The Royal Family Request was finally over, and Alto had her hands on those gun cartridges.
Tria-chan and Miti-chan were both getting stronger at a steady clip as well.
I mused on how completely I’d been sucked into the game while clocking in for another day of work. Duty called.
"Work’s only just started, and I’m already dying to go home and play."
『That’s how work usually goes-dao. I don’t really want to be here either-o.』
"I wonder if I could retire if I made as much money selling meat as Pen-pen does."
『Labor is a duty-dao.』
"That’s harsh."
『O-ho-ho-o. Want me to file a transfer request to Sales for you-o?』
"Sorry, my bad."
If I ever got transferred to Sales, I was certain I’d be dead by sunset on the first day. Working behind the scenes suited my personality much better.
『Well, shitty reality doesn’t really matter-o.』
"You’re supposed to work while you’re at work, you know?"
『Look at it the other way-o. We actually spend more time logged into the game than out of it. That means the game is actually our reality-dao!!』
"I just wish work time would get compressed..."
『Eh? You want to do the same amount of work in a shorter window? Like a double-speed RTA-o?』
"I would hate that so much."
The game world was just too comfortable and the food was too delicious. It really was a dream world.
『Ah, crap. ...Colleague, here’s a riddle-dao. Fire above, fire below—what am I-o?』
"...A massive conflagration?"
『Bzzzzt! The answer is me, right now-o! Heeelp! This is a real fire scene!?』
Hey, this was no time for riddles or chatting! Call for backup! Send help!
＊ ＊ ＊
My colleague was safely rescued afterward.
『Man, I panicked when the sprinklers didn’t work-o.』
"Your life in Sales is way too dangerous."
『It would’ve been curtains if Kurihama-san... or rather, Mahariku-san’s person inside, hadn’t rescued me-o. Man, I didn’t know what was going to happen when I suddenly started hearing voices-o.』
"Voices? That sounds serious. Did you tell the medical staff?"
『I couldn’t-o, precisely because of what they said.』
"No, no, you definitely have to tell them."
It involved his health, so there was no telling what might happen if he didn't report it. In fact, he might even be able to squeeze some paid leave out of the situation.
『But what I heard was, "Will you dedicate everything to the Spirit?"-dao.』
"Ah. Yeah, you’ve definitely been playing the game too much. Get well soon."
『I figured there was no way I could say that-o. Even for me, that was a terrible hallucination-o.』
Besides, if he did get leave for that, he’d surely be ordered to stop playing the game that caused it. Yeah, he couldn't say it. He absolutely couldn't.
『Anyway, compared to those girls, dedicating everything just because I’m surrounded by a little fire-o?』
"You’re remarkably resilient."
『I was saved just like this anyway, so my judgment was correct-o! In other words, the game is harmless! So I’m logging in as soon as I get home today-o!』
Despite having hallucinations in a moment of crisis, he seemingly had no intention of taking a break. I couldn't help but feel he should rest for at least today after nearly being roasted alive... but then again, maybe that was exactly why he wanted the comfort of his daily routine.
『The medical check didn’t find any problems, so I’m coming to work as usual tomorrow-o.』
"Our company is seriously black-hearted, making you come to work the day after something like that happened."
『Isn't it like that everywhere these days-o? We’re a decent "white" company since we can leave right at the end of the shift. In fact, sometimes it’s better to work without taking a break so you don’t develop PTSD-o. I saw that in a manga about astronauts once.』
"I see."
Well, even if it was only the next day in the real world, he’d be having a two- or three-day vacation in the game world.
『Ah, but I’m seriously depressed that the goods I left on my seat got burned-o.』
"So your 'moe' went up in smoke?"
『Ughhh. My precious figures...!』
"You'll just have to buy them again."
『They’re hard to get even if you have money-dao! What era do you think those works are from-o?! Now I have no choice but to dote on Alto-chan even more...!』
If it was a series from that long ago, they must have been precious and incredibly hard to obtain. Collectors rarely let go of out-of-production goods; they usually only hit the market when a collector passed away and their family sold off the estate. A reprint was likely out of the question.
『And so, when I get home today, I’m logging in as Nika-chan and licking Alto-chan all over-dao.』
"Enjoy the Ethics Filter."
『Gueh. ...Couldn’t I at least suck on a finger-o?』
"Who knows? Maybe you can. Why don't you try?"
『The Ethics Filter is more lenient toward medical acts, so if I have her put a potion on her finger first, there might be a chance-o!』
Even with the ordeal my colleague had gone through, the workday ended with us chatting and joking around to keep things light.
Now then, time to put the harsh reality aside and dive into the game. Just like every other day.