Chapter 16 - When You're in Trouble...
"Just maaan..."
"Welcome back, Brother! Bath first? Dinner first? Or perhaps...?"
"Dinner."
No thanks for the usual routine.
In the end, I couldn't get any IRO time after checking the comments on that video, and I wanted to eat quickly and get back to gaming.
"You're in no mood, Brother. I've prepared Chinese rice bowls, so let's have dinner."
"Sweet, thanks."
Though 'prepared' probably means it's retort. If I let my idiot sister cook a full Chinese rice bowl from scratch, there's a real chance the kitchen would explode.
"I can make miso soup and spinach with sesame dressing at least..."
Quickly whipping up some side dishes for balance. Even though she's picky, she finishes everything—makes her relatively easy to deal with. If it were my older sister, things would get way more complicated...
"Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu!"
My sister, gobbling down her food with gusto, suddenly looked up and stared at me.
"What? Got something on my face?"
"No... but Brother, you've been smelling oddly girlish lately. Got yourself a girlfriend?"
"Guh—!"
Damn it, nearly spat out my rice...
"What do you mean, 'girlish'?"
"Your uniform carries a scent—definitely not Mother's or Sister's."
Seriously? If I had to guess, it's definitely Izumo-san—Mion...
I don't remember doing anything suspicious like putting my arm around her. Though I do occasionally grab the hem of her blazer...
I set my chopsticks down, walked over, and sniffed the blazer hanging nearby... No clue!
"Hmm, looks like you do have something to hide."
"Geez, you were watching me?!"
"Hee hee hee... I got a DM from Sister saying, 'Shota seems close with a girl from his club. If they're getting too cozy, deal with him.'"
Seriously?! And it came from Kumano-sensei?! What about privacy laws?!
"Well, if Brother actually gets a girlfriend, that's wonderful. I won't snitch to Sister."
"Whew! Not that I have a girlfriend! We're just in the same class and same club!"
"Tch, boring. If you ever invite her home, introduce her to me. If you don't... well..."
"Of course, of course."
Though honestly, I can't imagine shy Mion ever coming over.
"By the way, that DM—was it on Saezutter?"
"Yes. I heard you weren't using it. Changed your mind?"
"Nah, I avoid it 'cause I hate spoilers. Plus, if Shiratori-nee found out my account, she'd just spam me with 'buy me some anpan' every five minutes."
Better not wake a sleeping god. So yeah, staying far away from social media is safest.
＊＊＊
Ate dinner, did the dishes, finished homework—past eight now. Time to log in.
I flopped onto bed, pulled on the VR HMD, and switched to real view. Checking the friend list, Mion was already online—probably in the Virtual Club Room.
Is Bell-senpai live streaming IRO right now? Wasn't she supposed to stream this Thursday?
"Bawassu."
Shou-kun.
Mion waved happily at me, setting aside what looked like video editing for her next upload to greet me properly.
"That the next one?"
"Mm-hmm. Up to where we chased those goblins the other day."
"Nice. But, uh... how do we beat them...?"
With beginner gear like this, it's gonna be tough. And obviously, there's no shop.
Which means we'll have to craft our own weapons and armor. But even if we get the Blacksmithing skill, where the heck do we get raw materials...?
Shou-kun, don't push yourself too hard?
"Ah, yeah. Nah, we'll take it slow. I'll just wander around the west side today."
"Mm, have fun."
Hmm... this actually feels... kinda nice.
＊＊＊
"Good, good. You're safe inside the tent today."
Stepped outside. Before heading west, I toggled on Mion's exclusive stream.
[Mion has started viewing]
Shou-kun, hello.
"Welcome, Mion."
I waved toward the camera.
How's it looking today?
"Thinking of exploring the west side of the uninhabited island."
Okay! Good luck!
Huh. Feels like it's been a while since I've properly enjoyed IRO. Checked my equipment, inventory... not much here.
Started walking west. After a stretch of grassy field, I spotted a forest—different from the east side. Looks like cedar and cypress?
"East side was tropical, and now this is Nordic?"
That's interesting. Must be something only a game can do.
"Yeah, maybe. But this could mean we've found potential lumber for the log house?"
Log house!?
"Well, assuming I can figure out how to cut down trees..."
Even with the Gathering skill, I don't have an axe. I wonder if one's just lying around somewhere.
But once I get an axe and start logging, I'll need Carpentry next—saw, hammer, nails...
"Huh?"
My weak detection sense picked up something faint.
What is it?
If I answer, she might notice. I raised my hand slightly—maybe that counts as a reply? Eh, whatever.
Activated my Detection Evasion skill and crept closer...
"Quuun..."
Huh? A puppy?
Wait—right! Appraisal!
[Wolf?: Light Injury]
Huh? Wolf? And the question mark means my Appraisal level's too low?
Is it hurt?
"Looks like it. Uh..."
Pulled up the skill menu, searched. Light injury—so it's wounded. Need a skill to heal injuries.
The best option seems to be [Holy Magic: Lv1], but it's grayed out—can't acquire it for some reason.
"Ugh, can't get Holy Magic. And Elemental Magic had no restrictions..."
Then what about First Aid or Alchemy?
"That's it!"
Both skills seem useful for healing personal injuries or illnesses—definitely worth grabbing.
Alright, acquired [First Aid: Lv1], [Alchemy: Lv1]. And [Gathering: Lv1] too, so I can collect herbs more efficiently. Still 28 SP left—plenty to spare.
Now, applying First Aid to the wolf pup...
[Insufficient Tools]
"Ugh! Tools—like bandages. How the heck do I get those here?"
Then again, this feels like a quest. There should be something nearby I can use as a substitute.
Looked around carefully...
[Hermit Bamboo Grass]
"Can I use this?"
Ripped off a few strips and tried First Aid again...
[First Aid: Major Success]
"Yes!"
Amazing!
Stay calm. Re-Appraise.
[Wolf?: Light Injury (Recovery in approx. 12 hours)]
Got it. That's how it shows now. Hmm... leaving it here for half a day feels risky...
"I'll take it back with me for now."
"Okay!"
I should have rabbit meat in my inventory, and I can produce water with magic. First things first—I need to feed it properly so it heals.