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I arrived at our meeting spot, Michelangelo Clock Tower, 10 minutes before the meetup time.
“The Heaven Bound Clock Tower”
It’s named like that because in the center of the rectangle clock tower, there are objects imitating stars orbiting in a wobbly orbit. I don’t know what kind of principles it relies on to make it stands, but it is a creative construct indeed.

“There sure are a lot of people here.”
This lone building may be a popular landmark as a meeting spot for players.
It’s worth noting that there are 8 Deus stationed here to suppress any fights between players, in a place where players often gather.
This city’s public order looks good.

It appears that these Deus periodically patrol only important points inside the city. In other words, once you are out in the field or in a dungeon, it becomes the wild west, and nothing, including PvP, is off the table. I wonder if PvP can occur in any point in the city where Deus doesn’t patrol…

“I still haven’t see Yuuki and Kouya arriving…”
I wonder if I should start synthesizing again.
On the way here, I have found a planter where a lot of colorful blooming flowers. I pulled out the weeds circumventing the flowerbed, and got 15 units of weed from it. Should I kill time by synthesizing them?
I took out the “Copper Scale”, and put 5 “Weed” on the left plate.

Before I “Upper Convert” it.

“Copper Law of Transformation.”

I activate an ability that I learnt at Alchemy lvl 3.
It increases success rate by spending MP.
My MP fell from 30 to 25.
It consume 5 MP huh.

After I activate “Copper Law of Transformation”, blue sparkles glimmer and dwell on the left plate of the scale.

“Alright.”

I felt a lot of gazes on me, but I ignored them and continue synthesizing.
They are just curiously looking at me who have Alchemy, the unpopular rubbish skill, anyway.

“Upper Conversion!”

Alright. It resulted as the recorded recipe indicated.

I proceeded as such, “Upper Converting” a total of 15 units of weed, while using “Copper Law of Transformation”. I succeeded to convert them all of them thrice into “Clear Leaf”.

I have 10 MP left.
After this… let’s make some “Sewer Water”.
I poured 10 bottles of “Sewer Water” on the left plate.
As the water ball expand along with how much water I poured, the scale also expand to match in size.

“Failure Is The Mother of Success.”
I tried out the ability that I learnt on Alchemy skill lvl 6.
It has the effect of increasing the failure rate by spending MP.
My MP was reduced from 10 to 0.

However, with this, I can successfully fail and make some “Sewer Water”.
Red sparks were crackling on the right plate.

Alright.
“Upper Conversion!”
And the result was

That’s nice.
As according to plan, I managed to make some sewer water;.

“The real part comes after this.”
After this, I take out “Copper Mixing Cauldron, throw “Sewer Water” and “Clear Leaf” in, and then stir them.

If there are no accident, then I should be able to make three “Purified Water”, an ingredient for “Emerald Tear”.

Although I have grasped the heating and the stirring timing needed to make the potion back at George’s ☆ Skill Arts Shop, it still require a lot of concentration.

“Huu….”

I’m at the last step. Messing up is not an option.
Even though there are a lot of whispers around me, I paid them no heed at all.

I dropped a blue pebble, “Slime Core”, into the “Copper Mixing Cauldron”.
After that, I open a bottle of “Purified Water” and pour it in.

Firstly, boil it in high temperature, check for expanding blue color from the “Slime Core”. After that, turn down the heat.

This time, there isn’t any bubbling noise like from before.
So I really boiled it in high temperature for too long previously.
So while maintaining the heat, I slowly turn the “Stirring Rod”.

After that, a blue smoke rise up from the pot.

“Ooh!”
I analyzed the small green bottle of “Emerald Tear + 2”.
The effect is even better than the previous “Emerald Tear + 1”.
This time, it recover 200 HP instead.

Following the same process, I successfully make two more “Emerald Tear”, making a total of three “Emerald Tear” successfully created.

“Oh beautiful princess, may I ask what you are doing there?”
Roughly about at the same time as the time I finished synthesizing, a voice called out to me.
I directed my sight that way, and right there, there was a red haired young man wearing a wind sorcerer’s robe, looking at about high school age.
Paying attention to my surrounding, I see a lot of players who looking at me gathering around me.

“Ah, that guy! He stole a march on!”
“If you don’t like it, then go and talk to her.”
“But, to talk to such a cute girl…”

There are such conversations in the murmur of the crowd.
I smiled amicably at the red haired Mr. Sorcerer and focus on him.

