4.Tea Party

(Iris’ PoV)
The meeting place was an NPC-run coffee shop, which had been
informed in advance via whisper chat.
I lowered my altitude and landed softly. In doing so, I remembered to
hold down my skirt as it floated away.
Hehehe, I know what you’ve been expecting, but don’t think I’m going
to show it to you that easily, whoever have been staring at me.
Smiling with a hint of embarrassment and waving a small hand at those
around me, I headed for the table where I could see the person I was
looking for while hiding my black thoughts.
There he was, a fearless man with red hair and a toned body.
Sitting at the same table, was a prince-like Highborn who looked a few
years older than my character, sipping tea in a very dignified manner.
The way he tilted his cup was so charming that it almost attracted the
attention of the women around him, and my mischievous thoughts
began to wander to the redhead who was looking uncomfortable
beside him.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Saul-niisama. It’s been a long time. I’m
glad to see you and Reiji-san doing so well.”
I lightly picked up my skirt and bent my knees in the most courteous
pose possible.
In contrast to Reiji, who sit frozen in place with a face like a pigeon
being shot by a peashooter… the princely Saul noticed my intentions,
grinned and lifted the corner of his mouth, then stood up and lightly
placed his hand on my cheek, turning my face slightly upward.
“The pleasure’s mine, Iris. Have you become a little more beautiful
again? Reiji, what do you think?”
“…Huh?! Ah, uh, how do I say it…”
Usually we would not have such a pretentious conversation.
Seeing Reiji, who had suddenly become flustered, I tilted my head
slightly as if it was a follow-up strike, stared into his eyes and waited for
his next words.
Reiji’s eyes wandered suspiciously, and he could do nothing but groan
for a while.
“Aaaaargh!!! Stop messing with me, the two of you!”
Reiji finally exploded, and we both shrugged our shoulders.
“So, what’s your level now, ‘Onii-chan’?”, Saul asked me.
It’s a very strange thing to hear coming from someone who looked like
a prince, but this “guy” was actually my little sister, Ayame.
“I hit the cap. Since I’m running out of game time today, I’ll proceed
with the reincarnation event tomorrow.”
I dropped the tone of voice I’d been using until now and sipped on the
tea while trying to appear elegant in consideration of the eyes of those
around me.
The advantage of this game was the ease with which I could select a
menu item, press the “pay” button, and the price would be deducted
from my storage, and the actual item would appear in front of me
without waiting.
The taste and aroma reproduced in the brain by the taste engine were
comparable to those in the real world, and I could taste the aroma and
astringency on the tongue before swallowing.
Our conversation was currently switched to party chat, so no voices
could be heard in the vicinity. To the outsiders, we were just chatting
over tea.
“…Still, I still feel bad for not being there to help you level up.”
Reiji said apologetically. We had already gone over it several times six
months ago and reached a conclusion, but he was still feeling regretful
about it.
“I’ve said this a million times already, but it can’t be helped. The
competition is fierce, isn’t it?”
Saul was a Knight, while Reiji was a Swordsman, two of the most
popular classes. The former, who was a genius in every way, had
already attained a unique class before I knew it, but in Reiji’s case, it
was much closer to comfort. It was not difficult to imagine that it would
have been impossible for him if I had been added to the mix.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t have made it without Saul’s help. This guy
feels like he has knowledge of every single tasty hunting grounds in this
game.”
My friend looked dismayed, remembering the high-paced grinding of
those days.
Back then, he was always gaunt with dark circles under his eyes. During
the winter break, when he stayed over at our house and worked hard
to level up, I was seriously worried that he was going to die when I
found him buried under a huge can of energy drink and looking pale.
“Mmm, praise me more~”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m eternally grateful to you.”
Seeing the two of them in good mood, I could finally relax my cheeks.
Ever since I refused their invitation and started working alone, I had
been feeling somewhat awkward and uncomfortable even when we
were together in the game. I had repeatedly told them that they didn’t
have to worry about it, but they seemed unable to get rid of their guilt
about leaving me behind.
