Extra: Let’s See How Real Ren is Doing!

Extra: Let’s See How Real Ren is Doing!

On the second floor of our guild house, where Hell’s Crafters resided...

It was Saturday, so the four of us spent our day off studying together. The big test was coming up on Monday morning.

This time, the prize for getting the best score in our grade was a personal airship. We needed it in order to raise Kokoru for the competitive guild mission. Plus, I really just wanted my very own airship.

With an airship at my beck and call, I want to see every last nook and cranny of this Unlimited World! With Ren at my side, of course! All right, I’m gonna do my best!

I had been studying every day, so I was feeling pretty confident by now. If I was going to lose to anyone, it would probably be Kotomi. We were in the same guild, though, so our crew was safe either way.

“Aaargh! I don’t get it! This is so boring. I wish I’d gone to hang out with Kokoru and Draco instead.” Yuuna put her face down on the desk.

We’d just finished filling in our answers for a mock social studies test that Kotomi made. Yuuna was trying, but as someone who already hated studying, it just wasn’t getting through to her.

When you try so hard without seeing any progress, it’s natural to complain here and there.

By the way, Kokoru had taken Draco out to walk around the city so we could study in peace.

“Yuuna, your grades won’t go up overnight. You have to keep working at it and do a little better each time. And you’ve already accomplished that; your score on this one is higher than the last one.” Having just finished grading her test, Kotomi did her best to sound encouraging.

“That’s not persuasive at all when you’ve got this guy over here raising his grade like it’s nobody’s business!” She pointed at Ren, who very proudly pointed at himself.

“Mwahaha! When I put my mind to it, I can be a king!”

“Nobody said you could praise yourself!”

Kotomi laughed awkwardly. “Ahahaha... Well, he’s not wrong.”

I couldn’t help but be impressed. “That’s amazing, Ren! Your thirty-one in social studies from the entrance exam could go up to forty or even fifty!"

Well, Ren was probably smarter than me anyway, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise.

Good for him, though. I helped him study too.

“It’s all thanks to you girls! My need for MEP is also a huge motivator!”

“Just what the school was hoping for, huh?” I said with a smile.

“That’s what you call a win-win situation right there!”

Ren was full of energy, and he could make anything fun. I kinda envied him for that. I always ended up having a great time with him around.

Our little study session devolved into a “watch Ren’s grades climb” session before coming to an end.

Kotomi, our teacher, declared, “Let’s leave it at that for today. Good work, everyone.”

“Sorry, but I’ve got stuff to do tomorrow. I can’t come,” Ren said.

“Oh, okay,” I heard myself say.

We’d been planning to study in-game together the next day, but...

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be coming either. My parents are going to monitor my studying since it’s the day before a test.” Maeda sighed.

“Ooh, same here! I gotta help around the house!”

Ren looked at Yuuna in disbelief. “Seriously? I feel like you just don’t want to study.”

“Shaddap! You're wrong! Wrong, I say!”

Everyone but me has real-life plans, huh? It'll be too stuffy to study at home, so maybe I’ll just log in and study alone in the guild house.

My parents were really strict and wanted to keep me cooped up in the house, so I had no freedom at all. I couldn't even go out whenever I wanted.

In that regard, the Akabane household seemed a lot more liberated. Like how Ryuutarou could be that way even in a game, with no fear of punishment.

“It’s not like you’ve got room to talk, Takashiro,” Yuuna said, hands on her hips. “You’re just trying to go and have fun, too.”

“Nope. I’m going to a party with my old man.”

“A party?”

“Pops works at a gaming company. It’s a party to celebrate the completion of their latest game. Turns out it was a collab with the Akabanes’ Red Phaser Software. Between you and me, I actually helped out a little with the design process, so he invited me to come along.”

“Aww, lucky. Bet there’ll be all kinds of tasty treats there too.”

“Probably. The venue is a huge hotel, so I’m pretty excited.”

“Where’s the hotel? Tokyo?”

“Nope, Yokohama. I think it was... the Yokohama Empress Hotel?”

“Dwah?!” I gasped before realizing it.

That was the place my grandpa mentioned yesterday! He was going to some kind of party too! Grandpa was a politician, so his thing probably had nothing to do with Ren’s. But surely they were on different floors at the same hotel!

“Hm? What’s up, Akira?”

“Uh, nothing. Don’t worry about it. I think I might have some stuff to do tomorrow, too.”

“I suppose we’ll just have to skip tomorrow’s study session, then,” Maeda said.

Ren nodded. “Yep.”

“No objections here,” Yuuna piped.

“Um, yeah. Sounds good.”

