「I don’t mind either.」(Kururu)
「Alright, you heard them.」(Shougo)
「Everyone… Thank you!」(Alice)
I’m glad Shougo’s party members are kind people.
I couldn’t help but smile at them.
When I did, Gaul and Shuu looked away as their faces turned red while Leone muttered, “The smile of a cute girl is so precious~!” or something.
Now that everyone agreed to follow me, I led them to Nansa’s house in the residential area.
「Alice, is this the place?」(Rin)
「An NPC’s house…?」(Shougo)
「Yup. I want you to meet someone.」(Alice)
I knocked on the door and called out to the owner of the house.
「Nansa obaa-san, it’s me, Alice. As promised, I came with my friends.」(Alice)
「Come in.」(Nansa)
I could hear Nansa’s voice inside the house, telling us to get in.
「Rin, Shougo, can you come in with me?」(Alice)
「Of course.」(Rin)
「Alright… Guys, I’m sorry, but can you wait outside?」(Shougo)
「No worries. We can’t just barge in with a large number of people after all.」(Gaul)
「Thanks. Alice, let’s go.」(Shougo)
Gaul and the others agreed to wait outside, so the three of us went inside the house.
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