I was happy to catch up with them and see our old relationship return
again, and took another sip of tea.
“By the way… you’ve become more girly in your behavior over here,
haven’t you? Earlier, when you laughed, you put your finger to your
mouth, did you do it unconsciously?”
It was only after my friend pointed it out did I realize it.
“You’re right… Well, after seven years of doing this, it comes naturally,
even on the spur of the moment…”
“Of course you do. I would never allow my masterpiece to make such
crude and masculine gestures.”
Yes, the avatars we were using, in other words, the 3D models, were
both created by my sister.
As an older brother, I was very concerned to see my sister, who was
supposed to be 13 years old at the time, facing the creation software
with a thick technical book in her hand and a devilish expression on her
face, as if she was possessed by something.
And sometimes she would look off into the distance and give a weird
laugh, which made me even more worried. “Uhuhuhuhu” or something
like that.
During the three months it took my sister to create the characters, the
two of us discussed them over and over again, fine-tuned them over
and over again, and corrected any points that bothered us over and
over again… It was daunting, to say the least.
“Iris”, the character I was using, was the “ideal girl she wants to love
with all her might”, according to my sister.
And the “Saul” that my sister used was also created by her, taking my
opinions and adding her own tastes.
When they were completed and we first unveiled them, the stunned
look on my friend’s face was a bit amusing.
I was supposed to use Saul, while my sister was supposed to use Iris,
but why did we have to exchange our characters?
All I could say was, “we both made a mistake in our initial choice of
class”.
Neither of us was suited for the class we had chosen, but it could not be
changed, and if we had to delete our characters, the fruits of our three
months of hard work would become dust.
Yes, I had no choice. My sister was very excited about it, but I was very
reluctant. I was very, very unwilling. I wanted to say that out loud.
My girly behavior in the game was also a result of my sister’s guidance.
We lost our parents when we were very young due to an incident in the
past, and we were taken in by our grandparents, who were a wellknown
wealthy family in the area.
My sister had been disciplined by our grandparents, who were strict
about etiquette, since she was about five years old, and the acting
instruction I received from her was very, very spartan. Especially in VR,
there was a high possibility that the sex of the person inside would be
revealed by the smallest gesture, so in the beginning, she was almost
always there to guide me.
There was one time when my sister lost her temper after a series of my
failures, pressed me into a closed room where no one could enter, and
told me to “practice the reaction of a girl who’s touched in a strange
place” for a while. Thankfully, the memory of what happened after had
been erased.
“…So, how long are you going to keep stroking my head, Reiji? Please
stop messing up my hair.”
Yes, I had been headpatted by Reiji the entire time ever since I sat
down at the table.
“Oops, sorry about that. Your head was located at just the right place,
so I went for it.”
I glared at Reiji and pouted, as he only intensified the patting while
saying such a strange thing.
How did I make such a gesture so naturally?
Could it be that my sister has brainwashed me? I was getting a little
worried.
The next moment I was thinking such a silly thought, I felt a chill run
down my spine.
Reiji seemed to do the same, turning his head toward Saul with an
almost audible moment like a robot.
Saul took another sip of tea and smile at us… but his eyes were clearly
not smiling.
I was sure he was trying to say, “That head’s mine to pat, do not touch
without permission.”
I mustn’t have been wrong, because next to me, Reiji was nodding his
head gruffly, dripping with cold sweat, and gently removed his hand
from my head.
“A-Anyway, I have something to ask you both. What’s a reincarnation
event supposed to be?”
I quickly changed the topic to avoid such a piercing atmosphere.
“If you ask me… it wasn’t anything special. After choosing and
confirming a class, your eyes go blank for a moment, and then it’s
over… Oh, and you can’t wear your current gear anymore because of
the level reset, so make sure you have low-level armor and warm
clothes, or you’ll freeze to death… Saul, anything you want to say?”
“Me?”
Saul, who had pulled back his earlier intimidation and fallen silent as
soon as the event was mentioned, took another sip of tea and
moistened his tongue before opening his mouth.
