The text, “First City, Lurolona” appeared in the bottom right corner of my vision.
“Hmm...?”
I’d been unconscious for a few seconds—no, less than a fraction of that if we were calculating in real-time. If the developer’s explanation was to be believed, my flow of time would be completely different from this moment onward.
So we’re supposed to live here until the game’s complete?
I looked around and found myself in a scene that surpassed reality.
White stone pavement, a western castle that towered in the distance... On closer inspection, the pavement was slightly dirty. If I had to describe it, perhaps I’d say it added a sense of reality? The stones certainly existed; they were part of a real, lived-in world... It was that kind of dirtiness.
“Oh? It’s started! Hey! Umm... Your in-game name... Right, Therese! Over here! C’mon!”
“Ah, there you are! Ta... I mean L’Arc!”
A handsome man and a pretty woman were staring deeply into each other’s eyes. They were a Human male and a Jewel female. Did that mean they were real-world acquaintances that managed to spawn near one another?
“Aight! Let’s have some fun, then! The game’s only just begun! I’ve been pretty busy lately, so let’s stretch out this short vacation as much as we can!”
“Of course! We haven’t been able to see each other lately... It’s been so long since we were alone together...”
“Right on!”
Look, I get that you’re putting out a rosy atmosphere, but you’re not alone...
At the very least, I’d confirmed the fact that there were players who plotted to stretch out their time off with the game. It wasn’t a complete waste of time to stick around.
The voices of those who’d just logged in chimed in one after the next and soon I was surrounded by the noisy hustle and bustle of a crowded street. I’d played VRMMOs before, but this was the first time it had ever felt so real to me.
“Now then, let’s keep my excitement in check, and start the... Hmm?”
I heard a strangely high-pitched voice.
The character creator let you freely customize your voice type, but the one I heard was a female voice that just screamed, “I made liberal use of that system.” I’d definitely set a stern, gritty voice; at least, it wasn’t anything close to the loli voice I was hearing. Did I make a mistake somewhere?
I have a...bad feeling about this. I quickly checked my reflection in the window glass of a nearby store.
“Yeah, that’s clearly a girl, thank you very much,” I muttered to myself.
And not just that... Long, jet-black hair, a young body, tiny hands, tiny feet, a practically nonexistent chest. My clothes—presumably starting equipment—consisted of a simple, white dress.
The game even went as far as to recreate the sensation of wearing a skirt, including the chilly, airy feeling between my legs.
Kizuna†Exceed has received a multi-chat request. Do you accept?
A voice echoed directly in my head. The sender was Tsumugi†Exceed—a name I didn’t know.
But, come to think of it, that’s pretty similar to my name. Let me guess, you’re the one who did this to me.
There was a system ding as soon as I accepted the multi-chat thingy, and immediately, the noise died down and I could hear only two other voices.
“Ah, there you are, big bro.”
“Yoohoo.”
In fact, they were two very familiar voices. They seemed to be using the exact same voices they had in real life.
“Don’t ‘there you are, big bro’ me! Why did my character’s name and appearance change?! And don’t think you’re off the hook either, stupid sis!”
My older sister’s name read Kanade†Exceed, and I felt a growing urge to lodge a complaint at their naming sense. The three of us shared a last name, following a kanji, symbol, western name format. This sounds like a terminal case of chuunibyou.
“I mean, your big sis always wanted another little sister,” my big sister claimed.
“I wanted a little sister too!” added my little sister.
And together, they asserted, “That’s why we had our brother join in!”