Chapter 417 - First Login
A little before the message boards erupted, Parfait stepped into the church in the Royal Capital.
"Hello, Parfait-kun. I'm glad you could make it."
Welcomed by a woman in a nun's habit, Parfait had logged into the VRMMORPG "Another Frontier Online" for the first time today.
This virtual reality had a restriction that you couldn't log in until you turned sixteen, out of consideration for the effects on the brain. Parfait, who had turned sixteen today, logged in from her home after finishing school.
The chapel of the church Parfait visited was a space almost indistinguishable from reality.
The stained-glass windows adorned with multiple colors, the pews placed at perfectly even intervals, and the statue of a goddess that resembled the woman in the nun's habit.
The cityscape on the way here was the same, but seeing this chapel, Parfait trembled with even more surprise and emotion.
And there was something she was even more happy about.
Parfait knew the woman in the nun's habit—Diite.
Until now, they had only talked through a monitor, and today was the first time they could meet in person.
Parfait had been with Diite since she was a child and thought of her as family. It seemed Diite felt the same way, as she looked at Parfait with a gentle gaze.
"Diite-oneechan, I finally turned sixteen, so I came to play."
"I've been waiting for you to come, Parfait-kun, so I'm happy. It's your birthday today, right? I prepared your favorite strawberry parfait while I waited. Let's eat it together."
"That's my Diite-oneechan. You understand my tastes."
"I've known you since you were a baby, after all. But children really do take after their parents. Esha-kun also liked parfaits."
Diite said this as she looked at Parfait.
With her voluminous black hair tied up in a small ponytail at the back, her features were reminiscent of a young Esha, making them look exactly like parent and child.
Her father, Hayato, said he was glad she didn't look like him, but if Diite had to say, her eyes were the spitting image of Hayato's.
Parfait pouted.
"When I was little, people often told me I was made of chocolate parfaits. And melon juice. I think, what a thing to say to a girl of my age. It wouldn't be strange if I became a delinquent."
"Everyone thinks you're cute, Parfait-kun. That's why they want to tease you. Of course, it's a joke, so it's better not to take it seriously."
"But even my name is Parfait. That's another way of saying parfait, right? I think it's weird to be a parfait from my body to my name."
"Well, that's true. But the word 'parfait' has the meaning of 'perfect' or 'complete.' And it's Esha-kun's favorite food. You have that name because you are loved by Hayato-kun and Esha-kun."
"I'm not so much of a child that I don't understand that, but I think there could have been a better name. Other than a coffee brand."
"You're a good girl as always, Parfait-kun. Well, anyway, let's eat the parfait. There are seconds, so please don't hesitate to eat your fill."
Sitting side by side on a chapel pew, the two of them happily ate their parfaits.
Parfait was surprised by how delicious it was, but her trust in her parents dropped a little, thinking that her parents had been eating something this good all along.
Diite watched her with a smile, but when the parfait was about half gone, she asked a question.
"I'm glad you came to play, but have you decided what you're going to do here, Parfait-kun?"
AFO has a high degree of freedom. Conversely, that means there's nothing you have to do. There are main story quests, but you don't have to do them. If you don't decide what you want to do yourself, it's the kind of game you'll get tired of quickly.
Of course, the management holds various events so that players don't get bored, but if you don't find your own goals or enjoyment, there's a high chance you'll quit soon.
Parfait hummed while eating her parfait, then opened her mouth.
"I plan to take over my father's coffee shop someday, so I thought I'd practice customer service. I'm not allowed to have a part-time job in the real world."
"So you've decided to take over Hayato-kun's coffee shop. That's admirable for someone who's only sixteen."
"Right now it's mainly coffee, but once I get power, I plan to make it a coffee shop that mainly serves sweets."
"Do you mean when you become the manager? Hayato-kun looks like he might cry, though."
"Coffee will still be on the menu, so it's fine. Also, I'm thinking of making it a coffee shop with lots of cats and dogs. I made a contract with Siegfried's children that I'll give them canned cat food every day. Look forward to it in three years."
"It sounds more like you plan to take it over than inherit it..."
"My mother taught me that life is survival of the fittest. Mainly with yakiniku and sukiyaki."
"Meals with Esha-kun are a battlefield, after all. Oh, right, if you want to practice customer service, it might be a good idea to join the Maid Guild. They run a coffee shop there."
"The Maid Guild? Is that the organization my mother belonged to?"
"Organization... well, yes. And thanks to that, she met Hayato-kun, and after various things, they got married."
"Tell me more about those 'various things.'"
"I'd like you to ask them that yourself. A whole lot of things happened, you see..."
Diite said, her gaze distant.
Her nostalgic eyes looked happy, but she was completely still.
"Diite-oneechan?"
"Oh, sorry. It seems I replayed a few too many old memories. Well, it looks like you've finished your parfait. In that case, I have something I want to give you."
Diite said, taking something out of her item bag.
It was a katana.
A sword without a guard, sheathed in a black scabbard. It wasn't disguised like a sword cane or anything, it looked like a normal katana. The hilt had a skull decoration, which Parfait thought was a little cool.
However, Parfait thought there was something vaguely wrong about a sister holding it with a smile.
"Umm?"
"This is something Hayato-kun prepared. He said he couldn't give it to you directly because he has work today. Oh, he also said he's throwing a birthday party at the coffee shop tonight, so you can rest assured about that."
"Oh, is that so? But, a katana..."
Even if it was a game, sending that for a birthday made her doubt her father's sense. At this rate, she couldn't expect much for her real-world present either.
Ignoring Parfait's thoughts, Diite smiled.