“I’m waiting for someone.”
I answered the young man’s question without beating the bush.
“I see. However, the act of leave a beautiful flower such as milady in a garden where unruly mobs are passing by all the time it is outrageous and unspeakable.”
“Ex-excuse me?”
“Oh, I am saying that fellows that would keep a lovable girl such as you waiting are indecent fellows.”
“I, I see…”
“How about this, why won’t you go on an adventure with me, the famed “Sorcerer who never sleeps”, instead?”

What have you been talking about, like the sorcerer who never sleeps part, for example.
It’s a bit cool, but it is also painful to watch.
“I have already promised them, so…”
“What a pure heart! Even though you are unjustly being done upon, you kept waiting for the undeserving fellow, how saintly! If you don’t have time to spare, how about adding me to your friend list instead, my princess?”
He humbled himself, he fall on to one of his knees to bring down his eye on the same level as mine.

“Wha-. he moved onto asking for befriending.”
“Alright, I won’t let this go! I’m joining in.”
“Ah, the weather’s good today, isn’t it? Won’t you befriend me?”
“Please be friends with me!”
“P-p-please be my friend too!¹”
“Hmm, a loli girl. I want to lick on her……”

Following the lead of the Mr. Sorcerer who never sleeps, I was surrounded by players, all wanting to befriend me.
“W-what’s with you guys! It’s me who are talking to the angelic eldest princess! Stop showing unrefined behaviors in front of her!”

Even though Mr. Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps has raised his objection, no one was listening to him.
I was also at a lost on how to deal with this.
Especially the last guy, I think I heard something hair lifting earlier…

“E, um…”
I quickly scanned the crowd surrounding me.
Is there any good idea in there somewhere.
When I did so, my eyes met two familiar faces amongst the crowd.

They were looking from a distance away, as if watching something interesting happening.

I have been waiting for you, Yuuki and Kouya.
They also kept their character looking the same as their real life counterpart.

“Kouya! Yuuki!”
I called out to them from the ring of mercenaries.
When I did that, their head snapped to my direction, making a face that ask “did you call for me?”.
The surrounding mercenaries also followed my gaze and landed on the figure of those two.
What they see, was a handsome boy Yuuki, and a glasses handsome boy Kouya.
The surrounding mercenaries starting chattering amongst themselves to put them under criticism.
“What, are they the people who the angel are waiting for?”
“What unpleasant faces.”
“The sword of justice shall fall on the lolicons.”
The two are verbally spattered with disses from others.
On the other hand, Mr. Sorcerer who never sleeps replied in different spirit.
“I see, so that’s how it is. This can be nothing but fate. Muahahahaha,” he mumbled as he pressed his right hand onto his face, as his body trembled.
“What a fitting casts to carry the burden to stop the end of the world.”
He spat out a cool, creepy line, and he laughed a grand, contemptuous laugh.

“Muahahahahahahaha! This is interesting!”
Flashing his robe gallantly, he moved towards Yuuki and Kouya.
“As I was wondering who were the unfaithful savages who would leave a pure maiden alone… and you look just like I expected. Wouldn’t you be YuuKou from the “Hundred Night Riders”? How amusing!”
He challenged Kouya and Yuuki as he spread out both of his hands, striking a pose as if giving a fervent speech.
What a provocative remark.

Hearing that, the two assumed looked sour.
“Kou, do you have any idea what this Mr. Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps is talking about?”
“Just leave him be, Yuu. It is already commonly known that he has loose screw in his head.”
The two didn’t lose their cool and curtly respond them.

“I’m amazed by your foolishness. It appears that unless I burn you with my world-destroying flame, you won’t even notice your crime of leaving a maiden hanging.”
“Mr. Guren from “Hundred Demons Parade”. Would you stop picking a fight with us every time we meet?”
Yuuki replied to the belligerent sorcerer’s provocation like he is fed up with it.
“You can’t even stand the fact that our Clan’s name “Hundred Nights Riders” and your Clan’s name, “Hundred Demon Parade” sound like each other… I wonder who is the idiot here?”
Pushing his glasses up, Kouya backed Yuuki’s reply without changing his expression at all.
“We are not talking about that right now, you silly knights-wannabe!”
Mr. Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps fluttered his robe as he said this.
“A little demon that’s all talk and all bark huh.”
“Oh unintelligent demon who understands human speech, keep your hand off that thing.”
Like him, Yuuki grasp for his sword in his back, while Kouya start cracking his shoulder.
The atmosphere between the two sides was becoming considerable perilous.
“Go get burnt and repent!”
“It’s you who are in love with that girl, isn’t it?”
“You bastards!”
The Sorcerer took out a long stick, and in response, Yuuki and Kouya were also taking a battle stance.
Yuuki took out his sword and shield. Kouya took out a stick and a knuckle?

