Chapter 2-1 : Mysterious Internet Idol (part 1)
「Munch, munch… chew, chew… munch, munch…」(Arisa)
「Is it good, Arisa~?」(Suzu)
「Mm! It’s sooo good!」(Arisa)
「Fufu. You look so cute when you’re eating~」(Suzu)
「Hehe~ *Munch munch*…」(Arisa)
Suzu patted my head while watching me eat the cake.
「Hahh… I’ve lost count of how many times you two have went through this kind of exchange…」(Shougo)
Meanwhile, Shougo let out a long sigh while watching us.
Currently, we are in the real world, at Shougo’s house, to be exact. We’re celebrating Suzu’s (Rin’s) victory in the NWO first PVP event.
We brought a bunch of food and drinks. Grilled chicken, fried chicken, fried noodles, some alcoholic beverages, and of course, the famous cake from our college’s cafeteria that Suzu promised to buy for me.
We were having a drinking party, but since Shougo was still nineteen years old, he couldn’t drink alcohol yet. He was the only one who drank a smoothie.
Suzu and I had turned twenty, so we could enjoy the alcoholic beverages.
To be honest, I had tried beer, but it was too bitter for me. I didn’t like it that much, so I brought some canned fruit cocktail for myself.
As for Suzu, she didn’t like beer either, so she brought some wine. She was drinking her wine elegantly with the fancy wine glass she bought in the supermarket on our way here.
I asked why she bought it when she could just use any glasses in Shougo’s house, and then she answered, “Because it will make me look more mature.”
Now that I see her drinking with the wine glass, she does indeed look like an elegant adult lady. It’s a bit pricey for a wine glass, but it’s totally worth it.
「So, what are you guys planning for the next patch?」(Shougo)
「Plan?」(Arisa)
As I drank my canned cocktail after I finished my cake, Shougo asked with a serious expression.
「The second version of the game is coming next week. There will be a huge patch and updates, and of course, many new players will come. I wonder if you guys have plans regarding that.」(Shougo)
Now that he mentions it, I’ve read the announcement about the next version. It seems that there will be new areas, enemies, and secret missions. Also, there will be new events.
I’m looking forward to it, but honestly, I don’t have any plans yet.
I think I’ll play like usual. Doing missions, killing some monsters, and getting stronger to catch up to my best friend.
「Ah, there will be a huge patch next week, right? NWO will get bigger and bigger~! I’m looking forward to it~! Right, Arisa~?」(Suzu)
「Un!」(Arisa)
I wonder what my adventure is going to be next.
「The next version will be great, no doubt about it, but there’s a rumor that caught my attention.」(Shougo)
「What rumor?」(Arisa)
「Seems like a famous internet idol will be playing the game, and hundreds of her fans will be coming along. Many players in the in-game forum are talking about it.」(Shougo)
「An internet idol? I don’t really know famous people on the internet.」(Arisa)
「Fufu. Arisa rarely watches that kind of stuff, after all~ So, who is this idol?」(Suzu)
「No idea. Who she is doesn’t matter. What matters is if you meet her, try not to piss her off.」(Shougo)
「Why?」(Arisa)
「You don’t want her to post all sorts of slanderous comments about you online, do you?」(Shougo)
「Hm? Is that bad?」(Arisa)
「I see. Arisa, there’s a possibility that her fans will harass you.」(Suzu)
「That’s right. If it spreads on the internet that you pissed off their idol, they might come to harrass you in the game.」(Shougo)
「I see…」(Arisa)
Ugh, I don’t want other people to bother me while playing. I just want to enjoy the game.
I really hope I won’t come across with this idol in the game…
「Don’t worry, Arisa! If those people come to harass you, let me know. I, The Tempest Queen, will blow them away with my Sturm~!」(Suzu)
Suddenly, Suzu stood up and struck a cool pose. Judging from her slightly red face, it seemed she was a bit drunk.
I couldn’t help but go with the flow. I spread my arms toward her and kneeled.
「Oh, Rin! My hero!」(Arisa)
「Hey, we’re in the real world. Call me my name~」(Suzu)
「Oh, Suzu! My hero!」(Arisa)
「Hahh…」(Shougo)
Shougo, who wasn’t drunk at all, could only sigh and shook his head.
「I promise I will punish every single soul who dare to harass my precious best friend~!」(Suzu)
「Yaay~!」(Arisa)
「Uuuww, so scawwy… As expected of the PVP event champion.」(Shougo)
「You won’t get anything by praising me, you know~?」(Suzu)
「I wasn’t praising you…」(Shougo)
Just like that, we continued eating and getting drunk, enjoying our party until the sun set.
