Small Village Tridente Chapter 10

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Small Village Tridente – Chapter 010

rawr:

June, 2XX7

The Time When My Friend and the Student Council President's Awful Relationship Ended Our Lunch Break Because of the Strained Atmosphere

――Waah~! A birthday cake! Thank you, Mama, Onee-chan!

――Why do we have no papa? Even though there's one in everyone's house?

――Hey, look look! I got 100 on the test!

――Onee-chan, I'm also a middle schooler starting today. So we can go to school together.

The moment I logged in to NW, memories about Yuki-chan started flowing into my head. She is someone very close and incredibly important to me; they are memories I shouldn't forget.

I'm happy. I was able to take them back.

「Mari, how did it go? Did your memories return?」

The place where I logged in at was our home and I saw that Saya was already there. It looks like she also regained her memories the moment she logged in.

「So what should we do now? If we log out, we won't lose our memories again, right…?」

「Who knows. If the NW Company feels like it, not just our memory, they might even be able to control our actions or even lock us up in here.」

Now that I think about it, I've heard that if you send specific electrical signals to the brain, you can move a human's arms and legs.

In other words, if NW advances their research concerning electrical signals and the brain, it might be simple for them to control humans wearing this VR equipment. After all, they've already demonstrated that they can transfer memories between the brain and the VR set.

「Hey, Saya. If we lived here, what would our everyday lives be like…?」

「A world where you can use swords and magic. It seems like it would be completely different from our lives on earth.」

This world doesn't have anything yet. This is the place where players built a village and where they finally stand at the starting line of their lives, isn't it?

That reminds me, I wonder what happened to the people in the village? Tsurugi-san, Nekamsan, and Seirsan as well. Even after all this, I wonder if they'll still log in.

If they are an only child, then they shouldn't have lost their memories… That's why they might not even need to log in to recover their memories. Then, if someone is currently logged in, it would be those whose hearts were stolen by NW.

"Let's go out and see the situation in the village" I told Saya and went outside of the house. A number of wooden cottage-like houses were lined up; it had become a place worthy of calling a village. However, there weren't any signs of people.

「Just like I thought, everyone really doesn't feel like logging in.」

Or maybe they went hunting? I don't really know how they live their lives so I can't be sure of it, but there doesn't seem to be any people who logged in around this area.

After doing a lap around the village, I noticed a strange glowing pattern on one house.

「I wonder what this is? This pattern… cuts?」

A crimson, shining scar in the shape of a cross. From somewhere, an ominous and dubious air came about. I approached it to investigate, but there wasn't a special event happening nor was there an item.

「Mari?」

Saya looked at me worriedly.

「Saya, these cuts… Up until yesterday, there weren't any, right?」

「Cross cuts…? I don't think so… I wonder what "this" is.」

Saya was about to touch the cross cuts… but at that moment, we heard a voice call out to us. And that figure approached us with a smile as they waved their hand.

「Mari-cha~n! Saaycha~n!」

「Ah, Seirsan!」

The eerie atmosphere lingering in the air due to the absence of people and the unidentified cross cuts was completely blown away with Seirsan's appearance.

「I'm surprised. To think that even after that scandal, someone would still log in.」

「Can you really say that, Seirsan?」

「Uhm, the truth is, Saya and I were victims of that event.」

The things that had happened to us, and the day's events, I explained them to Seirsan in detail.

「I see, it must have been difficult. As that interview said, did your memories return?」

「Yes, when we logged in earlier.」

「Heh……I am an only child, so there wasn't any influence on my memories. That's why this incident, and what the NW Company said in that conference, I haven't really felt it at all~. Just as the NW Company said, I'm probably one of those people that doesn't have any sense of crisis.」

In reality, there weren't many people that believed in that story, so I didn't think that Seirsan's behaviour was strange.

However, I wonder if this situation where logging in to NW, which was created as a shelter, is considered a dangerous act isn't putting the cart before the horse.

「What are you two going to do? Want to level up together? You know, because, if you want to keep on living in this world, then you need to become stronger, right.」

「Seirsan, do you plan on living in this world?」

「If the world is coming to an end, then I think I'll escape to this world. Sadly, in the real world, I don't have any means of fighting back, you see. But it's different in this world. I have the strength to fight, and I can use it freely.」

Using one's power freely… Me too; in the real world, I'm just a girl who can't do anything. But if it's in this world, then I feel like I can protect those I want to protect.

「The problem is, I don't really know when I should migrate to this world. And up until then, I can't abandon my real life; I have to keep doing the things I need to do.

「You sure did decide quite easily. Personally, I want to know more about what the NW Company has to say. How about you, Mari?」

I… …If I have any lingering attachments to the real world, they are my mom and Yuki-chan. Conversely, if those two decided to immigrate to NW, then I wouldn't have any lingering attachment to the real world, and I think I would easily decide to go to NW… if I were myself from a few days ago.

