Chapter 225 - Chapter 199: Pot Calling the Kettle Black
"They got me…"
I thought I wasn't going to be in this one! And then, I show up right at the end.
Well, it’s not like I absolutely don't want to appear. I'm playing some pretty questionable games, and I’m even doing live streams with Mion and earning money, so it feels a bit late to be shy about it…
"Shou-kun."
"Hmm? Huh?"
Mion pulled me close as I hung my head in dejection, resting my head on her lap… Huh? Wait, what?
"Mm."
"Ah, yeah."
She's stroking my head, and I vaguely recall this happening before…
It’s kind of like when Lupi rests her head on my lap and I pet her, isn't it?
No, no. No, no, no!
"Um, this is incredibly embarrassing, you know?"
"No."
I tried to sit up, but she firmly resisted, and there was nothing I could do.
I could force myself up, but… even when I pleaded with my eyes, her cheerful smile left me utterly helpless.
I mean, I kind of thought… maybe this is happening, but it didn’t feel real at all…
"Um, Mion,"
"?"
"…Can you check the detailed page for the Uninhabited Island Start Resumed?"
Mion nodded at my request, returning to the official page and opening the link titled ‘About Uninhabited Island Start’.
Is it cowardly to just say, "This is fine for now?" Sorry for being such a wimp…
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☆☆☆Uninhabited Island Start☆☆☆
[Circumstances Leading to Temporary Suspension and Resumption]
In Iris Revolution Online, in addition to starting in cities and towns on the continent, you can also begin your adventure on an uninhabited island.
Immediately after release, this feature operated with its details undisclosed, and only a select few users were aware of its existence.
It was originally planned to be publicly announced with detailed start information once a certain amount of information was shared, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the feature was made public with unclear information.
We deeply apologize once again for the oversight on the part of the operations team, which led to some users experiencing the unpleasant situation of deleting their characters and failing to start on an uninhabited island with a new character.
This feature was temporarily suspended for a thorough review and has now been relaunched with updated start information.
[Resumption Date]
The feature has resumed with the publication of this notice.
[How to Start on an Uninhabited Island]
・When creating a new character, in the final phase of start location selection, you can zoom and scroll the map to find and select an available island.
・If a player has already started on that island, it will be unavailable for selection. (In cases of simultaneous selection, priority will be given to the first arrival.)
・There are over 100 available islands to start on, but only a portion of them will be selectable on any given day.
・There are two ways to meet other players after starting on an uninhabited island:
1. Travel to where other players are, or have other players come to your island. (This will likely require crossing the sea.)
2. Secure a sufficiently large area, declare nationhood, and establish it as a starting point for new characters.
・Gameplay on an island is no different from normal gameplay.
[Important Notes]
・Initial Iris (in-game currency) is 0.
・There is no tutorial.
・The gameplay itself is no different from a normal start.
・There is no guarantee that specific phantom beasts or fairies will be present.
・An Uninhabited Island Start is only possible once per account. If you delete a character that started on an uninhabited island and create a new one, you will not be able to select an uninhabited island. (This will be counted from now on.)
・A character that started on an uninhabited island will be deleted if the account remains unsubscribed for three consecutive months, and that island will revert to an available starting island.
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"It's like… they're re-enabling the Uninhabited Island Start, but they're emphasizing, 'There's no guarantee you'll find Lupi or Sweee.'"
Mion nodded repeatedly, but she still wouldn't stop petting my head.
Still, this means I won't be the only one who started on an uninhabited island anymore.
Besides,
"Will more people start doing uninhabited island live streams?"
Mion shook her head from side to side, but she wasn't saying they wouldn't increase, rather…
"I guess there's no point worrying about it."
"Mm."
Please, you’re making my heart pound when you smile like that… Give me a break…
*
"I'm home."
"Welcome back, Big Brother!"
I finally managed to escape and got home just before five. I needed to get dinner ready soon.
"Mother of Nao-chan gave us some side dishes!"
"Oh, really? Awesome, thank you so much…"
I checked the containers on the table and saw a generous amount of Chikuzen-ni.
That’s incredibly helpful…
"Alright, so two-colored grilled horse mackerel and this, then?"
"Indeed!"
Apparently, Mion had uploaded a picture of her lunch to Saezutter, and Miki sent her a message.
Well, that's why I had Mion drop me off at the station on the way home, and I stopped by the supermarket.
"Miki, did you see the new PV?"
"Of course! To be the grand finale, as expected of Big Brother!"
"Sigh… Did you watch it at Nat's house?"
"Indeed. Nao-chan quickly realized it was you, Big Brother."
…Figured.
Whether it's Nat or Nao-chan, do they figure it out because we've known each other so long?
"Well, putting that aside, you didn't just talk about games the whole time you were tutoring, did you?"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure Nao-chan passes Mitsumori's entrance exam by December."
"December, huh? That's for recommendations. Aren't those pretty strict since each school only has a few slots…?"
First, she'd have to secure a recommendation slot from her current junior high.
I think there were only about three slots, and one of them would definitely be taken by Miki…
"By the way, I won't be taking any recommendations. I'm confident I can get a perfect score on the regular exam."
"Ah, so the teachers would prefer that too, huh?"
Miki nodded in response. If she's guaranteed to pass the regular exam, there's no point in her taking a recommendation slot.
It would be better to give those slots to students who are just barely making the cut, and Nao-chan is diligent and probably has good internal evaluations, so she should be fine.
"Besides, won't the top student for Mitsumori's new intake also be the top scorer in the general entrance exam?"
"You're not going to do what you did in junior high again, are you?"
When she gave the new student representative speech in junior high, she called out my name from the stage, that girl…
"Hmm. Well, it would be boring to do the same thing twice, wouldn't it?"
"Don't do things that aren't the same either!"
"I understand. Originally, Big Sister Mashiro lamented that she wanted to do it, so I just did it for you instead."
Mashiro-nee…
"Speaking of which, how's Mashiro-nee doing? She wasn't at Leona-sama's after-party yesterday, either."
"She appears to still be in the Republic with Season-dono. She's doing all sorts of things, trying to find a way to enter the Demon Kingdom."
"Ehh, don't try to go to a place no one else would ever go…"
It's dangerous because I have no idea what her objective is.
If I asked, she'd probably just say "just because" or something…
"Hm?"
"Wasn't Big Brother the one who started in a place no one else would ever go?"
"Ah, yeah…"
I guess I can't really talk.