“Hey hey, are they going to PvP here?”
“There are 8 Deus here!!!”
“They won’t just be penalized, they will also be instantly killed.”
Said the people who were standing away from the tension between the two sides.
Deus are those that will dish out punishment when they sense a battle.
There are about 8 of these blue armored guards in the vicinity of the clock tower.
I don’t know why, but this might be my fault.
Is there a way to defuse the situation?
It appears that Mr. Sorcerer is angry for some reason because I was left waiting by Yuuki and Kouya.
In the first place, my cuteness is the cause of this incident.
In that case, then the only way solution is to also use this cuteness.

“Wait!”
Squeezing out the loudest voice I can muster, I push through the crowd of players ².

“Aah, I was touched by the angel~.”
I heard such a dangerous slur.
The three persons who were preparing for a fight look over at the frantic me.
While I was going through to their side, the atmosphere surrounding them immediately relaxed.

“I have been wondering who she is. Kou, do you know her?”
“No, I don’t know her either… Hmm? Now that I look at her…”
My two classmates haven’t recognize me yet, apparently. However, there’s no time to explain either.

There’s no other way.
I cling on Kouya’s waist.
“Don’t bully Yuuki-onii-chan and Kouya-onii-chan!”
Secret technique: The Cry of Pure Maiden.
It’s that thing, where you would be gentle towards little kid, prostate yourself before this cuteness, and you would forget whatever has happened, isn’t it?

However, as opposed to my prediction, neither side put down their weapon.
Yuuki and Kouya was also dazed.

“Grrrrrrr. You guys are unforgivable! For using a little girl as a shield, how underhanded!”
For some reason, Mr. Sleepless is even more enraged.
Why?

At least, if it were me, if such a beautiful little girl pleaded me like this, I would join her side, or at least, fall on my knees, lose my will to fight, and only observe her beauty.

As I said, if you protect the person who the girl is protecting, you can increase her likability towards you, and then you can get closer to her, can’t you?

Isn’t the pleading of a girl the most important thing in the world, over any other treasures in the world?

Oh right.
Should I just appeal to him more?

The bonding appeal is important, isn’t it³.

Let’s start the reminiscing talk.
This way, those two would notice that I’m Jintarou too. Two birds with one stone.

“Yuu-onii-chan is a kind big brother who had thoroughly taught me how to swim in a pool!”
Yeah, he taught me how to do a breaststroke persistently during that summer swimming lesson.

“Kou-onii-chan has showed me interesting anime and manga!”

Ah, I still haven’t returned a few manga. Sorry.

Hmm.
With this, one incident is resolved.

“Hey hey, he went to a swimming pool with a little girl, and taught her how to swim personally on top of that?”
“I’m jealous of him.”
“A beautiful little girl in swimsuit… not to mention her immature body.”
“He is getting the death penalty, isn’t he.”
“Wait a minute, that glasses guy personally trained an otaku that like his preference. He is far more sinful!”
“Now that you mention it, I wish I could have a lively conversation about my favorite anime with a beautiful girl.”

“…………………”
“……………..”
“…….”

“You are guilty!”

…….

It seems like I did a wrong turn somewhere.

No, wait. What’s important is the Sorcerer. How is he?

He… isn’t doing well.

I feel like I can hear a side of his head bulging, and his face is as severe.
“To think that you are this kind of people! How could you do this toa helpless little girl! The Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps, Guren, will definitely punish you!”

Why? (Serious face).
On the side note, there sure are a lot of lolicons in this game.

Huu, calm down.
This should still be salvageable.

I shuffled forward to Mr. Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps, so I can block him from Yuuki and Kouya.

“Oh dear princess. Move over. I have a duty I must complete.”
“Even though you are going to bully Yuu-onii-chan and Kou-onii-chan?”

That’s right. This is bullying.
This should be the key to the resolution.

“They have done unforgivable things to you. I must punish them.”
“But, Mr. Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps. You are strong, right?”

Yeah, his self-esteem is high.

“Ukh. Y-yeah.”
“Sir Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps, you are cool and strong. You aren’t going to bully the weak, right?”

This is it. Let’s persuade him by flattery.

“I am… cool?”

As if pierced, he gripped his chest with both hands and began to tremble.

“Hah, for me to be told that…”
“Mr. Sorcerer who Never Sleeps, good person?”
“Ah, yes, yes. As you said, I’m Guren, the strong and cool Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps!”
“Won’t you stop bullying the weak too?”
“Of course, of course! The blokes at “The Hundred Night Riders” are all weak, after all. In consideration of the lovely princess, I shall overlook this matter!”