Grandpa had asked me if I wanted to come, but I’d turned him down. Typically, I avoided parties like the plague. The guests always made a huge fuss about the oh-so-great young lady of the oh-so-great Aoyagi family, so they would come up to me hoping to cash in on some social capital. Then there were the creepy old guys who looked at me like I was a piece of meat.

There was never anyone like Ren, who could look at the real me without any concerns or ulterior motives. All of those other people were leeches with their own calculated self-interests in mind. It was way too tiring to deal with that all the time.

I occasionally went if I felt like it, but if I wasn’t forced to go, I usually just said no. It sucked how often I was forced to go, though.

Anyway, I’d been given a choice this time around, so it had been easy to decline without thinking too much about it.

But what if I do go with Grandpa and then just sneak off to a different floor? I might get the chance to see Ren in real life! Wow, this is incredible!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a girl who can’t go out when she wants to! We’ll have a real-life handshake, take a real-life selfie, and then... and theeen...!

“Okay! I’m definitely going!”

In my excitement, I didn’t even realize that I’d stood up and shouted that out loud.

“Going where?”

Everyone looked at me suspiciously.

“Ahahaha... Nowhere. Hey, Ren. You said they were developing with Red Phaser Software, right? Are people from Red Phaser going to be there?”

“Yeah, probably. I was just thinking about how I really don’t want to run into a certain someone’s older brother.”

Yuuna grimaced. “Eww! That'd be awful.”

“Perhaps he’s normal in the real world?” Kotomi offered.

“But I already know who he is on the inside. How do you talk to a guy like that?”

“True, I suppose.”

“He’s the kind of guy who’ll definitely burn you if you get too close. I’d stay far away,” Yuuna said.

“Yep. A lot of third-years seem like that, too.”

Ignoring their conversation, I thought to myself, If Red Phaser was going to be there, then maybe I could ask her for help!

I was a little worried, but we had done a quest together not long ago. I had to give it a shot!

“All right, I’ve got some things to attend to, so I’m outta here. Good work today, everyone!”

I rushed out of the guild house and used the game’s messaging function to contact Nozomi.

She was still online, so we met up at the promenade just outside of the Guild Market.

“Ahem! M-My, how rare it is for you to, um, contact me.”

“Uh, sorry. I hope I didn’t bother you.”

Nozomi was being strangely awkward.

Our quest together was still very recent, so I thought maybe that would make it easier for us to talk. Still, our relationship had been poor for a pretty long time, and that wasn’t going to be patched up by a single quest.

I didn’t think it would be easy, but at this point, I was desperate and had nobody else to turn to.

“N-No! In fact, I'm very excite—hrk! Err, rather, I don’t especially mind. So, what manner of business brings us here today?”

“Well, you see...” I took some time to explain the situation.

For some reason, Nozomi let out a cheer. “Goodness! You want me to play the role of Cupid? That is unmistakably the role that a friend must play, is it not?!”

“What? A friend?”

“Erm, no, never mind. F-Forget I said anything!”

“So, uh, can I count on you to help me?”

“I wouldn’t mind. Assisting in the love affairs of others is valuable life experience.”

“Um, l-love affairs, huh?”

It was kinda embarrassing when she put it like that. My heart started to beat a little faster.

“My, am I wrong?”

“No, I... I don’t think so. But it’s my first time doing something like this, so... Oh, and don’t tell Ren, okay?”

Ren seemed like the kind of gamer who enjoyed ogling girls but didn’t spare much thought to getting a girlfriend. After all, he’d gawked at me plenty without ever trying to touch me.

Honestly, half of that was probably just him appreciating my cute in-game avatar. He really did prioritize enjoying the game world above all else.

I’d be fine with him trying to touch me if he wanted to, though.

Not that I wanted to force the matter or try to instigate anything myself. Ren was just fine as he was, and I enjoyed spending time with him. So long as we could just keep on having fun together, I’d be satisfied.

That said, however, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Teehee. This is our little secret, right? Heeheehee.”

“Uhh...”

“Oh, erm, moving on! I understand the situation perfectly. I’ll be present at the party thanks to my grandfather’s invitation, so I can assist you. I will inform Red Phaser Software that you are a guest so you can attend Takashiro’s party.”

“Yaaay, thank you so much! I never get to do anything on my own, so I’m really glad I asked you for help, Nozomi!”

“Hmph! If you want to thank me, do it only after our plan succeeds.”

“Sounds good. See you tomorrow!”

“Same to you.”

With that promise, we both logged out of UW.

As soon as I was back in real life, I rushed over to my grandpa and told him that I actually wanted to go to tomorrow’s party after all. He was glad that we could go somewhere together for once.

