"Oh, we're back-o!"
"That was over in a flash."
We had returned to Wantos. Though it felt like only five seconds had passed, the travel time must have been significant, as night had fully fallen by the time we arrived.
I sent a message to Pen-pen via Friend Chat to let her know we were back, and we agreed to meet up at the Adventurer's Guild. It always came back to the usual Adventurer's Guild, didn't it?
"Welcome back-ssu! Man, I really enjoyed the real world for a full day today-ssu!"
"We're home-o, Pen-pen!"
"We're home... Wait, what?"
I paused. What did Pen-pen just say?
"I thought I just heard you say a 'full day.' We were only fighting for about an hour at most, right?"
"Is that so-o? It was definitely a full day in game time-o."
"Eh? After you two left yesterday, I was just playing around in VR like normal-ssu. I spent some time training my cooking skills, and before I knew it, a day had passed. I was just thinking of logging off soon. Oh, I made a cake. You’re going to eat some, right-ssu?"
...Wait, what?
"Ho-hold on a second-o. I’m going to cut my VR Display and check the time-o."
"Same. I’m stepping out for a moment. Don't eat the cake without me, I'll be right back."
"Ah, okay-ssu."
I deactivated the VR Display. Checking the time...
Yeah, it was still night on my day off. Judging by the feeling in my stomach, maybe two hours had passed at most. It wasn't much different from my subjective experience. In fact, I could still feel the weight of the hamburger steak I'd eaten earlier, and I didn't even feel like I needed to use the bathroom.
Looking at my mobile terminal, the three of us were still gathered at the Guild Tavern in-game.
Oh. A delivery arrived at my door. I wonder what it is... Ah, right. It’s that VR thing. I forgot to cancel the order...
Since the time wasn't actually an issue, I re-entered the VR Display to claim my slice of cake.
"I'm back. Man, that gave me a scare."
"Phew. Good, only an hour had actually passed since we left yesterday-o. I’m looking forward to Pen-pen’s cake-o! What kind is it-o? Hurry up and bring it out-o! Hurry, hurry!"
"Welcome back-ssu. ...Ta-da! Strawberry shortcake! I made it starting all the way from the fresh cream-ssu! I tried making it by hand without using Recipe Creation Mode, and it was a huge pain-ssu!"
With a flourish, Pen-pen placed an old-fashioned strawberry shortcake topped with fresh cream and strawberries on the table, sliced into six pieces. She then moved a slice onto a small plate for both Alto and me.
"...So, Pen-pen, you’ve really been playing for a whole day since we left?"
"That's right-ssu! Man, today was fun. I went for a stroll and ended up buying all sorts of things at the general store just because-ssu! Then I found sugar, milk, eggs, and strawberries. I figured I just had to make a cake at that point."
I see. I used a fork to cut off a bite-sized piece of the cake and lifted it. It felt incredibly light and airy. I brought the white cream and yellow sponge to my mouth.
"Wh-what is this? It's so mellow! Compared to this, a cake in the real world is practically a hedgehog! I always thought sweetness was something that pricked your tongue, but this just spreads through your mouth in a smooth, fluffy cloud!"
"So good, so good-o! I could eat this forever-o!!"
"Whoa there, Alto. You’ll end up in a food coma like you did with the steak, so take it easy."
"Hehe, I’m glad you guys like it-ssu! It makes all the hard work worth it-ssu."
...Phew. That was delicious. I wanted more, but I’d learned from the steak incident that it was best to stop while I was still craving another bite.
Now then.
"............Is this game using Consciousness Acceleration on top of the Consciousness Cut?"
"Stress on the brain... Wait a second-ssu. ............Hmm, I just checked, but there’s no log of anything like that-ssu. Besides, when I left VR normally, it was definitely night-ssu."
Hmmmm??? Wait, so does that mean it was originally daytime for Pen-pen? A time difference?
"I want to ask you something, and you only have to answer if you can. Is there a time difference? Pen-pen, where do you live? For that matter, what is the date today?"
"Ah, modern net games have excellent automatic translation, don't they-ssu? My country is ■■, and the date is ■■■■-ssu."
"What was that?"
"My country is ■■■, and the date is ■■-ssu. In the year ■■■■... I'm getting a lot of noise-ssu."
"Why is there a filter on the date, too? This makes no sense."
It was impossible to make out; the words were nothing but bursts of static.