Easy, operation accomplished.

“Wh- Guren-kun, you think we are weak?”
“Wait, Yuu. Let’s pull out.”
“What are you saying, Kou?”
Kouya pushed his glasses up as he stared at me.

“You should listen to Kou-onii-chan. Well then, Mr. Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps. See you.”

After I said that, I hold both of their hands and quickly escape the place.
“Aah, I too, want to hold hands with a beautiful young girl…”
Leaving behind that resenting voice behind, we moved away from that place.

────
────

We moved to the “Grass Plains of Beginning”.
“And with that, isn’t it about time we hear an explanation, young lady?”
It seems like Yuuki hasn’t realize that I’m me.
As of Kouya… yep. As usual, I can’t read his poker face. But, I feel like he had figured it out.

To be honest, I’m scared to hear their reactions about my completely changed appearance in-game.
I forgot about my fear after that low-probability random encounter.
I need to thank Mr. Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps for this.

I point at one of them, and then point at the other, “Asahina Yuuki, Higure Kouya. Both of you are students at Takehana High School, short named Hana High⁴, both of you are at freshman year.

“Eh, how do you know our names..?”

“…You are Jintarou, right?”
“Eh, really?”

Kouya pointed that out.
“Really.”
“Eeeeeeeee!”
Yuuki exclaimed in surprised, while Kouya maintain his cool.

“…How did you figure out it was me?”
I wonder how Kouya figured it out.

“I somehow saw a shadow of your younger self in your face,” he pushed his glasses as he said that. I need to straighten his facts though.
“I don’t look like this when I was young! Besides, Kouya, you don’t know how I look like when I was little!”
It would be scary if I look like a beautiful girl when I was little.
“No, that’s not tr-”
Yuuki pushed aside Kouya who hasn’t finish talking and bend to look over me carefully.
“Eh, are you really Jintarou? You aren’t an imposter sent by Jintarou to pull a prank on us, right?”
Oi, that’s rude.
“I’m not Kouya, so I won’t do that.”
“Ah, good point. However-”
“Hey, What do you both think I this intelligent cool glasses me, am?”, Kouya objected.

“Eccentric?” I and Yuuki voiced out together.
“Ugh. What a hypocrite. Yuuki, aren’t you a tuna that will die if you stop helping others? Jintarou too, aren’t you an ordinary person who has mastered the arts of being ordinary?”

“Ugh!” stabbed at our weak points, me and Yuuki voiced our injury.

To make sure that they would believe that I’m me, I pulled out my trump card. They are sure to believe me right away.
“Do you know “World Alliance”?”

It is the name of a stupid alliance that we founded when we were middle schooler. It was a dark history that only we three knew about.

“Ahaha, it’s really Jintarou.”
“See, it’s Jintarou.”

“See?”
As soon as Yuuki believed me, I asked them about what happened earlier.

“By the way, do you know Mr. Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps from earlier?”
“Yeah, although our clashes are always initiated by that side.”
“Indeed, in a nutshell, it is a 『War』between Mercenary〈Clan〉s.”
“Clan? War?”

“A Clan is a player-made organization, it’s something like a team or a guild.”
“And so, their clan has declared war on us.”

A war declaration…
“As expected of a VRMMO that mainly advertised with its PvP feature…”
“Oh yeah, Jintarou, would you like to join our guild, “Hundred Night Riders”?
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”
“The idea was that it is a group of one hundred people who have the spirit of chivalry. That’s why Hundred Night Riders was born.”
“A spirit of chivalry…”
“It is a gullible clan to help realize Yuuki’s addiction towards helping people. (laugh)”
“Kouya, don’t laugh through your nose…”

They even invited me, who don’t understand the system of “Clan”.
“Are your clan only consist of you two only?”
“No, including us, there are five people in it.”
“In short, there are only a few of us.”
So aside from them two, there are three more members huh.
If it is just with these two whom I already known, I have no problem. However, I’m a newbie, and I might cause some problems in the clan. The others might be beta testers after all.
“Can you wait until I get used to the game for now?”
“Sure, of course.”
“If a beginner like Jintarou enter our clan, which is in “War” state with other clan, he would be threaten with danger from the enemy clan right from the start too.”

Did you guys just knowingly invited me to a danger ground?
“Hey…”
“Ahaha, but it is fun, you know?” Yuuki smiled care-freely.
“Yeah, it is fun,” agreed Kouya, wearing a lurid smile.

Well, I guess it does sound fun.

Although in nature, a fight between players, in other words, between humans, would bound to cause some resentment and cause some trouble.

