Volume 1, Chapter 5 – I’m an NPC, You Know～

“Eh… X-Xiaoyin… I-I didn’t mean to…”

Realizing that her sudden hug had actually caused Tianyin to lose HP, Xingyu Muxi immediately let go, releasing her from her arms.

“Xiaoyin… Xiaoyin, are you alright? I didn’t think something like forced HP deduction could even happen in a Beginner Village…”

“Uuh… it’s… it’s fine…”

Seeing the flustered girl before her panicking so much, Tianyin originally wanted to say something angry. But as the words reached her lips, they softened into forgiveness.

“Eh, but still… Xiaoyin got hurt because of me…”

Even though this was just a game, the fact that she had hurt Tianyin made Xingyu Muxi feel terribly guilty.

Because Tianyin’s behavior was so lifelike, and because she was the only special NPC in this entire game world, Xingyu Muxi, as a player, hadn’t realized that Tianyin was actually an NPC.

She thought Tianyin was just a young girl, maybe secretly playing the game without her parents knowing.

And when she remembered how she had suddenly hugged her without asking for permission, Xingyu Muxi felt even more certain that she had done something wrong.

“Xiaoyin, even if you say it’s fine, the fact remains that I did something wrong…”

“Eh…”

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Not really understanding what she meant all of a sudden, Tianyin tilted her small head slightly in confusion.

Muxi, however, spoke again, her tone serious and sincere.

“Xiaoyin, if there’s anything you want me to do, please let me help. I don’t know if I can, but if you tell me, maybe I can do something to help?”

She offered the suggestion with clear remorse.

Although Tianyin wasn’t particularly concerned about it—

“Really… really? You mean it?”

Her beautiful gem-like eyes sparkled with excitement as she unconsciously took a step closer toward Xingyu Muxi.

“Of course I mean it! So, what do you need help with, Xiaoyin?”

She didn’t quite understand why Tianyin suddenly looked so happy, but if she could help her in any way, that made Xingyu Muxi happy too.

“Um… in that case… actually… there really is something I want to ask for help with…”

Since the girl in front of her said that, Tianyin thought this was the perfect chance to solve her hunger problem!

Sure, it might feel a little like taking advantage of the situation…

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But hey, she’d lost a tenth of her HP from that hug. Asking for a little help didn’t seem unreasonable at all!

With that thought, her once hesitant mind became more and more determined.

“Uuh, actually… actually…”

Her small mouth slowly opened, her expression gradually turning serious.

“Actually…”

“Mm-hm!?”

Xingyu Muxi nodded eagerly, looking at Tianyin with a face full of anticipation.

“Actually… uuh… actually it’s… my… my… my stomach… my stomach’s empty…”

That’s right, she was hungry. That was the reason Tianyin wanted Xingyu Muxi’s help.

After all, with all the HP she’d lost earlier, she only had a few points left. If she didn’t solve her hunger soon, she, Tianyin, might just become the first NPC loli in history to die of starvation…

“Eh?”

That answer left Xingyu Muxi completely frozen.

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Clearly, she couldn’t quite wrap her head around what Tianyin meant.

Seeing the disbelief in her eyes, Tianyin puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

“I-I’m not lying! Really… really, I’m hungry!”

At that very moment, from Tianyin’s small belly came an adorable “guu~” sound.

“Uuh… it growled here of all places…”

Her anger instantly vanished, replaced by bashful embarrassment.

“Pfft… you really are…”

Hearing the little “guu…” from her stomach, Xingyu Muxi finally understood why Tianyin had said she was hungry.

“So… Xiaoyin wants to eat something?”

“Mm-hm!”

Even though she was still embarrassed that Muxi had laughed after hearing her stomach growl, the temptation of food was stronger. She decided to ignore it for now and nodded repeatedly to admit it.

“I see…”

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Muxi now understood what she had to do next, but her expression became a little troubled.

“Well, if it’s just hunger, it’s actually an easy problem to solve. But Xiaoyin, you know, this game world is ultimately just made up of data. The food here can’t actually fill our stomachs in the real world. So if you’re hungry in real life, even if I wanted to, there’s nothing I could do about it…”

And yes, she was completely right.

After all, this was a virtual world made of data. While the in-game eating visuals and sensations could perfectly imitate reality, the body itself wasn’t actually absorbing any real nutrients.

So, it was both an easy and a difficult problem to solve…

“Eh?”

The next second, after hearing Xingyu Muxi’s explanation, Tianyin looked at her with a strange expression and slowly shook her head.

“Um, actually… I’m not a player~”

Slowly, as Xingyu Muxi’s eyes widened in shock, Tianyin continued with a calm smile.

“I’m… an NPC, you know, Sister Xiaomu~”