After we finished our meal and returned our trays, we quickly left the classroom.
It seemed there was still some lunch break left, and the NPCs were starting to relax in their own ways. The boys gathered to play soccer on the field or headed to the gym for basketball. Meanwhile, the girls formed circles in the classroom, chatting loudly or went off to watch the boys play sports. In fact, the players seemed to be the ones wandering aimlessly.
"By the way, do you guys participate in any clubs?" Ray called out to us as we were about to leave the classroom.
"Clubs?"
"Oh right, I remember those from elementary school."
"Yeah, I think I first joined the baseball club. But when you're in first grade, all you do is pick up balls and maintain the equipment. I had to do things like rolling the field alone, so I quit after a while. Then I joined the science club, but I basically just became a ghost member. Once the upperclassmen were gone, I was the only one who ever showed up to the clubroom, so I ended up in the 'stay-at-home' club."
"Wow, that's pretty sad. I didn't even join a club. I was at that age where I just wanted to rebel against stuff, you know? I mostly just hung out at convenience stores."
Yuki and I exchanged glances, a mutual understanding passing between us.
"Yeah, let's just stick with the stay-at-home club."
"Really? Well, if you're interested, take this—it's a list of clubs at this school. You can at least check them out as a temporary member."
I see, Ray is the one encouraging players to join clubs. He starts handing out club lists to other players as well. Among the NPCs, he stands out the most. The others seem to lack personal thoughts, which makes him even more prominent. He's also the easiest to talk to, making it easier for players to form friendships with him.
"Huh, clubs, huh? I have free time from after school until evening. Should we check it out?"
"If Hannah wants to see it, shall we spin around?"
"Since we're here, let's give it a try. I'm curious about what the club activities are."
Ah, Hannah only knows the school at night.
Alright, this time I'll definitely guide Hannah.
With renewed determination, I stepped out into the hallway.
Suddenly, something emerged from behind a door, and I couldn't avoid it in time.
"Whoa!"
"Ah!?"
Wait, who is this girl...?
I instinctively put my hand on her胸元.
Yikes, that solid chest felt like a rock-hard muscle.
But hold on. Did that "ah" sound a bit manly?
"Oh Henry, how daring!"
Gah, that's Lark!
Lucky Pervert activated! While my avatar is male, the player controlling it is female. I accidentally collapsed onto her, seemingly grabbing her chest.
But in this game, we're just two guys, friends at that. Neither of us is rejecting the situation, and I'm not feeling anything inappropriate, so no warnings were issued.
Nearby female NPCs let out startled shrieks.
"Whoops! I'm sorry!"
"Come on, it's fine since we're all guys here. But you know what, Henry has a thing for that!"
"That's not true!?"
"Ah, so with Lucky Pervert, the judgment is based on the players' genders, not the avatars', huh?"
"Hannah, are you just going to read that monotonously?"
"Wow, you really were in a crazy position there! You guys should just start dating already!"
"That's all you ever say!?"
Yoshi joined us with a look of exasperation.
I felt like I was being dragged in as one of their group.
It seemed impossible for me to escape now.
"Yuki, what are we doing next? The art room is empty."
"Well, everyone gathered over there to discuss what to do next. We finished the school exploration we quickly planned for before noon, so should we head outside?"
"Exploring the city, huh? What do you think, Lark?"
"I'm fine with going to town, but what about the stray dogs and cats we might encounter? Yuki shouldn't have a problem, but can Yoshi and Henry handle themselves? Oh, of course, I'm ready for anything!"
A wooden sword, huh? I can see it.
She totally gives off the vibe of a reckless leader. No doubt she'd join a gang once we hit middle school.
"I've got kick skills, just so you know."
"Yeah, well, I have punch skills too!"
"Still, we're all stuck at level one here."
Looks like none of us have any real combat experience yet.
Well, if things go south, I could always count on Hannah. Exploring the city sounds like a good idea.
If we stick together, we probably won't get into too much trouble.
Maybe we could even initiate some encounters? But if it turns into a shake-down, I'll just make a run for it.
"Is this the shopping district stage?"
Hmm, I'm not convinced.
After leaving the school, several options popped up for me to choose from: home, the shopping district, the back mountain, and more. When the party representative selected one, the stage transformed dramatically. It felt like something straight out of an adventure game, making me want to comment on the over-the-top design.
Sure, it's convenient to teleport where I want, but it feels a bit surreal—it snaps me back to the realization that this is just a game. But hey, at least traveling is easy, right?
Under the blue sky, I see open-air shops: a fishmonger and a vegetable store, both calling out to customers with cheap deals. It looks like they drew inspiration from old-fashioned shopping streets, though there are a few places with their shutters still down.
Isn't this area slowly fading away?
"Man, this place is pretty rundown."
"Even for a game, they've reflected that quite well!"
We walk deeper into the shopping district, checking out the stores.
"Oh, there's even a stationery shop!"
"And there's a back alley too. It looks a bit sketchy up ahead."