“…Well, I’ve heard some weird storied about that. It’s from a friend at
school. She kept blurting out that her brother was totally into this game
and not studying…”
For someone who’d always been blunt with her words, it was weird of
Ayame to fidget like that. When we both silently urged her to continue,
she gave up and started talking again.
“Somehow, after the reincarnation event, his grades suddenly went up
to the top of his class. That kid’s always been immersed in games and
hovering around the bottom, you know?”
“…Isn’t it just a coincidence? I think he’s found his motivation to study
again.”
I gave her an answer that was the most likely to be true. Now that
almost all of the unique classes, with a few exceptions, were gone,
there was no reason to rush after reincarnation, so it should not be
surprising that he came back to himself and tried to make up for his
past delays.
“Maybe that’s the case but… something about this is bugging me.”
“What about you, then? Any improvement in your grades?”
“Nothing. Same as usual.”
Ayame dismissed Reiji’s question.
I didn’t know when she studied, but my sister had never failed a grade
in the past.
“Oh, right. I’m sorry for even questioning you, Your Excellency.”
“What about you, Reiji? Have you noticed anything unusual?”
“………”
Contrary to my expectations, Reiji hid his mouth behind his hands and
became troubled, as if thinking about something.
“…Eh, is it that serious?”
“Uh, well… You know I practice kendo, right?”
Reiji’s family ran a kendo dojo. As a result, he had been wielding a
bamboo sword since he was a small child, and although he did not
compete in official tournaments, he was quite skilled at it.
In a VRMMO, experience in real life was very important. A complete
amateur and one who had experience in swordfighting were naturally
incomparable, even with the same status, and Reiji, with his
experience, was starting with a significant advantage.
“Long story short, I beat my old man.”
““What?!””
“W-W-Wait a minute, Your grandfather is someone who regularly
practices with the police, right?!”
“You totally got beat to a pulp last year!”
“That’s right…No, it wasn’t that bad! But anyway, for some reason his
swordsmanship looks like it’s in slow motion! And BAM, I win!”
Reiji then made a pose as if demonstrating what he just said.
“…Did you swing your sword so much over here that you’ve gotten
stronger in real life without knowing it…?”
We couldn’t help but feel worried about him.
“Sorry, I got carried away! That aside, what are you going to do until
you can login tomorrow for the reincarnation event?”
“Lemme see… the management wants me to go to their place
tomorrow to prepare for the next event. I also want to hear about the
revisions to the illustrations I submitted. So it’s probably in the evening
when I’m finally able to login.”
“I’m accompanying him. Well, I think of it as a tour of my future
workplace anyway.”
Soon after our grandparents passed away, I decided to turn my hobby
of painting into a career so that I could earn a decent income for
myself, drawing both my own arts and commissions. My sister still had
two years left of college, yet she had already received a confirmed job
offer from the company that developed and managed this game.
“Gotcha. I’m free tomorrow, so can I join you guys? Even if they don’t
let me in, I can still help pushing your wheelchair around.”
Certainly. Reiji was physically strong, and I felt reassured when he’s
around.
“…Are you sure about that?”
“Leave it to me.”
“Then you must be happy to carry our luggage, right?”
“Yeah, leave it to me…”
It seemed that Ayame wanted to buy something heavy on the way. As
expected, Reiji looked a bit distressed. My condolences.
While we were talking, an alarm went off in my brain, signaling the five
minute countdown until the forced logout.
“Looks like my time’s up… I’m counting on you tomorrow, Reiji.”
“I’m logging out too. Good night, Reiji-san.”
“See you, Yanagi and Ayame-chan… I’m happy to party with you two
again in the future.”
The three of us lightly clapped our fists together, each logged out, and
returned to the real world.
Author’s Note:
Yanagi = Saul Ayame = Iris
After exchanging the game character, they referred to each other as
their new character name.
Reiji is also Reiji in real life.
Ayame’s opinion of the character exchange: “Just as planned (gesugao
face).”