"This is the same as the one Esha-kun used. Although it's a replica. The name is 'Beelzebub 666 Replica P Custom.' The P means Parfait, and it has been customized for you."
"Didn't my mother say she used a rifle?"
"Beelzebub is a special weapon that changes its form according to the will of its user. Although it's a replica, it has the same ability. Esha-kun used to use this as a staff, you know. Of course, it also transforms into a rifle. Since it's a replica, it doesn't use magic bullets but physical ones, so you'll need to load it."
"Changes its form... just hearing that sounds romantic."
Parfait said, accepting the katana from Diite.
"Since it's a replica, it has no special abilities other than changing its form, and it's not that strong, but since it has Hayato-kun's name on it, it's quite a brand-name item."
"Brand?"
"It didn't used to be a thing, but now you can put the creator's name on equipment. It's like proof that Hayato-kun made this."
"Huh. But why a brand? Is my father famous in this game?"
"Famous, I suppose you could say famous. Even if it's the same item, if it has Hayato-kun's name on it, the trade price jumps up about ten times."
"Hmm."
Parfait, looking particularly uninterested, drew the sword from its scabbard.
Her own face was reflected on the beautiful blade. The blade, polished like a mirror, was beautiful enough to steal one's heart.
"I don't really get the price thing, but the katana feels nice. It might not be that different from the one I use for practice."
"I'm sure it is. Hayato-kun went through a lot of trouble adjusting the weight, shape, and so on."
"My father is particular about that sort of thing, isn't he."
Parfait said with a smile, then equipped the katana on her left hip.
"Now, there's one more thing. This is from me."
Diite said, this time taking out clothes.
It was, by all accounts, a nun's habit. There was also a veil that would probably be equipped on her head and leather boots.
"A nun's habit?"
"This is armor to protect yourself. I thought it would be a bit much to give you high-performance gear right from the start, so it's weak. But if you upgrade it, it will become the strongest armor."
"That's fine, but why a nun's habit?"
"...Do you not like it?"
"It's not that I don't like it, but I was just wondering why a nun's habit."
Diite turned her back to Parfait and clasped her hands behind her. Then she looked up at the stained-glass window at the front of the chapel. The light was shining in from there, so you could even say her silhouette was divine.
"Parfait-kun. You've been taught various things by many people in the real world, haven't you?"
"Yeah, like Master Benny, Teacher Simon. And Instructor Ren."
"I wanted to teach you various things too, but you couldn't enter virtual reality until you turned sixteen. It was frustrating."
"Yeah...?"
"But I've been watching over you ever since you were a baby. Dreaming of the day you would come to virtual reality."
"Yeah, even when my father and mother were busy, Diite-oneechan was always there for me, so I wasn't lonely."
"That's right, that's right. I even helped you with your summer homework."
"I was in your care during that time. I think things like diaries and independent research projects are a questionable form of homework."
"Which means, then."
Here, Diite paused for effect.
Parfait waited silently for her next words.
"Wouldn't it be fair to say that you, Parfait-kun, are about eighty percent my daughter? In fact, rounding up, aren't you my daughter?"
"A sudden absurd argument."
Diite turned around, approached Parfait, and grabbed her by both shoulders.
Her face was smiling, but there was a pressure that allowed no argument. The divine feeling was gone.
"I wanted to do more for you than just summer homework, but I couldn't for so long. So I want to give you at least this much. Besides, parents and children wear the same clothes, don't they? A 'pair look,' they call it. So let's wear this nun's habit."
"The pressure is intense. But anyway, clothes aside, I always thought of you more as an older sister, you know?"
"An older sister?"
"Yeah, I've been calling you Diite-oneechan forever, right? So Diite-oneechan is my sister, which means we're sisters. Oh, a sister is a sister...!"
Just after Parfait giggled at her own joke, Diite let out a "gufuu" and fell to her knees.
"Eh, hey, are you okay? Was it that funny?"
"No, that's not it. The word 'sisters' made my emotion program buzz for the first time in a while. It had considerable destructive power. I thought Hayato-kun had trained me quite well."
"I didn't attack you or anything, but what do you mean?"
"No, it's my own issue. But a sister instead of a mother... Not bad. No, I'd rather prefer it. Let's go with that."
"If it's not bad, then I think that's for the best. And while I'm not entirely convinced, I understand the situation. I just need to wear this nun's habit, right?"
Parfait accepted the set of nun's clothes from Diite and equipped them right away.
A nun's habit almost identical to Diite's. Since there was no full-length mirror, Parfait twisted her body to check her own attire.
"Do I look okay?"
"I think it's fine. We could be called perfect sisters. May I save an image--no, a video?"
"That's fine, but don't you think a sister equipped with a katana is a bit much?"
"I don't think it's a problem. In this virtual reality, there are people in all sorts of outfits, so I think this is actually on the tamer side."
That was news to her, but Parfait was convinced after recalling the outfits of the other players she had seen on her way to the church. It was definitely better than a player with a horse head mask or peacock-like flashy equipment.
"I'm starting to think it's cool."
"I'm glad to hear that. Well then, a continuation of your birthday. Would you like another serving of parfait?"
"Yes. I won't get fat, so I'll eat as much as I want. Speaking of which, I heard that in the past, your avatar in the game could get fat?"
"In the past, we calculated calories and had it reflect on the avatar, but there was someone who sent a strong request to stop it, so we changed the specifications."
"What a great job. I want to thank that person."
"In that case, you should give Esha-kun a shoulder massage tonight."
"...Oh, yeah."
Sensing something, Parfait ate the additional parfait Diite brought out while thanking her mother, Esha.