Grandpa was one of the few family members I had who were willing to let me do what I wanted. The fact that I was attending this school at all was actually because he’d backed me up. Though he was a politician, he had a wealth of experience in economics and education. Thus, he knew that our school’s VRMMO world was sort of a new frontier. Or, well, the fact that the government had apparently helped somewhat with the school’s foundation was probably more important there. As a result, he’d had some interest in the school and in allowing me to be on the cutting edge.

Anyway, this meant I could meet the real Ren tomorrow! But I wanted it to be a surprise, so I’d keep it a secret from him.

How should I make my entrance, though? Maybe I can pull a classic move, like sneaking up behind him, covering his eyes, and going “Guess who!”

I’d always wanted to try doing it just once in my life!

Okay! I’m gonna do it!

With that thought in mind, I fell asleep.

The next day...

“Goodness me, your granddaughter’s grown up to be a real looker! I’m awfully jealous.”

“Hahaha! You’ve got that right!”

Grandpa was in high spirits, but I couldn’t say the same for myself. This guy—no, I think he qualified as an old fart—was just staring at my chest like his life depended on it.

They say politicians never lose their youthful vitality, even when they grow old. Well, this old fart was definitely energetic in more ways than one.

I hated this kind of thing. It was a million times worse than being ogled by Ren. In his case, even if it was embarrassing, I at least appreciated his interest. Though I might get frustrated with him in the moment.

But as long as I persevered today, a reward awaited me. Time to persevere!

“It’s nice to see you after such a long time, sir.” I forced the sweetest smile I possibly could.

After a while of battling these sorts of interactions, I spotted my savior. Her grandfather was a politician as well, so he had come to make an appearance. With Nozomi in tow, of course.

She came over and whispered to me, “Are you prepared? It’s time.”

“Yes, thank you.”

In my family’s case, I had little to no freedom whatsoever. Even if I had asked someone who worked for my family, one of my parents or grandparents were sure to catch wind of it somehow. I could tell them that I wanted to go to the party downstairs and meet a friend, but no doubt they would immediately refuse.

But Nozomi had some level of freedom, so she had taken action to shake my guards off and let me go downstairs unnoticed.

“Then let us begin.” Nozomi winked at a black-suited Akabane family guard and declared, “My, I am simply parched. Could you fetch me something to drink? One of everything, perhaps, so I might compare them.”

In no time, a tray replete with different kinds of juices was brought to us. Nozomi reached for the tray and flipped it right over.

“Oh, oopsie! How clumsy of me to stumble like that!”

With a cacophonous crash, all of them spilled on me. From my hair to my dress, everything was soaked.

Just as planned!

“Nozomi... what have you done?” I intentionally tried to look as angry as possible.

We were attracting the attention of those around us, so a natural reaction was vital.

“Oh, g-goodness! Erm, I swear that wasn’t on purpose! Truly, I beg your forgiveness! Let’s get you into a shower, and I’ll prepare you a change of clothes posthaste!”

“Grandpa, I’ll be back.”

“Yeah, good idea!” Grandpa pointed at a couple of guards. “You boys, go with Akira.”

“Let’s go.” Nozomi took me outside the room.

Nice! That’s one barrier down!

My family’s security came with us whether I liked it or not, but Nozomi’s guards quickly stepped between them and us, forming a buffer.

We ascended up one floor to a certain guest room.

“The lady here is going to shower in there and change clothes. All of you, wait outside.”

After that, Nozomi escorted me inside. Her guards quickly moved into formation around the front of the door, so my family’s guards could do nothing but wait.

This was now a locked room.

“Now, go ahead and take your shower.”

“Okay, thank you. But how do we get to the floor Ren is on?”

“You’ll have to wait and see... is what I would like to say, but I’ll show you now.”

Nozomi opened a huge closet in the room. Within, there was a metallic pole running straight down. It was so tall that it spanned multiple floors.

“Wow, there’s a hole in the floor!”

“Yes. I had it made myself. This is a direct way to the third floor.”

“You had this made for our plan?!”

“Mmhmm. This hotel is owned by the Akabane family, and the work was done by Red Phaser Construction in one night.”

“Thank you so much! Now we can go down without getting caught!”

I couldn't help but grab Nozomi’s hands in pure joy.

“Eheehee... Ahahaha... Oh! Sorry, but you need to hurry and get ready. If we take too long, your guards may start searching the entire hotel.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

I rapidly removed my dress and underwear and attempted to take a shower, but the thing refused to give me any hot water.

“Whoa, cold! There’s no hot water! Nozomiii!” I poked my head out of the bathroom and called out to her.

“What is it?”

“The hot water isn't working.”

“Oh, my! The rushed construction must have caused this somehow. But we have to be quick with this unless we want to risk getting caught. I’m sorry.”

“Gotcha. It’ll have to do, then. Be back in a jiffy.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind? Be careful not to catch a cold.”