“By the way, why did they declare war on you? Did you do something?”
“Aah, the clan on the other side is called, “Hundred Demon Parade”.”
“And, our clan is called “Hundred Night Riders”.”

Hundred Demon Parade and Hundred Night Riders⁵.

Demons and Knights.

“As the Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps has said, it’s hard to distinguish between our names. It would be unpleasant if we were mistaken to be the same clan. ‘Demons who presides over evil is better than knights who swing the sword of hypocrisy.’, so he said.”

“In short, they don’t like us because our names are similar,” finished Kouya.

“Haa… how big is the opponent?”

“About 30 men strong. They are 6 times our size.”
“That guy, despite his behavior, is strong.”
“I have never seen him offline. People say that he doesn’t sleep, and so that’s why he was nicknamed “Sorcerer Who Never Sleeps”,” said Yuuki.
“In a nutshell, he is a player addicted to the point of disability.⁶”
“So naturally, people would gather around such person.”
“Birds of a feather flocks together. Strong, equally disabled people are gathered around him.”

“Doesn’t that sound… bad? In the first place, can you wage war with such a power disparity? It seems unfair to one side.”
“It’s true that they have advantage in numbers, and it will be hard, but that’s where the “War”‘s system and rules come into play.”
“I-I see.”
“Eh, we can talk about this another time.”
“Rather, we have a more important thing to talk about.”

On cue, they stared at me together.

“You’re right. Rather than standing around doing nothing, let’s go on an adventure.”
I started playing Clan Clan in order to play together with Kouya and Yuuki in the first place.
I shouldn’t be the only one excited to go on an adventure, so I enthusiastically invited them.
“Haa…”
What, Kouya, why did you sigh on my words?
“Y, you’re right.”
Yuuki, you are forcing a bitter smile too.
“What, what is it? Aren’t we playing together so that, as seniors, you can guide me, who is a beginner?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Don’t get carried away, Jintarou.”
“Okay, okay. Then, please take me to a place that you recommend which even I could go~.”
I jokingly seduce Kouya with my little girl’s clothing.
“Ahaha, that won’t work on us.”
“Okay…”
“Anyway, to the south of “Grass Field of Beginning”, there’s “Misora’s Forest”. Let’s go there.”
“Misora’s Forest? What kind of forest is that?”
“It’s said to be a forest governed by Misora, the wise sage.”

I see, I see.
A fantasy standard such as a wise sage that lives in a forest excites me.

“But you know, no one has yet met that wise sage, I hear.”

“In other words, it is “Just A Forest”, isn’t it?”
“But the NPCs said that Misora, the wise sage, exist.”
“But those information are also unverified.”

“In the first place, there must have been a lot of players who have searched the forest that is so nearby to the starting city. Yet, no one has encountered the wise sage yet. How strange.”

“Well, Clan Clan also has a lot of puzzles in it.”

“cute Taro overwhelmed voice”

“Speaking of puzzle,” Yuuki sideways glance at me, “isn’t it?”
Kouya shrugged his shoulder to reply to that.

“What is it?”
“While we walk to “Misora’s Forest”, we should talk about that too.
“I’m more curious about this one rather than the puzzling sage.”
“Talk about what?”
Exasperated Kouya laid it bare, “In short, in a game where it is impossible to play as the opposite gender,”
and Yuuki continued, “how did Jintarou play as a girl? On top of that, an elementary school girl.⁷”

I thought I could sidestep this issue by acting naturally in front of them.
But that’s impossible, it seems.

1. This is a boy, by the way.
2. Richie: Did they just forget that they want to befriend him and left him alone? Well, that’s good news.
3. It’s more like a skill, than appeal, but I just use appeal regardless.
4. In Japan (and China), schools get shorthand named for colloquial use.
5. In English, it doesn’t seem that different, but in Japanese, it is 百鬼夜行 and 百騎夜行. If I were to literally translate it, in order to prove the point, it would be “A Hundred Demon Night Excursion” and “A Hundred Knights Night Excursion”. While it is an important point in the story, I don’t think it warrant uncool name like “Hundred Knights Parade” and “Hundred Demons Parade”, so this note is here to elaborate on the reason of the conflict. It will still be called “Hundred Night Riders” and “Hundred Demon Parade”.
6. After this point, if you see “In a nutshell”, “In short”, “In other words”, or anything else with the same meaning, it’s Kouya who is speaking. This applies to future chapters too. Poor Kouya, relegated to the role of concluding things for us.
7. It doesn’t help comprehension, but it is just interesting in that in Japanese, it is “play as a girl”, but rather “play in an appearance of a girl”.