Chapter 1090 - A Pointless Meeting
It was 3:00 PM, time for tea. After all the fun and games, it was time to get serious. Itsuki-san showed off her skills by preparing tea and sweets. The table was full of treats, and five of us sat around it... or rather, four of us, with Itsuki-san acting as a formal maid.
"So that's the gist of it."
I explained what Komei-shi had told us about the Outer Brain and my blackout. I said that being kicked out of the game was actually a safety mechanism.
"...Safety mechanism... well, I guess that makes sense..."
Komei-shi had told us to explain it to them directly. It was a kind gesture to let us reassure them ourselves. Ashe agreed with him.
"I don't remember the whole manual, but his explanation was logical and persuasive."
Coming from Alicia White, that carried a lot of weight.
"Basically, what happened to Haru was the exception, and [Arcadia] handled it correctly. So, it's actually a reason to feel safe."
The two of them seemed to feel better hearing that. But still...
"I still think the blackout was a bit of a lazy way to handle it. Even if it kept my brain safe..."
"...True. The uncertainty is still there."
We still didn't fully understand [Arcadia]. Sora and Nia remained quiet.
We couldn't just ignore the fear of something happening to our brains. Even with the sweets and the maid outfits, the atmosphere had become serious. We were all worried about the safety of our loved ones.
So... what now? We were here to ask each other if we would still go back to the virtual world, even after being scared.
There was a long silence. But I think everyone already knew the answer.
"Sorry. I'm going back."
I was the one who had been the most worried about, so I said it first. Ashe was the first to follow.
"Me too."
Nia raised her hand in agreement. And then...
"I've already dealt with my family, haven't I?"
Sora looked at Itsuki-san, then back at us.
"...I have to go back too."
She didn't seem depressed. She seemed to be holding something back, but she said, "I'm going too."
The decision was unanimous.
"I guess it's too late for us to stop now, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"That's for sure..."
"...Yes."
We didn't understand [Arcadia]. Even if we took it apart, we'd only find more impossible things. But we had already entrusted our lives to it. We had already spent so much time in that fantasy world.
Just because we tripped once didn't mean we'd stop walking. That's how much the virtual world... and the connections we'd made there... meant to us. We were all completely hooked as players, and we all knew it.
There were no objections.
"So, I guess we don't need a meeting after all."
"Mh."
"Yes."
"Yeah."