'It's a hangout for evil spirits, so you should steer clear!'
Yeah, I'm definitely not going there. That sounds like a death sentence. I don't want to get cursed, so I'll avoid the alley.
"Oh, look! A cat!"
A cat is sprawled out on top of a blue, bucket-shaped trash can.
"Can I get experience points if I take it down?"
"Wait a minute. This cat is a pet. It has a collar."
"Tch, it's not a stray?"
The cat, nearly facing a grim fate, mewed and nuzzled against my arm before drifting back into dreamland.
Sure, it's soothing, but leaving it alone seems like the better option.
"By the way, don't we need to buy something? It's pointless to come to the shopping district and not get anything."
"Want to buy some croquettes? But we're broke."
"Right, I forgot. This game starts you off with zero funds. That's pretty unhelpful."
"I guess it's telling us to mug someone. What about that middle school kid?"
"Please, no!?"
"Oh, I know! Let's buy some salt."
"Salt?"
"I heard it works against ghost types. I'm thinking of checking out the school at night."
Wait, is this guy serious? He looked at me like I was crazy.
"Don't you know? The school at night is seriously dangerous."
"You need to be at least level 10 to even try. Go check the strategy boards."
"I remember someone saying the same during the day. You're just asking for trouble. I won't stop you, though."
"As long as you're careful, you'll be fine. I'll handle the fighting at first. Those wandering spirits are easy picks."
Well, she is level 40. Outside of boss fights, it looks like Hannah will dominate. I can already sense some power leveling happening.
"To level up nearby, you could get to level 5, then it'll take days to grind experience—or you could hunt rabbits or deer in the forest to boost your level quickly. But if you're going to the school at night, you better be ready to spend at least ten days preparing."
"Wait, you mean the levels don't go up that quickly? I've already gained one level!"
"Probably because there aren't any suitable enemies for your level. You can level up to about five by fighting stray dogs and cats, but it seems there aren't any higher-level areas discovered yet. I heard that finding wild creatures in the Forest is quite challenging. That's just what Tamamo mentioned."
It turns out that spotting a rabbit in the Forest is no easy task. Plus, there's a risk of encountering boars or bears that could take you out in an instant. The beta testers have uploaded videos titled "Getting launched by a boar" or "Sent flying by a bear claw."
"Oh, is this salt? It's surprisingly cheap!"
"Yeah, Missy. Seasoning items are pretty affordable, but they assume you'll use them in bulk."
Indeed. I could buy about ten without any issue. Wait, should I get the bag instead of the jar? With this bag priced this way, I could buy three. Honestly, I'd get about twice as much salt compared to the jar. Oh, that's probably because the jar includes the cost of the container.
I'll buy two salt jars for refills and pick up two bags. With that, the funds I gained from taking down the shin-scraper are all spent.
After that, we continued strolling through the shopping district. Since we were running low on money, the three of us decided it was time to mug an NPC.
I decided not to join them and split off with Hannah. Avoiding their gaze, I browsed the produce at a nearby market, casually muttering to myself, "Carrots are cheap today. Wow."
After a little while, the three of them approached, grinning triumphantly as if they had just pulled off a heist.
"Hey, we scored some cash! Let's buy something!"
These guys are really troublemakers. I've gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. Still, the croquettes they treated me to were surprisingly delicious.
Sorry to the middle schooler who got shaken down. I truly enjoyed the croquettes. Thanks.
In my mind, I apologized to the faceless victim as I finished every last bite.
"Wow, that extortion was wild. We're suddenly rolling in money!" one of them exclaimed.
"Seriously, these are so good. Should we try to see how much more we can get?" another chimed in.
"By the way, that kid ran off somewhere. What now?"
"We've already got the cash, so who cares?"
I couldn't help but think that it wasn't as easy as that; the kid would definitely come back—either with friends or the police. Not wanting to get caught up in whatever might happen next, I subtly distanced myself from them.
Alright, I'll just head over there for now. I noticed a used bookstore nearby and slipped in, trying to blend in naturally.
Oh, this place has a surprisingly nice vibe. There might be some hidden gems here. I wonder if there are any intriguing books… Though I can't buy anything right now since I'm low on cash...
"Hey, what are you running from?"
"Yikes!?"
Suddenly, something heavy wraps around my neck.
What the—oh, it's Yuki, draping his right arm over my shoulder and leaning in. He's doing that thing where he hugs his friends to keep them close, especially to deter those who might try to escape.
I instinctively flinch, feeling a rush of intimidation.
When I glance over, I see Yuki's mischievous grin—he's chuckling with a devilish smile. Despite the freckles on his face, there's something oddly charming about him, and it catches me off guard.
His avatar may be female, but there's nothing delicate about him; he has a tough reputation, and crossing paths with him could mean trouble.
Besides, I have Hannah to think about.
"So why are we at a used bookstore?"
"I figured, why not? Maybe there's something here that could give us a skill or two."
"A skill? You think you can get that from a used bookstore?"