Chapter 527 - 良く知ってる知り合い
The day after the Explorers' Guild issued the Ghost Ship discovery tour-style Quest, players who loved festivities gathered at the harbor.
There was still time before departure for the sea area where the fog manifested. Watching the massive line-up of ships prepared by the Explorers' Guild, Parfait looked on with admiration, thinking, So this is the financial power and connections of a major Clan...
While some major Clans owned their own vessels, possessing a ship in AFO was quite difficult. Not only did it require the Woodworking Skill—often called a "misfortune skill"—but the amount of lumber required was excessive. Under such circumstances, the Explorers' Guild's ability to provide over ten ships was truly impressive.
"Hey—, Parfait."
"Abel-kun, and Lion-chan too."
"Magical to your heart—ha!? That's right, I didn't have to do that anymore, did I...!"
"You're having a hard time, aren't you, Lion-chan?"
There stood Abel, wearing his usual suspicious clothing and mask, and Lion, dressed as a magical girl. Lion had started her usual greeting but seemed to think better of it—or rather, she cancelled the greeting mid-way.
"H-hello, it's been a long time..."
"Yeah, long time no see. How is it? How's Dragon Soul?"
"Yes, they've been teaching me all sorts of acting techniques, and I've been getting work, so my tuition fees have become much easier to manage."
"Lion is amazing. Not only does she fully become the Set (T/N: card game term used here as a metaphor for a role), but the time it takes for her to get into character is so short even my old man is impressed. Her concentration must be incredible."
As Abel said this, Lion looked embarrassed. Parfait thought that even if she was embarrassed, swinging a magic wand around was a bit much, but since both she and Abel were dodging it normally, she decided it wasn't an issue.
"N-no, I-I mean, I'm happy, but...!"
"On the flip side, the drop in her mood after the acting ends is so drastic it's actually worrying."
In contrast to her embarrassed expression from a moment ago, Lion now wore a face that looked as if the world were ending tomorrow. To put it in manga terms, the highlights had vanished from her eyes and all expression had drained away.
"Do young people these days really have to be that bubbly...? Honestly, it's the polar opposite of my personality, or rather, I can't keep up with that energy... Are gyaru even the same human race...? Are they some kind of new species...?"
"I think you're in the category of 'quite young' yourself, Lion-chan. More importantly, you're playing a gyaru role?"
When she asked for details, it turned out she was playing a mob character role—the kind that's just present in a classroom—for a school drama series, but for some reason, she was being forced to play a gyaru. Lion felt a normal student would have sufficed, but apparently, the scriptwriter saw Lion and decided to make her a gyaru. And that scriptwriter was Randa.
While there was the fundamental question of what the definition of a "gyaru" even was, Lion's mental state was being chipped away by the light-hearted, high-energy "sunny person" movements. She wanted to demand of the scriptwriter, Randa, what exactly they saw in her that made them choose a gyaru role.
That said, her acting ability was apparently top-notch for a mob character; Abel explained that while she played a gyaru student who could be found anywhere, she still managed to draw the eye. For an actor, drawing the eye supposedly required something beyond mere acting, and Lion apparently possessed that quality.
"According to Randa-san, there's talk of her interacting with the protagonist and getting long lines too."
"Heh! Isn't that amazing?"
"I'm truly grateful for the opportunity, but... a gyaru... a gyaru, huh... I don't say things like 'a-shi' (T/N: a slangy first-person pronoun used by gyaru)..."
While Lion had her own thoughts regarding the "gyaru" species, she was working hard without cutting corners. However, since she seemed to be consuming a lot of mental energy, Abel, who had received a message from Parfait, had reached out to her.<
Parfait kept wondering if a Ghost Ship was really the right place for her, but according to Lion, anything was fine as long as she could go wild, so Parfait could only pray that at least a Raid Boss-class monster would appear.
"Actually, I thought about meeting up with Kaza-chan for the first time in a while and invited her, but it seems she's busy with work and couldn't make it."
"She's an apprentice guard for the Foundation supervisor, after all. I guess she can't just take a sudden day off."
Kazatoki was a martial artist with strength roughly equal to Parfait's. Due to that strength, she had found employment as an apprentice guard for the Foundation supervisor, Lunaria, at Xenobia's invitation. Parfait had heard that while she still had many chores and training sessions, she was living a fulfilling life.<
While Kazatoki couldn't come this time, it was a similar story for everyone else Parfait had reached out to. There was a high possibility they could have adjusted their schedules if they had more time, but "tomorrow" was apparently quite a high hurdle, and she hadn't received a positive response from anyone. However, she did get word that they could have managed it if they had at least two or three days' notice.
