Chapter 342 - Robe of the Heavenly Maiden
Sunday
Sunday.
As usual, I made lunch at Mion’s house—Pyurasu Poêlé with Soy Milk White Sauce—and we, Shizuku-san, Tsubaki-san, Mion, and I, ate it and were resting after the meal. But then,
“Speaking of which, what’s happening with Mio’s outfit?”
“Eh?”
“?”
Mion looked curious at my surprise. No, I mean, Shizuku-san knew about that too... Oh, of course she knows. She’s the president, after all.
“A reply arrived last night, but may I discuss it here?”
Her gaze turned to me...
“Ah, yes.”
Why me? I wondered, but there was nothing to hide. Especially if Shizuku-san already knew.
“Actually, they already have the costume data. They plan to use it in future games and promotional videos, so they asked if we could refrain from making something identical...”
“Oh, is that so?” Shizuku-san said, looking disheartened. Of course, she’d want to see her only daughter wearing a beautiful costume. Even if it’s an avatar.
“Therefore, the other party made a proposal. They asked if they could employ Mio-ojou-sama, Mion, as one of IRO’s image characters.”
“Huh?”
“They’d like her to appear in future promotional videos and such as IRO’s Jade Goddess. They’ll hand over the costume as is.”
...
I instinctively looked at Mion, whose eyes were wide with surprise, meaning she hadn't heard about this. “Is this banking on Mio and Shouta-kun’s live stream popularity?”
“Presumably so.”
“I’ll leave the final decision to the two of you, but Tsubaki, be careful not to be taken advantage of.”
“Yes.”
While Mion and I were dumbfounded, the conversation progressed like that, and Shizuku-san, having work, said,
“Well then, I’ll leave the rest to you two. If you have any problems, talk to Tsubaki.”
And with that, she left. Eeehhhh...
“Shou-kun...”
“Hmm, what do you want to do, Mion?”
When I asked that, Mion made a troubled face. Of course, she would. Asking 'what do you want to do' when she’s thinking 'what should I do' is no good, me.
“Sorry, Mion. Um, do you have time to think about it?”
“Yes. The other party also said they’d like us to think it over carefully. However, it will affect future promotion schedules, so we can’t make them wait for several months.”
Um, thinking in the short term, would it be appearing in the promotional video for the big update before summer vacation? That would probably be after the current World Quest is over, though.
“Should we consult Yata-sensei?”
Mion nodded vigorously at that.
“Yes, I think it would be best to confirm with Kumano-sensei, and I will inform the other party that we will await their reply with that in mind.”
Although she had already gotten permission for part-time work, this was a bit different from club activities. She wanted to make the Jade Goddess outfit, so how did it turn out like this, I wonder...
Mion and I finished cleaning up after lunch. Normally, we’d make dessert, but today was a day off. The recent discussion also needed to involve Yata-sensei; it was too sudden to deal with otherwise. Besides, I wasn't even sure if the school would permit it in the first place.
First, I had to deal with the promised matters. A magic tool for Lupi to disguise herself (?) should have arrived from Argenta-san, so after confirming that and if there were no issues, I planned to go to the Necropolis.
For that reason, I had brought my VR HMD, assuming I would play IRO from Mion’s house today, but...
“Eh? Is it okay?”
“Mm.”
Mion took my hand and pulled me, leading me to her room... I felt uneasy, wondering if it was really okay, and looked back at Tsubaki-san, who was following us.
“The high-performance PC is in Ojou-sama’s room.”
She replied matter-of-factly. Wasn’t the one in the living room fine? While I was thinking that, Mion opened her room door and went inside. It was surprisingly a simple room. On the left were two gaming chairs, like the ones that came to my house. On the right was a door, and Tsubaki-san said,
“This is one of Ojou-sama’s two rooms. Please refrain from entering the adjacent bedroom.”
“Roger that.”
I certainly have no such intentions.
“Here.”
“This one, can I use it?”
Mion urged me to sit in the gaming chair closest to us. Actually, I have a feeling this one is brand new.
“Three units were purchased recently; two for the Ise residence. This one is a spare in case anything happens, so please don’t worry.”
“Ah, I see...”
Apparently, she had bought spares in case there was a problem and a unit became unusable, as repairs would take time. I was to set up that one for immediate use. Mion sat in her own chair and put on her VR HMD.
“Oh, so you have two PCs in your room, one for editing?”
“Yes. One I use for full-dive, but the other is usually for the editing AI to work.”
“Amazing...”
Even when Mion was at her lessons on Saturdays, she did limited streams so she could watch them later, and apparently, the editing AI would check them and create digest versions. I thought she watched closely what I did solo on Saturdays, but that’s what it was.
“Please.”
“Ah, excuse me.”
“Then, I’ll be in the living room, so please contact me if anything happens.”
Eh? I thought, but Tsubaki-san casually left the room, closing the door politely behind her. “Shou-kun?”
“Ah, sorry. Well, I’ll go straight to IRO then.”
“Ah, wait.”
She said, standing up, and trotted to the next room. What was she doing, I wondered? Then she came back, hugging a pillow.
“Here.”
“Eh, ah, um. Huh?”
“It’s comforting to hold, you know?”
“Yes...”
...Well, whatever.
*
“Heave-ho.”
“Woof!”
Stroking Lupi, who jumped onto me, I turned on the limited stream for Mion. And it seems it has arrived. The Magic Transfer Box on the table had a crystal blinking, indicating a new message.
“It seems to have arrived.”
“Yeah. I’ll check it right away.”
I confirmed Lupi had jumped onto the sitting platform and opened the lid. Inside was a letter and... a strangely expensive-looking necklace? It had a small plate attached, and this is Mithril, right?
[Amulet of Transformation]
*Consumes mana to change fur/hair and eye color. Activates using the wearer's mana when worn around the neck. MP consumption: 1 per 30 seconds.
Disguise +1. Presence Concealment +1.*
It seemed like an item that was constantly active when worn. If the MP consumption was 1 per 30 seconds, then natural recovery should be faster than that.
“Lupi, I’ll put this on you, so try activating it.”
“Woofun!”
I wonder what color it will change to. Thinking that, I put it on Lupi...
“Woah...”
“White suits her too!”
There was Lupi, pure white and fluffy.