novelraw Chapter 77
Chapter 77
Chapter 77
August 14. Clear skies. So clear the sunlight hurts.
Early morning, I was running across the park lawn in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.
"Azusa-chaaan......! I can't take it anymore, I'm at my limit. Big sis might throw up~!"
No matter how many times I wiped my forehead, my vision blurred with sweat. My throat was a desert from the heat. I'd give anything to warp to the Arctic, even for ten seconds......
I'd already lost count of how many laps I'd made around this large park with its spreading lawns.
"It's only 10 km so far. We promised, right? If you game for more than ten hours a day, you have to exercise with me."
Woke up at 4:00. Started exercising at 4:30.
I've been running non-stop since then until 5:30. I'm gonna die......
Azusa-chan, running ahead of me, is sweating too, but she still looks cool.
I let my guard down. Yesterday I got so wrapped up in leveling that I completely forgot the ten-hour rule. Break that rule and it's punishment time—meaning Azusa-chan drills me to make up for my lack of exercise......!
"I'm at my limit~! I'm gonna die......!"
"Got it. We'll take a little break. It's hot today anyway."
"A drink~! Cola~!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll go buy some, so sit on the bench and wait."
When you're in full-dive your body doesn't move at all, so yeah, exercise is necessary. It's pricey, but maybe I should buy an "Auto-Exercise." Those pads you stick all over your body that zap you with electricity to give you a workout. With that, even lying in bed all day wouldn't make me go stale.
"......Still, Azusa-chan, you don't do this every single day, right? That'd be cyborg territory."
The park still only has old men in track suits and what look like office ladies. I actually like parks when they're not crowded. The air is crisp.
"Here."
Azusa-chan hands me a plastic bottle of cola. I twist off the cap and chug it.
"Ahhh~! The best. The carbonation melts my brain!"
Meanwhile, Azusa-chan drinks from her water bottle (natural spring water).
"Big sis, you're not actually bad at sports, so why not join some athletic club?"
"As if I could keep up with the whole sports-club vibe?"
"That's...... impossible, huh."
Honestly, I wish she wouldn't underestimate my lone-wolf power.
"Ah, that brings back memories. That thing."
I point at the play structure in the middle of the park.
"We used to play on it all the time~"
"Big sis, you're really good at the jungle gym."
"I trained with my friends. Well, in-game, anyway. They always said, 'A true thief fears no obstacle!'~"
"Friends...... right. Imaginary—"
"Not imaginary friends! Real friends!"
"Big sis has...... friends? Ah, that bear with the gun—"
"Not a stuffed animal! A person!"
Well, we only spent a little time together when we were kids. And only inside the game.
Can I even call them friends? Honestly, it's iffy. We've already lost touch.
"Hey, Azusa-chan, I'm sick of running. Wanna race on that jungle gym?"
"No."
Azusa-chan refuses flatly.
"......I've decided I won't 'compete' with you, big sis."
When she realizes her water bottle is empty, Azusa-chan shakes it and heads off to refill it from the tap.
"Won't compete...... huh. Because I'm not even a worthy opponent, right."
Of course. There's no way I could ever beat Azusa-chan.
I slump, depressed at my pathetic big-sis status.
"Big sis."
Having finished refilling, Azusa-chan beckons as if to say hurry up,
"Ten more kilometers, let's go."
Have you no mercy?
---
After lunch, I dove back into Infinity Space.
I wake up on a hammock inside the battleship. Even without a capsule bed, there are many beds that serve as save points, and this hammock is one of them. Safety-wise, a capsule bed is better, but the difference is trivial. So I pick the more comfortable option.
I step out onto the deck and stretch wide. Another sunny day. Sunlight glints off the sea.
What should I do? Leveling sounds good, or maybe I could temper my growing rifle, Stark.
This colony has hunting grounds where Machinebeasts appear, covering levels 1 to about 130. Hunting there wouldn't be bad.
To decide where to go, I open the system menu to check the map.
"Hmm?"
A new message is in my message box.
"What's this?"
I open the message box.
One new message. It's from Ness, the King's aide.
"I have a favor to ask. Please contact me when you have time."
Ugh...... bad feeling.
I open my friend list. Ness is logged in. I send a reply saying I've seen the message, and a response comes immediately.
"I'm near Jolly Roger right now, so let's meet at the police station in Jolly Roger. If you have other plans, let me know."
I reply that it's fine.
"Guess I'll go."
I leave the battleship, cross the pier→scrap yard→abandoned-house district, and hit the main road.
While walking toward the police station,
"Hey."
A kei-truck stops beside me.
The window rolls down, and a white-haired ponytailed loli with a cigarette in her mouth pokes her head out.
"H-hello! Ms. Eve."
"Yo. Whatcha up to?"
"Ness actually asked me to come to the police station, so I'm on my way."
"Figures. I'm done with deliveries for today. Hop in, I'll give you a ride."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Don't be shy."
"Thanks, then." I climb into the passenger seat.
"Ness called you about that thing, right? The favor I created a debt for?"
"Y-yeah. Probably."
"Then I'll tag along. I planted the seed, after all. Plus, I'm curious what kind of request is so important the aide comes all the way here in person."
True. At the very least, it's something that couldn't be handled by message alone.
Anxiety and tension swirl inside me, but there's a sliver of curiosity too.