"...This isn't even a matter of illegal technology anymore-o! Space-time is warping-o! Is this special relativity-o!?"
"Right. Well, it's a bit late to be worried about that, but..."
"It really is late-ssu..."
"You guys have some pretty thick nerves, don't you-o?"
Alto glared at us with judging eyes, but there wasn't much point in arguing.
"For now, I'll just accept it as it is. I remembered that analyzing the underlying principles is a job for scholars, not me."
"...Mmm-mm. Let's just go with it being a mysterious game made by a god-o. Anything goes-o..."
"God exists, and He's on the internet. People have been saying that for a long time, right?"
"That’s not what they meant-o. Well, fine, let's go with that-o."
"Yeah. I’ve decided to just enjoy myself without looking into the details too much-ssu. I’ve stopped thinking about it-ssu."
You can use a mobile terminal without knowing exactly how the hardware works-ssu. Saying that, Pen-pen gave a shrug. Regardless of the science behind it, the fact that we were playing this game wouldn't change.
"Oh. That movement just now... Pen-pen, are you using the 3D Display-o?"
"I am-ssu. I switched to it because I wanted to cook with a more realistic feel and just left it on. ...It really feels like having a physical body."
"Right-o? But you can't even touch girls because of that Ethics Filter-o!"
"And shower scenes get cut, too," I added.
"Ah, I actually found a trick for that-ssu. You can take a bath as long as you keep your clothes on! It felt a bit strange, though-ssu!"
Pen-pen, why on earth would you even try that?
"Eh? Isn't it common sense in 3D creative games to simulate taking a bath without actually changing your character's skin?"
"That’s true."
It was like that feeling in block-building games where you build a pond, put a furnace underneath, and go, "It’s a bath! Yay, splash!" I could understand that logic.
"But this is a major discovery-ssu! I mean, if we can develop Swimwear Equipment, we can have a much more realistic bathing experience!!"
"!! Amazing. I never even considered that."
"As expected, Pen-pen is a genius-o...!"
"However, right now it seems like they’re treated as underwear or an undershirt... It’s going to require more research-ssu."
"I'll invest in your research. I'm expecting a world-changing discovery."
"It won't be easy-o—"
Our next goal was set... and speaking of goals, I remembered something.
"That reminds me, after we beat the boss, the Second Character slot was unlocked. I wanted to move forward with that, too."
"Me too-o."
"Eh? Is that so? Congratulations-ssu! Maybe I should have gone with you after all-ssu?"
"No, you were right to stay behind, Pen-pen. You probably would have died instantly."
"Was it that dangerous-ssu?"
"It was crazy-o."
But even though she wasn't on the front lines, Pen-pen’s contributions were arguably the most important. The medicine, the bombs, and the equipment had saved us.
"The Debuff Recovery Potions were a lifesaver-o. We would have lost without them-o."
"I'm glad I could be of use-ssu! Oh, what about the materials from the Great Turtle?"
"The corpse turned into particles of light and vanished. This dropped item... was the only thing left."
I handed the dark blue crystal to Pen-pen. I was considering letting her keep it for now, since she actually had a Home to store things in.
"Hmm, 'Water Element'... I don't know the effect-ssu. I wonder if it can be used to craft elemental weapons? Oh, it’s a key item, so it probably can't be used as a material."
"Based on the name, it sounds like we’re supposed to collect the other elements, too," I remarked.
"I guess-ssu? It’s probably best if Tria holds onto it for now."
I’d thought about leaving it with Pen-pen, but she handed it back.
"By the way, I picked up this stone at the starting point. Take a look while you're at it; maybe it's related?"
"Ah, this is just Peridot Ore-ssu. It doesn't have any special effect. Even as a gemstone, it's on the cheaper side-ssu."
"A sellable item, then. I'll just keep it as a collectible... Actually, you can have it, Pen-pen. It's not much of a reward, so I'll give you the extra turtle materials we hunted, too."
"Oh, sweet-ssu! I haven't tried jewelry making yet, so this will really help me level up! That's it! If I add decorations to existing clothes, maybe it could become swimwear...!?"
"Ohhh! If you need them, I’ll go dig up ore or gems or whatever else you need-o!"
And so, while many mysteries remained, a new goal had been established.
...I wonder what it will be like to inhabit a second character? I couldn't wait to find out!