After all, the people who are precious to me right now have increased by one.

「Still a secret!」

「Eeh, what's with that. C'mon, tell me.」

「Ehehe. Next time!」

After chatting for a while, I separated from Saya and Seirsan and logged out. I do want to play together with the both of them, but I need to report to Yuki-chan who had been worried for me.

My vision changed from that of the cyber world to that of the real world, and right before my eyes, staring at me with eyes full of concern while holding my hand, Yuki-chan… wasn't there!? Even though she said she was going to wait here!

When I went down to the first floor, Yuki-chan was eating sweets while laying on the sofa and watching the news.

「I'm back…」

As if sulking a little, I puffed out my cheeks and pouted as I drew closer to her.

「Ah, that was quick. Welcome back~」

「Even though you looked really worried, "I'll be watching you from here." …and even though you said that~!」

「Well~, the moment your memories return, I wondered what it's like~ …so I was curious about that, so I thought I should watch over Onee-chan that dives with a dumb face for a while, but you didn't really move or even twitch… so I thought "Isn't it fine already?" And also, I wasn't worried okay?」

「S-so this is what Yuki-chan is like… I understand now that my memories have returned…」

I also understand that she really was worried. After all, a little of Yuki-chan's warmth still remains on my hands…

「This is, the so-called "Tsundere", isn't it?」

「……Haa?」

During the next day's lunch break, today, I was on the rooftop with Saya again. We checked the comments and questions regarding NW Company.

「There's an amazing amount of comments… There are millions of them.」

Among those millions of comments, there were many that were just attacking the NW Company. But it seems that the questions of those showing concern towards NW Company's plan were being answered as much as possible. And even now, comments were still being posted.

But among those, before anything else, I wanted to confirm NW's rules regarding 【Death】.

IRL, if you're stabbed with a sharp object, or shot by a gun, you'll obviously die. However, in the current NW, even if you receive a direct hit from an enemy's attack, you will not die as long as your HP doesn't become 0.

But even if your HP does become 0, there are methods to revive you. It is a system where, after being incapacitated in battle and not reviving for one hour, you will receive the death penalty and return to the home point you set.

The NW Company was completely silent regarding the questions about 【Death】. I wonder if they still haven't decided their policy about it.

Even though we have to immigrate in order to live, it's a bit worrying that the rules for living are still not clear. It's a world with swords, magic, and monsters after all. So won't it be more dangerous compared to earth right now… there's also those worries.

While I was talking to Saya, a lone female student appeared on the roof

「You two, I have come to inform you that lunch break is ending soon.」

Geh, it's the student council president Suzukawa Saysan! A while back, I confused her for Saya and called her out, so I was so embarra.s.sed that I didn't want to meet her.

「Oh my, might you be…」

「Ah… u~m… Thank you for that time.」

The president stared at Saya, who was purposefully turning her gaze away beside me…

「Hee… The famous princess who is always surrounded by a crowd of people is, this is quite unusual.」

「Not really~. And you too, you shouldn't laze about in this kind of place. How about you quickly go back and do your student council work~☆」

W-wait a bit. Doesn't the atmosphere feel kind of strained? …Now that I think about it, during the student council president election there was President Suzukawa, who announced her candidacy, and Saya, who was recommended. In the end, it was Saya's complete victory, but because Saya declined the position, President Suzukawa was ultimately elected. And ever since then, when these two meet, it becomes like this.

「Hey, Kanzaki-san. I do not think it's possible… but the person you were searching for, who resembled me……」

Different to the saintlike president from the last time I met her, her expression was that of a demon as she asked me a question.

「Ahaha……」

Might I have perhaps committed the worst case of mistaken ident.i.ty? Cold sweat started to flow.

「Come to think of it… at that time, you uttered one thing or another about NW, am I right? May I hear a little about it?」

「Eh, about NW… is it?」

「I hold some interest in it. Towards the game created by the NW Company who broadcasted that absurd delusion to the whole world.」

「Y-you may be right about what the NW Company said being crazy, but NW is fun, you know!」

Saya and I both told the president about our experience with it so far. About the time we first logged in, about how we both met, about our fun making a village, and about the battle that everyone cooperated in to win. And before I'd noticed, the president was in a daze as she listened.

「Hmm……Then, will the Student Council President not try and play it?」

Saya looked at the president with a teasing smile.

「……Well, since both of you seem like you really want me to, I can not help but play together with you.」

「Can't help it☆?」

「Then, Kanzaki-san. Please teach me from now on.」

「Y-yes!」

「Just wait a minute, what about me!?」

「There is nothing to learn from what you can teach me!」

「Why not~!」

I ignored the two who were playing around and looked at the time.

「Ah, lunch break, it ended a while ago…」

Chapter 10 END

G.o.ddess bless