Honestly, I wished she would appear a bit more confused, but for some reason, seeing her so pleased made me happy too. With Ivy beaming and me struggling to express my own feelings, a nice atmosphere began to form between us, but then Violet suddenly burst out.
"Ugh! Yuck! Gross!"
"What's wrong, Violet?"
"Isn't youth just wonderful? It makes me want to gag! Ugh!"
"That's quite an ugly display… Besides, we're not like that. This is a sign of friendship," I argued.
Violet was clearly irritated by the unintended gift exchange, and there's nothing sadder than an older sister's jealousy. Sensing her feelings, Ivy put her hands together and made a suggestion.
"Exactly! Next time, let's buy something for Violet too! Something cute, like jewelry!"
"That's a great idea! Let's prepare something that's not only adorable but also perfect for you, Senpai!"
"I'm sorry. It was my fault."
I knew that whatever Ivy and I chose would be something embarrassing, so the best course of action was to firmly refuse.
Violet, sensing the situation, took charge like a true master.
"Well, as it's getting darker, shall we wrap things up?"
"Is it... already over? Oh, that's disappointing!"
It was 8 PM in the game, but 11 PM in reality. Tomorrow, we also had school. Sticking to the original plan and ending at this time was the safest choice.
Throughout this day, despite everything, the bond between the three of us had gradually strengthened. I, the cynical one; Ivy, the pure-hearted one; and Violet, the caring presence. It seemed our dynamics weren't so bad after all.
"Alright then, let's meet at 8 AM in reality at the fountain square. That coincides perfectly with 8 AM in-game."
She raised her index finger to emphasize her point.
"There's quite a distance to the capital, Viridian. We'll stop at the Elb village along the way."
"Understood."
The Celadon Plains stretched beyond this town, covering the entire continent. The journey to the distant northern capital of Viridian would be long and challenging.
Tomorrow, I needed to stay sharp. Everything was to prepare for my encounter with Eldon.
The three of us each use the logout function. In this game, we can log out whenever we want, as long as we're not in combat. However, when we log back in, we start in the last town or village we entered. In this case, we're starting in the town of Epinal.
"Goodnight!"
"Goodnight!"
"Goodnight!"
With our farewells exchanged, we leave this world behind. It was a remarkably fulfilling three hours. No, more like twelve…
As I log out, my body gradually fades, and my consciousness also begins to wane. Actually, it might be more accurate to say I'm regaining consciousness, since this is ultimately a realm of the subconscious.
After those three hours, I awaken to the real world. I find myself in the exact same room as when I logged in. In front of me is my computer screen, and scattered around my chair are the game manuals I had abandoned.
I remove the headgear, shaped much like headphones, and stare blankly at the computer screen for a moment.
"My head is spinning…"
I had been wearing that heavy headgear for three hours in a daze. It's no wonder my body feels strained.
Before that, my mind had been thoroughly manipulated. Perhaps that's the source of my discomfort. Yeah, it's terrifying.
I reflect on the day and remind myself of the tasks waiting for me tomorrow.
"I joined Violet's guild with Ivy, and tomorrow we're off on an adventure to the guild headquarters in the royal capital. Alright, I'm remembering quite a bit."
I can't bring all the memories from [Deepguard] into the real world, but the essential information is firmly etched in my mind. I've forgotten the trivial details, like what Ivy and Violet had for lunch—those memories are irrelevant.
I still struggle to grasp the concepts of memory manipulation and the dataization of consciousness. But right now, all that theory doesn't matter. This is my commitment; I must endure any hardship that comes my way...
"Renji!"
"Whoa…! Moeka, don't just barge into my room!"
"I don't mind if you have something embarrassing like adult magazines."
"That's not the issue!"
My younger sister, Moeka, has once again invaded my privacy without warning. Do I have no boundaries at all?
Honestly, I'm not fond of her at all. When we were kids, I was humiliated by her bullying, and that trauma still haunts me. Plus, her attitude really gets under my skin.
Moeka seems intrigued by the headgear and the game I've been using.
"What's that you've got?"
"I got it as a gift."
"From whom?"
"From Mitsurugi."
That person no longer needs this game at home. They gave it to me, someone they know, since it was just sitting unused.
It's quite an expensive item. Selling it would fetch a decent amount of money. Yet, perhaps the reason they've handed it over to me is a gesture of gratitude.
I feel a deep pang of guilt. Instead of receiving thanks, I should be the one facing resentment...
"Things seem tough at your place, Miketsukami-san..."
"…Yeah."
The mood in the room suddenly grows heavy. Momoka and Miketsukami-san are unaware of my connection to that incident.
I am a coward. I kept my mouth shut and fled from my guilt. I am the worst kind of con artist…
"I'm going to take a bath."
Feeling an overwhelming burden of discomfort, I escape the room. To be honest, I didn't want to touch that subject at all.
Will **Deepguard** change me? Will it give me the courage to move forward? The answers are still a long way off.
In a distant city within **Deepguard**, a massive castle loomed against the backdrop of a freezing landscape, where white snowflakes gently fell from the sky.
In the darkness of midnight, a player stood on the castle balcony. She wore a hood and a red scarf, resembling a rogue. Her right iris gleamed red while her left shone blue—an odd contrast in her eyes.
