Chapter 498 - Chapter 442: True Feelings and Appearances
Monday
“Your luggage, please.”
“Thank you.”
On the other side of the usual station. A dazzling car, as usual, was waiting for us at the drop-off point, where it comes to pick us up every Sunday. I thought I’d help load the luggage into the trunk, but the back door opened.
“Shou-kun, Seth-chan.”
“Hurry, Brother. Get in.”
“Hey, hey…”
No, I wanted to help Tsubaki-san load the luggage, but...
“Hm.”
“Ah, yes.”
Pushed by Miki, and then taken by the hand and pulled in by Mion, I ended up inside. Miki then sat down heavily on the opposite seat.
“We will now depart.”
They must have loaded the luggage in no time, as Tsubaki-san’s voice came through the speaker, and the car smoothly began to move.
“Is the car going all the way to Mitsumori?”
“No, that would be too conspicuous, so I’ll have them wait at the station. Miki, you can wait inside the car too.”
“Hmm. I had wanted to see the campus I will attend next year, but it cannot be helped.”
She said, then rolled over and lay down. I wonder if the reason she woke up feeling so good today wasn't because she didn't sleep at all last night... As I watched the scenery from a slightly different perspective than usual, a familiar station quickly came into view.
“Arriving. Oh, Kumano-sensei and Katori-sama are here.”
“Huh?”
It seemed they were already waiting at the station, which was different from what we had been told. Well, it certainly helps that we don’t have to walk to school in this heat.
“Good morning~.”
“Good morning. …I heard, but that’s an amazing car.”
The door opened, and the two entered and sat on the opposite side, while Miki moved to sit next to me. It seems they left their luggage to Tsubaki-san after all. Bell-buchou also seemed surprised by the luxury car, but perhaps because she already knew about Mion, she accepted it surprisingly easily. No, that’s fine, but...
“Um, I thought we were starting from the Club Room?”
“We just wanted it to seem that way~.”
“Yes…”
Bell-buchou explained with a wry smile that in the documents submitted to the school, we were properly listed as starting together from the Club Room, so it was merely a formality.
“Sensei was waiting in the Club Room, and then I arrived, so it was just a continuation. We wouldn’t have passed each other on the way from the Club Room to here, right?”
“That’s right. Well, it was a big help not having to walk in the heat.”
“Yes, indeed~.”
“We will now depart.”
It was a little less than an hour to the airport. Right. First, I have to properly explain what I talked about with Azure-san yesterday.
…
…
…
“Shou-kun, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine…”
I’m just wondering if this big chunk of iron can really fly…
Mion is holding my hand next to me, but Miki on my other side is trying to suppress her laughter.
“I thought you were only a little uncomfortable…”
“An unexpected weakness, isn’t it~?”
I ignored the voices from the back seat. More importantly, I’ve braced myself, so I just want us to take off already…
“Hmm? Ohh… Here, Brother, look at this.”
I can’t exactly scream, I don’t have that kind of composure! So I looked at the tablet extended in front of me, and...
“Huh? Uninhabited Island Start ending?”
Mion reacted to those words and leaned in to look, but isn't it dangerous if she doesn't stay seated properly? Oh, wait, the announcement about takeoff and checking seatbelts is coming on now...
“Can you hold onto that for me?”
“Okay.”
The tablet went back and forth in front of me, but for now, I just closed my eyes. The G-force steadily increased on my body, then eventually returned to normal. It seemed we had successfully taken off. Once we're airborne, well, I guess. I heard most plane accidents happen during takeoff and landing anyway...
“Shou-kun.”
“Ah, yeah.”
The tablet handed to me showed a preview of an IRO update? It contained...
“Ah, the Uninhabited Island Start is ending at the end of August.”
It felt sudden, but the reason was also properly written: it was due to the large number of users who abandoned their Uninhabited Island Starts. There probably aren't many Uninhabited Islands left to start on now anyway. Despite this, the Uninhabited Island-related Bonus SP will not disappear. If you discover such an island with a ship capable of deep-sea navigation, you'll naturally receive the Uninhabited Island Discovery reward.
“Speaking of which, I remember the 'Silver Manor' talking about building a new port town. Did that work out?”
“Indeed. That is almost taking shape. However, since it would be problematic for Viscount Edward Amiera’s territory alone to expand too much, it is planned to become the territory of a new baronial family.”
Miki said that a young, excellent nobleman from the judicial aristocracy in the Capital Wolkel would be chosen. Well, in reality, someone has already been pretty much decided, and Bell-buchou and Viscount Edward Amiera have already completed a preliminary meeting with them.
“Shipbuilding will happen once the port town is running smoothly. First, we wish to establish trade with the kingdom’s southwest, where Natto-dono resides.”
“More and more users are focusing on fishing too. That area is also highly anticipated for relieving congestion at fishing spots.”
“Oh…”
IRO’s fishing, I suppose, has become a place of solace for people who can’t go real-life fishing. My grandpa was like that too. There are so many types of fishing gear, and a port town where such people live sounds interesting.
“Speaking of which, I haven’t fished since I met True and the others. Even though I got the Fishing Skill…”
“Ah…”
True caught the Ratiola I missed, and after that, I’ve just left everything to the Selkies. I keep thinking about getting a hook caught.
“River fishing would be fine too, but maybe because I can catch things with cage traps, I don’t feel like fishing. Why is that?”
“That’s probably because you think of catching fish as 'fishing for sustenance,' not 'recreation,' you know~. If you thought of it as entertainment, you’d probably feel like fishing~.”
Yata-sensei gave a gentle yet sharp observation… Mion nodded next to me. I certainly intend to enjoy myself, but still, this is a training camp, right?
“By the way, today’s plan is to go to the inn after arriving at the airport, right?”
“That’s right~. First, we’ll leave our luggage at the inn~, then let’s go to a nearby Sandy Beach~.”
The sea must be beautiful, I’m looking forward to it. After that, we’re supposed to go back and connect our PCs and VR HMDs at the inn to check their operation.
“You can look forward to dinner too.”
“Sensei will be enjoying some Awamori~, so everyone else, please enjoy yourselves~.”
Ah, right…