kscans

Chapter 457 - Predicting the Event

At the Azuma Tamer Guild where Parfait and her friends had arrived, the players were buzzing.

The reception counter, which hadn't been there yesterday, had been expanded. It was said that a pre-event update was a sign of an event, and Parfait could hear voices speculating that a new event centered around the Tamer Guild was about to begin.

AFO often had players predict the next event, performing updates without prior notice. Parfait and her friends didn't know, but posts on the in-game bulletin boards had increased, to the point that new threads were being created.

"Looks like I was right."

"I'm surprised your prediction was right, Rick-kun. Are you doing something shady?"

"What do you mean, shady?"

"Like hacking."

"There's no way anyone could break through AFO's security. That would mean outsmarting Diite-san."

That was certainly true, but the reason Rick had arrived at that prediction was unbelievable in the first place.

Colony "Zoo," managed by the Sagittarius Foundation, was buzzing. To predict an AFO event from that reason alone was a line of thinking from another dimension for Parfait.

When she said that, Rick replied that of course it wasn't just that, but the result of a comprehensive judgment of various other pieces of information. Even so, Parfait couldn't imagine what kind of information you would need to combine to reach that conclusion.

Leaving Parfait, Rick approached the counter and began talking to a Tamer Guild staff member.

Parfait and Chris had come here about the item that allows communication with pets, but they were curious about the event and decided to put that information on the back burner. They sat down at a table in the guild's rest area.

Trachiyo staked its claim on the tabletop, stretched out its front paws, and then rolled over. Parfait couldn't communicate with it, but feeling the gaze that said "Pet my belly," she stroked Trachiyo's stomach.

Chris looked around at the other players for a moment before turning her gaze to Parfait.

"It seems the others are buzzing about the event too. It might be that they're excited because it's something known only to the people in this place. I understand the feeling."

"It seems there aren't many events centered around the Tamer Guild because skills are involved. Besides, having information that most people don't know gives you a little sense of superiority, which is nice."

Most players had combat-type skills. Complete production players like Parfait's father, Hayato, were still quite rare, and it was standard to use them in conjunction with combat skills.

So, until now, most events had been combat-related, and there were few events that required the use of specific skills. Even if there were, it would only give a slight advantage, and the skill would never be essential.

The previous event, the "Hestia Festival," didn't require the Cooking Skill, so everyone could enjoy it. Because of that, she could hear people around her discussing whether it would be possible to obtain a pet without the Taming Skill this time.

Parfait thought that was unlikely, and just then, a large group of players entered through the guild entrance. Parfait's eyes were drawn to the group. The woman at the front was someone she knew, though not an acquaintance.

She was a woman in her twenties with white hair down to her shoulders, wearing black pants and a black corset, with a beige coat over it. She had a gun belt wrapped around her waist and a small top hat with a black ribbon on her head. Her appearance was like something out of a steampunk story.

However, what caught Parfait's eye wasn't the female player. It was the white cat on her shoulder. It was an all-white cat that resembled a Persian, but its true identity was Snow White, a higher-ranking version of the rare monster White Cat.

It was certainly cute, but Parfait's doting parent side exploded with the thought that her Trachiyo was cuter.

"She seems like a famous player, but is she an acquaintance?"

Chris asked Parfait, but Parfait shook her head.

"I just know of them. They're the clan 'Cats are God.' The woman at the front is the leader, Orion-san, I think. That white cat is a monster called Snow White, and apparently, Orion-san is the only one who has successfully tamed it. Well, my Trachiyo is one of a kind too, though!"

"I've heard of them. The clan where everyone is a tamer? You can't join unless you've tamed at least one cat."

"Right, right. We often fight together during the Hyakki Yakou in Azuma. They're always trying to tame Tamamo-no-Mae or Nekomata and getting beaten back."

The clan "Cats are God" had top-class firepower in terms of combat strength, but it was said that their priority was generally taming, and they rarely fought seriously. In fact, they weren't very helpful during the Hyakki Yakou. They would even ask people not to attack the monsters.

They were one of the major clans and were so self-sufficient in pet-related matters that it was rare for them to come to the guild as a group. So they were currently drawing attention within the guild.

That Orion approached the staff counter without minding the stares. The surrounding players also seemed to be straining their ears to hear what she would ask, and the area fell silent.

"Is it true there's going to be a tamer-related event?"

"I'm sorry. I can't answer questions of that nature."

"Please, just give me a hint."

"I said it's no good— having your cat strike a cutesy pose won't change the fact that no means no."

Snow White rolled over on the counter and tilted its head, but it seemed to have no effect. Parfait thought she herself would have been in danger.

Looking closely, she saw Rick at the counter right next to them, questioning a staff member.

"It seems you've expanded your counters. Have you added any new products? Like an expanded lineup of pet food. Or maybe more pet equipment?"

"No, that's not the case."

"Have the Tamer Guilds in other countries also expanded?"

"No, the only one that has expanded is the Tamer Guild in Azuma."

"...I see. Thank you."

Rick bowed his head, looked around, found Parfait and the others, and immediately sat down at their table. Then, without saying anything to them, he fell into thought.

"Rick-kun, what's wrong? And what were those questions about, anyway?"

"You were listening? They won't tell me about the event even if I ask, so I just asked some innocuous questions. But I still don't have enough information."

"You still don't have enough?"

"Even with what I have, I can make some predictions. Want to hear them?"

"Really? Then please tell me."

"I think the next event will take place in a new field."

"A new field?"

"Probably, a new area will be unlocked in relation to the event. And only the Azuma Tamer Guild expanded its counters... which means I think the new island that recently appeared in the sea south of Azuma will be the event venue."

Rick said it as if it were nothing, but Parfait and Chris were surprised to hear it.

"This is the first I'm hearing of this information."

"As for the new island, you'd know about it right away if you just checked the bulletin boards. The fact that they increased the counters without adding new items probably means there's some kind of procedure that needs to be done. It's a countermeasure in anticipation of a flood of players."

"You're scaring me, Rick-kun."

He probably wasn't right about everything, but Parfait felt a certain kind of fear toward Rick for being able to predict so much from various pieces of information. That kind of thing was fine for predicting test questions, but that was it.

"It's just speculation, but I think it would be a good idea to complete some Tamer Guild quests from now on. I suspect that you won't be able to go to that island unless you meet certain conditions. For that, it would be better to raise our reputation at the Tamer Guild."

Guilds had a reputation system, and completing quests would raise it. Being a member of a guild made it easier to raise your reputation, but you could still raise it without being a member. Also, as your reputation rose, you could get titles and discounts on products, among other benefits.

Parfait felt like asking "Really?", but even if he was wrong, it wouldn't be a loss. She could still earn money by completing quests.

"If you say so, Rick-kun, maybe we should all do it? I've completed a fair number of quests, but everyone else hasn't done as many."

"It might be completely off the mark, but if it works out, we can get a head start in the event. I don't know what kind of event it will be, but we should do various things to enjoy it."

The words "event tryhard" came to Parfait's mind. She felt a mix of fear and reassurance, but Rick's predictions were often right. If so, she should accept a quest right away, and Parfait stood up from her chair.

Just then, her eyes met with Orion, the leader of the clan "Cats are God." Orion smiled and approached them.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Would you mind if I heard the details? If you agree, you can pet my child's belly. And separately from that, may I pet your black kitty's belly?"

As Orion said that, Snow White, who had been on her shoulder, hopped onto the table and showed its belly in a pose similar to Trachiyo's.