So, today's acquaintances were Abel, Lion, and Wilnel, who was yet to arrive. Thinking that such a small group was fine once in a while, Lion suddenly said, "Actually..."
"It seems Kaza-chan reached out to someone she met during her guarding duties."
"Eh? Really?"
"Yes, apparently after talking for a bit, it turned out they were an acquaintance of Parfait-san's."
"Eh? My acquaintance?"
Parfait tilted her head. She had reached out to almost everyone she knew who played AFO. Every single one of them had given a response that sounded like it was impossible, so she wondered if Kazatoki had asked someone after she had already invited them, but she couldn't imagine who it could be.
"Do you know the name?"
"No, they seemed to be in a busy situation, so I couldn't confirm that much. I only heard that the other side knows you very well."
"I see..."
Parfait thought about who among her acquaintances would be in a position to take on guarding duties. Chris's parents, Xenobia, or as a long shot, Lunaria herself were possibilities, but she figured that was unlikely, making her even more puzzled.
"Ah, there you are! Pal-cchi—!"
"If you rush too much, you'll trip."
"Eh?"
A voice she recognized—or rather, a voice she had heard just recently—reached Parfait's ears from behind.
Turning around, she saw a woman with pink hair wearing a cherry-blossom colored Kimono and a fox mask running toward her. Furthermore, a little further back, a woman with black hair wearing a shrine maiden outfit and also wearing a fox mask was walking toward them.
For a moment, Parfait's mind went completely blank. Then, in the next instant, it exploded. Although they were wearing fox masks, they were the type that left the mouth exposed, and the eyes were somewhat visible; combined with the voices and statures, she was able to recognize who they were.
"Beni-shishou!? Shimon-sensei!?"
"Yahoo—! I thought my disciple might be feeling lonely, so I came! To not invite your Shishou, you're quite wicked yourself!"
"Wait, wait. Parfait is taken aback."
In the small gaps of her mind filled with the thought of "Why?", Parfait considered the current situation. However, she could only understand that Benitsuru, her master in the Azuma-ryu Sword Style, and Shimon, who had been teaching her various things since she was a child, were currently logged into AFO. Why they were wearing fox masks was a trivial matter considering the current circumstances.
"Um, er... um...?"
She tried to think, but her thoughts wouldn't come together. The conclusion she finally squeezed out was that she shouldn't have invited them.
"Yesterday, Kazatoki asked us to participate in Parfait's Ghost Ship discovery tour. We decided to take part since we had the chance."
"That's right! It's a request from a work colleague, and as your Shishou, I figured I had no choice but to participate for my cute disciple! I came with the spirit of 'Iza Kamakura'!" (T/N: An idiom meaning "in case of emergency" or "when the time comes.")
Now it finally made sense. The "work colleagues" Kazatoki had asked were Benitsuru and Shimon. Although it was irregular, Benitsuru couldn't make ends meet with just the dojo's income, so she occasionally worked as a guard for Lunaria. She must have met Kazatoki there and been asked about this.
Once she understood the circumstances, Parfait regained her composure. That aside, the question of "Is this okay?" arose.
It wasn't that the two of them weren't allowed to play AFO, but they were players with strength on par with Xenobia or Cecil. To put it simply, they were cheats. While they weren't going to be fighting this time, they were strong enough to make her worry if it was really okay. Furthermore, Benitsuru and Shimon, like Mikan, were treated as staff with special roles within AFO.
"Abel-cchi, it's been a while—! Have you been well?"
"Beni-san, huh. I didn't recognize you for a second. What's with that mask?"
"Well, actually, I'm playing the role of a Princess from the Eastern Country. But while I'm wearing the mask, I'm allowed to play normally. In other words, I'm incognito!"
"Ah, so that's how it works."
Parfait felt like she wasn't being "incognito" at all, but that aside, she understood the situation. If that was the case, she supposed it was fine. Or rather, she was a little tired of thinking.
"Is that Rio-cchi over there? I've heard about you from Kaza-cchi! Nice to meet you today, you can just call me Beni! Total 'bureikou' style!" (T/N: A Japanese term for a party where social rank is ignored.)
"Rio-cchi... ah, yes. Kaza-chan... I'm friends with Kazatoki-san... Um, more importantly, there's something I want to ask."
"Me? Ask anything! By the way, my favorite food is anmitsu!"
"No, it's not your favorite food I want to ask about, um, Beni-san, you're a gyaru, right? Please teach me how to be a gyaru!"
As Lion bowed her head while saying this, Benitsuru blinked her eyes repeatedly, while Abel and Shimon stood frozen with their mouths agape. And Parfait, sensing that today was going to be another chaotic day, looked up at the slightly overcast sky to calm her heart.