While Aoi-chan showed me the ropes and guided me through the marketplace to get my gear in order, something suddenly occurred to me, and I decided to ask her about it.
"By the way, what time of year is it supposed to be in-game? Is it based on the standards of this world or the one back home?"
"……Um…… Ah, I see! So that's how it's set up!"
"Hmm?"
"Oh, no, it's just that seasonally, it looks like they're running the June Event. It matches the current season of this world, but for me, that would technically be a bit in the past. Looking closely, some items from later updates are missing… so it feels like we're logged into the version of this game exactly as it was in June back in our Original World?"
I see. Perhaps the cyberspace of this netgame has become a sort of parallel world. Since Aoi-chan and the others were originally summoned just before summer, she should have already played through this June Event back home.
It likely worked the same way as the Founding Anniversary Festival. The timeline where Aoi-chan played alone in June in our world had branched off into this timeline where she was playing here with me.
"……I think your guess is probably right, Kaito-san. If that’s the case, then if I were to go back to the Original World and log in, I’d likely connect to the regular save data from my original timeline. But logging in from this world puts me in a timeline synced to the current date here… Well, there are plenty of questions about the time lag and how it all works, but there’s no end to nitpicking once you start. Let's just chalk it up to a God's power being beyond common sense and leave it at that."
"Fair point. Better to just accept it rather than overthinking things and getting stuck in a rut. But that means you’ve already finished this event, right?"
"……Ah, no, actually…… this June Event is a Bridal Event. The main draw is a Limited Dungeon that you can only enter as a pair. There are some activities you can do solo, but the main attraction requires a partner… and since I was a solo player, I didn't really bother with it."
Right, it’s June, so a Bridal Event… That explains the restrictions. I was mostly a solo player back when I played netgames too, so I didn't have much experience with pair-based content either.
"So, you don't strictly have to be in an In-game Marriage to enter?"
"Right, the restriction isn't quite that extreme. However, if a married pair enters the dungeon together, they get various buffs and can use powerful skills available only inside that area. It makes things much easier, so the game highly recommends entering as a couple. Back then, the chat was full of people looking for a Random Marriage Partner just for the duration of the event."
"Ahaha, that’s quite a scene to imagine."
"It really is. Well, even if it's just a game, I couldn't bring myself to 'marry' someone just like that……"
"……Aoi-chan?"
"……Kaito-san, it’s a rare event after all, so let’s give it a try! Your character’s level is low compared to mine, so you might struggle, but I think we can manage if we make the most of the system's assistance!"
"……Um, which means?"
"Let's get an In-game Marriage, Kaito-san, and tackle the event dungeon together!"
Aoi-chan clenched her fist as she spoke with sudden intensity. Her logic certainly held up—I didn’t know what kind of event-limited skills they were, but if we got buffs inside, my character might actually stand a chance despite being weaker than hers.
……However, there was one glaring issue. The character Aoi-chan used was Hibis, the same one she played with me in the past. Until she had told me the truth herself, I had spent years believing Hibis was a guy.
……Yeah…… Aoi-chan’s character was a man, and my character was also a man…… Is this really going to be okay?
Serious-senpai: "This is a bad omen... What's bad is specifically mentioning that it's June. Isn't this going to turn into a conversation about Aoi's birthday?"