“I’m fine! If this is what it takes to meet Ren in real life, I can take it!”

Thus, I committed the ascetic act of taking a cold shower. I chose to believe I was cleansing myself with cold, holy water for my meeting with Ren.

“Phew, brrr! It’s over now, though! Nozomi, where’s the change of clothes?!”

“I have it for you right over here.”

I looked to where Nozomi was pointing.

Is that the sword dancer outfit from UW?! Oh my god, and is that Angelic Charm...? Why are there outfits from the game here?!

“What the—?! Isn’t this equipment from Unlimited World?!”

“I had it made just for you. Perhaps Takashiro might enjoy it?”

“Um, yeah, it does seem like he would.”

But this was all the more embarrassing to wear in real life.

“Do you have any other clothes?”

“None at all.”

“Ngh... Fine, then I choose this one!”

I put on the normal sword dancer gear. Looking in the mirror, I found that I looked almost exactly the way I did in-game, apart from my hair color not being pink. The sheer discomfort was even more intense in real life, though.

It’s seriously embarrassing! But remember: this is all for Ren’s sake! Hang in there, girl!

“Okay. Let’s roll, Nozomi!”

“Got it. Down the pole we go!”

Nozomi and I slid down the pole all the way to the third floor. Here, the pole was hidden inside a storage closet located in the party room.

We stepped out of the closet, and immediately, the party’s collective gazes focused on me.

“Eep. Nozomi, they’re all looking at me!”

“It’s okay. This party is for the completion of a game, after all. They’ll just think you’re a cosplayer hired by the host.”

“Oh, okay!”

Despite the shower of attention, we searched high and low for Ren.

Where could he be? I’d like to be able to sneak up on him.

After all, I wanted to try the thing I thought of before bed last night.

“Is that not him?”

Nozomi pointed to a person who had his back toward us. He didn’t just resemble him from behind either; the guy could be none other than Ren himself.

With that suit on, he looked really mature.

“Wow, it is! Okay... Time to get sneaky.”

We stealthily approached Ren from behind, hoping all the while that he wouldn’t turn this way. Wouldn’t wanna spoil the surprise, right?

Then, I was directly behind him. Time for my legendary technique!

“Guess whooo!”

I placed my hands over his eyes from behind! I happened to be really short, though, so I had to stand on my tiptoes.

“Whoa! Huh?! Err, who are you girls?”

The person who turned to face us was the spitting image of Ren... if he was a couple dozen years older, that is.

We got the wrong guy?!

“Oh, you’re not Ren! I-I'm so sorry, I have the wrong person!” I emphatically bowed in apology.

Argh, geez! This is sooo embarrassing!

“You’re looking for Ren? Oh, so you two know my son?” he asked.

Wait. Could this possibly be... Ren’s father?!

“Um, yes, sir!”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ren’s dad.”

He then handed Nozomi and me his business cards. Yuu Takashiro was his name. He was a lot like his son, for sure. They looked identical from behind. Now that we were face-to-face, he did have a much softer demeanor about him.

A grown-up Ren, to be sure. It was a wonderful sight.

“Ah, nice to meet you, too! My name is Akira Aoyagi. Ren and I have been in school together for some time now—”

“Oh, you’re little Akira?! Thank you for spending so much time with Ren.”

“No, it’s my pleasure. Speaking of, where is he?”

“Well... actually, he didn’t come today.”

We were utterly shocked.

“Whaaat?!”

Then what was the point of all this?! Nozomi even dug a freakin’ hole in the hotel floor for me!

“Wh-Why didn’t he attend?! Is he sick, perhaps?” Nozomi asked.

I’d like to know the same thing!

“Well, not Ren, but my wife is sick. He stayed home to take care of her. He has to study for tomorrow’s test too, so we decided he can just come to the next party.”

“I-I see. If that’s how it is, I suppose he isn’t to blame.”

“Ngh... Yeah. What a disappointment, though.”

Ren’s such a sweet boy. And that’s wonderful and all, but... it’s also sooo inconvenient! Today was supposed to be my big chance!

“Achoo!”

Ugh. I’m probably feeling all chilly because of that cold shower.

“Should we go?”

“Perhaps. Maybe next time, Takashiro will be willing to stick to his plans."

“Let’s hope so. Keeping it a secret to try to surprise him was my bad, though. I’m sorry.”

If we had officially made plans together, maybe Ren would’ve actually come. Or he would’ve at least contacted me in advance.

This was my mistake. Ugh, and what a mistake it was.

Afterward, I got a harsh scolding for shaking off my guards. Even worse, I ended up catching a cold. I had to take the test in the worst possible condition.

My grade? Well, you can probably guess.