| Author: Resn | Original Source: Kakuyomu |
| Translator: Nomad | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Silva | |
Around noon, the long live stream came to an end, and Kou and her friends returned to the real world.
“Mmhh…”
“Kou, Kou, watch out.”
“It’s fine… Who cares… Phew.”
“It’s not okay, even if there are no boys around. You really need to understand that.”
Having been lying down for hours, Kou stretched as much as she could to ease the tension in her back. She was wearing indoor clothes—hot pants and a camisole—which exposed her nicely shaped navel as she stretched. Hijiri tried to stop her, but Kou ignored the concern and continued.
As a boy, Kou already had a rather delicate body, but it couldn’t compare to her current form. She knew Subaru and Ryunosuke were in the living room nearby, so she felt safe. She sat on the floor, spreading her legs wide and leaning forward until her chest touched the floor. The stretch felt nice, letting her body bend and twist easily.
Once she was done, she grabbed the summer cardigan next to her and put it on over her camisole. Soon after, Kasumi and Miyuki logged out and stood up.
“Mmm… I’m going to look for Mama…” Miyuki’s voice sounded lethargic as she waddled off to the next room, where Sara and Hisui were still sleeping after their night of drinking. Since the kids had been playing the game for most of the day, they planned to meet up for lunch.
“Hmm… Now that I think about it, this room must’ve looked crazy earlier,” Kasumi remarked.
“Ahahah, yeah, it does get a bit weird with so many people,” Kou replied.
Kou had heard that in the past, people used bulky helmets for VR, but now, they only looked like they were asleep while playing Destiny Unchain Online. However, when multiple people in one room were playing at once, it must have looked strange to anyone who walked in.
“Yawn… I’m back.”
“Ah, welcome back, Hinagiku. Could you tell Mrs. Kikyo that we’re about to go get lunch?”
“Right away!” Hinagiku cheerfully replied before trotting off to find her mother. Then…
“Oh, are you young’uns taking a break?”
“Oh, Mom?”
Amari and Sora had just entered the room.
“Our job is pretty much done now. Sadly, Kaname still has a few final checks to run, so he won’t be able to join us just yet…”
“I see, and I guess Mom is helping him too.”
“Yes, Hijiri. We offered to stay and help, but Kaname got all, ‘We’re in charge of the hardware, you developers go enjoy your break,’ and he basically chased us out.”
Amari mimicked Kaname’s stern attitude, making the group chuckle. Kaname, the father of Hijiri and Subaru, was known for his dedication and somewhat awkward kindness.
“They said they’re sorry, but they’ll definitely make time for you and your brother tomorrow.”
“That goes for us too,” Sora added. “We’ve cleared our schedules so we can all relax and enjoy each other’s company tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Auntie Amari,” Hijiri said with a grateful smile, clearly excited about spending time with her father again.
After that, Amari announced that lunch would be her treat. She took everyone to a fancy seafood restaurant within Island City, which also offered vegetarian options.
Since their group was so large, they booked two tables—one for the Mitsuki and Furuya families, along with Kasumi, and the other for the Kudo and Tone families, joined by Hisui.
“Th-This place looks so fancy and expensive…” Kasumi murmured nervously as she looked around the traditionally adorned tatami room.
“Hm? You think so?” Amari tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. Her unawareness of the restaurant’s extravagance only made Kasumi feel even more out of place.
“Company presidents really live in another world…” Kasumi muttered to herself.
Kou, on the other hand, was curious about something else. “I thought you’d bring us to a sushi restaurant, considering the island’s reputation for great seafood.”
“Yes, I considered that,” Amari nodded. “But I chose this place because they also have vegetarian and vegan options.”
“…I appreciate that, Mom,” Kou said, and ordered a tofu burger steak from the menu.
Everyone placed their orders, and shortly afterward, the food arrived, making their mouths water at the sight of the elaborate dishes. Kou’s tofu burger steak came sizzling on a hot griddle. It was thick and looked surprisingly like real meat.
It sizzled loudly as Kou cut off a piece, and when she brought it to her mouth, she could smell the marine aroma of minced seaweed like hijiki mixed in, along with the firm bite of root vegetables.
“…It’s tasty.”
“I see, that’s good then,” Amari smiled at her daughter, taking a bite of her fish teriyaki with a side of seafood soup. Kou’s eating habits had always been a challenge during vacation trips.
“I… I think I’ll try fixing my eating habits when we get back home,” Kou muttered quietly. The food wasn’t bad—in fact, it was quite the opposite—but her limited diet restricted the kinds of restaurants her family and friends could visit. That weighed heavily on her.
Hijiri, who had endured a particularly traumatic experience with Kou in the past, had never held it against her, but that only made Kou feel worse. She realized that she had been the one holding everyone back from enjoying more variety. Kou didn’t have any allergies or moral reasons to avoid meat; it was all psychological trauma from the past. She knew it was time to face it and move on.
Amari and Sora exchanged proud looks, hearing their daughter’s resolution.
“Hmm… That’s a commendable decision, just don’t force yourself,” Amari advised gently. “Make sure you have someone to support you. This is a psychological hurdle, not just picky eating.”
“Mhm… I know, Mom.”
“Hijiri, Subaru, keep an eye on her, will you? We’ll feel a lot better knowing you two are there to support her.”
“Of course,” Hijiri replied.
“Let’s do our best, Kou!” Subaru added.
The twins readily agreed, making Kou smile as she resumed eating her tofu burger steak, already planning to start small—perhaps with canned tuna.
The rest of the lunch passed uneventfully until dessert was served: matcha milk-flavored kudzu starch noodles, an unusual but delicious treat.
“Oh, right!” Kou said suddenly, breaking the calm. “We fought this weird enemy earlier. It looked like a tuna with arms and legs.”
““…Bff?!”” Both Amari and Sora suddenly choked on their coffee, caught off guard by Kou’s comment.
“…Psst, Sora, do you think it’s him? That accursed enemy we developed as a joke…” Amari whispered.
“…Yes, Amari. But I swear we exiled Bonithunnus to a useless corner of the event map…”
“And they still found him and defeated him… I’m starting to become a little afraid of the power of our daughter and her friends.”
“This is going to mess with the development balance,” Sora groaned, rubbing his temples. “It’ll force us to make future enemies too strong. I’m already getting a headache thinking about it.”
Kou tilted her head in confusion, wondering what on earth her parents were whispering about.