Suddenly, a boy's exuberant voice broke the stillness.
"Sister! Idema, sister!"
Adorned in a fluffy beast mask, the boy looked adorable. With a bow slung at his waist and a quiver of arrows on his back, it was evident he was an archer.
He innocently leaned towards the woman with exaggerated gestures.
"I knew it, he was logged in. Just as our hero said."
"Lillie, your keen eyes are a great help. Thanks for the investigation."
"Yep, yep!"
The boy named Lillie placed his hand above his eyes, scanning the surroundings.
"Where's Marshmallow Sis?"
"She's working. That stubborn Nunder isn't cooperating, and someone has to support her."
"Oh man, Renoir seems busy too. What a bore!"
Everyone in the organization was occupied, leaving the boy with nothing to do.
At that moment, a woman named Idemma presented him with a task.
"Don't worry, there's a big job available."
"A job?"
"Yeah, we need to mark a player. I plan to use that guy we prepped earlier."
Lillie made an adorable thinking pose, trying to remember something. But he wasn't genuinely trying; after all, other people barely mattered to him.
"Uh, who was that again? The pretty boy?"
"It doesn't matter who. Just send a letter to the self-defense guild, Gold Rush."
The woman, Idemma, smirked wickedly.
"Soon, the village of Elb will turn into a sea of flames."
"Got it, sounds fun!"
Lillie eagerly accepted the task. For him, it was a festival, and there was no reason to decline.
In the frigid expanse of the snowy continent known as Inda, lies the remote town of Smalt, where swirling conspiracies beckon only the highest-ranking players. It was the second day of gameplay, and I logged in an hour earlier than the previous day.
As soon as I got home from school, I jumped into the bath and had dinner prepared ahead of time. This way, I could finish the game and head straight to bed.
While I was pumped for the session, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Our meeting time was set for 8 PM in the real world, which was also 8 PM in the world of Deepguard. Right now, it was 4 AM in the game—effectively four hours early. There was no way anyone else would be around.
"Well, I guess no one expected anyone to show up at this hour..."
I considered leveling up alone, but doing so at this late hour felt daunting. More importantly, I didn't want to leave Ivy behind while I advanced my own level.
So, I waited alone in the fountain plaza. At least if she showed up, we could level up together, but that seemed unlikely until...
"I've been waiting for you, Lenny."
"...!? Ivy! Why are you here so early?"
There she stood, framed by the moonlight and the fountain—she had arrived an hour early, just like me.
But to say she'd been "waiting" at this hour was puzzling. Could she have anticipated my early arrival? If so, that sent a shiver down my spine.
"While Lenny wasn't here, I felt so, so lonely," she said.
"What an exaggerator..."
There was something different about her today compared to yesterday. Ivy flashed a knowing smile and reached for the large needle at her waist. Just what was she planning? I wondered at that moment.
"Hey... wait!"
Suddenly, she pulled out the needle and thrust it at my neck. Sensing something was off, I managed to dodge the attack at the last second. If I had been even a moment slower, I would have been pierced clean through.
"W-what are you doing?!"
"What do you think? We're training!"
"Huh?"
She tilted her head, her innocent smile unwavering. "It's dangerous for two low-level fighters like us to leave the city alone. So let's hone our combat skills right here."
"You want me... to fight you?!"
"Don't worry! I'm actually pretty strong!"
In that instant, another attack came my way—a thrust with the massive needle. Though her level was low, her speed wasn't that fast.
Yet, for some reason, I couldn't read her movements. She must have been using some sort of feint to throw me off. As a beginner, I couldn't understand the trick at all.
"Lenny, I'm not like Violet—I'm not going to go easy on you! This is going to be tough!"
"Wait, hold on..."
I scrambled across the ground to evade Ivy's assault.
The needle plunged into me again and again. It was time to fight back, but I hesitated to strike a girl with a wrench. What should I do?
"Oh, Lenny. Just because she's a woman, don't hold back. If you do, I'll hold you in contempt for life. Keep that in mind."
Her words were chilling… This wasn't the Ivy I knew!
She was clearly exhilarated. Could it be that she was an unexpected battle enthusiast? No, I had seen the signs before…
With no mercy, Ivy relentlessly thrust the enormous needle at me, leaving me unable to evade. I took her blows repeatedly. What kind of S&M was this?
"I'm just getting started!"
"I... I'm going to die..."
My health wasn't dropping drastically, but the pain was terrible—too painful!
This was likely being counted as a player duel. Even if my health hit zero, it wouldn't mean game over. In other words, I wouldn't escape this agony until time was up. Torture!
"Lenny, merely dodging won't help you counterattack. First, try to guard my strikes, like you did yesterday against the Goblin in the plains."
As I was getting overwhelmed, Ivy offered her advice. With a desperate hope, I raised the wrench to block her massive needle.
"Ugh..."
"Does it hurt? My attack transfers force through the weapon and impacts your body. You see, you can't completely block a hit with just a guard."
If blocking doesn't work, then what's the point? This advice seems utterly useless.
I complained to Ivy, "In the end, I have no choice but to avoid it!"