ーーーーー
「Thank you, Alice, but this is too many.」(Nansa)
「More playersー I mean, more Outworlders are coming to this town. I was worried that you might be short of herbs like the last time, so I collected more just in case.」(Alice)
「I see. You’re kind as always.」(Nansa)
「But their quality is a bit lower than usual.」(Alice)
「It’s alright, it’s alright. The most important thing is the quantity these days.」(Nansa)
It’s been a week since we had a party at Shougo’s house. I’ve been completing missions from the guild, defeating monsters, and helping out the people in Erst Town.
Today I’m helping Nansa obaa-chan by supplying her with the herbs I grew myself in the field that was temporarily lent to me by the guild.
From what I learned from the forum, it seems that there are around ten thousand new players who have registered after the patch. That’s a lot of people.
I remember a few days after this game launched, there was a lack of herbs in town because so many people were making potions. I was afraid it would happen again this time, so I collected more herbs for Nansa obaa-chan. I hoped she wouldn’t run out of them very soon.
I used my【Rapid Growth】skill to speed up the growth of my herbs, resulting in a decrease in quality a little, but Nansa obaa-chan didn’t seem to mind it at all.
Growing herbs myself was not easy even with【Rapid Growth】since I had to tend to the plants. The hardest part was watering them, but Levy was helping me, so I could finish this part quickly.
By the way, while I was busy with my herb field, I heard that Rin had joined the Silver Wing Brigade.
She said that many clans were trying to recruit her since she became the champion. She hesitated at first, but in the end, she decided to join the strongest clan in the game.
I was a bit surprised when I heard about it because I never thought she would join any clan, but when I asked her the reason, she said that it would be easier to reach her goal if she joined a strong clan. I wonder what her goal is.
「Well then, Nansa obaa-chan, I’ll be off now.」(Alice)
「Come again anytime.」(Nansa)
「Un.」(Alice)
After finishing my business with Nansa obaa-chan, I left her house and headed to the main street.
There were so many people in the town. I felt like the main street was more crowded now than on launch day.
「Beginners are welcome to our clan!」
「Cheap potions! You can buy cheap potions here!」
「We sell weapons for beginners! Have a look!」(players)
Some players were trying to recruit new members to their clans, and some others were trying to sell their goods to new players.
I was planning to go to the guild to see if there’s a mission I can carry out today, but seeing this crowd, I lost my motivation to even cross the main street.
「Hmm… I guess I’ll have lunch at Marl’s for now.」(Alice)
Since it’s time for lunch, I decided to stop by Marl’s Bakery first.
If I remember correctly, today’s special menu is Marl’s Honey Toast. I can’t miss it.
「Marl-san, one Marl’s Honey Toast, please!」(Alice)
「Ah, Alice-chan, welcome. I’ll prepare it for you in a minute. Have a seat.」(Marl)
I ordered the special menu right away as soon as I opened the door, but then I noticed there were more customers than usual.
「Wow, so many people today.」(Alice)
「Yeah, it’s much busier than usual!」(Marl)
Marl-san looked happy.
I normally eat here because it’s quiet here, but today’s different.
I prefer it if there are fewer customers here, but at the same time, I’m also happy for Marl that her shop is bustling.
I sat at the empty table in the corner and waited for my honey toast.
「Thank you for waiting. Enjoy your honey toast, Alice-chan.」(Marl)
「Thank you, Marl-san.」(Alice)
I grabbed a knife and a fork and started eating the perfectly baked honey toast on my plate.
「*Munch munch* Mmmm~!」(Alice)
「Hey, you.」(??)
Marl’s honey toast is the best! As expected from the best bakery in the townー no, in the entire Proelesfi!
I wonder if I will be able to make honey toast this good with【Cooking】skill.
「Hey, are you listening!?」(??)
But before I try, I have to gather the ingredients first. Come to think of it, I haven’t gathered any honey yet. Other than that, I will need sugar and wheat too.
More importantly, I need to learn how to make bread in this game. I should look that up later.
「Hey, you, the girl in kimono! How dare you ignore me!」(??)
Hm? Did I just hear someone say “kimono”?
I turned my head toward the voice and saw a girl who seemed to be a player. She was glaring at me.
Not only her, there were several people standing behind her glaring at me too.
「Umm… Are you talking to me?」(Alice)
「I am!」(??)
I was lost in thought for a few seconds due to the deliciousness of the honey toast. I wasn’t aware someone was talking to me.
She looked angry… Perhaps because I was ignoring her.
I wonder what she wants from me.
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Well, this may be who they were talking about.